The Weekly Wrap: August 16, 2026

Intro is going to be short this week. Normally, I take this  week of the year off. (Everyone deserves a vacation.) But, I forgot to block it out in my calendar, and this post was already half written. So you get a (slightly shorter) Wrap! Just not a real intro. Cause I don't wanna. 

​Enjoy the links!

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• Do we need to bring back color? [The Atlantic - gift link]
• Racoons are friend-shaped but probably shouldn't be pets. [The Atlantic - gift link]
• We're doing our children a disservice by not letting them explore their independence early. Their world keeps shrinking. [NYT - gift link]

• Is there an age roadblock in the labor market? [Planet Money]
• It can be worthwhile to see where your time actually goes. [Life Kit]
• Things are really not going well. [The Daily]
• The bots blocking you from touching grass. [Booming]

• While my family was here, my dad wanted to check out what our local PBS station offered. We ended up watching a documentary Barry Farm. This is an historic slave plantation, turned public housing, turned displacement for development neighborhood of Anacostia. It was a fascinating look at the history of a few blocks of my city. Also, I can think of several professors who could use this in their courses this year. [Empower DC]

• I got my hands on some limited edition cinnamon bun Oreos. They were a disappointment. The flavor was too subtle. I was expecting a center of a gooey, warm cinnamon bun experience. Instead, I got a golden Oreo with a hint of cinnamon. They weren't bad tasting, just way too quiet for my liking.
• When I saved Parisian gnocchi with roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, and zucchini, I didn't read the entire recipe first. Rookie mistake. I didn't realize that this dish called for you to make gnocchi from scratch. That wasn't happening. So my dish became "inspired by." I used store bought mini gnocchi, tossed everything on a sheet pan, and tossed it in the oven. Much easier and still delicious.  [Serious Eats]