7 Stories to read this weekend (04.02.2016)

I took a week off from the rigors of the Internet. I went to see my parents in India. With exception of some Snapchats and Facebook posts, I was generally off the grid and spending time with the loved ones. However, since coming back, I have been voraciously reading on the new iPad Pro (the 9.7 inch version) which Apple sent me to take a closer look. All that reading has resulted in these seven recommendations. I hope you get a chance to read them.

• The Abstractionist: A profile of celebrated architect Zaha Hadid in the New Yorker is perhaps the best thing you can read and remember the genius who died of a heart attack this past week at 65. [The New Yorker]
• Welcome to the Cyborg Fair: Writer Frieda Klotz goes to the first cyborg fair to find out if cyborgs really are a thing. What she finds is fascinating. [MosaicScience]
• A Personal Path to Gumbo: Of all the American foods, I love the gumbo. Though I have never been to New Orleans (yet), I do plan to go on a gumbo-trip. Here is a lovely ode to the dish with many variations. [SeriousEats]
• What it’s like to play Tinder in Rural America?: Good question. Thankfully Rachel Monroe has an answer. [Fusion]
• The Great Restaurant Deluge: The title should have been — San Francisco has a restaurant bubble — and it is about to burst. Actually this is a great commentary on the rips in the social fabric of this city, which is going through a spurt of rapid growth. [ModernLuxury] Bonus link: David Chang, one of the most hyped chefs ranting about a coming food apocalypse.
• Immigration & Political Explosion of 2016: Apparently, immigration and politics has been a volatile mix for a long time and have resulted in political upheavals akin to the one we are watching right now. [The American Interest]
• What does horseshit have to do with New York City stoops?: Apparently a lot. [6sqft]

Here are some pieces I wrote over past two weeks, in case you missed them:

• Not a Tidal wave [link]
• How to write a good blog post. [link]
• Social media is making us all skeptics and that is not a good thing. [link]
• 10 years later & I still love Twitter. [link]
• 15 liters. [link]

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