We often set aside articles that are longer, deserve a re-read, are broader in scope…or just for fun - for weekend reading. Below are some from this week - pour yourself a hot cup of coffee & enjoy...
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AI ‘deadbots’ are persuasive - and researchers say they’re primed for monetization: AI avatars of deceased people - or “deadbots” - are showing up in new and unexpected contexts, including ones where they have the power to persuade. (NPR)
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Scams And Bribery Are Becoming the Foundation of Our Economy: It’s bad and you should be alarmed. (How Things Work)
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The Glorious Future of the Book: It’s still the best data center of them all. (The Honest Broker)
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Scientists can make an enormous difference in the world. Counting lives saved is difficult, but it can show us the great difference some people have made. (Our World In Data)
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One Universal Antiviral to Rule Them All? (Columbia / Irving Medical Center)
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What brain surgery taught me about the fragile gift of consciousness: After the trauma of a high-risk medical procedure, Eric Markowitz discovered a kind of consciousness that lives not in thought - but in presence. (Big Think)
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The Happiest Place on Earth: I spent a week in Finland eating trees, swimming naked, and ordering room service in pursuit of its famous contentment. (Slate)
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Why New York City Has a Fleet of New EVs From a Dead Carmaker: After EV startup Fisker went under, a leasing company bought $45 million worth of Ocean SUVs to rent them out to NYC ride-hailing drivers. (CityLab)
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How the Domino’s pizza tracker conquered the business world: Transparency became Domino’s modus operandi. (The Hustle)
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‘We are what we drive’: How car dealers became college football’s power brokers. (ESPN)
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A.I. Is Coming for Culture: We’re used to algorithms guiding our choices. When machines can effortlessly generate the content we consume, though, what’s left for the human imagination? (New Yorker)
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NASA’s Juno Mission Leaves Stunning Legacy of Science at Jupiter (Scientific American)
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What Happens if no one reads. (TFP)
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What is the richest country in the world in 2025?
What are you reading or listening to?