Here are a few reads that I enjoyed this year on a variety of topics (tech, business, environment, society, etc) including articles, blog posts and longer more in-depth reads. Hope you’ll find them interesting too!
Environment
Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change by Nathaniel Rich for NY Times Magazine: This is a seminal long read to understand the roots of the current climate change crisis. As the editor notes, it is a “work of history, addressing the 10-year period from 1979 to 1989: the decisive decade when humankind first came to a broad understanding of the causes and dangers of climate change”. Based on 18 months of reporting and 100+ interviews, the article “tracks the efforts of a small group of American scientists, activists and politicians to raise the alarm and stave off catastrophe”. The writing is efficient, riveting and thought-provoking. Why did we not act? The backstory is incredible and involves a cast of characters of elite scientists, secret meetings, the atmosphere of Venus, and Mirror Worlds. Intrigued yet?
Society & Philosophy
The Science of Inequality in Scientific American: This excellent multi-part special report explores “how high economic inequality negatively impacts nearly every aspect of human well-being — as well as the health of the biosphere”. The kickoff article by American economist and Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz alone is a must-read, demonstrating how the political system is rigged to extract private benefits that exacerbates inequality in America, and highlighting how the unique attributes of the US as a country and capitalist system can paradoxically create the highest number of billionaires but also the lowest measures of equality of opportunity. Overall, the special report is a standout for its depth and statistical rigour (which one would expect from Scientific American), while keeping a broad scope on a growing global problem.
Tech & Business
Grow the Puzzle Around You by Jessica Livingston: This blog post by YCombinator (a leading startup accelerator) co-founder Jessica Livingston was deeply personal and powerful. Its message: do your own thing, dare to think different (as your “strange qualities” may be incredibly valuable, which also reminded me of Steve Jobs’ famous “connect the dots backwards” commencement speech), be intrepid, and don’t worry about fitting into a mold. Its “puzzle” analogy conclusion stuck with me the whole year:
“You are a jigsaw puzzle piece of a certain shape. You could change your shape to fit an existing hole in the world. That was the traditional plan. But there’s another way that can often be better for you and for the world: to grow a new puzzle around you. That’s what I did, and I was a pretty weird-shaped piece. So if I can do it, there’s more hope for you than you probably realize.