Robots didn't take our jobs
I live a strange life - due to a funny life situation, I travel regularly between India and the US. One of the starkest differences is observing how many jobs machines have taken in the wealthy US, leaving the US with a dire surplus of labor. A day in the life ...
How Breakfast Became a Thing
What made breakfast into a distinct meal dominated by cold cereal? Ad campaigns like the one that coined the phrase "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" in 1944.
Hasnain says:
Engrossing read. I had no idea about the first part, which seems to be treated as gospel by a lot of folks in health too
"You’ve probably heard that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
What you may not know is the origin of this ode to breakfast: a 1944 marketing campaign launched by Grape Nuts manufacturer General Foods to sell more cereal. "
"It’s always a good idea to remain skeptical of the claims made in advertisements and the ideas expressed by organizations with vested interests. But with breakfast foods, skepticism is particularly necessary. Since advertising is the foundation of the entire ready-to-eat industry, the incentives for deception are strong.
Be vigilant. Breakfast is the most marketed meal of the day. "
Posted on 2016-05-10T01:20:58+0000
It Costs $84,000 to Cure Hepatitis C Through U.S. Insurance: I Did It for $1,500 Ordering the...
How I got around one of the most obscene examples of Big Pharma overreach.
Hasnain has not yet written a summary for this.
Posted on 2016-05-09T06:49:47+0000
Death by GPS
Why do we follow digital maps into dodgy places?
Dropbox cut a bunch of perks and told employees to save more as Silicon Valley startups brace...
Dropbox is just one of the many startups bracing for the wind to turn in Silicon Valley.
Panama Papers Source Offers Documents To Governments, Hints At More To Come
Source known only as John Doe says income inequality
Hasnain says:
This is a pretty deep statement.
"Banks, financial regulators and tax authorities have failed. Decisions have been made that have spared the wealthy while focusing instead on reining in middle- and low-income citizens.
Hopelessly backward and inefficient courts have failed. Judges have too often acquiesced to the arguments of the rich, whose lawyers—and not just Mossack Fonseca—are well trained in honouring the letter of the law, while simultaneously doing everything in their power to desecrate its spirit."
"That being said, I have watched as one after another, whistleblowers and activists in the United States and Europe have had their lives destroyed by the circumstances they find themselves in after shining a light on obvious wrongdoing. Edward Snowden is stranded in Moscow, exiled due to the Obama administration’s decision to prosecute him under the Espionage Act. For his revelations about the NSA, he deserves a hero’s welcome and a substantial prize, not banishment. Bradley Birkenfeld was awarded millions for his information concerning Swiss bank UBS—and was still given a prison sentence by the Justice Department. Antoine Deltour is presently on trial for providing journalists with information about how Luxembourg granted secret “sweetheart” tax deals to multi-national corporations, effectively stealing billions in tax revenues from its neighbour countries. And there are plenty more examples."
Posted on 2016-05-08T00:25:47+0000
'You want a description of hell?' OxyContin's 12-hour problem #InvestigatingOxy
OxyContin's 12-hour problem
Ivy League economist ethnically profiled, interrogated for doing math on American Airlines flight
Move over, Clock Boy. Another swarthy-looking nerd is alarming the authorities.
Hasnain says:
"In this true parable of 2016 I see another worrisome lesson, albeit one also possibly relevant to Trump’s appeal: That in America today, the only thing more terrifying than foreigners is…math."
Posted on 2016-05-07T17:19:01+0000
The Startup Zeitgeist · The Macro
Reading applications to Y Combinator is like having access to a crystal ball. Twice per year — once in the winter and once in the spring — thousands of men and women apply to Y Combinator. Each of these bright minds has his or her own vision of the future of technology. They pitch ideas related to B...
Hasnain has not yet written a summary for this.
Posted on 2016-05-06T06:07:22+0000
Students at Fake University Say They Were Collateral Damage in Sting Operation
The federal government’s fictitious University of Northern New Jersey was aimed at dishonest recruiters, but foreign students who signed up lost thousands and face deportation.
Hasnain has not yet written a summary for this.
Posted on 2016-05-06T06:05:32+0000