TouchStone Reads - April 10th, 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... 

• Key Charts on Population Growth (Our World in Data)

• Sal Khan: How AI could save (not destroy) education (TED Talk)

• The battery revolution is real, but the transition is messier than anyone wants to admit (Paul Krugman)

• ‘Food security timebomb’: a visual guide to the Gulf fertiliser blockade: The Strait of Hormuz isn’t just about oil—it’s a chokepoint for global fertilizer supplies. The blockade is threatening food security from Asia to Africa. UN says record numbers of people could face acute hunger if conflict continues. (The Guardian)

• These are the symptoms most people overlook: Oncologists lay out the subtle warning signs that most people dismiss. Early detection saves lives, and this is the kind of piece that could actually do it. (The Telegraph)

• The 4 ways science confirms the Moon landings were real: Even though no human has stepped foot on the Moon’s surface in 50 years, the evidence of our presence there remains unambiguous. (Big Think)

• How Artist Imposters and Fake Songs Sneak Onto Streaming Services (Pitchfork)

• ‘Occasionally a picture can change the course of history’: 33 scandalous photos that shocked the world (The Guardian)

• A brief history of instant coffee (Works in Progress Magazine)

• America’s booming annoyance economy: Companies have figured out that bad customer service is more profitable than good customer service. The annoyance economy is booming - and you’re paying for it. (Business Insider)

• AI has the worst sales pitch I’ve ever seen: Noah Smith argues that AI’s pitch is the worst marketing in tech history. (Noahpinion)

• Dispatch from the permanent underclass, April 3rd, 2029. Jack Raines takes a hard look at the Americans who’ve been left behind by every recovery. (Young Money)

• Some good old-fashioned optical illusions (Optical Toys)

• Floating landscapes. These aren’t photoshopped; they’re better. (Yanko Design)

• Plus, a new Instagram account reminds us what’s great about life. (Instagram)

• Energy’s share in consumer spending was just 4% as of Jan 2026 (Source: Aditya Bhave, BofA Research)
  

• Status on bans of new data centers
  

What are you reading or listening to?