I’m a little behind on this – skipped Week 38, but I intend to make What I’m Ready This Week (WIRTW) a weekly thing, most likely updated on Fridays, and I’m hoping for about five links. None of these links are behind a strict paywall — I think a couple are behind soft paywalls (“We’ll let you read a few articles a month before we cut you off). Hope these strike you as interesting as they struck me!

• L.A.’s palm trees are dying and it’s changing the city’s famous skyline
  LA Times
  LA’s iconic palm trees are facing myriad threats.
• To catch a paedophile, you only need to look at their hands
  Wired
  We’re familiar with fingerprint identification, but it turns out your hands can be just as identifying.
• Merci, GOAT
  The Players Tribune
  The message Michael Jordan gave the rookie Knicks point guard Frank Ntilikina. More importantly, what he went through to get to that point. If you don’t at tear up just a little you’re a monster.
• The Definitive Timeline Of Craft Beer Acquisitions
  Vinepair
  A really nice timeline of who-bought-whom. The beer world is weird these days…
• The Polar Expedition That Went Berserk
  Outside Magazine
  This is just a crazy tale of what can go wrong at the bottom of the earth.
• The King of the Ferret Leggers
  Outside Magazine
  Tie your trousers at the ankles. No underwear of any kind. Drop in two hungry ferrets. Cinch your belt tight.
• KD and the VCs: How Kevin Durant Became a Made Man in Silicon Valley
  San Francisco Magazine
  Kevin Durant: NBA All-star, MVP, and… Angel Investor? In a big way.
• Once Teased For Her Love Of Bugs, 8-Year-Old Co-Authors Scientific Paper
  NPR
  Because we all need a heart-warming story about a little girl who loves bugs and the adults who assure her that’s just fine.
• Indie Bookstores Embrace the Side Hustle
  Citylab
  Amazon was supposed to have killed indie bookstores, right? Then why are they doing okay? Diversifying!