THE IMPACT OF OBAMACARE, IN FOUR MAPS

TOP OF THE NEWS:

- The Impact of Obamacare, in Four Maps (NYT) "The news about the Affordable Care Act has been grim lately: The price of health plans in new marketplaces is up, and choice is declining in many places. But amid the difficulties, new data highlight the law’s effectiveness in getting coverage for millions of Americans. The new marketplaces have struggled to attract a large share of young, healthy customers, which is part of why costs there have been higher than insurers expected. But the Enroll America data suggest that, over all, a lot of young people who had no insurance before have it now. Researchers measured a five-percentage-point drop in the uninsured rate among adults under 35 in 2016 alone. Over all, the gains are substantial: a seven-percentage-point drop in the uninsured rate for adults."

ART:

- New evidence changes the story of why Vincent van Gogh cut off his ear (Quartz)

BUSINESS:

- No One Saw Tesla’s Solar Roof Coming (Bloomberg) "The vision presented at Universal Studios in Los Angeles is the grand unification of Musk's clean-evergy ambitions. The audience was able to step into a future powered entirely by Tesla: a house topped with sculpted Tuscan solar tiles, where the night-time electricity is stored in two sleek wall-hung Powerwall batteries, and where a Model 3 prototype electric car sits parked out front within reach of the home's car charger."

- Blockbuster Deals in a Race to Stay Ahead of the Competition (NYT)

NEWS:

- Africa unplugged (Economist) "Off-grid solar is spreading at an electrifying pace. An industry that barely existed a few years ago is now thought to be providing power to perhaps 600,000 households in Africa."

- The Contenders: The Road to the Unprecedented 2016 Election (Ozy) "Almost immediately, [Howard] Dean helped put that concept [running for president] into sharper focus in reflecting on his own challenging candidacy. 'Politics is a substitute for war,' he said. 'You’re not going to meet the garden club when you’re running for president of the United States — you are going to meet some people who 400 years ago would have cheerfully taken your life.'"

- The Case Against Democracy (New Yorker) "To counter Estlund’s concern for fairness, Brennan asserts that the public’s welfare is more important than anyone’s hurt feelings; after all, he writes, few would consider it unfair to disqualify jurors who are morally or cognitively incompetent."

SPORTS:

- The NFL is becoming more disturbing than appealing, and TV viewers are tuning out (WaPo) "Historian Michael Oriard has observed that the great attraction of the league is that it’s “the true reality TV,” in its most vital form. But the NFL is beginning to seem over-managed and over-staged. Constant commercials and interruptions by refs waving their arms do not produce “appointment viewing;” rather, they produce punts, ties and stasis. Look at the standings: A cluster of 18 teams, indistinguishable save for the colors of their shirts, are at .500 or worse and five more at 4-3. In other words, 23 teams are not must-see-TV to anyone but their most fervent fans. The constant advertisements and hail of yellow flags from overly officious officials make a PBS series seem fast-moving, with a clearer story line."

- New Trend in Baseball: Custom Cleats for the Polished Player (NYT)

- N.F.L. Offenses Are Changing, So Some Offensive Linemen Are Shrinking (NYT)

TECHNOLOGY:

- Here’s what the White House will do with its social media accounts after Obama leaves (VentureBeat) "When either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump officially assumes the presidency, they’ll be given access to the @POTUS Twitter handle and its more than 11 million followers. All the tweets made under Obama will be removed, but will be accessible under the new handle @POTUS44. The White House’s Instagram and Facebook accounts will also be passed down to Obama’s successor, but without pre-populated content. That content will be archived and transitioned to new accounts, specifically to ObamaWhiteHouse, for both Instagram and Facebook."

- Secrets Of Silicon Valley Intrigue Revealed In Colin Powell's Hacked Emails (FastCompany) "Powell may sometimes look down on the tech world's priorities and peculiarities, but he can't help being drawn to its energy and vitality and luxurious perks."

BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:

- Where Mountains of Halloween Candy Go, the Morning After (NYT) "The street value of leftover candy runs around $1 a pound. That’s what Chris Kammer, a dentist in Wisconsin, offers at his office and recommends on HalloweenCandyBuyback.com, a site he started to help people find local candy donation spots."

- The Clever Pen on a Mission to Finally Kill the Tape Measure (Wired)

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