To Write Better Code, Read Virginia Woolf

An excerpt:

I’ve worked in software for years and, time and again, I’ve seen someone apply the arts to solve a problem of systems. The reason for this is simple. As a practice, software development is far more creative than algorithmic. 

The developer stands before her source code editor in the same way the author confronts the blank page. There’s an idea for what is to be created, and the (daunting) knowledge that there are a billion possible ways to go about it. To proceed, each relies on one part training to three parts creative intuition. They may also share a healthy impatience for the ways things “have always been done” and a generative desire to break conventions. When the module is finished or the pages complete, their quality is judged against many of the same standards: elegance, concision, cohesion; the discovery of symmetries where none were seen to exist. Yes, even beauty.

Read more in the NYT.

Louis CK - Why? (On Parenting, Kids, and Questions)

If There’s Only One Woman in Your Candidate Pool, There’s Statistically No Chance She’ll Be Hired

An excerpt:

There are more CEOs of large U.S. companies who are named David (4.5%) than there are CEOs who are women (4.1%) — and David isn’t even the most common first name among CEOs. (That would be John, at 5.3%.)

Read more in HBR on how bias changes depending on composition of the talent pool. Thanks, +Zuhair Khan 

Instead Of Renting An Apartment, Sign A Lease That Lets You Live Around The World

"Roam provides short-term apartments with a communal feel, for today's digital work-from-anywhere nomad." Read more in Fast Co-Exist.

Can your age predict what birth control you use? A new data set suggests yes.

Read more in Vox.

Until I was a man, I had no idea how good men had it at work

Fascinating. Read more in QZ.

The Science of Making Friends

"Our number of friends starts to decrease steadily in adulthood; there are ways to reverse the tide." A surprising excerpt:

A body of research shows that people with solid friendships live healthier, longer lives. Friendship decreases blood pressure and stress, reduces the risk of depression and increases longevity, in large part because someone is watching out for us.
A study published in February in the British Journal of Psychology looked at 15,000 respondents and found that people who had more social interactions with close friends reported being happier—unless they were highly intelligent. People with higher I.Q.s were less content when they spent more time with friends. Psychologists theorize that these folks keep themselves intellectually stimulated without a lot of social interaction, and often have a long-term goal they are pursuing.

Read more in the WSJ. Thanks, +Katherine Stiner 

The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans

"Nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency. I’m one of them."

Read Neal Gabler's brave piece in the Atlantic.

The dark side of Guardian comments

A sad excerpt -- makes me nervous to have an opinion and publish it online:

As part of a series on the rising global phenomenon of online harassment, the Guardian commissioned research into the 70m comments left on its site since 2006 and discovered that of the 10 most abused writers eight are women, and the two men are black. Hear from three of those writers, explore the data and help us host better conversations online

Read more in The Guardian.

Gaming in the Name of Science

Scientists are recruiting videogamers to help crowdsource answers to research issues. The videogames -- designed to emulate popular games -- ask players to solve puzzles and complete other tasks to help sort through data and identify patterns. Image: Eterna/Stanford University School of Medicine.

Thanks, Fred

#MoreThanMean - Women in Sports 'Face' Harassment

Watch real guys read real comments made about sports reporters Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro – to their face. These fans learn some tweets are #MoreThanMean – they’re harassment.

Primary Colors: Bringing Clarity To Your Career

An old piece, but quite good -- particularly the part about "stop listening to so many voices."

Professor Kevin Sharer, former CEO of Amgen, outlines the three big considerations to keep in mind as you think about the next stage of your career in the Harbus.

Thanks, Richard

Apple Stole My Music. No, Seriously.

This is crazy -- what type of future are we moving towards? An excerpt.

“The software is functioning as intended,” said Amber.
“Wait,” I asked, “so it’s supposed to delete my personal files from my internal hard drive without asking my permission?”
“Yes,” she replied.

Read more in Vellum's blog.

Hard Truths About Race on Campus

"After recent protests, universities are scrambling to expand diversity programs that will only heighten tensions. There are better paths to racial justice in higher education." Read more in the WSJ.