Illustration of human embryo (Image: Adobe)
Illustration of human embryo (Image: Adobe)

TECH, CAPITALISM, AND OTHER TOXIC STEWS

The pros and cons of a social media site for rooftops (or how humans will always find a way to shame others). Elon Musk has unveiled Tesla’s first robot and the reviews are in: it’s pretty rubbish, but amazing they did it in eight months. A whole new you… well, bits of you, for spare parts (isn’t there a rubbish movie about that?). New work on the minimum wage: how even significant increases in minimum wages have very limited effects on employment. And why a world where everyone can make content makes it much harder to break out.

AMERICA IS DOOMED PART 873,117

Some of those facing the most serious charges relating to January 6 are advancing a novel interpretation of some of the stranger wordings of the US Bill of Rights. Alabama tried to execute a murderer, but its prison staff were so incompetent they couldn’t kill him. Then they ran out of time, so he’s still alive. Horrible trivia about America via a Harper’s Index. How the US Supreme Court is systematically limiting America’s ability to govern itself. Just your bog-standard corruption: how to win contracts in Florida under Governor Ron DeSantis (and the real winner? Governor Ron DeSantis).

THOMAS KUHN AND THE INCOMMENSURABLE PARADIGMS SING MEDIEVAL AGRARIAN HISTORY

A new book by philosopher Michael Strevens explores how science progresses. Would it be easier to lose weight by reducing Earth’s gravity, rather than by dieting? Well, obviously not, but let’s explore that idea. There really is an ocean deep inside the planet — just not quite in the form you expect. Why civil disobedience by climate scientists is ethically justified and might be practically beneficial too.

SAFE EUROPEAN HOME?

What was behind extraordinary Hindu-Muslim violence in Leicester? A local Muslim writer explains. Viktor Orbán is exporting his tactics, tools and funding to like-minded extremists elsewhere in Europe. A religious fundamentalist becomes deputy speaker of the Swedish Parliament. Fans of The Radetzky March stop reading: Joseph Roth was a truly awful person, a new biography in English shows — but it doesn’t change his sublime writing.

MENTIONING THE WAR

The role of Ukraine in Soviet and Russian history. The Jewish Ukrainians fighting the invaders. If he keeps losing, Putin will use nuclear weapons — and he’ll win total victory as a result. Nuclear deterrence is working — but deterring the wrong people. Indeed, it’s enabling conventional war.

MISC

Storied consulting firm McKinsey is — surprise, surprise — a pretty sordid place with a history of rotten conduct, a new history shows (why firms like McKinsey, the Big 4 and BCG get away with so little scrutiny for their role in the most despicable aspects of global capitalism amazes me, I have to say — but McKinsey is one of the most disgusting). On keeping hope, even after living through the Holocaust. What did Britons really think of lockdown laws? Yiddish black metal in a world of rising anti-Semitism.

THE VERY LATEST IN HIGH-QUALITY AUDIO-VISUAL CONTENT

For years I’ve looked back fondly on my childhood when Friday nights meant ABC TV — Pot Black, The Dave Allen Show and, for those who waited up late, some Pro-Celebrity Golf (with Sean Connery in his hardscrabble years). Of course, what I’m really nostalgic for is the comforts and certainties of childhood, not the actual shows, which are just handy signifiers.

I discovered this recently when I watched most of the original series of Dave Allen, which, like many other ’70s comedy, doesn’t hold up well. Still, in doing so I did come across my favourite Dave Allen sketch (actually one of my all-time favourites full stop).

And some animal videos: