A list of good reads

• Daily Beast delivers a scathing takedown of a sex scene in ‘The Eternals’—to make a point about the lack of emotional depth in the Marvel universe.
• Mel Magazine offers an interesting look at the afterlife of the male model—who often makes less than women and has fewer opportunities.
• RestOfWorld has a very good deep dive into Amazon’s “Delivery Premier League”—which gamifies delivery work in India.
• Quanta offers a somewhat nerdy but thoughtful take on the state of Artificial Intelligence—which tells us something about how science advances.
• Quartz reports on the booming business of climate change—and the consulting firms profiting from the push toward net zero emissions.
• Rohit Brijnath in Mint Lounge pens a charming tribute to the ‘dedicated amateur’ in sports—without whom there would be no real sports, no true sportsmanship.
• Also in Mint Lounge: Is it ever wise to mix your different friend circles?
• National Geographic offers a lively read on Vlad the Impaler—the man who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Turns out he wasn’t totally a bad guy.
• The Conversation explains the science of fright—or why we love to be scared.
• Women’s Health explains the concept of “emotional sobriety”—or learning how not to always wallow in your feelings.
• Remember the ‘Big Short’ guys—who made a killing on the stock market crash in 2007? They tell New York magazine why they think cryptocurrency is a bubble.
• The Guardian offers an enlightening read on what we now know about human metabolism—and why it is easier to lose weight than keep it off.
• Also in The Guardian: A wonderful essay on Google Street Maps—”a portal on forgotten places and secret moments.”
• This Wall Street Journal piece is behind a paywall, but Javid Ahmad shares the highlights of his must-read piece on Pakistan’s role in Taliban’s takeover in this Twitter thread.
• If you’re planning to splurge on yourself or a loved one this Diwali, Mint has put together a luxury gifting guide for everything from jewellery, gadgets to food hampers, whiskeys and watches.
• The Wire has a very good read on how RBI’s new rules—which are making it very difficult to set up recurring payments—are hurting digital news sites.