fun facts
A tediously accurate map of our solar system.
Josh Worth put together this interesting website that gives you some serious perspective on our solar system. “If the moon were only 1 pixel…” | learn more
better doing
Work less to be more productive.
Mark Manson, the author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck, talks about his experience writing the book, including the diminishing returns and negative returns of spending extra hours per day on the endeavor. | learn more
thoughts of food
Just don’t call it rice.
The rice industry is mad at cauliflower. The recent market success of cauliflower rice has them freaking out, even asking the FDA to evaluate whether manufacturers should be allowed to use the word rice to describe the product. Oddly, they don’t feel […]
thoughts of food
Indoor farming is hard.
The promise of indoor farming is an attractive one: super-efficient land and water usage + hyper-local food. Sadly, most companies that have tried it have failed, including Chicago’s FarmedHere. Fast Company profiles Plenty, which is taking a run at a […]
big ideas
Human DNA to be synthesized within 5 years?
The Human Genome Project was a huge win for science. It’s outcome: we are now able to read our DNA. Next up on the docket is writing our DNA. Dr. Jef Boeke is the director of the Institute for Systems Genetics […]
under the microscope
Placebos can work as medicine.
Everyone knows that there’s a placebo effect in blind studies, where pills without active drugs still cause patients to feel better. Studies now find that this is true even if the patient knows the pill is a placebo. | learn more
tech, startups, internet
The unbundling of Excel.
Some years back, someone made a graphic showing how each Craigslist category spawned today’s successful vertical marketplaces. In that sense, Excel might be the next Craigslist. “Need to calculate? Excel. How about a task list? Excel. How about a lightweight […]
tech, startups, internet
The next evolution of SEO.
First came search engines. Then, came the profession of optimizing content for ranking in search engines. Then came the endless cat and mouse game of search engines updating algorithms, and optimizers updating content. This post on Hubspot Research discusses what […]
tech, startups, internet
Anatomy of a managed marketplace.
Chicago’s very own Ezra Galston writes in TechCrunch analyzing managed marketplaces, with deep dives into OpenDoor, TheRealReal, Beepi and others. Ezra’s articles are always worth the read. | learn more
fun facts
Mushrooms are the safest recreational drug.
The 2017 Global Drug Survey of almost 120,000 people asked participants what drugs they took and how often they needed emergency services. | learn more