retail therapy
Entrepreneurship through acquisition.
Bloomberg profiles the world of search funds, where MBA grads look to buy small businesses with money they raise from private investors. ~ learn more
better doing
The secretary problem.
If you had a pool of 100 applicants for a secretary position, but had to hire or reject each applicant promptly after their interview, how many should you interview before making a hire? ~ learn more
tech, startups, internet
Why QED is doubling down on Kin.
A laudatory memo from a recent investor in the Chicago-based insurance startup Kin (disclosure: I’m lucky to be a small investor as well). “The difference between these financial metrics is so stark that we believe Kin will be the defining […]
tech, startups, internet
Are self-driving cars already safer than human drivers?
“For this story, I read through every crash report Waymo and Cruise filed in California this year, as well as reports each company filed about the performance of their driverless vehicles (with no safety drivers) prior to 2023.” I look […]
tech, startups, internet
What’s next is ‘interactive AI’
DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman is working on “bots that can carry out tasks you set for them by calling on other software and other people to get stuff done.” Bring it on! ~ learn more
fun facts
The hidden brain connections between our hands and tongue.
Do you ever notice yourself sticking out your tongue when doing delicate work with your hands? I sure do. Matter of fact, I just caught myself doing it right now while typing. ~ learn more
fun facts
A 500-year old clam named Ming.
It’s known for being the “Oldest individual animal ever discovered.” ~ learn more
fun facts
Lava sauce.
This came up in a “what’s your favorite condiment” chat at work. I’m thrilled that there’s a wiki page for it. ~ learn more
thoughts of food
The science of great NYC bagels.
This NPR article says it’s not the water, it’s the process. “Traditionally, Coppedge tells The Salt, the chilled dough rings are poached or boiled in a solution of water and malt barley for anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. […]
under the microscope
Bioengineered E. coli generates electricity from wastewater.
“We engineered E. coli bacteria, the most widely studied microbe, to generate electricity,” says Professor Ardemis Boghossian at EPFL. ~ learn more