News you need to know
Lorde: Pop's new ruler
A lovely dig into Lorde's success, where she came from and how she rose to fame. In a world of pop stars with little depth, Lorde stands out among the rest. I've got a lot of respect for her; if you haven't read this, I recommend taking the time to go through the whole piece.
Corporations are refrigerators
When Microsoft announced it would shed 18,000 employees this year, many were surprised and horrified by the move. This piece contains some great advice on dealing with corporations, not taking their actions personal, pursuing your own passions and more.
The great lightbulb conspiracy
Almost 100 years ago, a cartel conspired to make the lightbulb have a shorter life, causing it to burn out more often so that you'd have to buy more of them. The first lightbulbs had far better life than you might expect.
Getting stuck
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. The world needs more people who have come alive.”
How Apple controls the media
This fascinating look at how Apple controls the media gave us a great insight into how the company spins its new products and the way it interacts with those writing about it.
Your services are no longer required - the coming "great idleness"
As software starts to eat the world, where does that leave us when it puts real people out of jobs? Humans need not apply was a reality check of a future where employment could reach as high as 25 percent. Could we live in a world where it's OK to be unemployed?
Tim Cook, making Apple his own
2014 was the year that Apple's Tim Cook hit his stride; this splendid piece looks at how he is changing Apple for the better. After big news, many still parrot that "Steve Jobs wouldn't do that" -- but that's OK, because it's Tim Cook's company now.
You Are Not Late
"There has never been a better time in the whole history of the world to invent something. There has never been a better time with more opportunities, more openings, lower barriers, higher benefit/risk ratios, better returns, greater upside, than now."
Can Microsoft's new CEO save the company?
"The holy grail for Microsoft would be getting developers to write new software for Windows again, putting Windows back at the center of a new virtuous circle. But it’s hard to see a path from here to there."
The end of food
As the world hurtles to an even more unsustainable population, we start to look deeper into how to feed everyone. New ideas have emerged, but do we have a solution that could actually feed billions of new mouths yet?
Scenes from the new American dustbowl
The drought in California this year pushed farmers to the absolute limit. Many of them walking away from their farms owned by family for decades, because there was zero water left. Climate change is very real for these people.
The Fasinatng … Frustrating ... Fascinating History of Autocorrect
Most people get angry talking about autocorrect on their phones, but in reality it's an almost magical technology that we often overlook. This great WIRED piece looks at where autocorrect came from and why it always seems to be ducking wrong.