TouchStone Reads - August 14th, 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... 

• Global Population Growth Peaked 6 decades ago (Our World in Data)

• The Economics Of Billy Joel (YouTube)

• Record Profits, Terrible Service: Something’s Got to Give for US Consumers (The Guardian)

• I Vibe Coded a Security Risk: The app worked. Nobody, including me, had checked whether it was safe. (Every)

• 7 Literary Sins (The Dial)

• July was the hottest month in the US since records began in 1895 (CNN)

• Ronny Chieng explains climate change for all the visual learners #TDS30 #DailyShow (YouTube)

• What Happened to Talenti? Wirecutter investigates the gelato decline — the recipe changes, the shrinking jars, and the private-equity playbook applied to premium ice cream. The comment-section outrage was right. (Wirecutter)

• How to Exist: Here’s an experiment for a true daredevil. Sit there for a three minutes, following two rules: 1. Don’t do anything; 2. Be content. (Raptitude)

• Some 64% of Young Men Day Trading Stocks Feel Like Failures (Bloomberg via Yahoo Finance)

• Criminal Deception in Silicon Valley (Organization Science)

• Why Is Everyone In Tech So Sad?  (NOEMA)

• The end of the age of heroes. AI will soon be better at math than any human. What does that mean?  (Noahpinion)

• How George Lucas Outsmarted Every Studio In Hollywood (YouTube)

• War Is Helping Chinese EVs Upend the Global Car Market (Source: Wall Street Journal)
  
   

What are you reading or listening to?