OMM (On My Mind)
~ April 2023 #3 ~
::: The Open :::
*
As always, Harper’s Index for the win.
In second place, Harper’s Findings.
*
**
***
**
*
::: Recommended Podcasts Episodes :::
*
Rachel Zucker has started to share recordings of her lectures in The Poetics of Wrongness for her podcast Commonplace. This is a great place to go if you want to question what it means to write, create, live the life of an artist, and the moral and ethical quandaries to consider in publication and beyond.
Some worthwhile recent LifeKit episodes from NPR
Hidden Brain is almost always a winner
The Gray Area with Sean Illing (Vox) has wonderful deep conversations
I’m looking forward to digging in on the short series of episodes by The Indicator (from Planet Money) on Influencers
*
**
***
**
*
::: Music :::
*
boygenius - Not Strong Enough (Jimmy Kimmel Live 2023)
Lucy Dacus’ Night Shift video is wild
Caroline Polachek’s official music videos are… strange and worth it. Her dance skills remain in question but I’m not one to judge.
Very much looking forward to spending time with the new album from The National. Pitchfork already gave a “meh” review I saw. We shall see for ourselves.
I’m you haven’t listened to REM in a while, I say go for it.
*
**
***
**
*
::: Bird[er] Life :::
*
Parrots enjoy video chatting with one another. Not terribly surprising. But what are they thinking?
*
NPR’s LifeKit has a new episode: ‘A field guide for fledgling birders’
*
**
***
**
*
::: Literary & Arts Community News :::
*
Buy a book on your travels.
I agree, the memories of the purchase weave into your experience. Where you’ve read the book makes an impression. I remember precisely where I’ve bought a number of books and it does feel significant to me.
*
*
Oddly poetic & rather unpleasant
*
*
Open Letter from Tom Weldon, CEO of Penguin Random House UK
*
**
***
**
*
::: In Other News… :::
*
Red States have more gun violence.
*
The world of figure skating may take on the gender binary.
*
The Cliffs Notes paradox – Seth Godin on learning and “real understanding”
*
Science says:
They have discovered a vast number of underwater volcanoes.
*
Pretty friendly for Reddit. Addressing the rise of 300 lb+ football players.
Theories seem to suggest roids + conditioning beginning in the 80s.
This is not one of my areas of expertise.
*
Congress is more religious than the people they represent.
*
Lots of theories about the future of AI…
Many people (like 2/3) think AI will have a major impact on jobs, but of those same people only about 1/3 think it will affect them personally. We’ve seen this before.
*
Sources indicate french fries may be linked to depression. Ok…maybe. They have also been called one of the most unhealthy foods you can consume. Still, they may be less dangerous than Red Bull. No proof.
*
This 18-Year-Old Developed a Test to Find Out If Your Drink Has Been Spiked
*
How people in different income brackets get their money.
*
Ohio mom crushes gamers.... sorta by accident.
*
About 40% of people are interested in private space missions. Another one of these instances where people take interest in something that will likely never be personally available to them. Oh sure, you definitely might be a multi-millionaire one day. Pull up those bootstraps. What are your chances to become a millionaire in the U.S.? My research indicates a probability of 1.7 – 3.0%.
*
Ya skate? I mean, ya travel?
Food & Wine Global Tastemakers 2023
*
Percentage decrease over the past five years in the number of Americans who believe in God : 6
(Source: Harper’s Index (April 2023) citing info from Gallup)
Chances that a U.S. adult under 30 believes in astrology : 2 in 5
(Source: Harper’s Index (April 2023) citing info from YouGov)
*
People in America are eager to feel “middle class” whereas, on the other side of the pond, Britons take pride in being “working class”
*
Romance novels increased in popularity in 2022.
*
In L.A., apparently, there are approximately four crypto ATMs per every square mile.
In, Atlanta there are 7.
*
AI and crypto are vying for being the most searched about topics.
*
At least 50% of Disney+ subscribers are adults without children.
*
The kids are not alright.
*
The workers are not alright.
*
Rich people are doing just fine.
*
Risks associated with covid re-infection. ([from] Nature, a reputable source)
*
Days before dying, Japan's lunar lander snaps glorious photo of Earth during a total solar eclipsev
*
This could be…terrifying? Good? Hard to know.
Bret Easton Ellis ‘The Shards’ In Works As HBO Series
*
Slippery language.
What is ‘algospeak’? Inside the newest version of linguistic subterfuge
*
The Simpsons: The iconic sitcom is being renewed, for a 33rd and 34th season
*
Jim Jarmusch has opinions.
‘The film industry is gone. It sucks’: Jim Jarmusch on swapping directing for drone rock
*
Humans will max out at about 125 years old, according to some recent findings.
Not everyone really wants to live that long anyhow for any number of reasons.
Tech bros do though and they’re spending a lot of money to try to live forever.
*
A little bit of news and historical notes out of West Virginia… since I lived there for a time:
This day in history: The invasion of Morgantown
Arguments that polarize West Virginians the most
*
**
***
**
*