What a month.
Reading
Technical
Why I stopped everything and started writing C again
In Praise of “Normal” Engineers
On the foolishness of "natural language programming"
Instead of regarding the obligation to use formal symbols as a burden, we should regard the convenience of using them as a privilege: thanks to them, school children can learn to do what in earlier days only genius could achieve.
Non technical
Brazil’s government-run payments system has become dominant
In November 2020, amid the social-distancing constraints of the covid-19 pandemic, Brazil’s central bank launched Pix, a real-time, no-fee digital payments platform that lets users transfer money instantly using only a recipient’s national ID, phone number or QR code. Its simplicity and instant settlement quickly won over consumers and merchants, displacing both cash and card transactions. By 2024 Pix had processed some 63 billion transactions—up from 9 billion in 2021—and moved 26 trillion reais (about $4.5 trillion), making it the fastest-adopted nationwide payment system on record. While Pix’s success has modernized Brazil’s banking sector and accelerated digital inclusion, it has also concentrated unprecedented operational power in the hands of the Central Bank of Brazil.
Kei & Mighty: Exploring Japan’s WAZUKA Microcar Museum
Installing air filters in classrooms has surprisingly large educational benefits
The Lost Art of Research as Leisure
被开盒一年，我遭受了1672次骚扰 亲手抓到骚扰我一年的开盒惯犯！
Youtube
~10 minutes
Etiquette Expert Answers Etiquette Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
炖汤先加盐，还是后加盐？一个简单的问题又费我大半个月的劲儿。
Longer
Professor Answers Supply Chain Questions | Tech Support | WIRED
If You Eat Meat You Should Know This
Why Sake Brewing Is My New Obsession…
Meeting Gary's favourite economist: Ha-Joon Chang
How Millionaire Bankers Actually Work | Authorized Account | Insider
How I Trafficked $5 Million Worth Of Cocaine | Posh Pete's Uncut Story | How Crime Works
Transparent dishwasher - What’s happening inside?
James Hoffmann Answers Coffee Questions From Twitter｜GQ Taiwan
Podcast
Is Professional Licensing a Racket?
How a young Dutch woman’s life began when she was allowed to die
The Big Government Money Pipe Freeze
Are we ready for the new male contraceptives?
Was it inevitable? A short history of Russia’s war on Ukraine
Rolls-Royce: Turbines and Tribulations
Debriefing from the Ukrainian Front
The controversy over Tyson Foods' hiring of asylum seekers
From NFL to Espionage: The Story of Ernest Cuneo
Delaware treats securities as abandoned after 3 years of no contact; bank accounts after 5 years. States collect about $8 billion in unclaimed property annually; two‑thirds is never reclaimed.
Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? (Update)
Low real‑estate costs, almost zero advertising, and lean tech spending let the chain pay more staff yet underprice competitors.