52 things Tom Whitwell learned in 2020
I was inspired, surprised, and entertained by Tom Whitwell’s list of 52 things he learned in 2019. He now has a similar list for 2020. Here are some of my favorites. — MF
All of the ten best-selling books of the last decade had female protagonists. [Tyler Cowen]
When Ibn Battuta visited China in 1345, facial recognition was already in use. All visiting foreigners had their portraits discretely painted and posted on the walls of the bazaar. “If a stranger commits any offence… they send his portrait far and wide.” [Ibn Battuta]
Money makes people happier than psychotherapy. [Johannes Haushofer & co]
In just eight years, the British National Grid went from being 40% coal powered to 2% coal powered. [Simon Evans]
Developing and launching the iPod in 2001 took just 41 weeks, from the very first meeting (no team, no prototype, no design) to iPods shipping to customers. [Patrick Collison]
In Warsaw’s Gruba Kaśka water plant there are eight clams with sensors attached to their shells. If the clams close because they don’t like the taste of the water, the city’s supply is automatically shut off. [Judita K]
A micromort is a one-in-a-million chance of death. Just being alive is about 24 micromorts per day, skydiving is 8 micromorts per jump. [Matt Webb]