This week’s highlights:  The Future of Work, Runners Who Hate to Run, and A.I. Picture Creation.

Fifteen on Friday – 01/11/18 – Issue 268

A quick word of welcome to a number of new readers this week (pushing us through the thousand subscriber mark for the first time!).  As a quick refresher – Fifteen on Friday is a weekly newsletter delivered every Friday afternoon, curating a thoughtful list of the most interesting articles of the week, across a wide range of subjects from arts, culture, economics, to science, and technology.  Feel free to come and go at any time – there is an easy unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email.

• Original Content this week.  8 Things Every High School Senior Should Know About College.   A younger cousin of mine was just accepted to my Alma Mater, Wake Forest. I wrote her an email recently reflecting on what I wish I had known about college given what I know now.  With a gentle push from my aunt, I am sharing it more broadly.

All the best,
David

Food for Thought:

1. Politico – The Real Future of Work.  Outsourcing to independent contractors is already changing the face of the American workforce.  Artificial intelligence will only add to this transformation.
2. Wired – Inside China’s Vast New Experiment in Social Ranking – Credit MB.  America invented the three-digit credit score. Now companies in China are taking the idea to the extreme, using big data to track and rank what you do—your purchases, your pastimes, your mistakes.
3. Medium – Why Calendars are More Effective Than To Do Lists
4. WashPo – Run, don’t walk, to replace your iPhone battery for $29
5. NYT – Why Nick Saban Is the Ultimate Masochist

Business/Economics:

1. Fortune – BlackRock’s Edge: Why Technology Is Creating The Amazon Of Wall Street
2. Glossy – ‘Retail is the only growth channel left’: Digitally native brands are investing in, and changing, the store
3. BusinessWeek – Brooks Needs Runners Who Hate to Run.  The $500 million company has conquered runners. Now it has to figure out everyone else.
4. LinkedIn – Bootstrapping vs. Raising and Why You Should Do Both.  A counter intuitive approach to startup fund raising.
5. BI – Luxury brands are cleaning up their image — and it could be bad news for TJ Maxx

Culture/Tech/Science:

1. QZ – The secret lives of students who mine cryptocurrency in their dorm rooms
2. NYT – Why Self-Compassion Beats Self-Confidence
3. BBC – The Real Reason Spaniards Eat Late. – Credit to Farnam Street –  Many travellers believe Spain’s late mealtimes are a reflection of the country’s laidback attitude, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
4. NYT – How an A.I. ‘Cat-and-Mouse Game’ Generates Believable Fake Photos
5. NYP – Why Daniel Day-Lewis had to go to fashion boot camp.  DDL’s reputation as a method actor is well established.  Yet even this piece was eye opening as to the depths he goes in developing a character.