Wednesday assorted links

1. “The telltale sign of a successful intellectual life is weirdness – weird in the best possible way.”  Short essay on my approach to things, a good piece I thought.

2. How much did slavery and cotton accelerate U.S. economic growth?

3. Will China build a dam with an army of robots and 3-D printers?  (Would not take entirely at face value this one.)

4. “The New York Times has apologised after the word “fetus” was included as the solution to the day’s Wordle challenge for some players.”

5. Are these really Werner Herzog’s favorite eight films?

6. Who measures prices to determine inflation rates? (WSJ)