Weekend Reads
- What is the Doomsday Clock and why should we keep track of the time? Ian Lowe in Kurzweil explains.
- For economist Albert O Hirschman, social planning meant creative experimentation rather than theoretical certainty. We could use more of his improvisatory optimism today, argues Simon Torracinta in the Boston Review.
- The urban studies newsletter “Wrath of Gnon” explains how Americans should go about building a small town in 21st century.
- How does India address the complicated claims of backwardness by various politically powerful castes, asks Suhas Palshikar in the Indian Express.
- In the SmartSet, Grace Segran writes about her 14-day quarantine she spent in a Singapore hotel.
- On the EdSurge podcast, Jeff Young explores the long and surprising history of “teaching machines” before modern computers were invented.
- Billionaires such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson peddle the idea that space represents a public hope, all the while reaping big private profits,