Each week, we share the top five articles that caught our attention. Here are your must-reads, published here and abroad, for the week of May 20, 2019.
Can design be sexist?
The recent controversy over the lack of female-adapted space suits for women astronauts at NASA is a stunning example of how design can be sexist. How else are you affected by working and living in a world built for men?
→ Read it on L’ADN (French)
The art of the professional namer
Naming trends, just like design trends, come in waves, and they typically respond to those that came before them. To keep up with this constant zigzagging, brands hire people like Rachel Bernard, Director of Naming and Vice President of Verbal Strategy.
→ Read it on Vox
Vanilla fever
How did hunger for the humble vanilla pod lead to greed, crime and riches? Wendell Steavenson travels to Madagascar—which produces 80% of the world’s vanilla—to meet the new spice barons.
→ Read it on 1843 Magazine
Can CBD really do all that?
Can a simple molecule extracted from the cannabis plant truly treat the many ills, aches and pains that increasingly more users claim? A visual story about the history and benefits of this new ingredient that’s become all the rage.
→ Read it on NY Times
What pigeons teach us about love
“Love” is not often associated with pigeons or even other animals. After all, how could a creature with a brain the size of a bean possibly feel something so profound? But if we stop interpreting behaviour through narrow evolutionary lens, what could we learn about love?
→ Read it on Nautilus
In your earbuds: Ça vient de là
If you’re a francophile and a lover of languages, this podcast is for you. Even if production stopped last year, there are 30+ episodes in which you can discover the strange and wonderful origins of French phrases like, “couper les cheveux en quatre”.
→ Listen to it onÇa vient de là (French)
Instagram fave: Ruban Cassette
Elisabeth Simard is the “slow and green” mamma of three boys. Her simple and highly empathetic approach to parenting and life on earth are truly inspiring. It just may make you want to live in the woods!
Photo: Michael Prewett
