just a bit about work, memorialization, and knowledge
I’ve been a bit sick, though thankfully not the new Big C. That’s partly why I’ve put writing this newsletter off, but also because I worry about trying to just fill it up without concern to what I actually think is worth talking about and sharing.
I worry that if I try to make this a “whenever the inspiration strikes” kind of newsletter, I’ll end up going as long as I do between posts on my blog.
I do actually have some things that I find interesting in progress! It’s just that progress has slowed down like it has so many times of late. I promise I’ll share when the time comes, and I hope that everyone reading this is doing as well as can be hoped right now 💝
I won’t ignore that today is the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I will say that I don’t have anything tremendously insightful to say other than that it clearly shaped everyone and everything in some way since. I’ll suggest Anne Helen Petersen’s interview with Karla Vermeulen about her new book, ‘Generation Disaster’, which leans a bit into the trauma of growing up in the 2000’s. I’ll also suggest an article that I’ve previously shared about the various ways that Bobby McIlvaines’ family has coped in the twenty years since his death. Just one snapshot of lives upended.
One thing that I will commemorate is that today is also the ten year anniversary since I adopted my Australian shepherd, Ginger. She was already a few years old and has started to slow down, but only just a little. She’s still as fluffy and jumpy as the day that I got her. Enjoy a picture!
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These aren’t new stories, but the four part Laborland series about life in the shadow of the theme parks came out in December 2019, just before even that industry was dramatically changed, while trying desperately to act like it has not.
I know many people who work at the theme parks. Most of them complain daily about the realities of their jobs, yet still go to those parks on their days off as fans. The grip these companies have on Central Florida seems inescapable, inevitable, and like the very notion of capitalism that shapes them, impossible to envision an alternative to. I truly hope that I am wrong.
Judith Butler: ‘We need to rethink the category of woman’ – Jules Gleeson, The Guardian
If you’ve heard of this article this week it’s likely because of the botched attempt to remove a section that unequivocally tied TERFs (trans exclusive radical feminists, aka transphobes) to white supremacy. The Streisand effect made even more people read this interview than before, and the author posted the missing section for free to her Patreon.
Work Is a False Idol – Cassady Rosenblum, The New York Times
I can’t seem to take this advice, yet I fully embrace it. Work is not what should shape who we are as people, and it shouldn’t be the most interesting thing about most of us. There is so much more that we can do to shape our spheres of influence than how we earn a living.
The ‘Pirate Bay of Science’ Adds 2 Million New Journal Articles – Matthew Gault, Vice
Long live Sci-Hub and services like it who make publicly funded knowledge free for everyone!
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Puppet History Season 4 • TRAILER
I adore Puppet History, and season four is shaping up to be great. The first episode of Season 4 is about the Great Emu War of 1932, The second is on Mansu Musa, the richest man who ever lived. Finally, this week brought us a story about vaccinations saving America during the Revolutionary War.
I Made A $127 Boba For Simu Liu From Marvel’s Shang-Chi • Dish Granted
Another great Watcher show is Dish Granted. I love how Steven Lim doesn’t act like some pro and makes these dishes appear accessible for any of us with the time to try. This boba also looks really good!
Food, Beauty, Mind | Philosophy Tube
Body dysmorphia and dysphoria are real, pervasive, and insidious. I see a lot of myself in this video, and appreciate the nuanced take that Abigail Thorn brings to the subject.
Sony MiniDisc: The (Not) Forgotten Audio Format That (Never) Failed
I used to love my MiniDisc players, and for some reason they seem to be having a bit of a renaissance. There are even artists putting out new, gorgeous releases in the dead format! And look at this old Sony PDF reader/scanner/storage device!
Why The First Playable Women Of The ’80s Were Naked | Video Dames (Streaking)
The channel A Critical Hit! is making a series on female video game characters. Big surprise, it takes too long for them to show up, and almost all depictions of women in games are pretty bad.
Kate Willaert also wrote a great piece for Kotaku that mirrors this story.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the it’s my book they will walk if I tell them to
Tom Cardy is the talented solo musician for isolation that we need.
DODONGO (zelda album in ratatat style)
I used to love Ratatat, and while it’s been a while since I listened to them, I was taken right back from start to finish with this Zelda music album.
I used http://rave.dj to make the most terrible cursed mashup. I don’t even know if anyone should watch it. Truly cursed timestamps are about 0:21 and 1:16. Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus mixed with This is America by Childish Gambino.
If you made it this far, why not share this newsletter with a friend? Or share with me some of the things that you found that you liked this week. Either way, I’m thrilled!
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