Listory monitors a range of publications in the tech and business field and then curates the ‘top reads’ depending on your preferences. The app uses some gamification features to make you come back for more. It also has a built-in ‘read it later’ function for creating a reading list over time.

From interactive Q&A sessions to live courses and large-scale events, Crowdcast is a platform for hosting live video events. There’s nothing to install on the audience side – just open a URL and join. The platform includes a ticketing system, in-app analytics and features to share the broadcast to other platforms, such as YouTube.

This Chrome plug-in lets you click on any section of a website or app to leave comments in audio and/or text. Other people can comment without installing an app or creating an account.

I loved this deep analysis of the colours and symbols used on the world’s banknotes. Birds, castles and greens take the lead. Don’t miss the interactive world map to explore the most popular banknotes from countries around the globe.

The 99% Invisible City →

The hidden world of everyday design

I had no idea that the popular design podcast 99% Invisible has a new book out. Host Roman Mars and co-author Kurt Kohlstedt zoom in on the various elements that make our cities work, exploring the origins and other fascinating stories behind everything from power grids and fire escapes to drinking fountains and street signs.

Where the Leaves Fall →

Humankind’s interaction with nature

Where the Leaves Fall is an independent magazine that explores humankind’s push-pull relationship with the natural world, trying to deepen our understanding of the interconnected roles we play. The latest, fourth issue focuses on the themes of mutualism, interconnectedness, and pandemic, alongside a series of dialogues.

For a brief period of time (when US election results started to come in) Facebook prioritised quality over engagement. While it lasted, it had a calming, positive effect – who would have thought?! “The change was part of the ‘break glass’ plans Facebook had spent months developing for the aftermath of a contested election. It resulted in a spike in visibility for big, mainstream publishers like CNN, The New York Times and NPR, while posts from highly engaged hyperpartisan pages, such as Breitbart and Occupy Democrats, became less visible, the employees said.” [soft paywall]

An interesting new documentary on the bias coded into algorithms launched earlier this month. You can find a list of screening locations here. If you run a company in the tech space, consider hosting a virtual screening event for your team. You can request a quote here.

Some great take-aways here that we could all benefit from when trying to help a friend who’s going through a difficult time. “Often there is no external problem to solve at all – but rather, a person wants to change their mental state to be different. There are many problems where more information is helpful, but sometimes it’s better to meet a person where they are and to simply imagine – together – a better future. You’re not holding that person to what you know about them or even what they think they know about themselves. Instead, you’re letting a person imagine who they could be.”

A great long-read about how we ended up with all the productivity BS that fills app stores and book shelves and makes us all feel like we’re never doing enough. “One of the sneakier pitfalls of an efficiency-based attitude to time is that we start to feel pressured to use our leisure time ‘productively’, too – an attitude which implies that enjoying leisure for its own sake, which you might have assumed was the whole point of leisure, is somehow not quite enough.”