No really, winter is coming. And I'm not Jon Snow, but I am here to help you get through it. The other day I sent you a copy of an e-newsletter called While You Were Working SmartBrief. If you liked it and want to subscribe, you’ll be entered to win a $500 Starbucks gift card to help you stay warm all winter long. But you have to sign up first. With all this Starbucks talk, I almost forgot. Today’s issue of WYWW is below.
The good, the bad and the ugly of the gig economy. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)
The gig economy got a bit exposedWhy it matters: The gig economy is a double-edged sword. Those who rely on it to earn money are often the same people who have trouble finding full-time employment at a wage they find livable. And while automation gets all the headlines about costing people their jobs, the pressure the gig economy places on wage growth has been incredibly under-reported. In essence, the people relying on the gig economy might very well be harming their own long-term earnings potential. From an employer's perspective, why would you offer top salaries and benefits to bring on full-time staff (or give your existing staff pay raises) when the work you need performed can be done cheaper via the various gig platforms? Financial Times (subscription required) (10/30)Do you currently have a 'gig' job?
Twitter's character-limit increase from 140 to 280 didn't lead to longer tweetsWhy it matters: Sometimes people who don't have much to say really don't have much to say. TechCrunch (10/30)Apple unveiled "updates" to its already reliable productsWhy it matters: Apple rolling out "updates" to its core products will probably keep the company's die-hard fans happy, but I am old enough to remember when Apple used to announce entirely new products. People would line up around the block to get their hands on the latest Apple gear. Now, all those fans get is an "update" to a product they already own that works just fine. The concern for Apple (and Wall Street analysts trying to predict the future growth of the company) is that their products are so good, they don't need to be updated or replaced. Seriously, when is the last time anyone you know said they needed to buy a new iPad because the one they had wasn't working well enough? Dare I say the roll out of new Apple updates is fast approaching the realm of the old Microsoft Windows updates. The launch of the "new" Windows used to be a big thing. Then it slowly faded to become not much of a thing at all. Wired (tiered subscription model) (10/30),TechCrunch (10/30)
Breaking down barriers to science for African women You've probably never heard of Mirjana Povic. She is an astrophysicist and when she is not busy studying things like galactic nuclei, she works to establish programs that promote the study of science to women in Africa. Sometimes it is just refreshing to read about people who are out in the world trying to make it a better place. Nature (free content) (10/30)
Hmm...
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The search for a comfortable pair of women's shoes continued This is pretty hilarious piece about the lengths women go to find comfortable shoes. It reminded me of a legendary happy hour conversation at the old Biddy Mulligan's in Washington, DC. Amid the wings and pints, my friend Nick and I got caught up in a conversation about shoes with a table full of women. After hearing the women share horror stories related to finding the perfect shoes, Nick declared, "Men only need three pairs of shoes: black dress shoes, brown dress shoes and sneakers." I am gonna go out on a limb and say women usually have more pairs of shoes than men. So remaining comfortable really comes down to the law of averages. Men (like Nick) only need to find three pairs of comfortable shoes. Women, with their more expansive shoe collections, need to hit the comfortable mark a lot more often. Chances are they will miss that mark from time to time. Let me put that another way: If a woman has only three pairs of shoes, I would bet all three pairs are pretty darn comfortable! The Atlantic (10/2018)
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This MBA boot camp actually includes a boot camp The term "boot camp" has been extremely overused in recent years to describe all manner of activities: morning workouts, coding classes, etc. But this MBA program actually incorporates military drills into its course work. It sounds great because military-style situations definitely call for a different set of skills than yet another corporate case study. I guess the only real surprise is that it is taking place at a school in that bastion of aggressive military might known as Canada. Financial Times (subscription required) (10/30)
Survey Results
Here are the results from Monday's reader survey: Should big tech companies only be taxed in their home country or wherever their revenues are generated?
The double post As I have mentioned before, I am a bit of a soccer nut. This video telling the tale of one of the most amazing finishes in soccer history is fantastic. YouTube/Major League Soccer (10/30)Not the king of Queen Music/film critic Steven Hyden really loves the music of Freddie Mercury and Queen. But he REALLY doesn't like the new documentary Bohemian Rhapsody. The Ringer (10/30)
About the Editor
Your humble WYWWer
My name is Sean McMahon and since I joined SmartBrief in 2003, I have produced content on a variety of topics including finance, energy, infrastructure, politics, telecommunications and international development. I must admit I am not a big fan of carving pumpkins, but I do like long walks on the beach, hiking Table Mountain and playing/coaching/watching soccer. Go Barca! Today's edition of WYWW was edited whilst listening to "Buggin' Out" by A Tribe Called Quest. If you like WYWW, hate WYWW or want to submit a story, shoot me an email. Yes, I actually read them.
I am continually fascinated at the difficulty intelligent people have in distinguishing what is controversial from what is merely offensive.
