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~ Podcasts ~
::: recent good listens :::
Baggage Check – All About Cognitive Defusion
Radiolab – Universe in Verse
Hidden Brain – An Ancient Solution to Modern Problems / Decoding Emotions / Who do you want to be? / You, But Better /
Commonplace: Conversations with Poets and Other People
LifeKit – Clear out your clutter / New Year’s resolutions
Code Switch - Revisiting ‘How The Other Half Eats’
- The episode called into question the focus on “food deserts” and poor nutrition
The Gray Area – The power of attention in a world of distraction / If society is making us sick, how can we heal /
80,000 Hours - Episode #142 with linguist John McWhorter is excellent
What are your favorite listens from recent weeks?
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Major Jackson is going to be the new host of The Slowdown. Ada Limón has understandably stepped aside from this role in order to fulfill her duties as Poet Laureate.
I’ve been following Major Jackson’s career and love this work. Here’s a personal favorite: ‘How to Listen’ (originally published in The New Yorker)
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A terrific read in Amber Tamblyn’s (AKA. Am Tam) new Substack!
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"Oh, these forcefields—the ones you write, the ones you read—they will change everything."
- Sandra Simonds (NER)
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The horrors of tranq. (Trigger Warning: There are images wounds caused by injections of fentanyl laced with tranq.)
This is not new. In 2019, the number of overdose deaths involving Tranq skyrocketed.
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Deeply troubling (albeit unsurprising)…
“Massive review study suggests psychological trauma nearly triples a person’s risk of mental disorder”
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Honesty and Ethics. (see: Gallup charts)
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American use of social media platforms. (see: Gallup Charts)
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Top grossing movies from 1976-2022 (YouTube)
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I can’t have an unbiased opinion on the PA Farm Show butter sculptures.
1,000 pounds of butter is about 4,000 sticks of butter. That isn’t really helping me solve this.
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More mounting evidence that gas stoves are problematic… of course, if everything is electric and the grid goes down.. well, anyways, there’s no winning on all fronts
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“We are all Pussy Riot.”
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Via NPR:
“A study finds immigrants out-innovate native-born Americans.”
No one should be surprised by this.
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Apparently, there is a long tradition of biking & booze?? And here I thought Conshohocken Brewing Company was cornering the market. (Conshy Brew Co.’s Type-A IPA is killer.)
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Sadly, this vast collection of menus is missing my home recipe menu (in the works).
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Banished Words List 2023? Ok, sure, seems like it could be a thing.
GOAT
Inflection point
Quiet quitting
Gaslighting
Moving forward
Amazing
Does that make sense?
Irregardless
Absolutely
It is what it is
Presumably, “awesome” was banned years ago.
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Peak X is always being claimed. Have podcasts taken a turn?
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An illustrated guide to Victorian death rites. (Because illustrated, obviously)
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The Paris Review remembers the great Charles Simic.
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Thoughtful post by Seth Godin on the ongoing ChatGPT fears and realizing that it’s a reason to continue to work hard and innovate as an artist.
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“Why ‘Kidfluencers’ Have So Few Protections — Even As Americans Support Regulating The Industry”
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6 of the World's Most Intelligent Animals
Dare I say… too intelligent to eat?
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All about that neuroplasticity.
“Woman boosted her mental health by doing 365 new things in 365 days”
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ICYMI: Sped up songs are in
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Barstool ski races in Montana. BYOB (in this case, the “b” stands for barstool)
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Best food trucks in the U.S. (or so they claim)
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“Democrats' Identification as Liberal Now 54%, a New High” (Source: Gallup)
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Forget Wordle (which admittedly I never even tried).
Check out HOU$LE.
Some of us live with words all day … playing “the price is right” with houses is some good ol’ fashioned fun.
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Theories for a new lit canon.
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Tobias Harris making moves in the wine industry. #PrisonReformNow
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Ben Affleck living the dream.
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Rents Are Still Higher Than Before The Pandemic — And Assistance Programs Are Drying Up
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Erik Satie’s daily schedule. (from Shaun Usher’s Substack ‘Lists of Note’)
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Confusing crypto narratives for 2023 (rather technical for your average layperson)
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“Dark Patterns” and the deceptions ecommerce plays on us all
“Fake pricing is illegal most places, fake scarcity is not very illegal.”
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When you feel like the world is overwhelming, sometimes it’s good to turn to good ol’ WBOY for local news that isn’t about anything too serious.
“There are a lot of reasons one might ride in the back of a truck, especially since it can feel liberating to do so. But is it legal?”
Find out here!
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[from] Ramp Capital newsletter
[on] WFH & Employers threats about RTO
(what follows is entirely direct quotes)
If anyone reading this is in a position with an employer trying to implement RTO, I'd offer the following talking points:
Ask your employer why you need to physically be in the office if you can do your job effectively in a remote setting. Demand real answers.
If your employer says they want more in-person collaboration/mentoring, work with them to figure out a solution. One fix is to compress all collaboration efforts into shorter durations. If you have a week's worth of meetings spread out, maybe there's a way to reschedule them so that everyone on your team is there at the same time on the same day. Or if you have a month's worth of meetings, you could schedule an entire week of collaboration. It's doable.
Show them the quality of your work product. Show them how you are more effective outside of the office.
Ask them for a raise to cover commuting costs.
If you're not worried about the potential of them letting you go for not obeying, use it as a bargaining chip for more benefits. This is a last ditch effort.
Tell them your mental health suffers when commuting or in an office. How they respond will show how much they value you as an employee. It turns out long commutes are actually bad for your health. Commuting has been linked to higher rates of obesity, stress, and depression. One Swedish study also found that it could shorten your lifespan.
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The 1% continue to possess WAY TOO MUCH of global wealth.
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Listened to this episode of the TED Radio Hour while working out over the weekend(odd combo, I know...). It's interesting to hear people talk about the brain, and how so much of it continues to be a mystery to us. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/16/1143414593/busting-brain-myths-with-adam-grant