layout: post title: “Uh, Picks. Just Picks #12” date: 2012-07-01 22:42 comments: true categories:

• weekly-picks

Favorite Longread

The Yankee Comandante – William Alexander Morgan in the Cuban Revolution (The New Yorker) // A portrayal of a man who, after many meandering years of soul-searching, found his calling in the Cuban Revolution, where he found purpose, friendship, and love. One of the most fascinating and heart-touching things I have read recently.

Society & Skin

Is This the End of Wall Street As They Knew It? (New York Magazine, February) // I previously missed this interesting piece describing how the outrageously golden days of finance seem to be over.

Why Are Europeans White? // Fascinating explanation that comes down to two factors: Agriculture and the Gulf stream. Europe is exceptional because it’s warm enough to grow cereal (which lacks vitamin D) and it’s too far from the equator to receive enough sunlight (which allows the body to produce vitamin D) to offset the vitamin deficiency. // via @joelgascoigne

Technology

The Mechanics and Meaning of That Ol’ Dial-Up Modem Sound (The Atlantic, May) // Lots of interesting pieces in The Atlantic recently. This is one by Alexis Madrigal explaining the most iconic sound of the late nineties.

Please RT (n+1) // A fairly balanced (no pleonasm intended) exposé of what Twitter is about. If you’ve been scratching your head at why some people love it so much, read this.

Understanding Developers

Difference engine: Wired for speed (The Economist) // On super-star programmers: “The big difference is that the best coders keep more of what they have produced, while the worst constantly have to rework whole sections.”

The care and feeding of software engineers (or, why engineers are grumpy) // Everybody who deals with software engineers should read this essay by Nicholas C. Zakas. “Software engineers aren’t builders. Software engineers are creators. Building is what you do when you buy a piece of furniture from Ikea and get it home. […] Creating is a different process, it’s birthing something without direction or instruction.”

New York

McCarren Park Pool Opening June 28 // “Originally built in 1936, the pool was closed in 1984, only to be reopened in 2005 as a concert space graced with effervescent pool parties and musical performances.” – Yay! // h/t @charlesv

App of the Week

Matchbook is a pretty app that lets me save cool places that I want to remember, like cafés, bars, shops, etc. I use it pretty much everyday – there are that many fabulous places around the town. (Free, with a very subtle, non-obnoxious advertising model – hats off to that!)