Pocket reading list - Part 2

Well, going further back in time, here are 10 more favorites from my Pocket account. On another note, I really wish there were some sort of user metrics available from Pocket. For example, how long does it take for me to read an article vs average time, how long are my articles on an average, what time of the day do i read the articles and so on. Anyway, here goes -

The Real Landscapes of the Great Flood Myths - Most mythology has historic reasons behind it and this is the story of how geologists put together the events of the past, which were coincidentally paraphrased in the local mythology. I'm growing to love history as a subject and it's importance is slowly dawning on me.

La Vida Robot - A beautiful and inspiring story of school boys who came together, under the guidance of a school teacher, to compete in a national robotics championship, their struggles while designing the robot for the competition and ingenuity in building the robot.

High Tech - This is the story of how silicon valley entrepreneurs have started to revolutionize the marijuana industry in the US, of modern electric cigarettes to smoke marijuana and of medical marijuana research.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head: A Mosquito’s Lament - The world around us in unimaginably complicated and extremely beautiful and it's kind of sad how less we notice it anymore. I have honestly never asked myself how insects feel when it rains on them. Personally, I know friends who hate the rain but that's not because the rain drops hurt them. But if you think about it, given the small size of a mosquito, one would think that rain drops are a major nuisance. The article talks about what actually happens when a mosquito comes in contact with raindrops.

Can You Really Game Index Funds? - I still don't understand macroeconomics completely and I really really need to do a course. And no, not an online course! But every once in a while I come across brilliantly worded Bloomberg articles that explain some key concepts. I read Flash Boys earlier, which taught me a good amount too.

Shrimpocalypse: How reintroducing prawns could save humans from deadly disease - There's a very delicate balance which Nature has in place, until we can around and threw it off balance. And only once the ecosystem goes off balance do we know what the consequences are. In this article, the author talks about how reintroducing shrimps into the local ecosystem reduces harmful parasites, which have increased disease incidence in the nearby villages.

Japan’s New Satellite Captures an Image of Earth Every 10 Minutes - I wonder how it is for an astronaut to sit in the space station (ISS) and look down on Earth, basking in it's magnificence. I follow quite a few astronauts, who regularly post pictures of earth they take from above the atmosphere. And this satellite pretty much does the same. Well it has a much better camera for one. And it focuses more on atmospheric and climatic activity than human populations.

How parole boards keep prisoners in the dark and behind bars - I don't know what the judicial process in India is and I don't know if there's such a thing as parole over here. But it's deeply disturbing how a group of people, most of whom don't have experience in the judicial system, get to decide if a prisoner is allowed to be released or not. And it's shameful how the media throws the blame at the parole boards when a prisoner released on parole only to commit more heinous crimes.

Thomas Piketty: ‘Germany Has Never Repaid its Debts. It Has No Right to Lecture Greece’ - I'm dying to read Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century, given my interest in economics. In this interview, Piketty comments on the current fiscal situation in Greece and on the responsibilities of the European Union towards Greece.

Stunning Sim Shows How Far Hit Songs Have Traveled in Space - If I remember correctly, there is an xkcd or an abstrusegoose comic about what an alien civilization would be listening if they were tuned into earth! Well, I would say that this is the next and much more awesome version of it.

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