Damien Hirst and former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, sit down to discuss 'The Currency’, NFTs, money, gold, and Karl Marx.
Brigadoon ITK | Sep. 29
1. Carbon taxes are the next big political battle: Carbon taxes are arguably the most cost-effective weapon of cutting emissions by 45 percent by 2030. But the moment carbon pricing raises the price of carbon, it will terrify politicians. Carbon pricing versus voters' wallets is the next political battle of our time.
2. The promise of carbon-neutral steel: Steel production accounts for around seven percent of humanity's greenhouse-gas emissions. Plus, some estimates suggest the global steel demand will nearly double by 2050. A new manufacturing technique called direct-reduced iron takes natural gas into carbon monoxide and hydrogen, thus producing a third to a half less carbon dioxide.
3. Forget about being productive: Workers are only productive for a certain number of hours, after which their productivity declines, and they may begin making mistakes.
4. Eleven Madison Park does strange things to vegetables: Pete Wells of the NYT penned a savage review of the world-class restaurant's new vegan-friendly 10-course, $335 tasting menu.
"In tonight's performance, the role of the duck will be played by a beet, doing things no root vegetable should be asked to do."
5. The ugliest jerseys in US soccer history: The 1994 World Cup uniform for the men's national soccer team looked as if it had been conjured by a stoned teenager using Microsoft Paint. The jersey featured a denim print, oddly shaped floating white stars, and bright red trim, and it was 100 percent polyester.
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Curating the emerging issues and independent thinkers shaping commerce and culture.
Brigadoon ITK | Sep. 28
1. How China plans to avert an Evergrande financial crisis: Officials believe that controlling the banking system gives Beijing the tools to stop a broader collapse. At the same time, censorship and police powers can stifle protests. Censorship of the press and social media makes it hard for the general public to know about the extent of Evergrande’s troubles and for Evergrande home buyers and investors to organize.
2. Gas crisis shows why we must stop demonizing fossil fuels: The engineering challenges around renewables mean we need to be realistic while waiting for the green transition. Merryn Somerset Webb writes, in 2019, 33 percent of our new power generation needs were met by renewable energy. That’s a start. But 40 percent were met by natural gas.
3. Danish artist takes museum’s money and runs, calls it artwork: Bloomberg reports Jens Haaning has pocketed 534,000 kroner ($84,000) in cash that he received from a museum to incorporate into artwork and changed the name of the installation to “Take the Money And Run.”
“The work of art is that I took their money,” Jens Haaning told broadcaster DR.
4. Beatles on the brink: How Peter Jackson pieced together the Fab Four’s last days: The director’s new documentary weaves together hours of unseen footage to dispel many myths about the band’s final months.
5. Inside the lucrative world of falcon racing: The fastest birds can win millions at prestigious events in the Middle East. The birds are remarkable hunters, and some species can reach more than 200mph as they swoop on their prey. Bedouins are skilled at training the raptors to catch game such as smaller birds, reptiles, and hares in the harsh desert conditions.
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Curating the emerging issues and independent thinkers shaping commerce and culture.
Watch: The Alpinist trailer
Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight.
On remote alpine faces, the free-spirited 23-year-old Canadian makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. Yet, he draws scant attention. With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error, Leclerc's approach is the essence of solo adventure.
Nomadic and publicity-shy, he doesn’t own a phone or car and is reluctant to let a film crew in on his pure vision of climbing. Veteran filmmaker Peter Mortimer (The Dawn Wall) sets out to make a film about Leclerc but struggles to keep up with his elusive subject.
Then, Leclerc embarks on a historic adventure in Patagonia that will redefine what is possible in solo climbing.