005: States ban Tesla sales, Bratz v. Barbie, and sand mafias
Plus, 100 websites that shaped the internet
Hey! This is a newsletter about what I currently find interesting in the world.
Interesting Reads - links from around the web
Why you can't buy a Tesla in these states - I didn’t realize that Tesla can’t sell their EVs in some states. Franchise law and dealer protectionism are keeping Tesla out.
The $1 Billion-Plus Battle Over Bratz: Bribery, Monopoly-Building and Barbie - I remember seeing Bratz dolls commercials all the time when I was younger, but I had no idea MGA, their parent company, has been stuck in a decade-long legal battle with Mattel.
Murdered for Sand - As a result of the construction boom, sand, a critical ingredient in concrete and other building material, is quickly depleting. Sand mafias have popped up all over the place and jumping into rivers and private land to illegally mine sand, and murdering for it.
Plastic bottle washes up looking 'almost new' after nearly 50 years at sea - Wow.
100 Websites That Shaped the Internet as We Know It - The Gizmodo staff published their opinions on the most significant websites of all time.
The Simple Algorithm That Ants Use to Build Bridges - Ants are fascinating creatures.
Close to 19% of mined Bitcoin blocks were empty - So, does this make them more or less valuable?
The high-return activity of raising others’ aspirations - “At critical moments in time, you can raise the aspirations of other people significantly, especially when they are relatively young, simply by suggesting they do something better or more ambitious than what they might have in mind. It costs you relatively little to do this, but the benefit to them, and to the broader world, may be enormous.”
What does economic evidence tell us about the effects of rent control? - Rent control might actually do the opposite of what it was intended to do.
Instagram Has a Massive Harassment Problem - Instagram isn’t really helping curb the online harassment problems, and it looks like they’re encouraging it more than anything.
Trending in Fashion: e-Commerce Models Dictated by Real-Time Market Data - “This sees The RealReal collecting data – in real time – about what items and brands are ‘trending up and trending down’ amongst its searching-consumers and buyers. It uses this data to stock its heavily-trafficked website … and its two brick-and-mortar spaces in New York and Los Angeles.”
Tracks - song recommendations
Daniel Caesar - Japanese Denim
Hozier - Jackie and Wilson
The Last Shadow Puppets - Miracle Aligner
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