link roundup

Hello from Scotland, where I am here to meet some v cool scientists and engineers. For instance, at our event last night, I spent half an hour chatting with a scientist who is finding out how to recycle waste plastic to make pharmaceuticals like paracetamol.¹

Anyway, links:

• The Trump administration intends to terminate US support for Gavi. As I’ve said before, one of my deepest and most sincere political beliefs is “it is bad for children to die of measles”, so I am not thrilled about this.

• Works in Progress is running Invisible College again this year, a v cool program for smart, agentic 18-22 year olds intending to change the world. Highly recommend applying if you are 18-22.

• Niko McCarty has a v cool article at Asimov on why cells are the size they are.

• Here are the rejected names for London Overground lines. I’m a bit sad we didn’t get the Polari line.

• Getting off social media doesn’t make you happier.

• The Shard is going to start flashing the time???

• The Globe and Mail expresses how we all feel about The News these days.

Corrections:

• Courtesy Ben Southwood,² it is not true that American cities are better connected by transit than UK ones, because the data excludes suburban rail. Suburban rail is v important in the UK (god only knows I love a Thameslink), while in the US… I mean, I guess there’s the Metro North?

1. As per Jake Eaton in comments, I’ve gone native. For Americans, I mean acetaminophen.

2. Who has earned himself two beers for catching this and a typo as per bug bounty policies.