Christopher Mims, a technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal and author of 'Arriving Today,' dives into the fascinating yet complex world of global supply chains. He explores the challenges of modern commerce, highlighting vulnerabilities exposed by recent disruptions, like the Ever Given incident. Mims emphasizes the dehumanizing conditions within the industry and advocates for improved labor practices. He also discusses the revolutionary impact of containerization on trade, the role of automation, and the need for a balanced approach to the future of work.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
The Cod's Journey
Cod caught off Scotland might be shipped to China for filleting.
This highlights the sometimes absurd efficiency of global supply chains.
insights INSIGHT
Shipping Costs Soar
Shipping costs have risen tenfold due to increased demand and pandemic disruptions.
This makes previously cheap shipping methods, like sea freight, unaffordable, causing businesses to consider air freight.
insights INSIGHT
Containerization Revolution
Containerization revolutionized shipping by standardizing cargo.
This intermodal system, where containers move seamlessly between ships, trucks, and trains, drastically increased efficiency.
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How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
Marc Levinson
Entangled Life
How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures
Merlin Sheldrake
In 'Entangled Life,' Merlin Sheldrake delves into the fascinating world of fungi, discussing their roles in decomposition, fermentation, nutrient distribution, and the production of psilocybin. The book examines how fungi interact with plants and animals, including their ability to manipulate insect behavior and form vast underground networks known as the 'Wood Wide Web.' Sheldrake also explores the historical and modern uses of fungi, from food and medicine to their potential in environmental remediation. The book is both a scientific exploration and a personal account, challenging traditional concepts of intelligence and individuality and offering a new perspective on the interconnectedness of life.
Ninety Percent of Everything
Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate
Rose George
In this book, Rose George delves into the world of freight shipping, an industry that is both revolutionary and largely invisible. She spent five weeks aboard a shipping container ship and also patrolled the Indian Ocean with an anti-piracy task force to research the subject. The book highlights the importance of shipping in bringing goods to postindustrial economies, as well as its environmental and social impacts, including suspect practices, environmental pollution, and the threat of piracy.
Arriving Today
Christopher Mims
In 'Arriving Today', Christopher Mims delves into the intricate journey of products from global factories to consumers' homes, revealing the technological advancements and management strategies that enable rapid delivery. The book examines the paradoxes of this shift, including the interplay between humans and machines in logistics and the societal implications of automation.
As the holidays approach, we are being reminded of the fragility of the global supply chain. But at the same time, the supply chain itself is a truly impressive and fascinating structure, made as it is from multiple components that must work together in synchrony. From building an item in a factory and shipping it worldwide to transporting it locally, processing it in a distribution center, and finally delivering it to an address, the system is simultaneously awe-inspiring and deeply dehumanizing. I talk with Christopher Mims about how things are made, how they get to us, and what it all means for the present and future of our work and our lives.
Christopher Mims received a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University. He is currently a technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal. He has previously written for publications such as Wired, Scientific American, The Atlantic, and Smithsonian. His new book is Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door — Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy.
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