The Monday Mix (01/02/2021)
Hi friends,
Today is the start of a new month after what feels like the longest January in history. It’s been a crazy month, especially if you follow politics. We had former President Trump incite an insurrection on Capitol Hill, a week later he was impeached, a week after that Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President and then the madness surrounding GameStop’s share price!
It’s only been a month but 2021 has been a hell of a ride so far!
I hope you’re keeping well whether you are in the world. Here are this week’s links which I found interesting and which I’m sure you’ll enjoy!
My latest article - The first one is an article I wrote about the GameStop situation. Specifically, Robinhood deciding to stop retail investors from trading shares in the company and other popular stocks such as AMC and Nokia. This could be a decision which is used as a marketing case study of how to trash your brand for years to come.
Robinhood Tarnished Their Brand by Siding With the Hedge Funds
Plastic problem - One of my pet peeves is plastic. I hate the stuff! I live in a small city in England but whenever I walk around I can’t help seeing the stuff. It’s everywhere. The scary thing is, once you start looking for it, you realise just how much of it there is and how little of it is recycled.
This is only a short article, but its central point is staggering. As good as recycling is, it’s not been as useful as you might think.
How much plastic has been recycled?
Structure of a city - I lived in Barcelona from 2015 to 2017. During that time I had a love/hate relationship with the city. I loved how vibrant it was, the international nature of the city and the architecture. But I also felt constrained. It felt like I was living in a giant concrete jungle. As someone that had lived in England, then Australia and New Zealand, all of which have lots of nature, it was a difficult transition.
That said, I’m still fond of the city and there’s no doubt it’s a beautiful, if big and imposing, city. This article looks at its urbanisation by an unknown architect, which had a profound effect on the city and how we think about cities.
Barcelona's unloved planner invents science of 'urbanisation'
Idolising Idleness - During the past year, the majority of us have had more time than we know what to do with. Our normally busy lives have been reduced to the bare minimum. Staying at home has become the norm. Instead of rushing trying to fit everything in, we’ve found ourselves trying to find things to do.
This may seem uncomfortable for many people, but should we place more emphasis on our spare time than we have done in the past? The great philosopher Bertrand Russel agreed. In this essay, he outlines his belief that a bit more idleness and a little less work might be better for us and society as a whole.
That’s all for now guys.
Until next week,
Tom