In the US, this is the big, final relaxing weekend before everything breaks loose, so I don’t have a lot of big thoughts to share with you. To play our part, my family and I have been hanging out in Southwest Michigan with long-time family friends we’ve been visiting for over 20 years. Tuesday, I jump on a plane for two weeks of business and personal travel in the UK. I tend to write a bit more on these trips, so watch for additional newsletter updates. You can also follow me on Instagram for pictures.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking about in August…
Get Solar Installed Because It’s A Money Saver – On December 31, the 30% federal tax credit for solar rooftop installations will go away. I’ve gotten mine (now waiting for city approval to energize!) and with federal and Illinois subsidies we’ll pay it off in six years – maybe less if electricity costs keep going up 25% a year as it did in our area already. Do it for your wallet. Drop me a note if you have questions.
Fruit picking – I know apple picking is a meme, but if you go in with specific needs (don’t pick too much!) and allow yourself to just walk around, fruit orchards can be pretty great. This year we got peaches and plums. Tried for pears, but it’s too early in season where we are.
Map of where NYC’s 10 worst speeders commit their crimes – Fantastic use of data to reveal true criminal behavior. Every city should have a publication that does one of these.
Steve Martin and the Frick – Perhaps you didn’t know, but comedian Steve Martin is a legit art collector and his love of the form blazes through in this video introducing the newly renovated Frick Collection museum in NYC. I gotta get to the Frick soon and this video is worth watching just for itself.
Santa Masa Tamaleria chef Danny Espinoza – A chef gets a steady, corporate day job. So what does he do? Start a side gig pop-up in a Chicago neighborhood totally unknown for good restaurants. Friends of mine who’ve gone have raved about it. This is what happens when a person has so much joy in their talent that they’re busting to share.
One gene reveals clues to why humans thrived and Neanderthals didn’t – My Roman Empire is Neanderthals and Desnovians. Is this archeology? Anthropology? Genetic archeology? So coooool.
Earth once had rings??!!? – I’m just getting to this, but last year a study came out proposing that 466 million years ago our planet had rings. Why do they think this? Because during that time there were a series of impacts within the middle 30-degrees of Earth, which could only happen if there was a ring system slowly collapsing. So coooool.
Alpha Centauri May Have A Planet – So maybe Three Body Problem is actually science-prediction rather than science-fiction?
How the Airplane! jive talk sequence came about – Al White and Norman Gibbs, the two guys in the scene actually friends since high school, wrote the scene in the most thoughtful, interesting way. It’s awesome that one of my most favorite jokes contains so many layers of thinking.
Kevan Atteberry – The guy who created Microsoft’s Clippy is also a fantastic children’s artist.
Why First Blood Can’t Be Recreated by Hollywood – More than almost any other artist, I feel like Sylvester Stallone has lost the thread of authenticity that made him so great 45 years ago. This filmmaker’s dissection of the first Rambo movie reminded me of why it was so good – and totally different from every other action movie that came later.
Bama Confidential – This came out a year ago, but I read it just now. The overwhelming suffocation of University of Alabama’s sorority rush expectations is incredible. Anne Helen Petersen, a sorority sister herself, goes in deep to unearth some deeply disturbing realities of Southern campuses’ rush, and the deeply emotional motivations driving the whole system.
Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary – Things I learned from this: The members of Toto played on basically every record made in the late 70’s and 80’s – and were literally the entire band playing on Thriller. Also, Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross are incredible musicians with unreal amounts of humility. When you’re done, check out Jeff Beato’s counter to the documentary.
Conan O’Brien & Tom Hanks – O’Brien’s podcast is pretty great. Tom Hanks, who lives down the street from O’Brien, is another giant with amazing humility that somehow makes listening to him so reassuring about humanity.
The CHiPs Roller Disco Scene – Unreal.
U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For + Gospel Choir – Palate cleanser.
Photos of surfing dogs hanging ten in annual competition – Even more cleansing.
EV Prices Scrapping Bottom – If you’ve considered an EV in the US, get one before federal tax credits expire on September 30. I looked into prices for the Ford Mach-E and VW iD-4. You can get a three year lease for a couple hundred dollars a month.