Flying Reserve

Last Of The Flying Wallendas

Marcus Webb | Delayed Gratification | 6th June 2021

Karl Wallenda, founder of the tightrope-walking Flying Wallendas, fell to his death at the age of 73. His son-in-law, his nephew and his sister-in-law all died similarly. The family walks without nets. Great-granddaughter Lijana broke every bone in her face when she fell in 2017. But the show goes on. Lijana is working again, and her son may follow in her precarious footsteps. "It’s just in us” (1,700 words)


Is walking without nets a little too high adrenaline? Have a nice sit down and a read instead. The Browser recommends five outstanding articles, a video and a podcast daily, to keep you grounded.

An Emotional Guide To Fractional Reserve Banking

Brett Scott | Altered States | 14th March 2023

How fractional-reserve and full-reserve models work, and sometimes don't work, in banks, casinos, theatres, fitness clubs, personal relations, and other walks of life. The essence of the fractional-reserve model is that, at any given moment, you have reserves on hand to cover only a fraction of your commitments. Which is highly efficient in normal times, and catastrophic in abnormal times (4,600 words)