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Hello K-Martians and extra-fancy-terrestrials,
It’s officially Spring. Or if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere it’s officially Fall. Congrats on being contrarian all the time.
As usual, not quite sure where to go with this intro so I’m going to ramble. Right now, in this exact moment, I’m thinking a lot about my neighbor’s dog. His name is Davy. He’s only a puppy. I know this because our neighbors (when I say neighbors I mean the people who have a front door in the same little vestibule area facing our front door two feet away) left a note on our door with a bottle of wine apologizing that Davy barks all the time (because he does) and that he is a rescue and they are training him. They left their phone number in case we ever needed to contact them should things really get out of hand.
In a year of minimal interaction and sparse humanity it was a very welcome gesture. We left them a note back to let them know it was quite all right and that we would very much like to meet Davy because up until this point we had zero idea what he even looked like. We also apologized for being bad neighbors and not ever really introducing ourselves. A few days later as I was entering the building they were exiting the building and I finally met pup. He was cuter than I imagined he could be. Sort of looked like a mini rott but as they told me he was some sort of hound dog that I can’t remember the name of.
Davy still barks all the time. And apparently bites a lot because my neighbors frequently yell things like “ouch!” and “no biting Davy” and “Davy you’re a fucking asshole” but those things are becoming less frequent as is the barking. Occasionally when he’s barking a lot we’ll mutter under our breath “Daaaavy” in a sarcastically exasperated tone.
As I said I kind of just rambled this off because Davy was barking as I was trying to figure out what to say. But I think it is also an example about how a little kindness and over-communication can go a long way. Our neighbors could have said nothing. They didn’t owe us any explanation. But the two minutes it took them to write a nice note made a big difference, especially in times of stress and isolation, things like that mean a lot. So I guess go leave your neighbor a kind note or say something nice to them. Maybe you’ll even make a friend.
Aight enough about Davy. Time for the linkies.
Meet The Twitter Employee In Charge Of Making Sense Of Its Trending Topics
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
Ever wonder who writes all those mini explainer captions on Twitter's trending topics page? Well it's a team of people that have to know a lot about a lot and be able to do it in very few words. Basically the opposite of what I do here.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
Clearly, Twitter employs actual people who spend their days attempting to parse the pandemonium of the platform. They’re required to walk with the weeaboos, the gamers, the K-pop stans, the Laker bros, and the incessant scolds on behalf of those of us who aren’t familiar with their syntax. They bravely serve as the interconnective tissue between every microscopic faction of the Terminally Logged On. It sounds like simultaneously the best and worst career in the world, and I needed to know how anyone could keep it up without losing their mind.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
Reading this article shows just how broad and niche the internet is. Things you don't even know about can be trending because there are (not so) small and incredibly passionate communities tweeting about topics like Minecraft and Twitch Streamers. This article hammers home that small, loud groups of people can move things in the digital world. It also hammers home that maybe the things you thought were niche aren't all that niche after all.
The Uneasy Intimacy Of Work In A Pandemic Year
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
An academic look at how we got to the point where we can't stop working. This article likens our relationship to our jobs as exhibiting similar characteristics to that of love: obsession, infatuation and constant mind-space occupation.
Just as an FYI this is a piece that really takes a hard look at capitalism and craps on it for how it exploits workers, so if you're one of those people who thinks capitalism is some sacred cow that cannot be touched or criticized, that's cool and all, but you probably don't want to read this.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
Our colleagues are some of the only human contact we have left, so of course we feel extra loyalty toward them. Our work identity is all that is left to us when other activities are forbidden, so of course we feel compelled to think about it even when we are off the clock. Layoffs have cascaded across the country, so of course we feel more insecure than ever.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
I don't even have a damn job and I'm constantly checking my email and internet groups that I belong to. I feel myself steadily being pulled down the rabbit hole and I do not like it. I'm trying to leave my phone in the other room from time to time and it helps but this idea that we must always be on and always be engaged is going to cause a lot of fiery demises. A gentle reminder in the form of an article that work should not be an end all be all. Take some mental vacations if you can!
Decolonizing The Hunt For Dinosaurs And Other Fossils
Just Give Me A Synopsis:
Paleontology is a very gate-kept field and this piece explains work being done, and why it's important, to democratize and decolonize the field of digging up old ass bones. In the article you get a pretty good sense of how the field of paleontology came up around the same period of time when Europe was colonizing a lot of the world, so it makes sense that a lot of the archaic practices mirror much of what happened during colonialism.
And A Quote From The Article Please:
For starters, his team hired Tunisians to help dig, rather than bringing students from his university. Mr. Bazzi and his colleagues also chose to reach out to the residents of Gafsa wherever possible, holding impromptu lectures on the area’s fossil history to interested onlookers. This was a contrast with the secretiveness of many paleontologists in the field, who might worry about their sites being raided for the fossil black market.
And Tell Me Why I should Care:
You should care because this is probably a field you didn't think of as perpetuating the worst of colonialism (maybe you did think about this I dunno). The above quote is a good example of how new waves of scientists are empowering local communities to care about paleontological efforts and through the knowledge they gain, they are able to share even more knowledge. It’s field about old dinosaurs but it doesn’t have to be filled with old dinosaurs making the rules amiright?
We’re Sporting All Over The World (*Bobby Valentino Voice)
India’s Newest NBA Hopeful Is A Window Into The Country’s Basketball Future
There are parts of the world where people don't know about American things like the NBA or LeBron James. That was the case for this kid who is now playing in the G League.Africa’s New Soccer Boss Has Inherited An Unholy Mess
The new president of CAF has a lot to do in order to make the supremely talented, but very corrupt and disorganized African soccer world come together. I would also like to point out that being corrupt is in no way exclusive to African soccer because all of soccer is crazy corrupt, why do you think the world cup next year is in Qatar? Bribes out the ass that’s why!How The 1990 Italian World Cup Flagged A New Era For Football
I was only about 7 months old when this happened and I still remember it fondly. I used to say “ma put on the soccer game I want to watch Ruud Gullit and Diego Maradona play!” I was a very smart baby. Really tho, If you care about design and or soccer this is a great read.
Sketchy Food Related Things
Can One Entrepreneur Break Into The Crime-Ridden Global Market For Eel?
If you ain't know, eel as a food is big business, it's also a threatened species (because people have been going ham on eating it). And when you combine big business and scarcity you bet your bottom dollar you're gonna get mafia style crime baby!The Wannabe Food Influencer Who's Wanted By The FBI
All of these influencer/fraudster stories are so similar but so damn fascinating. These people just want to be loved and included but don't know how to do it in real ways. And they also lie a lot. That’s a big part of it.The Twisted Story Of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Shrimp Tails & Topanga Lawrence
The twitter mystery of the week involves all of these things in the headline – and it is truly weird. I was following along on the app and was going to include, but of course someone from the internet summed it all nicely, so here it is. This dude is also apparently very problematic for a variety of reasons so consume this with extreme skepticism.
Other Newsletters You Should Check Out
I am bad at podcasts. Blasphemous in these modern times, I know. There’s just too much and I never know where to start. I found Earbuds Podcast Collective recently and it’s been great for helping to dig up good stuff. Every week a guest curates podcasts around a particular theme. They are all over the place: women in sports, game theory, decolonizing America, creating community, leaving your comfort zone, and best interview pods to name a few. Will you be interested in every one of them? Probs not. But they’ll 1000% uncover some gems for you. And that’s all you can really ask for in the modern internet. Check em out.
Weird Internet Resource Of The Week
Something Spaces is a browser extension that fills your new tabs with art from all over the world. It’s a great way to add a little beauty to the banality of opening a new tab and also a swell way to discover hot fire new artists. Shoutout to Breads subscriber Ayla (my sister, nepotism!) for sharing. You can download the extension for a variety of browsers right here and also learn a bit more about the really cool project (they also offer 404 page art if you run your own website).
Other Interesting Things You May Or May Not Care About
How Ryan Reynolds' Marketing Agency Keeps Making Viral Hits
As he tells it the key is to tell stories with character. Big budgets can be detrimental because then you focus on what you can do as opposed to what you are saying. Makes sense. Just for context his agency did the satan and 2020 Match commercial and the Aviation Gin commercial featuring the Peloton girl.Why A Dazed Deer In Tennessee Had Hair Growing From Its Eyeballs
What a headline folks. Apparently this is a thing that can happen if you touch yourself too much as a young buck. Or so say all the catholic deer mothers at least. But actually it's some weird skin condition.How Science Solved The Mystery Of Feet Washing Ashore In The PNW
Feet in shoes kept washing ashore and people began fearing all sorts of things from murderers with a foot thing, to aliens to a giant crab at the bottom of the ocean that births human feet in Air Maxes (I made that last one up). But it turns out they are mostly just people who died in the ocean and had their feet come loose as they were eaten by seafloor dwellers. Still gruesome but maybe less insidious.The Debate About Cryptocurrency And Energy Consumption
This author appears hellbent on showing that crypto isn't really all that bad for the environment. A lot of compelling points but many of which that should probably be taken with heavy grain of slat. Doesn't matter if you have hundreds of bitcoin if your home is underwater now does it? Although I suppose with hundreds of bitcoins you could make your home a yacht and then just float on the increased sea level, so I guess I'm the idiot.America’s Covid Swab Supply Depends On Two Cousins Who Hate Each Other
There are two companies in the world that produce the long cotton swabs we’ve had up our noses this past year. One is in Italy, the other is in Maine and is run by feuding cousins who somewhat set aside their difference to ramp up production on swabs and save the world (while making a fortune in the process).
Brands I Quite Like
There are so many brands out there that are not cool or unique that I thought I would highlight new brands that I think are in fact doing dope things and are worth knowing about. This is not sponsored or full of affiliate links.
Only / Once - Unique Vintage Artifacts
Basically an Etsy shop but with it’s own website. These folks find and restore/refurbish iconic design pieces from the 20th century. Each piece is unique and has a detailed history. Lots of Braun products and other brands that hold a similar prestige. Not cheap but if you want a statement vintage piece for the crib this could be a good place to start the search. Check em out.
Let’s Just Looks At Art Because Reading Sucks
Y’all Wanted Music, You’re Getting Music!
beabadoobee Teams with The 1975 -Very ‘90s vibes in this collab from the British label-mates. The first single from a larger EP that is yet to be released.
Mrs Magic by Strawberry Guy - dreamy and contemplative
Cupid Deluxe by Blood Orange - Was relistening to this album this past week and it holds up. Oh does it hold up. Probably one of my favorite albums of the past decade. Funky and light and vibey and deep all at the same time. One of those rare ones with no skip tracks.
Lists Are What The Internet Was Made For!
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