OMM (On My Mind)
~ June 2023 #1 ~
::: Recommended Podcasts Episodes :::
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The Gray Area with Sean Illing - Simone Weil’s radical philosophy of love and attention
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What comes after Black Lives Matter
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Peter Singer on his ethical legacy
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Hidden Brain – Seeking Serenity (Part 1 & Part 2)
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::: Music :::
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If you haven’t heard it yet, you gotta listen to the Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’
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This amazing earworm continues to be on repeat in the car:
Elton John, Dua Lipa, PNAU – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
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::: The Natural World :::
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::: The Arts & The Literary World:::
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Project Gutenberg offers 70,000 free eBooks (and you can download them)
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[from] Becky Tuch’s Substack Lit Mag News
“How to Avoid Submission Fees: Lessons Learned from 20+ Years of Sending Out My Work—and Curating Opportunities for Others” by Erika Dreifus
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This is fascinating! A short must-read. Serious.
Why Macron is reading sci-fi thrillers to prepare for the wars of the future
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Walt Whitman & Taylor Swift in conversation (McSweeney’s)
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::: Small Explorations & Deep Dives :::
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11ish people are responsible for 60% (!!!) of book bans.
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Scientists in Israel have developed a new kind of mosquito repellent believed to be extremely effective (!!!) at preventing humans from being bitten. The new “chemical camouflage” is said to prevent 99% of mosquitos from biting.
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It’s starting to dawn on the people in charge that AI has the potential to become extremely problematic…
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Rumor has it that QR code menus are going to stop being normal. This is great because no one likes them. (The New York Times)
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Billy Joel to End Madison Square Garden Residency in 2024, After 150 Concerts
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Parts of the world that are quite literally constantly on fire.
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Weren’t we taught not to even approach bears?
Anyways, some people go out of their way to wrestle them.
There are no winners.
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Reading enough good/nice news may counteract the effects of reading sad/bad (The Daily Dumpster Fire) news.
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Happy Places vs. Unhappy Places
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Thought-provoking (Seth Godin)
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The first X-ray taken of a single atom
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Delta improving seat accessibility on their airplanes.
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I’ve now read two theories suggesting that the universe will eventually “evaporate”… luckily, I guess, none of us will be around for it.
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The U.S. is getting a taste of what bad air quality feels like… There are other parts of the world where air pollution makes this all too normal. The East Coast (Philadelphia, for example) has had PM2.5 AQI numbers in the red zone from 400+ Canadian wildfires (more than half of which are considered to be “burning out of control”). Put another way, sources indicate people outside breathing in polluted air may easily be smoking the equivalent of upwards of half a pack of cigarettes per day.
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Taco Bell leaning into being the vegan-friendly fast food joint.
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You may really want to get that shingles vaccine…
New research indicates that getting the shingles vaccine may substantially reduce the risk of neurological disorders and up to 20% reduced risk of dementia. (Source: Nature)
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This title says it all. If you didn’t grow up in the generation fear-stricken by Jaws, maybe this is the headline that will keep you out of the water.
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Clickbait: Limited time Cheez-It themed gas station for selfies and goofiness I guess.
For a hot second I was thinking that the pumps actually would just release Cheez-Its… this seems unlikely. A pound of Cheez-Its is not super far off from the current price of gasoline. It’s just an idea for Kellogg to kick around in the next marketing meeting.
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Apparently Australia produced the best wines in 2023? Was this on anyone’s bingo card? They’ve also had fires recently so… prepare for smoky notes (serious.)
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Social Conservatism in U.S. Highest in About a Decade
Thirty-eight percent [38%] of Americans say they are conservative on social issues, the highest Gallup has measured since 2012.
I am wholeheartedly in the 62%
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Not a joy to think about…infanticide is extremely troubling. Come on science, let’s find some answers.
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Seagrass is often referred to as the ocean’s “lungs” – currently underway is research to determine if we have lost more than 19% of seagrass.
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Research indicates that morality is not at all on the decline. Don’t listen to the scaremongers. We are not that divided about certain core issues. (Nature)
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Swifties’ Eras Tour experiences reveal an aspect of memory formation.
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Life advice from some of the best graduation speeches.
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All too predictable… *sigh*… Look, let’s agree *** Corporate Pollution *** is the real problem.
‘I spot brand new TVs, here to be shredded’: the truth about our electronic waste
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New shot acts as contraception for cats
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Shocker that Philadelphia did not make this list. To be clear, this is not a Philadelphia agenda.
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The world’s most welcoming cities to non-natives.
Also, shockingly, Philly did not make this list.
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The ongoing war against mosquitoes
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