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  • This is as succinct or concise I can be with where I’ve been, and where I’m at. I think a lot of you are there too. How’s the boat?  For those still silently repairing prior to making it back out to sea, it’s okay. There’s going to be a lot of work after a pandemic like this, and becoming seaworthy is a journey unto itself. Just don’t rebuild the ship silently, and all alone, okay?

 

 

 

I realize I’m not sure if it’s a title, or subject, but you can ponder the headline thingy as a quote by Glenn Gould. I listen to a lot of classical, and I in fact do have it in the background quite often. But it is something motivating and stirring, and I’ve never considered much to be relaxing, vs the heavy metal and rock and roll of it’s time. There’s wonderful beautiful, calming, and romantic pieces to be heard… but it’s a powerhouse of expression.  And that being said, HELL THEY USED CANNONS IN PERFORMANCE. But Glenn Gould was a rock star, one of the greatest pianists in history, a Canadian gem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Gould

 

QUOTES ARE WONDERFUL:

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” – Albert Camus

 

And a lovely thought:

“I am still every age that I have been. Because I was once a child, I am always a child. Because I was once a searching adolescent, given to moods and ecstasies, these are still part of me, and always will be… This does not mean that I ought to be trapped or enclosed in any of these ages…the delayed adolescent, the childish adult, but that they are in me to be drawn on; to forget is a form of suicide… Far too many people misunderstand what *putting away childish things* means, and think that forgetting what it is like to think and feel and touch and smell and taste and see and hear like a three-year-old or a thirteen-year-old or a twenty-three-year-old means being grownup. When I’m with these people I, like the kids, feel that if this is what it means to be a grown-up, then I don’t ever want to be one. Instead of which, if I can retain a child’s awareness and joy, and *be* fifty-one, then I will really learn what it means to be grownup.” ? Madeleine L’Engle

 

 

  • Also, the shipping forecast in Britain will make you fall asleep, even you insomnia people:

 

 

 

  • NOSTALGIA PUNCH RIGHT IN THE FACE! Do you still have any old mix tapes? Man those were the best.

 

SPACE

 

 

 

 

 

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

  • Your brain is a parasitic element, which helps amplify electromagnetic waves. YOU CAN AMPLIFY YOUR KEY FOB TO FIND YOUR CAR. Hold it to your noggin’:
@museumofscience Ever lost your car in a crowded parking lot???@alexdainis has a #science hack that will help you find it in no time. #sciencetok #radiowaves #physics ? original sound – Museum of Science

 

 

  • Cool. Cool cool cool. Smart people in tech say we’re on the threshold of having to legislate protection of our own minds, from either surveillance or advertising.  We’re in an era of thoughtcrime, and dream injections.  So the movement is called “Cognitive Liberty”:

The professor trying to protect our private thoughts from technology https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/26/nita-farahany-the-battle-for-your-brain-neurotechnologyVintage Style George Orwell 1984 Big Brother Thought Crime - Etsy New ZealandTHE RIGHT TO MENTAL PRIVACY AND COGNITIVE LIBERTY - CONSEQUENCES FOR CUSTOMERS AND DEVELOPERS OF TECH PRODUCTS.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Shellfish, folks!

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER LITHIUM REPLACEMENT THAT MAY REVOLUTIONIZE EV BATTERIES: ‘99.7% EFFICIENT OVER 400 HOURS OF USE’ Even better? They biodegrade in five months. https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/shellfish-batteries-crab-lobster-science-biodegradable/

Sustainable, Biodegradable Battery Made From Crab Shells Might Be the Future for Renewable Energy | Science Times

 

 

 

  • I appreciate AI experimentation, but I’ll say I’m beginning to get a slightly inhuman and nervous feeling about outsourcing our preditnatural interest in creativty and discovery, philosophizing about the nature of art is good for AI, but giving up on primal and primary creativity without a 3rd party seems to be engineering in a dark sadness for the future of our human spark:

This Entire Sci-Fi Magazine Generated With AI Is Blowing Our Puny Human Minds Our brains are melting.  An interview with the creator: https://futurism.com/sci-fi-magazine-generated-ai-interview

 

 

WILD REALITY AND AUDITORY ILLUSIONS

 

  • Go through each option til you hear it. It’s wild:
@schoolonl What do you hear? #english #hear #teacher ? That Is Embarrassing – Derby County FC FanChants & DCFC Fans Songs

 

@jwiz1188 Ok this is trippy. The sound keeps getting higher and higher. But it’s actually not.. ? #trippy #sound #effect #hack #trick #illusion ? original sound – JJinfinity88

 

COMEDY

  • Rickles punking Sinatra might be all you need to know what a legend is.
@thecinemavau1t MOMENT: #franksinatra story about #Donrickles #viral #oldschool #film #comedy ? original sound – Cinema Vault

 

 

 

 

  • This “hits” supercut is absolutely magnificent: Titled “Who’s the dead man who hit me with the salt shaker?”.

 

 

  • Odenkirk has been in everything.

 

 

 

 

  • This girl looks to be in pain. But WAFFLES.
@chucklopez1978 #breakfast #food #hungry #funny #laugh #kids #kid #cute #fyp #viral #waffles #cry ? original sound – Chuck Lopez

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • I am seen, heard, known. Goofy? Sure. But accurate. I am a beverage goblin throughout the day. NO CALORIES THO. Don’t drink your calories:
@thecenteredlife Per your requests here is the they/them version of Beverage Goblin so now AAALLLLLL the goblins can duet me and show me your collection of liquids ??? #beveragegoblin #workfromhome #neurospicy #enby #adhdtok also, apparently, this is #biseggsual ? original sound – Kristen | Systems girly?

 

 

  • This is a classic, and if you’ve not seen it, where have you been? From “The Trip”, Michael Caine impressions:

 

 

  • This is pretty solid, as in you will poop yourself:
@electronicbert I don’t actually think it was that unhinged #audition #acting #movie #film #cinema ? original sound – Dave Ebert

 

 

MOVIES AND TV

 

  • I read it in his voice:

 

  • Alec Guinness on Ellison, err.. .Tennyson Ford. And his legendary hatred of the silly film Star Wars.

 

 

But Guiness did have some fun on set:

 

 

 

However it doesn’t look like he’s very impressed here:

 

 

 

 

  • Revenge Flicks + Punching Nazis? This is like a cross of Inglourious Basterds and John Wick. Holy Cow I cannot wait for all the exploded Nazis. Other than Aliens and Zombies, there simply isn’t a better villain to kill.

 

 

  • I really believe that his stance and “vision” at that time feels far more normalized and understandable while it’s the Wild West, so to speak, vs how normalized all creators, creatives, workers, etc are meant to feel their work is secondary to someone else. I only say that because Kaufman JUST said this and it resonated. It’s interesting, and whether you take a hit to your finances or maybe personal reputation, I guess I’d much rather be the person who matters, and has control of my purported vision.

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

  • Devs –  written and directed by Alex Garland. One of my favorite shows in YEARS.  A limited series of eight episodes about an hour each. It’s on Hulu.  Nick Offerman plays a really interesting role, but the main character is an Alex Garland favorite… Sonoya Mizuno played the Asian assistant robot from Ex Machina, as well as the Natalie Portman analog during the lighthouse scene of Annihilation. She’s apparently a trained dancer, and super interesting (to me at least).  The show itself is dealing with some weird, REAL WEIRD, advancements of a “Facebook vs Apple vs Google” proxy tech company, and the impact and challenges of keeping that info trade secrets, even at the expense of humans, society, or the world.

“”Devs” is an FX limited series that focuses on a young software engineer named Lily Chan who works for Amaya, a cutting-edge tech company based in Silicon Valley. After her boyfriend Sergei’s apparent suicide, Lily suspects foul play and begins to investigate. She quickly realizes that all roads lead to Forest, Amaya’s enigmatic CEO, and Devs, the company’s secret development division. In Lily’s quest to discover the truth, she uncovers a technology-based conspiracy that could change the world.”

A weird tidbit from the Garland world (also, he ghost directed Dredd, which was his first film), that connects all the films because of Mizuno’s appearance in almost all his work: “The lighthouse sequence was choreographed by Israeli dancer Bobbi Jene Smith, who was recently the subject of the documentary Bobbi Jene. That film was directed by Danish documentarian Elvira Lind – who’s married to Oscar Isaac.”

Devs - Rotten Tomatoes
  • Operation Odessa: A Cuban, a Russian Mobster, and a Miami Playboy agree to scam the Cali Cartel and the Russian Mob by selling a Nuclear Submarine. This is the wildest story you’re gonna get. It’s AMAZING. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/operation_odessa
  • Marcel the Shell with Shoes On blew my mind. An adult stop motion A24 film, it’s profound yet quiet, charming and heartbreaking, and truly a wonderful journey and concept.

Barbarians' (2022) Hulu Review: Stream It or Skip It?
  • “What Happened to Monday?” – a 2017 dystopic and VERY dark horror adjacent sci-fi film, about a future of overpopulation and fascist control of bodies.  The premise is that Noomi Rapace plays 7 different roles in the film, and although so bleak and dark, it’s an aggressive recommendaiton if you like dystopia, world buidling, great acting, an interesting and creative premise, and more. Still… REAL DARK.

 

 

  • ZERO EFFECT: Bill Pullman plays an eccentric, idiosyncratic private investigator, and a subdued Ben Stiller his sidekick assistant. It’s a slow burn film with great scripting and directing, and it’s just unheard of and wildly underappreciated. I figure in lieu of Rian Johnson’s revival of Clue like capers and mysteries for stellar investigators to solve, a la Knives Out… maybe we can rediscover this one. It surely would be sequel heavy Intellectual Property, to be sure.

 

 

 

11 minute episodes of stop motion that feel like an amalgamation of David Lynch and Cronenberg crossed with Wes Anderson and the Wallace and Gromit people. Holy crap.

 

 

  • A story of Ben Affleck being a wildly interesting guy. This is him being REALLY SMART: he predicts subscription services. This is INSANE CRAZY BONKERS:

 

This is Ben being really stupid, amassing about $4M total for a shutdown this long… on set… of a huge film… A DAVID FINCHER FILM… over a hat:

 

MUSIC

 

Fifty years is scarcely a blink in the life of a culture, but it can be an actual lifetime for human beings. Half a century in the unlikely, inspiring, and unpredictable story of how invisible kids from forgotten precincts crafted art that defined an era remains worth telling. But fifty years is also just long enough to recognize the failures that we will bequeath to the generation that is now just finding its voice. People are born and they die. The fervently whispered hope, the ambient prayer inside everything hip-hop has ever been or said or left unsaid, is that, maybe, in some distant and better world, those two things can happen just a little further apart.

RIP Trugoy The Dove. De La Soul in simpler times:

https://media.newyorker.com/photos/6411d857fa0b3daca1e3f803/master/w_960,c_limit/Cobb-Hip-hop-Elegy.jpg

 

 

  • Karen Carpenter wasn’t the greatest drummer in history, but she was one of them, and at the time, NO ONE shredded like this outside of Blue Note.  When they were doing more jazz heavy tracks, she would sing, and just nail the beat. It’s not easy to do this, and her mastery of drumming alone is something else.

I’m no drummer, so listen to an internet comment from one: “Wow. To sing and play paradiddle diddle and para diddle diddle rolls across a drumkit while keeping time and dancing around the back beat a bit is next level stuff. I’ve been playing drums 30 years and I couldn’t do that with a gun to my head.”

What’s more? BONHAM RAGED. He came in after her in a Playboy poll, and he was hurt just enough to go on a misogynistic existential screed.  However it’s widely accepted… Bonham could have never done what she does below. Not EVER. Sorry Zeppelin fans.

John Bonham claimed Karen Carpenter “couldn’t last 10 minutes with a Led Zeppelin number” https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/john-bonham-claimed-karen-carpenter-couldnt-last-10-minutes-with-a-led-zeppelin-number/

 

 

 

  • A band called “Cannons”, all their music is this vibe, and holy moly are they a groove:

 

 

  • Los Yesterdays on Daptone Records, “Nobody’s Clown”, a wonderful old soul ballad with puppets.

 

 

 

  • CLASSICAL MUSIC PRANKS! The Brass truly is the dark side.  Star Wars fans, even those who don’t like Classical or want to admit that Williams’ score lifted heavily as homage to Gustav Holst’s 1916 song “Mars”… this is still funny, and don’t @ me but the trombone is easily in the top 5 best instruments in history.

 

To Wit, Thanks Joe G.

 

 

 

  • More Classical humor, best use of meme re: Bolero. LOL
@lporchestra Nicholas Cage is actually pretty good at Mandolin. #ClassicalMusic #bolero #trombone #percussionist #theunbearableweightofmassivetalent ? original sound – London Philharmonic Orchestra

 

 

 

  • I don’t care who you are, you’ve never played a cave. I don’t mean in one, I mean the cave is an instrument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • This concludes my gaslit delusion in thinking I did, in fact, hear it. I did! Ennio Morricone used some of his work for The Thing, by John Carpenter, that was orchestral score work never fully realized in the Thing, so it was adapted by Morricone for Tarantino’s “Hateful Eight”

Quentin Tarantino Reveals ‘Hateful Eight’ Score Features Unused Music By Ennio Morricone From John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ Quentin Tarantino Reveals ‘Hateful Eight’ Score Features Unused Music By Ennio Morricone From John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ https://www.indiewire.com/2015/12/quentin-tarantino-reveals-hateful-eight-score-features-unused-music-by-ennio-morricone-from-john-carpenters-the-thing-98001/

 

 

  • Questlove validating that I am listening to mostly comedy and classical nowadays… but this bit on old school hip hop is fantastic stand up!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Questlove (@questlove)

 

 

PEOPLE, CULTURE, & SOCIETY

 

 

  • Even if your love lasts, reality comes calling on mortality. Bukowski was a fascinating person. Not one to be vaunted and celebrated vs listened to and considered.

 

 

 

  • The story isn’t 400 year old art. It’s the pillow.

Kitchen renovation unearths paintings nearly 400 years old https://www.cnn.com/style/article/kitchen-murals-york-scli-gbr-intl-scn/index.html

 

 

  • Oh yeah, those 30-minute offset time zones are for insane people.

Time Zone Deviants, Part I: the strangest time zones in the world https://qz.com/357697/time-zone-deviants-part-i-the-strangest-time-zones-in-the-world

 

 

 

  • China’s TikTok is becoming a travelogue. These landforms are something else:
@user95549229592086 This series of scenic spots ends everywhere. It is called Ivory Hill, which is located in the famous scenic spot in Guilin, Guangxi, China. Thank you for watching. Follow me to release the next landscape series.???#natural #Self ? original sound – Dark

 

 

 

  • The oldest landform, and the oldest place on earth, is in Venezuela:

Mount Roraima Gran Sabana, Venezuela This “floating island” plateau sits 7,671 feet above the forest floor. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mount-roraima

WONDERFUL Google Documentary Tour:

Mount Roraima: The ancient world of South America tepuis https://artsandculture.google.com/story/mount-roraima-ephemera-documentary/0wVBNbmVRPLfoA

 

 

 

NOTE: THIS WAS MOCKED UP WELL PRIOR TO THE SHOOTING YESTERDAY. They just keep happening. We all know why. So vote.

  • This guy must be about to retire, but the sports broadcaster has some venom and vitriol about a serious problem going completely ignored: school and mass shootings.

 

 

 

  • The idea of creation of art by deliberately moving a camera is fascinating to me.  Especially as it is in my realm of fascination but maybe outside my realm of bandwidth, I like this and feel it’s like the threshold of a new art form a la photography in the 1800s, and could inform future media and videographic or photographic expression, even in seeking to tell more of a traditional narrative in impressionistic or avant garde and experimental ways. That has been my TED talk.

Intentional Camera Movement Photography as Art: ICM Photography Magazine | About Us https://www.icmphotomag.com/about-us

 

 

 

  • One Inch Punch mastery is unreal:

 

The woman is there doing the weird leg thing to prove there are no jump cut edits to make it fake / staged.

 

  • Another dude, angry at a bone:

 

 

 

  • To remind you: The United States is a special place, despite all our failings.  That being said, I can’t think about cultural appropriation without thinking of cooking, fusion, and all the people in the restaurants of all walks of life and cultures and nationalities learning how to cook the same of every other culture… and that it’s called “sharing” when it’s a genuine mishmash of culture and exploration and discovery. As long as you are not disingenious when enjoying other cultures, it’s called “beautiful”. Celebrate and platform the love for cultures you learned. It’s okay. No one will scream at you. And definitely… no one would be angry at these sweet Koreans eating Chili for the first time. =)
@crazykoreancooking Mom & Dad try Chili for the first time. #chili #tryingfoodfirsttime #mukbang #kdrama ? original sound – Crazy Korean Cooking

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • To humanize hospitality, take a look at a $500 Million annual budget for food on Singapore Airlines, and all the minds and people and talent and creativity that goes into feeding people in flight. For example, how about making 6000 – 7000 omelettes a day on a rotating induction burner? AMAZING the logistics of our human race:

 

 

 

 

  • I saw a clip of a Harvard student go viral recently, which was essentially admonishing Americans for actually noting there’s systemic and baked in inequality to our system that we need to wrestle with. Like, we’re no proud enough or vocal enough about how great the country is. It is one of the best countries, you betcha. CRAZY great. But also, it reminded me of this clip, which is slightly dated but still relevant about some tough and inconvenient truths that people rarely like to address or consider vs that binary “love it or leave it” nonsense.

 

@daktvproductions Replying to @looking_4_meaning ‘America is not the greatest country in the world.’ | The Newsroom Scene #DAKtv #trending #america #thenewsroom #jeffdaniels #thenewsroomhbo #hbo #aaronsorkin #scene #tv #fyp #foryou #motivation #inspiration #quote #acting #viral #monologue #speech #politics ? The Newsroom – Main Theme – Geek Music

 

VEHICLES

 

  • I could watch a 10 part series on this thing, and it’s just throwing more bizarre and outlier stuff, forever. I mean it. This would be a therapeutic show.

 

 

 

 

  • The Deora is a 1965 Dodge A100 pickup truck that was heavily customized by Mike and Larry Alexander in Detroit for the 1967 Detroit Autorama. After winning many awards, including the Ridler in 1967, it became the prototype for a Hot Wheels car, and plastic model kit. It was sold at auction in 2009 for US$324,500. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deora_(custom_car)

More info: https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Dodge_Deora

 

 

 

 

Here’s a whole documentary on it:

 

 

 

  • I call this “The case of the drunk hobbyists who fell out of the sky in land yachts from above”. Yes, Winnebago absolutely invented Heli-RVs and almost put them to market.  The Winnebago Heli-Home Was a Real Flying RV That Needs to Make a Comeback A decade before Spaceballs, Winnebago thought about making RVs fly. https://www.thedrive.com/news/34753/the-winnebago-heli-home-was-a-real-flying-rv-that-needs-to-make-a-comeback-in-2020

 

 

  • 1958, West German Gas Station:

By Uncle FishbitsCategories: Newsletter