If you want to really hurt someone, call them a genius.

Sounds counterintuitive? Geniuses are supposed to be the best of the best, the cream of the crop — and that’s exactly the problem. Being a genius is supposed to be a distinction. But this title also gives a carte blanche for bad behaviour, especially amongst males: David Foster Wallace and the Dangerous Romance of Male Genius . It also boxes someone in, since if you’re already a genius, what’s left? And geniuses, as we like to think of them, might not even really exist anyway: The Case Against Geniuses.

That’s Powerful!

If you ever watch powerful people during public appearances, you might come away with the impression they’re emotionless robots. They hire consultants to tell them how to put on their best face, or how to even behave while in the spotlight. They seemingly can’t rely on their own empathy to read the room. Which is actually not far off the mark: Power Causes Brain Damage, specifically damaging the ability to feel emphatic for others.

That’s… Depressing.

Wil Wheaton lives what for many others is a dream life. From his beginning as a child actor in hit movies and Star Trek: The Next Generation, to working on the most popular comedy series in the world, and having a loving family, you might think he’s a happy guy.

Not so: My name is Wil Wheaton. I live with chronic Depression, and I am not ashamed.

That’s branded.

“Just do it.” These simple three words are enough to invoke Nike’s brand and image, along with its famous logo. Brands are important, and even more so for startup companies that no one’s yet heard of. Traditionally, they would have to build up their brand through traditional advertising, eventually finding their identity. For todays fast paced world, this is not efficient enough, so of course there’s an agency that offers branding as a service: The Cult Brand Whisperer Behind Casper, Allbirds, And Birchbox

Other interesting links from around the web:

• Al Bean, Apollo 12 Moonwalker, Has Died  — He was the fourth man to walk on the moon. Now, there are only 4 people left alive who’ve done a remarkable thing.
• You might have heard of “preppers”, people stockpiling rations and other survival gear. But for what purpose? What exactly are “preppers” prepping for?
• Living the life on the road, working remotely via laptop, sounds like a dream. But it also comes with significant downsides: What I wish someone told me before becoming a digital nomad
• Lauren Bonner, the Face of #MeToo on Wall Street, Is Still Reporting to Work Every Day
• 6 Things You’re Recycling Wrong

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In 1981, an international group of doctors identified the devastating disease behind a perplexing outbreak of paralysis in northern Mozambique: The Curse of Konzo

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The city of Melbourne assigned trees email addresses so citizens could report problems. Instead, people wrote thousands of love letters to their favorite trees.: Email-a-Tree Service Doesn’t Go As Planned in the Best Possible Way (via kottke on Twitter)