Mondays might not be your favorite day of the week, but the good news is that we’re all in this together ladies and gentlemen. As purveyors of prime Grade A web content, the SolidSmack crew has done some of the heavy lifting to make sure you get your Mondays started on the right track.

Welcome to The Monday List.

Each Monday, we’ll link you up with some of the most insightful, informative, and socially-relevant stories to keep tabbed, bookmarked, reading listed, pocketed, or what have you. Be sure to check in each Monday morning for a new crop of freshly sprouted words curated straight from the source of your favorite homegrown ‘Smack.

What We’re Reading This Week:

How To Use Color To Prove Your Point, From A Data Viz Expert
The importance of color theory is a well-explored topic in art and design. But what about when it comes to information design?

Everything You Should Know About Sound
We think of sound as something we hear—something that makes noise. But in pure physics terms, sound is just a vibration going through matter.

Brainstorming is Dumb
Studies show it produces fewer good ideas than when people think on their own. Thankfully, there’s a better way to work in groups.

My Father, the YouTube Star
The first few emails were marked “Fwd: Jeffrey Pang sent you a video,” so I ignored them. Statistics were on my side: In the history of parental email forwards, roughly 0.001 percent have been worth opening.

A Data Scientist Discovered the Most Metal Word in the English Language
Few musical genres have such particular signifiers as metal.

You’re Not Meant To Do What You Love. You’re Meant To Do What You’re Good At.
We’re doing people an incredible disservice by telling them they should seek, and pursue, what they love. People usually can’t differentiate what they really love and what they love the idea of.