Recommended from Around the Web (Week Ending June 28, 2014)
Stepping Out
David Sedaris tries high-tech fitness tracking. What could possibly go wrong?
—Will Knight, news and analysis editor
On Taxis and Rainbows
A fantastic post about de-anonymizing a vast trove of New York taxi data. With growing quantities of public data being collected and released, it’s an important issue to consider.
—Will Knight
Four Ways Cities Can Invest Now in Climate Resilience
A sketch of how cities can accommodate rising sea levels: let the water in.
—Kevin Bullis, senior editor, energy
Disputed Territories
The borders on Google Maps depend on where they are accessed from. See for yourself.
—Nanette Byrnes, senior editor, business reports
This Internet Millionaire Has a New Deal For You
This story from D Magazine is really interesting—it tells the tale of Matt Rutledge, who created the one-product-per-day online retailer Woot.com, and what happened after he sold Woot to Amazon. Should note: spotted via Valleywag. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise, most likely.
—Rachel Metz, IT editor
Citizen Bezos
The latest article to examine in depth whether Amazon.com’s business practices are good for us.
—Brian Bergstein, deputy editor
Vertex’s 2-Drug Cystic Fibrosis Pill Shows Promise
A nice explanation of why recent clinical results of Vertex’s new drug are a big deal. It’s the next step after Vertex’s initital breakthrough CF drug profiled in our November/December 2013 cover story.
—David Rotman, editor
Secrets of the Creative Brain
This is a fascinating account of research on creativity in the human brain, the manifestation of so-called creative genius, and why it often intersects with mental illness.
—Kyanna Sutton, senior web producer
The Supreme Court’s Huge New Cellphone Privacy Ruling, Explained
Vox has a helpful explainer of the details surrounding this week’s “moderately” surprising Supreme Court ruling on whether police can legally search a suspect’s cell phone without a warrant.
—Mike Orcutt, research editor
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How to fix the internet
If we want online discourse to improve, we need to move beyond the big platforms.
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