MinnPost Picks: on 2017, competitive parking, and the Machiavelli of Maryland

“A Tech Pioneer’s Final, Unexpected Act,” The New YorkerIt would be easy to ruin the reading of this piece by telling too much, so let’s just say that it’s a rich and well-told story by James B. Stewart about violin prodigy Eric Sun, the son of Taiwanese immigrants. Sun ended up going into computer science and joining Facebook soon after it was founded. When he learned he had a virulent brain cancer, he set some steep new musical goals, with profound results. — Susan Albright, managing editor“17 striking findings from 2017,” Pew Research CenterPew Research Center conducts public opinion research on politics, religion and society. Abigail Geiger of the center summarized the most interesting findings from its 2017 opinion research (including which profession is most likely to be replaced by automation and how most people don't think their own job is at risk). — Peter Callaghan, local government reporter“The Machiavelli of Maryland,” The GuardianThis week, I came across an op-ed in Foreign Policy laying out the case to launch a pre-emptive strike on North Korea's nuclear facilities. A bold take — penned by one Edward Luttwak, billed as a political scientist and think tank creature. Who was this guy? I was intrigued, and stumbled upon this profile of him in the Guardian from 2015, by Thomas Meaney. Turns out, Luttwak does a lot more than proffer hot takes — he's the "Machiavelli of Maryland," dishing out (expensive) strategic advice to everyone from the prime minister of Kazakhstan to an Italian chemical corporation. His story is fun, and an excellent read. — Sam Brodey, Washington correspondent“Parking for Gold,” The AtlanticWith events like the luggage load, precision parking, key sorting and slow-speed racing, the Valet Olympics do not require the same athleticism the actual Olympics do. But they do highlight the oft-unnoticed skills valets fine tune as they park and retrieve people's cars, no small task as urban centers become more difficult to navigate. A fun read in the Atlantic from Geoff Manaugh. — Greta Kaul, data reporter

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MinnPost Picks: on 2017, competitive parking, and the Machiavelli of Maryland

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MinnPost Picks: on 2017, competitive parking, and the Machiavelli of Maryland