It's that time of the year again. Here are some holiday readings for your enjoyment.
Must-Reads of
2018: Poker, Politics and, Yes, Bob Dylan – BB
The
year’s six best books all share a demonic energy.
The Found Footage
That Provides a Whole New Look at the Apollo 11 Moon Landing – Vanity
Fair
Palantir Knows
Everything
– BB
Peter
Thiel’s data-mining company is using War on Terror tools to track American
citizens. The scary thing? Palantir is desperate for new customers.
Inside North Korea’s
Hacker Army
– BB
The
regime in Pyongyang has sent hundreds of programmers to other countries. Their
mission: Make money by any means necessary. Here's what their lives are like.
The Friendship
That Made Google Huge – New
Yorker
Coding
together at the same computer, Jeff Dean and Sanjay Ghemawat changed the course
of the company—and the Internet.
Secrets of the Magus – New
Yorker
Ricky
Jay does closeup magic that flouts reality. But, rather than headline in Las
Vegas, Jay prefers to live in the mysterious world of ancient mountebanks,
eccentric entertainers, and sleight-of-hand artists, whose secrets he preserves
with a scholarly passion, and who are his true peers in the realm of illusion.
The unbelievable
tale of a fake hitman, a kill list, a darknet vigilante... and a murder – Wired
Hitman-for-hire
darknet sites are all scams. But some people turn up dead nonetheless
Dr. Elon & Mr.
Musk: Life Inside Tesla's Production Hell – Wired
The Best Books of
2018
– BB
Our
annual list of what some of the most powerful people in finance were reading this
year is heavy on the drawbacks of technology.
Jealousy List – BB
Articles
we wish we'd thought of first.
What Does It Mean
to Die?
– New
Yorker
When
Jahi McMath was declared brain-dead by the hospital, her family disagreed. Her
case challenges the very nature of existence
Mermaids and
Mermen
– History
Today
Some
of the most intelligent people in early modern Europe were convinced of the
existence of merpeople.
How an Aspiring
'It' Girl Tricked New York's Party People – The
Cut
“Anna
looked at the soul of New York and recognized that if you distract people with
shiny objects, with large wads of cash, with the indicia of wealth, if you show
them the money, they will be virtually unable to see anything else. And the
thing was: It was so easy.”
One Book Explains
the Rise of Globalization: It’s All in the Box – BB
Container
shipping standardized a chaotic industry and brought the world closer together.
The Economist Christmas Double Issue –
The Economist
The Big Read - FT
Person of the Year: George Soros – FT
The
philanthropist has become a standard bearer for liberal democracy, an idea
under siege from populists
The first twenty
years of the European Central Bank: Monetary Policy – ECB
20 for Twenty:
Selected Papers from AQR Capital Management – AQR
The
20 papers selected for this collection have formed the backbone of AQR’s
investment philosophy. They explore the innovative ideas that have given rise
to an array of systematic global investment strategies and have made a lasting
impact on investor portfolios. Some of the papers provide overarching
perspectives on investment questions, practices, and strategies, while others
focus on practical implementation.
Prime
and Punishment – Verge
Dirty dealing in the $175 billion Amazon marketplace