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Newley's Notes

NN 168: Amazon Grocery Stores; Facebook Moderator Woes; Best Personality Quiz; K9 Kenobi

Hi, friends. Welcome to the latest edition of Newley’s Notes.

"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” – Vladimir Lenin

🔮 That quotation came to mind over the last few days, when we simultaneously saw:

Or, to put things in more modern parlance:

IMG 1452

Here are ten items worth your time this week:

🏪 1) Amazon to Launch New Grocery-Store Business [WSJ]

“The company plans to open its first outlet, in Los Angeles, as early as the end of the year, one person said…Additional talks are under way for Amazon grocery stores in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, the people familiar with the matter said. The new stores would be distinct from the company’s upscale Whole Foods Market chain. ”

💻 2) The Trauma Floor: The secret lives of Facebook moderators in America [The Verge]

“Collectively, the employees described a workplace that is perpetually teetering on the brink of chaos. It is an environment where workers cope by telling dark jokes about committing suicide, then smoke weed during breaks to numb their emotions.”

🚗 3) Lyft’s IPO Could Start a Record Year For New Tech Listings [WSJ]

“Lyft Inc. made its IPO papers public Friday, a move that fires the starting gun on what is expected to be one of the biggest years ever for initial public offerings.”

📝 4) What’s Next For New Yorker Reporter Jane Mayer? [Elle]

“‘She’s the best investigative reporter in America,’ says Daniel Zalewski, her New Yorker editor. ‘Not the best female investigative reporter.’”

🆒 5) At Deadspin, can the cool kids of the sports Internet become its moral authority? [Washington Post]

“Deadspin is currently for sale by parent company Univision, but even as it wrestles with the uncertain economics of digital media, there is a more fundamental question for the site. The enfant terrible has grown up: Is the new version righteous or self-righteous?

🔬 6) Genetic testing firms share your DNA data more than you think [Axios]

“Genetic testing companies that trace customers’ ancestry are amassing huge databases of DNA information, and some are sharing access with law enforcement, drug makers and app developers.

👎 7) China bars millions from travel for ‘social credit’ offenses [AP]

“Would-be air travelers were blocked from buying tickets 17.5 million times last year for ‘social credit’ offenses including unpaid taxes and fines under a controversial system the ruling Communist Party says will improve public behavior.”

💁 8) Most Personality Quizzes Are Junk Science. Take One That Isn’t. [FiveThirtyEight]

“Meet the Big Five, the way most psychologists measure and test personality. It’s a system built on decades of research about how people describe one another and themselves. ”

😓 9) The Most Effective Form of Exercise Isn’t ‘Exercise’ At All [Quartz]

“Even brief sessions of 20 seconds of stair-climbing (60 steps) repeated three times a day on three days per week over six weeks can lead to measurable improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness.”

📷 🐶 10) K9 Can’t Stop Kissing His Partner During Photo Shoot [The Dodo]

“While Knach appears to be trying his best to strike an appropriately stoic and professional pose at first, Kenobi evidently had other ideas.” (Thanks, Anasuya!)

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👊 Fist bump from New Delhi,
Newley

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