TouchStone Reads - January 2nd, 2026

We often set aside articles that are longer, deserve a re-read, are broader in scope…or just for fun - for weekend reading. Below are some from this week - pour yourself a hot cup of coffee & enjoy...

• How Bell Labs Won Its First Nobel Prize (CP)

• Which genius from history would have been the best investor? (FT)

• The 26 Most Important Ideas For 2026: Modern trends and history lessons - across culture, politics, AI, economics, science, and the long story of progress. (Derek Thompson)

• 21 Facts About Throwing Good Parties: Parties are like babies, if you’re stressed while holding them they’ll get stressed too. (Atoms vs Bits)

• The Dangers of Unregulated AI on Humanity & the Workforce - Tristan Harris (The Daily Show)

• Obit - A quirky Hot Docs Documentary behind the New York Times Obits. (TVO)

• The boomer-doomer divide within OpenAI, explained by Karen Hao: There are two sides to the AI debate, and both are perpetuating the idea that AI is “inevitable, all-powerful, and deserves to be controlled by a tiny group of people,” says the Empire of AI author. (Big Think)

• After three decades of pretty constant growth, the consultancy boom just hit an AI-shaped wall (Sherwood)

• 1,084 Reasons the World Isn’t Falling Apart (Human Progress)

• Societies with Little Money Are among the Happiest on Earth: Wealth and well-being go together in many studies, but certain communities complicate this link. (Scientific American)

• I switched to eSIM in 2025, and I am full of regret (Ars Technica)

• 4 surprising, proven rules to avoid getting sick this winter: We all know the basics of avoiding winter bugs, but science is uncovering lesser-known tricks that make a real difference. (BBC Science Focus Magazine)

• Positive News’ most read stories of 2025 (Positive News)

• The Year through the eyes of GoPro

What are you reading or listening to?