under the microscope

Why do placebos work?

Scientists used fMRI to detect which parts of the brain were pathways for the placebo and nocebo effects. They found the brainstem active during both. | learn more

retail therapy

Four retail IPOs.

Scott Galloway on Warby Parker, Rent the Runway, Allbirds, and the Swiss shoe company On. | learn more

better doing

How to get useful answers to your questions.

“5 years ago I wrote a post called how to ask good questions. I still really like that post, but it’s missing a few of the tactics I use to get useful answers like “interrupt people when they’re going off […]

tech, startups, internet

Stratechery on Meta.

“Meta exists because Zuckerberg believes it needs to exist, and he is devoted to making the metaverse a reality; it’s his call, for better or worse.” | learn more

tech, startups, internet

How to shut down a startup.

“Just six weeks earlier, in October 2020, Petal had finalized pricing for manufacturing its germ-freezing trash can, which consumers could use to get rid of germs in their trash and eliminate odors. Then, the cost of manufacturing the product shot […]

tech, startups, internet

Eye-scanning silver orb cryptocurrency.

“Over the summer, the world learned that tech investor Sam Altman was plotting to co-found a new startup that struck many as dystopian, albeit light on details: a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin that is distributed by scanning people’s eyeballs with an […]

fun facts

Ransomware gang drama.

“When ransomware group REvil reappeared in September after a nearly two-month downtime, its return was met with a less-than-friendly reception on the cybercriminal underground.” | learn more