7/2/21 Recommended Issues: 1776 vs 2021, Do NOT Do Lists, Third Places

Good day!

Each week we handpick newsletter issues by independent writers you may have missed that provide new or unique perspectives. 

If you read last week's and would like to subscribe or leave a review of any of the highlighted newsletters, you can do that here: Bad Astronomy Newsletter, Peter Attia, MD, The Cosmopolitan Globalist. The narrowSCALE community really appreciates it!

Also, if someone forwarded you this and you'd like to subscribe, you can do that here -- thanks!)

Here's what's worth reading this week...enjoy!

1776 VS 2021

Life in 1776 in Understandably by Bill Murphy, Jr, on 7/1 

Given that we’re coming up on American Independence Day, this issue seemed timely, relevant, and thought-provoking. Bill puts various changes/evolutions in the US into perspective...like the fact that the US population in 1776 was about the size of metro San Antonio today (which is well under 1% of today’s total population!), and that the average male height back then was 5 feet 8 inches, which is only (perhaps quite surprisingly) one inch shorter than today’s average male! You’ll enjoy the light, quick read-- and walk away with some intriguing reference points. (1009 words; 3.5 minute) Read it...

 A NOT-TO-DO LIST?

Not-to-do list: a conscious way to break bad habits in Maker Mind by Anne-Laure Le Cunff on 6/29

There’s lots of reading out there on “to do” lists (Make them! Don’t make them! They help your productivity! They don’t! bla bla bla...), but this issue was intriguing because it talks about quite an opposite concept: a “don’t do” list. It suggests that instead of focusing solely on what you WANT to do, it’s just as important to be very intentional about what you DO NOT want to do. Anne-Laure also offers some helpful examples to get your brain rolling on ideas of what you may not want your time/energy focused on. After reading this, you may very well find yourself inspired to create your own “Don’t do” list… (891 words; 3 minutes) Read it… 

 
THIRD PLACES

Vol.41: the future of virtual and physical third spaces (pt.3 of the third place series) in Wellness Wisdom by Patricia Mou on June 27  

Learnings from newsletters this week:

• The U.S. Navy wanted the Golden Gate Bridge to be painted with “highly visible yellow and black stripes” (so it wouldn't be hit by ships or planes in fog), but one of the bridge’s architects (Irving Morrow) convinced them to go with the color we're all familiar with. Seems like a good call, else it may have been known as the Bumble Bee Bridge...bzzz. now I know 6/30

• Tectonic motion causes Australia to move about 7cm per year, which may not sound like a lot, but over time that adds up... GPS maps were established in 1994, so by 2020, the continent had moved about 1.8 meters... which means that GPS maps were all off by ~1.8 meters....and Australia had to update its GPS data last year! It's all good now, but not for too long! now I know 6/29

• Boom! For the second year in a row, there’s a fireworks shortage in the U.S.! Understandably 7/1

• The Guiness Book of World Records says that the largest pair of functional scissors is 3 meter long (yep, that's over 9ft!) and was made by a Turkish automotive supply company for a grand opening in 2019... would be interesting to know how many people it took to use them to cut the ribbon! Tedium 6/30

• In case you've ever struggled to grasp how big Africa really is... The continental US + China + India + Europe all together fit inside Africa. That's BIG.  (You can see the graphic here if you scroll down just a bit) The Generalist 6/20

• Only 22% of Africans have internet access... In the Arab States and APAC internet penetration is 2x greater (44%), in the Americas and Central Asia it's 3x greater (66% and 68%) and in Europe it's almost 4x greater (80%). The Generalist 6/20

• By 2010, more than half of the U.S. population lived in suburbs. Wellness Wisdom 6/27

• In America, studies suggest that we’ve lost more than 1/2 of the casual gathering places that existed at midcentury...thanks suburbs, zoning regulations, and some other things... Wellness Wisdom 6/27

For early access to the new features on narrowSCALE...let me know. 

If you know someone who may enjoy this newsletter, feel free to forward!

If you're looking for any specific newsletters to read, you can always email me or explore narrowSCALE.

And, if you're not subscribed to THIS newsletter yet, please subscribe here :)!

Best,
~Jessica