The Great Bluff: How the Ukrainians Outwitted Putin’s Army: Russia’s army was thought to be vastly superior. But Ukraine has nevertheless managed to secure an almost unbelievable coup, taking back huge swaths of territory in the northeast. Can Ukraine actually win? (Spiegel)
Boaz Weinstein Reveals the Secret Trade That Helped Make Him Famous: The Saba Capital Management founder talks about the little-known deal that showed him how to take on JPMorgan’s chief investment office, and describes the new opportunities he’s finding in today’s credit market upheaval. (Bloomberg)
Beware the Illusion of Certainty: We like to think that our lives are ordered, predictable and subject to a great deal of control. The past is finite; we see only one outcome. We attach causality and narrative to it so that it makes sense. We roll our ability to make sense of the past over into the future, which is infinite; there are many outcomes, as yet unknown and unknowable. Randomness, chance, and luck influence us far more than we realize. Certainty is an illusion. Uncertainty is everywhere. (Richard Hughes Jones)
The Blackstone rebellion: how one country took on the world’s biggest commercial landlord: The giant asset management firm used to target places where people worked and shopped. Then it started buying up people’s homes. In one country, the backlash was ferocious https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/sep/29/blackstone-rebellion-how-one-country-worlds-biggest-commercial-landlord-denmark
Indistinguishable from Magic. Magical Technology: iPod, Spotify, Figma, AI Art, Arc, web3, and beyond: Last week, I asked people on Twitter for the best essays and blog posts they’ve ever read. They delivered. You should check out the replies. There’s so much gold in there. I think as a result of reading so much great stuff, I had more fun writing this week’s piece than I’ve had writing in a long time. It just flowed, like some of those other authors’ je ne sais quoi rubbed off on me. (Not Boring)
How one of America’s last piano manufacturers stays alive: Piano-building was once one of the country’s largest industries. Today, only two companies remain in business. (The Hustle)
The Jetsons, Now 60 Years Old, Is Iconic. That’s a Problem. Science was cool, technology was blossoming, and more and more Americans were dreaming of owning their own homes, replete with the latest gadgets. The Jetsons took that dream and supercharged it, riding the wave of optimism to depict a future where technology catered to our every need, at the touch of a button or at the command of our voice. It was a fantastical vision that deeply appealed to our needs and desires for comfort and convenience. (Slate)