Daily Links

There are 848 posts filed in Daily Links (this is page 3 of 85).

Out in front

Friday morning. Happy birthday to Shecky Greene.

All those diplomats were really spies? Who woulda thought.

Tom Nagorski and Joshua Keating take on the mystery of why so many Russian generals are getting killed in Ukraine.

With one ex-Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation taking over the New York subway system, another is pushing to electrify this state’s regional rail system.

Robinhood is opening up the beta for crypto wallets. This could be interesting.

And, “Your Competitor Wrote The RFP You’re Bidding On”. File under: funny because it’s true.

Addition by subtraction

It’s Thursday, National Beer Day. (We all put the yeast in!)

Russian aggression isn’t just an abstract notion in Estonia. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has some strategic—and tactical—advice for the West.

When US companies failed to detect and remove Russian malware from their networks, the government got a warrant and did it themselves. This is modern preemptive cyberwar.

George Grella reviews Philip Glass‘s 13th Symphony, performed this week in a world premier by the Canadian National Arts Centre Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. It’s great to have another Glass symphony and nice to see him take the stage after the performance.

Richard Davey is being introduced to New Yorkers at a time when subway crime is a big concern. It doesn’t sound like he’ll get much of a honeymoon period. The Post has already nicknamed him the new ‘Train Daddy.’ (His predecessor, the old ‘Train Daddy’, lasted only 25 months in the job.)

And a $20 dollar bill with a banana sticker on it? How did that happen?

Reasons to be cheerful, part 4

Rain, rain, rain. A snarky and cynical Wednesday.

All the adults were up in space.

On the economic front: “Consumers are spending, businesses are investing, and wages are rising at their fastest pace in decades.” So run for the hills.

Just like with public records, the Legislature doesn’t play by the same rules as most of the rest of state and local government when it comes to unionization. That’s probably because they make the rules.

This Worldcoin thing seemed to have potential. Just scan everyone’s eyeballs and pass out money. What could go wrong?

And Elon Musk is on the board of Twitter. Yup.

He said, she said, he said

Tuesday. The day after Monday.

This is worth reading. It’s depressing… but it’s worth reading.

First the Globe refused to comment on allegations of misleading scientists quoted in a story sponsored by Phillip Morris. But then, after having time to get their defenses together, the paper retorted and now the scientists at the center of the story are unavailable for comment. Welcome to the era of sponsored content and post-journalistic journalism.

Francisco González, founding member of Los Lobos, has died.

The Cybertruck may be history but the DeLorean is rising from the ashes.

And Holi is always great for colorful photos. Taylor Coester doesn’t disappoint.

War is hell

Monday. Today’s word is salient.

Running a national government with absolutely no experience is easy. It’s just like running a social media company. You bring in the best people. In both cases the results will speak for themselves.

Images from Bucha, taken by a Washington Post photographer on the ground. Staggering.

Erica Pandey writes about crypto, which might seem very faddish these days but is not merely a flash in the pan. “Some of the world’s smartest young minds aren’t going to law school or Goldman Sachs — they’re going into crypto.”

Today’s Apple seems to be firing on all cylinders and decimating competitors. Neil Cybart considers why.

And maybe we can learn a thing or two from people who think that nothing is true. (But I doubt it.)

Brush fires

Sunday. Stalin became leader of the USSR one hundred years ago, today.

If you thought the Oscars were fun, just wait for the Grammys.

Pakistan is in crisis. The Prime Minister has dissolved Parliament and the Supreme Court may be next. Oh, and then there’s this. Just what we need.

Nabil Ayers singles out a few guitar solos for consideration. It’s not even close to a definitive list. But no matter. The guitar solo is over. These days I’d rather listen to Cory Wong play funk rhythm.

No more knocking on doors. Kyle Chayka writes about how to sell a vacuum cleaner on social media. Design is key. Marketing needs to be next level: “It’s not a vacuum, it’s a meditation on dust.” Aspirational. Whether it picks up dirt is besides the point.

And the Cybertruck is dead. It never seemed real to begin with.

Good news bias

Saturday morning music: Something/Anything by Todd Rundgren.

St. Brendan’s was once a powerful center of Irish Catholic life in Dorchester. Today it’s hanging on by a thread. Lauren O’Brien makes an appeal to the Cardinal to keep it open.

Inflation. War. Oil anxiety. God forbid we should concentrate on some positive economic news.

Walgreen’s is moving towards having robots mix prescriptions. In Japan, robots will bring your food. Elon Musk’s says his most important project this year is the development of a humanoid robot. It’s happening…

One good thing to come out of the pandemic is better access to government through live streaming and remote access meetings. Let’s keep that going.

And anyone can be a great photographer. All it takes is a smart phone and lots of bad photos.

Hanlon’s Razor

Friday, the first of April.

How a scam prevention expert got scammed.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. In the case of that 7 1/2 hour gap, either one is a problem, of course. But my money’s on Hanlon here.

Christopher Muther ranks those lunchbox-sized Table Talk pies, with lemon at the top of his list. I mostly agree with his choices but I would have moved blueberry up a notch or two.

What is the Strategic Oil Reserve and how can it reduce gas prices? Amber Phillips brings us up to speed.

And Betty Reid Soskin, one hundred years old, decided it was time to retire. Good for her.

Cannon fodder

Good morning. Thursday, March 31. Out like a lamb.

Shocker: the latest North Korean missile test might have been a fake.

Tomorrow is conscript day in Russia. Unwelcome news for many families. Over a hundred thousand young people will be inducted into the Russian military whether they like it or not. It also marks the end of the term for existing conscripts but it’s unclear if they will be released as fighting continues.

As someone who is retired, coffee is no longer just a work drug for me. It’s something to savor and enjoy. Tim Carman is encouraging everyone to approach coffee that way.

Tunisia‘s constitution is only a few years old but the country is slipping back into autocracy. The president dissolved parliament and has called for a new(er) constitution.

And there’s an updated message going out from Earth to the aliens, wherever they are. And no, it’s not asking them to dig up dirt on Biden.

Contingency planning

Today is Wednesday, March 30th; the anniversary of Steward’s Folly.

Dan Primack at Axios scooped the John Henry-owned Globe on a story about Fenway going carbon neutral. How did that happen?

Finland and Taiwan are taking their lessons from Ukraine.

It’s always helpful to consider the contrarian view. In this case, Bret Stephens entertains that Putin may be miscalculating like a fox.

As you might recall, Trump launched his social media site in February. But he still hasn’t yet made a post on it. It’s looking more and more like this whole thing was a scam from the get go.

And American astronaut Mark Vande Hei has landed safely, coming down in Kazakhstan after hitching a ride on a Russian spacecraft. It’s a crazy world.