August 22, 2017

Trump’s Afghanistan strategy resembles Obama’s. But by avoiding details on numbers, he may save political face. / The New York Times

With President Bannon gone and the generals in charge, there’s no one to disrupt Afghanistan escalation. / The New York Times

Britain’s National Grid warns that homes can’t charge a Tesla and run the kettle simultaneously. / Quartz

A set of spectacular eclipse photos, both celestial and terrestrial. / The Boston Globe

Facebook is predicted to decline in teen usage. It’s the first time there’s been a drop in any age group. / Bloomberg

With their shaky history of censorship, we can’t trust tech companies—who are unaccountable—to solve hate speech. / BuzzFeed

Farmers in France have a 22% higher rate of suicide, possibly due to a combination of isolation and the economy. / The New York Times

“You can put all the risk assessments in place but you really don’t expect people to try to get into the artifacts.” Museum visitors broke an 800-year-old coffin after posing their child inside it. / BBC

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope is the first of its kind that can photograph the universe’s dark energy. / Atlas Obscura

Social-engineering hackers are beating 2FA by duping mobile providers into transferring phone numbers. / The New York Times

Albums are already dying. The popularity of Spotify playlists hints at the end of musical genres. / The Guardian

From a flower child’s ice-cream pitch to an austere, bedroom-eyes sake ad to a celebrity-heavy XFM spot, David Bowie’s appearances in television commercials astutely picked up on the trends of their times. / YouTube