TouchStone Reads - October 9th, 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... 

• The Canadian scientist behind Ozempic on why he never, ever gave up (Be Giant)
• Why the next generation actually wants to inherit the family business (Be Giant)
• I Went Shopping. When Did I Become an Unpaid Employee? This North American tipping culture really annoys me. How businesses fired the staff, handed me the scanner and still expected a tip. (The Oncology Underground)
• The Diesel Weapon: Why a rather unglamorous fuel is suddenly at the centre of a transatlantic power struggle, and why this matters for all of us (Material World)
• The dawn of the age of the exoskeleton: The devices continue to show noticeable benefits for users in various real-world tasks. Ildar Farkhatdinov: from Seattle Mountain Rescue teams to warehouse workers, powered exoskeletons are leaving the lab and showing measurable gains in real-world tasks. (The Conversation)
• The pigment-shifting window that responds to light – and could help slash energy costs. Inspired by squids, U of T researchers designed a window that lets winter light and heat in – but blocks out heat in the summer (Be Giant)
• Quiz: What was the New York Times best-selling novel the year you were born? (BBC Bitesize)
• How Gentle Tapping on the Shin Heals the Brain (Nautilus)
• World Watcher – webcam map
• Disney World solved a problem that could save America billions every year: Our cities are built atop a dangerous obstacle course of cables. The Magic Kingdom found a better way. (Vox)
• I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP. Jake Pearson blew $1,800 in one night chasing losses with bigger bets, a textbook warning sign. The next day DraftKings invited him to audition for its VIP program. (ProPublica)
• How Cities Are Forced to Funnel License Plate Data to a Massive Federal Surveillance Program: How the federal government built a massive database of license plate reader data through an anti-drug trafficking program. (404)
• 19 Out of 21 Late-Model Cars Tested Shared Data With 3rd Parties, Including Big Tech: A new study from Northeastern University finds late-model vehicles and their companion apps are sending vast swaths of information out. (Road & Track)
• China’s “Revolutionary” Concrete Is Already Cracking — Experts Call It a Scam (YouTube)

What are you reading or listening to?