February 4, 2024
The existence of Betterhelp doesn't make therapy a scam
Spoiler: the answer is famine. Manmade famine.
The Model Ship
Link is episode 1. As of 4 February 2024, he's up to episode 1887. Ron Calverley is a retired bus worker in Winnipeg who, after the death of his wife, decided to build a model ship like he had in his younger days. Actual model-making? Discussions of model-making infrastructure? LONG digressions about videography and computing? Classic old-man musings on life? ALL PROVIDED IN ABUNDANCE! [more inside]
Time for Novel Argot
Now, with cocktail culture saturating the country anew, we’re in the middle of a glittering renaissance of bar lingo. The most common terms thrown about today are both functional and fun; they also offer a vivid snapshot of the current state of the industry in the U.S. and the way it is evolving. Reflecting the increasing crossover between restaurants and bars, for instance, many of-the-moment twists of the tongue are pulled directly from the restaurant industry (think “86’d,” “heard” and “behind.”). At Silver Lyan in Washington, D.C., for example, bartenders address each other as “chef,” as a sign of deference and respect, an organic evolution of their in-house language that predates The Bear. And as bars continue to adopt high-level scientific techniques, the nuances of redistilling, centrifuges, rotovaps and clarification demand their own attendant terms. from The New Vocabulary of Cocktails [Punch] [more inside]
This is one of the best Blake's 7 fan fictions that I've ever read
This is one of the best Blake's 7 fan fictions that I've ever read. Rojer by x_los.
Summary: Taking down the Federation might actually be easier than sorting out what's going on with Rojer's parents.
We're coming to a bend now, skidding 'round the hairpin
A week after its debut, The Smile (featuring Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood alongside drummer Tom Skinner and the London Contemporary Orchestra) has released their acclaimed sophomore album Wall of Eyes for free on YouTube, backing the record's subtle, languid, slow-burn melodies and towering crescendos with eclectic [music videos] and colorful collages: 1) Thom enjoys an unsettling night out with his selves on ["Wall of Eyes"] [lyrics] - 2) the undulating soundscapes of "Teleharmonic" [lyrics] - 3) jangling psychedelia contrasts with pockets of honey-sweetness on "Read the Room" [lyrics] - 4) silent ghosts usher in "Under Our Pillows" [lyrics] - 5) the lads perform a song about lockdowns and corruption to an unfiltered gaggle of artless children in ["Friend of a Friend"] [lyrics] - 6) the glitchy drifting landscapes of "I Quit" [lyrics] - 7) the gorgeously existential "to be or not to be" of "Bending Hectic" [lyrics] (or see the [fan video] based on the enigmatic animation of Vladimir Tarasov) - 8) ethereally beautiful closing ballad "You Know Me!" [lyrics]. More: lyrics and analysis - BBC interview with the band and Jonny - behind-the-scenes video - photos from the special edition [more inside]
Ancient practices and modern wisdom -Polyvagal theory and Pranayama yoga
Moving away from our bodies as machines we can fix, to understanding that healing and help is based on our bodies feeling safe. Marylsa B. Sullivan and Dr. Stephen W. Porges have published a free academic paper that maps Polyvagal theory to the yoga gunas (rajas/tamas/sattva).
While there are many resources for background, perhaps the best is to start with Dr. Porges:
YouTube link (SKIP Betterhelp ad) to Dr. Porges explaining the Polyvagal Theory. (And in skipping the Betterhelp ad, note that while western therapy has started with the mind, polyvagal theory starts with the body and evolutionary biology to show that there are easily accessed, free ways to help with regulation such as singing, chanting, yoga asanas, listening, working with the breath etc.)
TLDR: Quick explanation of Polyvagal theory on Psychology Today .
“Maybe the kid in the hole was always a bad idea.”
WHY DON'T WE JUST KILL THE KID IN THE OMELAS HOLE, by Isabel J. Kim. An excellent Omelas riff that's just what it sounds like.
"The people of South Carolina have spoken again."
Biden wins South Carolina primary (NYT, WaPo, Post and Courier (Charleston, SC), carrying 96% of the vote and gaining 55 delegates in the first-in-the-nation Democratic primary.
An interview with artist Richard A. Kirk
"I just really like the way ink looks on paper. I like its nuances and character. In some ways drawing with ink can feel like writing – it’s that same connection with a point against paper that I find incredibly expressive. I also like the fact that there is very little room to mess up. Ink does not erase well." [more inside]
Teach the Black Freedom Struggle classes
Since the start of the pandemic, the Zinn Education Project has been hosting free monthly Teach the Black Freedom Struggle classes. Scroll down for upcoming classes, and even further down for 49 past classes. They started with The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks in March 2020. Full transcripts started with Lessons from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in October 2020. Sign language interpretation was added with Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Hip-Hop History in October 2021. The latest class is The Condemnation of Blackness: Lies We’re Told About Crime from last month. Tomorrow's class is Interracial Organizing Stories from The Sum of Us. [more inside]
It’s all arbitrary and dumb, but they’re addicted
These games are critical to the Times’ business strategy in trying to reach users—and ideally, future paying subscribers—beyond its core news product. Of course, the Times is still competing for White House scoops with its traditional print and digital rivals and dispatching correspondents to war zones. But the company is also vying for people’s attention against every app on their home screen. So it’s developed products in recent years to satisfy the lifestyle needs of its audience: cooking, shopping (via what is now known as Wirecutter, acquired in a 2016 deal worth more than $30 million), sports (via The Athletic, the site it acquired in 2022 for $550 million), and audio, building on the success of The Daily with a slew of podcasts ... The products and the journalism coexist under what the Times calls “the bundle,” an offering that has turbocharged the company’s ambitious growth strategy. from Inside The New York Times’ Big Bet on Games [Vanity Fair; ungated]
Good Omens: Aziraphale & Crowley - Past Lives
This fanvid is really clever - it uses other films/TV Michael Sheen and David Tennant have been in to stitch together a long and involved history for Aziraphale and Crowley.
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