This week begins with Snoopy (as things should be). Then a podcast about surveillance will make you paranoid. After the break, I’ve included a strong background piece on growth mindset, and finally, please enjoy a geeky article about how journalism is changing. Thank you for reading!

Why Snoopy Is Such a Controversial Figure to Peanuts Fans

Yes, I’m a fan of Snoopy. (He has a movie coming out this weekend.) This article points out that Snoopy is a bit like Elmo. Either you love him or you think he has too much power.

Is My Phone Eavesdropping On Me?

Note to Self is another great podcast. In this 27-minute episode, host Manoush Zomorodi investigates whether our phones are listening to our conversations even when we think they aren’t. Answer? Probably.

Just finished this dramatic book, an extension of Ms. Russakoff’s New Yorker 2014 article, “Schooled.” If you haven’t read the article, read the book. (It’s not much longer than the article. :) ) If you have read the article, you don’t need to read the book.

Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives

In Issue #13, psychologist Carol Dweck clarified “growth mindset,” claiming that educators had taken her theory too far. This primer offers details (and a nice diagram) that will be helpful to teachers and students. (By the way, growth mindset is an important concept for everyone, not just educators.)

The Future of News Is Not An Article

Imagine my joy when I learned that the New York Times has a laboratory that focuses on research and development. It turns out the Old Gray Lady is as savvy about the digital revolution’s transformation of journalism as any technology company. This piece argues that one of the largest limitations of news is that we still think in terms of articles. Better to think of “particles” (a great term!), or parts of articles, that can be tagged, indexed, and used again in future articles—in order to build a better organized representation of what’s happening in our world. If you’re a news junkie like me, you’ll like this piece.

Hey, that’s it! You’ve done it again! Thank you for reading this 17th issue of Iserotope Extras. Reply to this email to let me know what you think!