Well, it's certainly been a while since the last Weekender, hasn't it?
I make no promises, but of course the Weekenders will continue if the mood is right! For the uninitiated, here's the stuff we were reading and chewing on recently - perhaps you'll enjoy these links as well?
Links We Liked!
- Backchannel had a post about the mail-order bride market in the Phillipines, and how the internet has changed the dynamic.
- Some interesting posts at Save. Spend. Splurge. First, Sherry discusses the 'retirement number' of various commercial fame ("what's your number?"). Before that, she talked about a rough target for that number at various ages.
- As a previous (obsessive) player of Starcraft and the Brood Wars expansion, I enjoyed this article on the evolution of AI for Starcraft. Interested? Starcraft, on its 20th anniversary, was released as a free game. Go play! Also check out this open source clone of Brood Wars.
- At Picky Pinchers, the problem with throwaway culture.
- Lawrence at Fortune Financial had an excellent post on the right - and the wrong - arguments for index funds. Particularly interesting are his points on just where diversification starts to be unnecessary...
- Remember Yik Yak? The app which racked up anonymous yet geographically clustered users in the 2014 timeframe (raising 9 figures in all), then made an ill-advised pivot to user handles and removing most of the locality sold this week for a mere $3 million. Here's the note from their founders.
- At Political Calculations, Ironman argues that a key reason for the continued high valuations on US Stocks is the confidence in future dividend payouts. He's been on this beat for a while, so you should definitely consider that closely...
- Also at PC, some harrowing numbers and analysis on student loan defaults and delays.
- Jim at Free By 50 does some math on the number of mass transit trips taken annually by residents of states and DC.
- Drink lots of caffeine? You and me both, friend! A Life of Productivity breaks down many of the benefits - with a few of the problems (such as anxiety) - of caffeine at various doses. Be sure to adjust for dosage if you significantly weigh more or less than the 165 lb target (for example, I'm around 180 lbs so the numbers are close enough - but the guidelines point me to around 200mg ~= 205mg).
