Weekly Filet #260: The world is getting better all the time. And more.
1. The world’s getting better all the time (CapX)
If you closely followed the news this year – and how could you not? – this has been an exhausting one. I thought about recommending to you, fittingly, Bloomberg's «Pessimist's Guide to 2028» (oh snap, there I did it), but then I came across something more uplifting. Treat yourselves to 82 developments and achievements that were actually quite great in 2017. Here's to hoping that quote will hold for a little longer: «Ever since the Enlightenment and the invention of Science, we’ve managed to create a tiny bit more than we’ve destroyed each year.»
2. Google Map's Moat (Justin O'Beirne)
It's fascinating how quickly you start overlooking the magic of something you use every day. This super detailed look at how Google Maps keeps improving will bring back some of that amazement.
3. We pitted 50 movies against 12 new ways of measuring Hollywood’s gender imbalance. (FiveThirtyEight)
An interesting attempt at creating a new set of tests to measure how equally genders are represented in movies, raising the bar from the intentionally low level set by the Bechdel test (Need a primer on the Bechdel test? Look no further)
4. How Ed Sheeran Made ‘Shape of You,’ the Year’s Biggest Track (The New York Times)
Damn you, NY Times. A while back, you made me listen to – and enjoy – Justin Bieber. And now Ed Sheeran.
5. Artwork Personalization at Netflix (Netflix Technology Blog)
When we think about recommendation algorithms, we usually think about what they recommend – not so much about how they recommend it. An inside look at how Netflix creates different artworks for different users to make them click on movies and series.
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