September 12, 2020
School-closure recession, tech debt, durable policy, a $12.2b motorcycle rally
Welcome to the Weekend Reccs. Today’s world is curious and cacophonous. This newsletter delivers an eclectic sample of some of the best things to read, watch, and ponder over your weekend. There’s a lot of economics and politics, but there is also so much more.
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Hi friends,
A short workweek is a gift that gives twice. You get to enjoy the three-day weekend on the front-end, then on the backend you fall into the weekend energized and ready to enjoy it (rather than clawing for rest). To be honest, short workweeks have tempted me more than once to discard the condensed weekend altogether as a concept. When I was in elementary school my teacher told us that in France students have Wednesday off and instead go to school on Saturdays. I think there’s something to that.
The Weekend Reccs
Gains from Trade: I previously mentioned the economic benefits of accessible childcare. WSJ took it another step further this week with a piece on how school closures could cause a small recession. Look, there are lots of good reasons to support schooling. We owe it to the next generation, education is the powerhouse of the cell…err, economy…, education increases civic engagement, etc. But also, like, school is basically state-sponsored childcare.
Media: Stanford has released a Cable TV News Analyzer. Looking forward to whatever fascinating analyses folks will conjure up.
Speaking of media—a new study suggests small impacts from political messaging. Perhaps this is because other things, like organizational and social networks, matter.
Tech Debt: I love this metaphor. I’ve faced this issue myself with some of my own data analysis code. This new (to me) vernacular clarifies what I had felt before was just sloppiness. By opening up the language, we can understand a tradeoff worthy of discussion — since, truly, perfect design is not always equivalent to the best design for the time being.
Scrollytelling, again: This time about Streeterville and Englewood, two neighborhoods here in Chicago with a 30-year gap in life expectancy. The article uses the features of scrollytelling to pull forth the comparison in a visually striking manner.
Wonking out: There’s a compelling legal argument that Mitch McConnell saved Obamacare. I’m not a political scientist, lawyer, or legislative aide but I think we do not talk often enough about policy that is durable to adversarial legislators and/or executives. The ACA has been able to withstand SCOTUS challenges and a Republican trifecta because of intentional policy design that made it hard to overturn. I feel incredibly confident in stating that outright — yet I could not give you any generalized principles that undergird the ACA’s resilience. If you know of any books or articles that touch on this (either in the specific or general case), I’d be very interested.
Quick Links: The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally cost society $12.2 billion. Lounging, by making us feel light, may make us heavier. A captivating, 13-minute documentary on handmade book covers. A deeply painful “Flash Fiction” form Joyce Carol Oates. Desert mosses find natural greenhouses.
CORRECTION: Benedict Brady very astutely pointed out that last week I linked the wrong Pickett Model N 3-ES Duplex Slide Rule owned by the Smithsonian. This one is Bill’s.
Lagniappe
I asked the most insightful person I have ever met for book recommendations. I just finished the first from their list — Steven Johnson’s Where Good Ideas Come From. It was a remarkable piece of nonfiction writing. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had to pause several times to try to fully take in all its brilliant concepts and tidbits. Will definitely be picking up Johnson’s other books.
Graph(s) of the week
I was in a restaurant the other day and saw this chart. Really loved both the clarity of the data visualization and the content — buying in-season seafood (and produce!) is a great way of improving the sustainability and quality of your purchase.
Be good to each other.
Your friend,
Harrison