This week’s highlights: College Admissions, Impactful Venture Capital, and Urban Retirement
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Fifteen on Friday – Issue 332
Quote to ponder – Thanks Chris M for highlighting this one:
“A society grows great when [the old] plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.”
– Greek Proverb
Best,
David
Food for Thought:
Top Read(s) of the Week: Vox – The mess that is elite college admissions, explained by a former dean
Why It Matters: Given all the recent scandals, this is an interesting look inside the process of college admissions.
Consider as well:
- VanityFair – Why Is Gen Z Obsessed with The Office? Netflix viewers spent 52 billion minutes on the show. Billie Eilish sampled an episode on her debut album. And Angela and Kevin are Instagram influencers. What gives?
- GQ – GQ’s Best New Restaurants in America, 2019
- Outside – 4 Laws of Muscle The protein and muscle guru Luc van Loon wants you to bulk up—and keep what you’ve got.
- NYT – The Rise of the Haphazard Self How working-class men detach from work, family and church.
Business/Economics:
Top Read of the Week: Forbes – Greedy VC Doesn’t Pay: But Impact Does
Why It Matters: I personally have long been of the view that this is a compelling opportunity to do both good and make great returns. Here’s a proof point of a top-quartile VC portfolio that saw greater than 50% of portfolio companies founded by women or people of color.
Consider as well:
- II – The Radical, Lucrative, and Controversial Company Hiding in Stephen Schwarzman’s Pocket
- CNN – The internet didn’t shrink 6% real estate commissions. But this lawsuit might
- Moneyness – Kyle Bass’s big nickel bet What do you do with a million nickels?
- IBJ – A hard-to-digest reality: Steak n Shake might not make it
Culture/Tech/Science:
Top Read of the Week: NYT – A Quiet Retirement? No Thanks, They’ll Take Herald Square
Why It Matters: “A former mayor of San Antonio and his wife have found this busy crossroads to be the ideal retirement destination.”
Consider as well:
- MIT – “Magic: The Gathering” is officially the world’s most complex game A new proof with important implications for game theory shows that no algorithm can possibly determine the winner.
- QZ – How Exactly Stitch Fix’S “Tinder For Clothes” Learns Your Style
- Outside – The Nature Cure Grassroots Movement Of Physicians Are Prescribing Time Outdoors As The Best Possible Cure For A Growing List Of Ailments. Can They Really Convince Big Health Care That Free Medicine Is The Way Of The Future?
- Hustle – The professor who beat roulette How a renowned researcher beat the odds, stumped casino owners around the world, and walked away with a fortune.