Finish by Explosions within the Sky. I first found the instrumental rock band Explosions within the Sky from my favourite tv present of all time: Friday Night time Lights. I like the best way their moody and atmospheric songs comprise what the band calls “cathartic mini-symphonies.” Nice music to work to. I hadn’t actually stored up with them since their most well-known album, 2003’s The Earth Is Not a Lifeless Chilly Place, however not too long ago noticed they launched a brand new album, Finish, in September, and have been digging it.
County Freeway — America’s Solely Newspaper. I not too long ago subscribed to County Freeway, “{a magazine} about America that takes the type of a Nineteenth-century newspaper.” I’m actually having fun with it. First, the articles are top-notch and attention-grabbing. In the latest version, you’ll discover an interview with a UFO whistleblower, an opinion piece on why GPS is ruining driving, and a deep dive into the cultural ramifications of Taylor Swift fandom. The second purpose I like County Freeway is that it’s very nice to learn a bodily newspaper once more. It’s a refreshing, tactile change to consuming the countless scroll of on-line content material.
The Individuals Who Ruined the Web. There’s been quite a lot of chatter lately about how Google search outcomes have been getting worse and fewer useful. The highest hyperlink for search queries typically goes to websites with generic solutions written by what looks like a robotic. Individuals have been resorting to including “Reddit” on the finish of a search question to allow them to get to a Reddit thread with solutions written by people. What’s behind this seeming lower within the high quality of Google outcomes? This text argues that it’s a results of a decades-long cat-and-mouse sport performed between Google and folks within the search engine marketing (search engine marketing) biz. As somebody who makes his dwelling on-line and has seen search site visitors go up and down through the years because of the modifications Google periodically makes to its search algorithm, this text was fairly fascinating (and extremely entertaining). For the common web person, it might present some perception into the dynamics of your net expertise that you just haven’t considered.
Grant by Ron Chernow. I learn this epic 1,000-page biography of Basic Ulysses S. Grant a number of years in the past for my podcast with its writer, Ron Chernow, and I nonetheless take into consideration insights I obtained from the e-book at this time. Chernow does a masterful job of exploring Grant’s psychology, how this quiet, unassuming man grew to become the mastermind behind the Union’s victory within the Civil Struggle, and the way the identical qualities that made him a very good navy chief didn’t translate to the world of politics.
Quote of the Week
By annihilating the needs, you annihilate the thoughts. Each man with out passions has inside him no precept of motion, nor motive to behave.
—Helvétius
The publish Odds & Ends: November 3, 2023 appeared first on The Artwork of Manliness.
