Dec 29, 2018

Happy New Year, Daveslisters!

By Dave Guilford • Issue #131 • View online

Happy Saturday, y'all! We’ve got a great last issue of the year. Some dude is crossing the Atlantic in a barrel, an amoeba might have solved one of our biggest problems in computer science, and a true mensch left a fortune to needy kids.

Let’s get it on…

I feel like there's a story here.

An intensely private social worker who duct-taped his shoes left a surprise $11M to kids

This legend gets top billing to end 2018 on Daveslist. Alan Naiman was a Seattle social worker who might have been the most frugal man alive, even going so far as to duct tape his shoes to extend their life. So you can imagine everyone’s surprise when he died earlier this year and it was revealed that he’d been amassing a fortune over his life – which he left to the needy children he loved so much. Some men go their graves wondering if they wasted their lives. Alan Naiman is not among them.

www.usatoday.com • Share

Elon Musk: This is why I push myself to the brink

tl:dr - When you’re trying to save humanity, you’re gonna clock a little overtime.

Musk had a big year in 2018 (a year he’s described as the most difficult of his life), and he finished it with a stunning flair this week: the appointment of Oracle’s Larry Ellison to Tesla’s board of directors. With this single move, he was able to give a giant middle finger to the SEC and make Tesla a more attractive acquisition target by Apple in 2019 (that last bit is strictly my opinion).

www.cnbc.com • Share

Why Bitcoin Matters for Freedom

Bitcoin (and cryptocurrency in general) was never about the money for some of us. Bitcoin is and always has been about stealing fire; wresting power from those who have it to empower those who don’t.

My libertarian pals call me an agorist, and I suppose that’s fair, but Bitcoin’s impact on the lives of the oppressed worldwide can’t be overstated. It’s about time that impact was recognized like it is in this article.

time.com • Share

How I Quit Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon

Just in case your new year’s resolutions include throwing off the yoke of our digital overlords, here’s a handy guide to the endeavor. On a serious note, I’ve been playing with Vero lately, though not enough to say whether or not it’s a worthwhile replacement for Facebook. I like what I see so far, though.

motherboard.vice.com • Share

Top Daveslist articles of 2018

It wouldn’t be the last issue of the year without a roundup of the Top 10 articles of 2018 as rated by you, dear readers. These were the stories that tripped your triggers in 2018.

www.getrevue.co • Share

A Single Cell Hints at a Solution to the Biggest Problem in Computer Science

This is fascinating. The “traveling salesman problem” is one of those thorny computer science problems that grows exponentially more difficult really fast. But a single cell amoeba might have just solved it for us.

www.popularmechanics.com • Share

The Human Origin Story Has Changed Again, Thanks to New Discovery in Algeria

The human story gets pushed back further yet again. This discovery opens all of North Africa up for exploration. Turns out human ancestors were living (and evolving) across the African continent 600,000 years before we thought they were.

gizmodo.com • Share

If You’re Over 50, Chances Are the Decision to Leave a Job Won’t be Yours

As automation renders more and more jobs obsolete, the biggest hits are coming at the upper end of the age band. I tell all of my clients to diversify their income sources, because if you’re relying on one source of income (your job) you are on really shaky ground, especially if you’re middle aged.

www.propublica.org • Share

Ryan Reynolds Sent a Gift to the Guy Who Changed the Avengers: Endgame URL Into a Deadpool Advertisement

When cybersquatting goes very, very right.

io9.gizmodo.com • Share

Jean-Jacques Savin: Frenchman sets off to cross Atlantic in a barrel

I wish him well, but this sounds like a long shot to me.

www.bbc.com • Share

That’s it for this week, y'all. Let me know what you thought about this week’s links with a THUMBS UP or DOWN below. Feel free to hit REPLY if you want to chat with me about anything and, as always, please share with anyone else you think might enjoy Daveslist.

Have a fantastic weekend, a happy new year, and you crazy kids stay safe out there. I’ll see you next Saturday!

DAVE

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By Dave Guilford

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