Hey

Hey,

At year's end, I wanted to mention a few of the new (to me) podcasts I've been listening to over the past year in case you're looking for more ways to fill up your drive time. These are listed in no particular order.

LeVar Burton Reads -- Does what it says on the tin. LeVar Burton picks a short story and reads it to you. As you would expect Mr. Burton is an accomplished narrator and he's selected a wide and interesting set of stories to read. There are also a couple of episodes where he talks with the writers from some of the stories. Well worth checking out.

Ear Hustle -- Produced at San Quinten by the inmates, this podcast discusses various aspects of life in prison. San Quinten isn't a super-max prison so inmates have a bit more leeway in their activities (I mean, they're making this podcast), but it's still prison and there are a lot of unique challenges. The first episode discusses the ups and downs of "cellies", your roommate in the 6'x10' cell you share. Good stuff.

The Paris Review -- The literary magazine now has a podcast and it's really good. Drawing on archival interviews with famous authors of the late 20th century along with readings of short stories and poems previously published in the magazine, most of the episodes have been really good and again, I highly recommend it.

This Podcast Has Fleas -- a podcast for kids. Waffles the Dog and Jones the Cat have competing podcasts (Dog Talk and Live from the Litterbox respectively) and you can listen to them both on this show as various events unfold in their house. Special guest voices Eugene Mirman (as Benny the Gerbil) and Alex Baldwin (as Mr. Gubbs the fish) are a fun and surprising addition to the show. The episodes are all light and breezy without a ton of "lessons to be learned" issues and it makes for some nice filler.

Leah Bloom, Joanne McLernon, Catya Belfer -- and anyone else interested in ad hoc book club.

Leah Bloom, Joanne McLernon, Catya Belfer -- and anyone else interested in ad hoc book club.

Although these come out in January (meaning it'd be February before we could really discuss them), here are a number of genre books that grabbed my attention and might make a good book to read:

Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely
Heartland by Ana Simo
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
The Infinite Future by Tim Wirkus
Gnomon by Nick Harkaway

As an aside, Nick Harkaway's books are a bit tricky to read (less so than Lincoln in the Bardo) but the payoff is usually very, very good. The Gone-Away World is flat-out amazing.

Also, two recommendations for books that are actually out:

Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr by John Crowley -- Crowley is one of America's great magical realists and this looks to be pretty good.

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer -- I'm not a big fan of most Victorian Occult books, but I really liked the blurb for this one.

Elderly Couple Stopped In Nebraska With 60 Pounds Of Weed 'For Christmas Presents'

"Here we come a-wavering among the buds so green..."


https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/12/22/572844666/elderly-couple-stopped-in-nebraska-with-60-pounds-of-weed-for-christmas-presents

Title

#IveOnlyGotATitle "Narwhal Scrimshaw -- Arctic Detective"

Undergrad solves knotty problem...

Undergrad solves knotty problem...


https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/khipus-inca-empire-harvard-university-colonialism.amp

The Decemberists - Ben Franklin's Song (from Hamildrops) [Official Video]

Lin-Manuel is working with different artists to produce additional/bonus Hamilton content. New songs every month in 2018. First up, the Decemberists with a song all about Founding Badass, Benjamin Franklin. Honestly, I think this would've been better covered by a more hard-rock kind of band, but it's still a lot of fun.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVmVVkbx3jE

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Melville

From hell’s heart...


http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/melville

So now that Net Neutrality is dead, what can you do?

So now that Net Neutrality is dead, what can you do? Well, ISPs don't have to be jerks and if your ISP is a locally-owned and run co-op or utility then maybe they'll be more incentivized to work for customers and not profits.

Here's another local ISP project to keep an eye on...

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/j5djd7/motherboard-and-vice-are-building-a-community-internet-network-to-protect-net-neutrality

Get your Friluftsliv today!

Get your Friluftsliv today!


http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20171211-friluftsliv-the-nordic-concept-of-getting-outdoors

A lot of foreign oil companies had assets in Libya before Gaddafi was kicked out.

A lot of foreign oil companies had assets in Libya before Gaddafi was kicked out. One of those companies sent a compliance auditor to investigate a situation on the ground. It's an amazing read. Also, I want to be an action-adventure lawyer!


https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n24/william-carter/diary

I mean, sure, I'd love to have a high-end, exotic sports car, but even if I was the kind of person who could buy one...

I mean, sure, I'd love to have a high-end, exotic sports car, but even if I was the kind of person who could buy one without blinking an eye, I'd still be terrified to drive it around. You can't just leave it in your garage though, it's not a car if you don't drive it (how will everyone know you're an insufferable alpha male?).

Also, whether you drive it or not, the meter is always running. Here's a video about one man's experience owning a McLaren F1.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsKDGdcb6BQ

Oh this seems fun.

Oh this seems fun.


https://www.treehugger.com/culture/icelanders-give-books-christmas-eve.html

An Honorary Masshole. I have so many plans now...

An Honorary Masshole. I have so many plans now...


http://m.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2122252/chinese-man-repaints-road-markings-make-his-commute-quicker