The best longform journalism we consumed this week

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Let’s jump into it…

Namibia wants to build the world’s first hydrogen economy

Nambia sits next to the ocean and has one of the world's sunniest climates — two factors that make it particularly ideal for generating "green" hydrogen. Some entrepreneurs hope to leverage these conditions to spin up carbon-free steel production and also process ammonia, which is used in most plant fertilizers. Currently, steel and ammonia production generates upwards of 10% of global carbon emissions. [Technology Review]

Dancing Naked on the Head of a Pin: The Early History of Microphotography

In the 1850s, a photographer figured out a way to shrink down photographs so small that you needed magnification to look at them. While it was mostly used to make novelty gifts early on, this technology became crucial for wartime communication and also served as a way of storing and hiding erotic entertainment from government censors. [Public Domain Review]

America’s Hot Garbage Problem

With the planet growing hotter, landfills are becoming increasingly toxic as the heat transforms waste products into harmful gasses that waft into nearby communities. Some regulators believe this trend is leading to all sorts of health ailments, from cancers to autoimmune diseases. [Bloomberg]

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There’s a Race to Power the Future. China Is Pulling Away.

It's kind of amazing to think back to 20 years ago when Republicans were using China as their excuse for not taking more aggressive action to avert climate change. According to their arguments back then, China would never agree to curb its carbon emissions, so why should the US handicap itself by cutting its own fossil fuel use? Flash forward 20 years, and China is now building more green energy capacity than the rest of the world combined, and meanwhile the GOP is doing everything it can to halt out own adoption of this tech. [NYT]

The Mysterious Billionaire Behind the OnlyFans Porn Empire

OnlyFans is incredibly profitable, bringing in north of $1 billion a year in net revenue, and could sell for as much as $8 billion. Its owner Leo Radvinsky didn't launch the platform, but he's scaled its revenue by many multiple since purchasing it several years ago. Despite his massive influence over the Creator Economy and adult entertainment, he's remained almost completely out of the public eye, with only one known photograph of him in existence. [WSJ]

Kyoto Has Zero Zen

“None of them are Japanese. These guys are wearing full-on shogun shit.” Kyoto has been overrun with tourists who have transformed an otherwise quiet city into a sort of kitsch amusement park. The problem is part of a larger trend wherein growing global tourism has caused once-scenic destinations to be overburdened to the point where local populations are struggling to maintain their social cohesiveness. [New York]

The Concorde-and-Caviar Era of Condé Nast, When Magazines Ruled the Earth

What's amazing about Conde Nast's decades-long era of profligate spending isn't just that it afforded its editors and top writers with lavish expense accounts; it's also that the company executives chastised those employees when they didn't take full advantage of those expense accounts. Conde Nast viewed its employees — especially its editors — as brand ambassadors, basically pre-internet influencers whose job it was to project elitism to everyone who mattered. [NYT]

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Fear and Loathing in Canada’s Most American City

If you had any lingering doubt as to the stupidity of Trump's aggression against Canada, look no further than Windsor, a city that's built a symbiotic relationship with nearby Detroit that stretches back over a century. We've taken our closest allies and turned them against us, all to stoke one madman's ego. [Macleans]

Burning Mao

This is a pretty fascinating personal essay about what it was like to work in Andy Warhol's Factory in the 1970s and 80s. After the assassination attempt in 1968, he grew a lot less creatively productive while also focusing on commercial success. "I’m a commercial person," he told a TV interviewer. "Got a lotta mouths to feed. Gotta bring home the bacon." [Granta]

An 18-Year-Old Prodigy May Be Darts’ First Global Superstar

Luke Littler is doing for the game of darts what Magnus Carlsen did for chess: transforming its niche following into a mainstream fandom. Darts clubs are being overrun with new members as Littler's young fans rush to enter the sport. [NYT]

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