Random links

The impact of the ‘open’ workspace on human collaboration
"Contrary to common belief, the volume of face-to-face interaction decreased significantly (approx. 70%) in both cases, with an associated increase in electronic interaction. In short, rather than prompting increasingly vibrant face-to-face collaboration, open architecture appeared to trigger a natural human response to socially withdraw from officemates and interact instead over email and IM."
Depression and "toxic people"
A twitter thread on the different ways that society seems to treat the two, written in the wake of the suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade, despite the overlap between the categories.
Why the Most “Cultured” Among Us May Be the Most Resistant to Change
Researchers "analyzed millions of Yelp and Netflix reviews to reveal that people considered the most culturally adventurous are actually the most resistant to experiences perceived as “crossing the line.” That is, those dubbed “cultural omnivores” — because they eat Thai for lunch, play bocce ball after work, and stream a French film that night — are the very ones opposed to mixing it up. No hummus on their hot dogs, forget about spaghetti Westerns, and do not mention Switched-On Bach."