The Breads Roundup No. 106
Doppelgängers, Medical Debt and The Pill
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Hello Children of Bebe,
I’m trying to start putting small habits into place that help me declutter my mind and ease off of the rat race to always be on and always be productive. One thing I try to do that I’m not that successful at is to not go on my phone as soon as I wake up. Sometimes I’m successful at it but not always. Another thing I’ve started doing to more success is to take short walks in the morning on the days I work from home. Rather than diving right from my phone (which I’m not supposed to be on) right into my laptop, I throw on some clothes and walk a mile or two around my neighborhood.
This has myriad benefits. It gets my body moving and shakes off some grogginess. It lets my mind wander and think of fun things, rather than just immediately diving into work. Also, at this time (like 8:30ish) there is usually nice light, which is frankly just pleasant to walk around and enjoy. Basically this little walk gets my mind right.
I’m not saying everyone should do this specific activity, although I suspect most people would benefit from it. I’m more saying everyone should try and find whatever their version of the walk is. Especially if you work from home where sometimes it will be 8 pm and you realize you haven’t left the dang house in 2 days. So go forth and clear the mind and walk or yoga or bike or garden or dig graves or do whatever you love. It’ll help your brain and body in the long run.
Anyways, here’s the linkies. Enjoy.
Your Doppelgänger Is Out There And You Probably Share DNA With Them
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
Scientists have done an extensive study and found out that you look like strangers with no relation at all because you share more DNA than with usual people. It turns out there are only so many facial structures in the world available with 7+ billion people so it was only a matter of time until we started looking like that random guy we saw on the internet or down the block or dating your ex-girlfriend.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
Dr. Esteller found that the 16 pairs who were “true” look-alikes shared significantly more of their genes than the other 16 pairs that the software deemed less similar. “These people really look alike because they share important parts of the genome, or the DNA sequence,” he said. That people who look more alike have more genes in common “would seem like common sense, but never had been shown,” he added.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
I'm gonna be honest, sometimes I'll see someone on the street and it will freak me out for half a second because I think I'm in a glitch in the matrix because it feels like my face is superimposed on someone else's body. But I'm still here in my own body, aren't I? And then I realize that they probably just look like me. There has to be a German word for the unsettledness one experiences upon glimpsing their doppelgänger in the wild. You should care because studying these things could lead to better medicine in the future where people doctors can predict complications for people who look alike. However, we have to also be careful, as this article points out, about lumping everyone who looks alike into similar buckets, because that's how we get stereotypes get started and those are bad.
This Group Wiped Out $6.7 Billion In Medical Debt, And It's Just Getting Started
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
This company is doing the unthinkable in America: Forgiving debt for no reason other than helping people. They buy up medical debt and simply don't try to collect it from the people who owe it. A beautiful and brilliant tactic that is improving countless lives destroyed by our senseless medical system.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
Sesso emphasizes that RIP's growing business is nothing to celebrate. It means that millions of people have fallen victim to a U.S. insurance and health care system that's simply too expensive and too complex for most people to navigate. As NPR and KHN have reported, more than half of U.S. adults say they've gone into debt in the past five years because of medical or dental bills, according to a KFF poll. A quarter of adults with health care debt owe more than $5,000. And about 1 in 5 with any amount of debt say they don't expect to ever pay it off.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
Well, you should care because our medical system is clearly broken. Whether or not you believe in universal healthcare you have to admit that what we have right now is not working. Forgiving medical debt is a first step, but as this article addresses, we also need to figure out a way to get to a place where that debt isn't a problem to begin with. Fear of medical debt is a reason many people don't get the preventative care they need in the first place, which then leads to more costly treatment down the line, which leads to more debt and then more care avoidance. It is the epitome of a vicious cycle and needs to be broken. These folks are making great strides, but we need more than just a benevolent non-profit buying up a small percentage of medical debt. We need some milk!
The Pill Hit The Market Over 60 Years Ago – So Why Is The Male Equivalent Taking So Long?
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
For the past 60 years the burden of pharmaceutical contraception has been placed on women. Unfairly. This article gets into some of the reasoning why that has happened and what the future could look like where something akin to male birth control is available.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
“Because the birth control pill is so effective and widely used, I think it has led to the perception that birth control – as an issue facing women – is solved,” Dr Sarah Hill, author of How the Pill Changes Everything, tells Dazed. “Those who invest in research into new contraceptive methods have confused women’s willingness to take hormonal birth control, despite side effects, as a sign that it’s a great experience for us. They don’t realise that the reason that so many of us take it isn’t that it’s great – it’s because of how important contraception is to us.”
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
Let me tell you something about men... we suck. I'll admit it. We need to do a lot better across the board. I can guarantee you most men have never thought of birth control as anything more than an issue for women despite many of the medical problems women deal with when taking birth control. It's been the status quo and men have been fine with it because it wasn't anything they felt responsible for. Something that obviously isn’t true at all. It’s a dual burden and should be treated as such. I think this mindset is a problem not just with contraception, but also with countless other issues we deal with in this country today. “Doesn’t impact me, not my problem.” All of us, in our everyday lives, we can take a little time to think a) how might this thing negatively impact others and b) how can I maybe alleviate some of that through my actions.
Eli’s Free Startup Ideas But If You Use Them And Get Rich Please Give Money To Me
New section yaaaaay. Ok this is where I propose ideas for companies that are mostly jokes but also kind of serious in some ways. They’re so crazy they just might work.
A streaming service, but in order to watch the next episode you have to accomplish a certain fitness goal. In order to stream the next episode you have to burn X number of calories. You could link your Netflix or Roku to your fitness device which will transmit to the service once you’ve hit your fitness goals to unlock the next episode. Sure you can cheat it by letting a friend do the workout with your fitbit on but in the immortal words of DJ Khaled “congratulations, you just played yourself”
It also reminds me of how my friend Nick does push-ups and crunches and mountain climbers during Knicks commercial breaks to get exercise but also to make him feel less guilty about caring so much for a doomed franchise.
Because I know you start up minded folks like fancy names we’ll call it “achievement gated content” how does that sound? Peloton better buy the rights to Harry Potter while that shit is distressed because JK feels like being a big dummy on Twitter. If you told me I had to run a half-marathon to watch the final two episodes of Better Call Saul you better believe I’d be lacing up the Hokas and stocking up on those gel pack thingies.
It’s the future of fitness. It’s the future of fun. It’s the future of entertainment.
Other Interesting Things You May Or May Not Care About
The People Making Millions Off Listerine Royalties
This is a good read if you're into contract law, inflation, halitosis or any combination of the three! A contract from like 100 plus years ago without any expiration is still being paid out today by Listerine and making a lot of people a lot of money.Jazzercise Is Alive And Kicking Decades After It Got Started
Yes that's right, Jazzercise. And while the leotards and leg warmers are no more, the brand still perseveres. It's a masterclass in tweaking your business model to fit with modern times while still holding on to your identity and not just chasing the next hottest trend.Meet The World’s Greenest Football Club
This video content from Bloomberg was illuminating in the sense that businesses can do new things and don't just have to operate in the way things have always been done. It is also cool to see a company actually stand for something, in this case, doing their part to save the environment.How Do Songs Get Picked for TV?
This article interviews a handful of music supervisors (the people who sort out the music for film and television) to give us a glimpse into how they do what they do. As you probably guessed this article was in response to Kate Bush blowing up after her song on Stranger Things, which, good for you Kate. Also I'm pretty sure music supervisor has got to be in the top 5 most given answer to the question of "what would you do if you could do anything for work" I’ve heard it a lot.An Oral History Of Superbad
All the stars come out to discuss one of the most revolutionary teen comedies of all time. I watched this with friends in a theater and we absolutely lost our minds. It was like nothing ever before and this is how it all started and came together. Fun read if you’re feeling nostalgic.I Smuggled My Laptop Past The Taliban So I Could Write This Story
A heartbreaking read as told by one woman who made it out but left family members behind. A reminder of some of the harsh realities that people deal with every day in other parts of the world.Desus And Mero Represented The New York That Mainstream Media Ignored
Desus and Mero have unfortunately gone their separate ways but this piece memorializing all the amazing things they did as a duo is well worth a read. They're unlike any comedic duo and stayed humble and true to their home with all their success, as this piece discusses. The brand is strong!
Let’s Just Looks At Art Because Reading Sucks
Lists Are What The Internet Was Made For!
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