The Breads Roundup No. 94

Happiness in the Metaverse, Birds Aren't Real and Taking Proper Vacation

Dec 16, 2021

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Hello Baby Shark Sitters,

I think this is going to be the last edition of The Roundup this year. The next two Thursdays of the year I’m sure y’all will be lamping and what not so I’m gonna give everyone a break from receiving this until 2022. I may send an email with some links if I find some real juicy stuff, but if I don’t I want everyone to know that I love them.

One thing I did this year for the first time ever was keep a media journal with everything I read and watched. I don’t include articles because I read too damn many and also this newsletter serves as a journal of sorts for that. But I realized I often have trouble recounting just how many movies and shows I watched and books I read in a given year when people ask for recs, so now I have a handy google spreadsheet where I keep them all. It’s been great to look back at what I have in there from time to time. and it’s great to pull up in discussion so you’re not just like “damn I recently watched something I really liked but I can’t remember what it was right now.” That’s a conversation killer for sure. I’ve enjoyed it. You should give it a try.

It’s been a trying year for everyone to varying degrees, so here’s to prosperity and success in the next year. Don’t get too drunk on New Years everyone and remember to tip your bartenders and to tell your family and friends you love them. Also, don’t be afraid to fart in public. Sometimes it’s ok to let out a little biscuit, look around, and act as if you are looking for the perpetrator as well. No one will know.

Ok time for the usual linkies. Enjoy.

Will We Be Happier In The Metaverse

Just Give Me A Synopsis:
A bunch of companies are trying to use AI and VR to help people; on the light end, meditate and deal with stress, and on the heavy end, treat things like schizophrenia and PTSD. It's not a clear and easy path though, and the tech and practicality of implementation has a long way to go. A good read if you're interested in how the Metaverse may attempt to replace some real world practices.

And A Quote From The Article Please:

Outside of gaming, training, and very niche collaborative work, people don’t have a good reason to strap a screen to their face. But a few companies like Sensorium see an opportunity to lure people to the metaverse as a reprieve from modern life. They say they can provide relaxation and companionship—and improve mental health.

And Tell Me Why I should Care:
Metaverse is sure to be the Mirriam-Webster word of the year for 2022. Every brand and company is talking about it. It's the future, but what kind of future will it be? It will be a long and winding road to get to a point where the practices discussed in this article are a feasible option for a large, inclusive group of humanity. But the other question is something along the lines of "is this something we really need?" will it make stress relief and therapy options more accessible, since you could argue that not nearly enough people have access to the IRL version of this treatment. Should that be addressed first? Or are things like this the solution to that issue? Only time will tell I suppose.

Birds Aren’t Real, Or Are They? Inside A Gen Z Conspiracy Theory.

Just Give Me A Synopsis:
I love this article. It does such a great job of explaining a phenomenon in simple but illuminating terms. And it is also not too long. The rallying cry of "Birds Aren't Real" started as a parody to some of the hateful and absurd conspiracy theories that are out there but has morphed into an entire movement to help combat misinformation and hate. And in a truly Gen Z fashion it has done so by utterly trolling the shit out of people.

And A Quote From The Article Please:

What Birds Aren’t Real truly is, they say, is a parody social movement with a purpose. In a post-truth world dominated by online conspiracy theories, young people have coalesced around the effort to thumb their nose at, fight and poke fun at misinformation. It’s Gen Z’s attempt to upend the rabbit hole with absurdism.

And Tell Me Why I should Care:
I peripherally know of this movement via my goings about on social media, but this was the first I've really read in depth about them. It's brilliant. I love what they are doing. Absurdism is the only way that harmful absurdism can be rooted out in my opinion. Facts obviously don't work, so maybe the only way to combat rampant misinformation and conspiracyism is to come up with things so mind boggling that no one can possibly believe them (although you could argue that there are plenty of legitimately believed conspiracy theories that many would think are too absurd to be believed). But this movement is going to be the first of many that attempt to poke fun at and troll harmful beliefs not by telling those believers how wrong and/or dumb they are, but by presenting them with silly things that cause them to look in a mirror.

How To Disconnect From Work While On Vacation

Just Give Me A Synopsis:
This is more advice-y than these intro articles typically get, but I thought this was an important one. It also has a lot of useful facts and info about our addiction to work that isn't in the form of advice. This piece focuses on speaking with medical professionals and stress management experts, so it ain't just tactics from your aunt who posts on Facebook all the time about her crystals and how you need tea tree oil to truly relax (no shade to tea tree oil, of course).

And A Quote From The Article Please:

For travelers, these problems extend far outside working hours: Stress and burnout cause us to miss out on the relaxing pleasures of a holiday. A frequently cited study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies showed that because “it takes time to wind down after a stressful work period and acclimatize vacation,” it takes eight days of vacation for the benefits of a break to be fully felt.

And Tell Me Why I should Care:
I think this is one of the most important articles of the year. Over the past decade we've been trained – by television, by social media, by workplace culture – to think if we're not always working that there is someone else who is willing to be and they will take our spot. That is a tragically unhealthy way to think about things, but also patently false, unless of course that is how your employer feels, at which point it is probably time to look for a new job if you can. Relaxing and taking vacation, when we truly disconnect is so damn important. That doesn't mean "kinda working" where you still check email and slack a few times a day. It really is an all or nothing situation and we need to get better at nothing if we expect to keep our mental health intact over the next decade.

Weird Internet Resource Of The Week

It’s December so you’re probably looking to buy stuff for people. I recently found this app called Goody and I think it’s really cool and useful, even outside of holiday gifting season. It has a huge selection of brands and products (good ones) that you can send to a friend simply by sending them a text. They receive the message and either accept the gift and enter their address, or decline it and then you never get charged. Now you can just buy your relatives a gift without having to get into a conversation with them when they inevitably ask how you’ve been after you text them to get their address. Check it out.

Other Interesting Things You May Or May Not Care About

The Hermit Of Yemen's Socotra Island
Socotra is a small island halfway between Yemen and Somalia with incredible biodiversity seen no where else. It has been dubbed "the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean" and is still relatively undeveloped. While most people live in towns and villages, there are some people who still live traditional fishing lives, like this dude, who lives in a cave and fishes every day. He does have a wife and six children who all live in town, though. His mistress appears to be the sea.
Designer Purse Brand Accuses NFT Creator Of Trademark Infringement
They got knockoff Birkins in the metaverse now! And IRL Hermes is not very happy about it. As I've said before I'm all for NFTs and such, but maybe we draw the line at fake bags for avatars when we are thinking of spending tens of thousands of dollars. I dunno, just a thought.
Can Afghanistan’s Underground “Sneakernet” Survive The Taliban?
Talk about a headline for 2021! This isn't really about sneakers though. This is about vendors who sell hardrives with data and Western media on them to locals in Afghanistan, a practice that originally occurred because of poor internet access, and is now ever more dangerous because of the crackdown on western content.
An Airline CEO’s Strategy For Making African Aviation Sustainable
This is a great interview with Kenya Airways' CEO about how the commercial airline ecosystem in Africa is so much different than those in the Western world. Good read if you are into geopolitics and operations. Also running an airline sounds miserable and impossible.
The Insane F1 Finale, Explained
I don't know a whole lot about F1 but I know that it is really cool and also scary. And I also know, via my Twitter addiction, that some controversial stuff went on at the finale this past weekend. This is a pretty good explanation that helped me, someone who doesn't know shit about F1 other than that they go really fast, understand what went down.
The Ultra-Violent Nigerian Cult That Became A Global Mafia
In the United States we don't hear much about organized crime out of Africa so this was a very interesting read. This group really is a modern day version of the mafia, making most of their money off of cyber crime and fraud, but not shying away from the violent side of things as well. An investigation that I'm sure was terrifying to work on as the journalist.
‘Weird, Hot, Black Ice’: Scientists Discover New Phase Of Water
New water just dropped y’all.

Let’s Just Looks At Art Because Reading Sucks

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The Breads by Eli London

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