Evening Reading: 04-19-24

Today’s Reading

Applying the mathematical principles of Pareto to Mario Kart 8

The US Banning TikTok Would Play Right Into China’s Hands, And Destroy Decades Of US Work On Promoting An Open Internet

Crows vs. Ravens: 7 Ways To Tell the Corvid Cousins Apart *

How The Movie Poltergeist Inspired Mad Men … Yes, Really

Here’s every M4 Mac Apple is going to release in 2024/5 — the next generation of Apple silicon is closer than you think

Yet Another Leak Hints at HomePod with LCD Display **

‘Racism, sexism, classism all in one message’: A woman spent a year meeting men on right-wing dating app The Right Stuff ***

Today’s Commentary

* I adore Crows. I have a pair at the farm that live nearby and can often be heard throughout the day going about their Crow business. I am determined to befriend them.

** Apple has pleasantly surprised me before, but why in the name of all the Elvises do you put the screen on top of a round device. Seriously. Just make a better Alexa. And while you’re at it, fix the train wreck that is Apple Home. I can’t successfully add anything to my in-town house. And more times than not it takes multiple tries at the farm. It’s a broken system that needs to be scrapped and rebuilt from the ground up.

*** Given that much of the extreme right involves maintaining the status quo, oppressing women and people of color and laundering the sort of hate-speak I thought (perhaps naively) we’d mostly left behind, I don’t find anything about this surprising. Initially, I thought the takeover of the Republican Party by literally the worst and least intelligent segments of our society was funny. Now I think it’s a real threat to our political system. Android is a bolted-together mess, but it provides healthy competition for Apple. Same with the GOP. I want it out there to keep Democrats on their toes. In sum, if I were a Republican, I’d be way more interested in reclaiming my party than flying a bunch of stupid Come and Take It flags and making fun of the other side.

Today’s Cool Thing

Guy Goes For A Walk And Comes Upon A Opossum And Shares Facts
byu/CantStopPoppin ininterestingasfuck

Today’s Emotional Weather Report

For Kent’s real-time links and reading list, follow him at that abysmal mess that used to be Twitter.

Record Review: Ashtray Hearts – Gold Century

Naming my favorite band is an ever-evolving, cyclical, impossible thing. But, without question, Ashtray Hearts would be in the conversation. What’s much easier is naming them my most consistent band ever. They have four records that I know of (if any band members want to share some other, maybe even live, stuff with me, I’m here for it), and every song on every single record is, at least, very good. If not excellent. They have not released a bad song.

There’s something about their writing, their amazing arrangements and Dan Richmond’s voice that just goes right to my cerebral cortex. I’ve said a hundred times that their songs sound like the inside of my head. Other bands- namely Wrinkle Neck Mules– have meandered around it. But no one moves me instantly the way just about every Ashtray Hearts song does (Flowers sounds like my wistful DNA put to music; I still get weepy hearing the opening chords, even after hundreds of listens). I made my own immersive Joaquin Sorolla– my favorite artist who also lives rent-free in my head- video with their utterly beautiful English.

So when I realized they have a new(ish) record, I dove for my Apple Music app to put it on repeat. And, let me be perfectly clear. This is an excellent record, and will likely be my record of the year. The StarTribune sums it up nicely:

“Gold Century captures the convergence of memory and reflection embedded in middle adulthood – the beautiful and the tragic. Gold Century is a quiet album. A record for late nights. Songs for the slow dance. So go on and break your heart.”

It’s hard to explain how solidly every single one of these songs lands on me, but those who listen to music the cathartic way I do know. As such, it’s hard to pick which songs to share, because everyone should hear every one.

“Turn out that porch light
Stay out here so we won’t wake them
Don’t lose your heart
Take my coat,
I hope it keeps you dry.”

I don’t know what that means to the writers, but I know it invokes all sorts of memories, stories, joys, regrets, etc. for me. Almost every Ashtray Hearts song is like a meditation prompt.

Go listen to this record. Seriously.

Evening Reading: 04-17-24

Today’s Reading

Emperor Penguins Introduced to the Sea the Hard Way *

Climate damages by 2050 will be 6 times the cost of limiting warming to 2°

Kremlin-backed actors spread disinformation ahead of US elections

iOS 18 Rumor: Notes App to Offer New Voice Memos and Math Features **

Microsoft releases native OneNote app for Apple Vision Pro

Why Is It So Common to See Just One Shoe, Not Two, On the Side of the Road?

How Apple Car Key Works (and Why It Still Hasn’t Caught On)

Today’s Commentary

* This is a truly amazing video. Watch to the end.

** I like Notes and use it all the time. I think with a few evolving tweaks, it could become one of the essential Mac productivity apps. Really solid. Unlike the Apple Sports app.

Today’s Cool Thing

10 day timelapse of birds moving into a very elaborate nest, making it their home and laying their eggs.
byu/shrav01 inBeAmazed

Today’s Emotional Weather Report

For Kent’s real-time links and reading list, follow him at that abysmal mess that used to be Twitter.

Temple of Mirth: 04-17-24

The only sensible thing to do with Trump's "Gettysburg, Wow" speech in Pennsylvania was to make a one-minute documentary film of it. These are all his real words. I added some "bing bongs" at the start. "Never fight uphill, me boys! Never fight uphill." #FunWithPhotoshop pic.twitter.com/xFQffyCa37
— Randall Stephens (@Randall_Stps) April 16, 2024

It boggles my mind that people who appear literate- and even kind- on the outside want this guy to be President.

Cards & Letters, No. 1

An inscription from one of my high school year books, just before I shredded the pages. Paper reduction, and whatnot. This is some good, efficient writing.

Kent,

Although you think I absolutely can’t hang, believe me I can. Stay as conceited as ever.

Love,
Melissa

Evening Reading: 04-16-24

Today’s Reading

Record Number of Americans Aren’t Sleeping Well, Gallup Survey Finds

X May Charge New Users a ‘Small Fee’ to Post, Like and Reply *

‘This Seems to Be a Major Strategic Error on the Part of Iran’

‘Space Ghost Coast to Coast’ at 30: A Cable TV Hidden Delight for Fans of the Offbeat **

Turner Classic Movies to Stream Movies for Free in Deal with Fandango at Home

Morgan Stanley fires back at iPhone doomsday research

Today’s Commentary

* Twitter was really useful for a long time, especially around keeping up with news via Tweetdeck. It’s a hot mess now, and I find myself using Reddit for breaking news, etc. I wish everyone I like to read would just move en masse to Threads.

** There was a time when I thought Space Ghost was the very best thing on TV.

Today’s Cool Thing

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Goodable (@goodable)

Today’s Emotional Weather Report

For Kent’s real-time links and reading list, follow him at that abysmal mess that used to be Twitter.

Evening Reading: 04-15-24

Today’s Reading

Can the Middle East Avoid All-Out War?

M4 Macs Are Expected to Launch in This Order Starting Later This Year

Sleeping more flushes junk out of the brain

What the Upper-Middle-Class Left Doesn’t Get About Inflation

Jason Isbell Criticized by Justin Townes Earle’s Widow for Song *

Locked down and far from home with Man Alone

Today’s Commentary

* This is a tough one for me. Even in the small musical pond I float around in, I have faced blowback from friends and acquaintances when they recognize- or think they do– themselves or their stories in my songs. I guess where I come down is if you have to write a song about another person’s trauma, you should at least let them know before they hear it on the radio.

Today’s Cool Thing

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Upworthy (@upworthy)

Today’s Emotional Weather Report

For Kent’s real-time links and reading list, follow him at that abysmal mess that used to be Twitter.

Temple of Mirth: 04-14-24

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Melissa Church (@bad_science_jokes)

Evening Reading: 04-12-24

Today’s Reading

Review: Alex Garland’s ‘Civil War’ Is A Scary Minefield of Apolitical Provocations

A tardy assessment of the Apple Sports app *

Your iPhone has a very useful secret menu that will help you convert any measurement in an online recipe

Amazon virtually kills efforts to develop Alexa Skills, disappointing dozens **

iMessage Not Syncing on Mac After Sonoma Update? Check These 6 Fixes

Today’s Commentary

* It’s hard to believe a company as elegant as Apple released such an unimpressive, half-baked and ugly app.

** If Amazon would simply let me put a clock, the date and the weather on a screen that was static unless and until I asked Alexa something, I’d buy 10 of them. Part of the reason Alexas aren’t more successful is Amazon’s intrusive, inflexible content pushing.

Today’s Emotional Weather Report