This 2020 piece from Robin Sloan entitled An App Can Be a Home-Cooked Meal really hit the spot for me today. In it, he describes the process of developing an app he created for his family called BoopSnoop. You can't install it. No one can except his family members.
It's a charming story but his insight at the end discussing how writing code and learning to cook are similar really struck me.
When you liberate programming from the requirement to be professional and scalable, it becomes a different activity altogether, just as cooking at home is really nothing like cooking in a commercial kitchen. I can report to you: not only is this different activity rewarding in almost exactly the same way that cooking for someone you love is rewarding, there’s another feeling, too, specific to this realm.
Perfectly succinct, insightful and exactly how I feel.
If you've ever driven through the Holland Tunnel or the Lincoln Tunnel in NYC, you've likely noticed the very thin, raised, sidewalk running the length of the entire path. Presumably, this is for service members to traverse the area without being in the street. What wasn't clear to me, is that there was once a track up there that used to power little "catwalk cars" for police officers.
When I first saw these images, I assumed it was an AI creation but, nope, they're real! Look at this Getty images photo - adorable. They were first placed into service in 1954 and could go up to 12mph. In 1960, a second gen was introduced that could go 35mph! It seems they lasted in limited capacity until 2011 when they were fully retired. A shame really, I'd pay extra to traverse the Lincoln tunnel in one of these bad boys.
This Jensen Sportag track, 2x2, came out in 2009 but the group has revived it for the 15-year anniversary. There's new artwork and a fantastic visualizer video. I think at this point in this blog's lifetime, it's clear that I am a sucker for this kind of retro analog aesthetic and it pairs, oh so nicely, with this track.
Every single internal alarm I have is ringing as I read through the Superpower site. I think it's fair to be skeptical of any startup that makes such claims like: "The world’s most advanced digital clinic to help you live longer, prevent disease, and feel your best." This is not an endorsement of their goals or manifesto (tho I do agree with anyone who says that the current American health system is a mess).
What I do endorse is the web design here. It's beautiful and immersive! Scroll your way through this thing and you'll encounter a transition from white to black via a very particular gradient that is incredibly memorable! How often does that happen?! Not very.
So, yea, be skeptical but enjoy the visual feast. via Chad.
Dropout CEO Sam Reich talks with FastCompany about the massive shift that the company underwent in their transitions from College Humor to Dropout. I have not spent a considerable amount of time with either - just the occasional viral clip here and there - but I am impressed and refreshed by Reich's take on growing a business. It it absolutely bonkers that hearing a CEO say he wants to grow slowly and carefully is impressive but that's the world we live in. Dropout's commitment to employee owned equity and ensuring stability is exactly what you want everyone to be shooting for.
TIL that director Gary Hustwit - of Helvetica, Objectified, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - has a new documentary on Eno. Suffice to say, I'm quite intrigued. Brian Eno has done so much in the last fifty years, it will be a helluva feat to see how Hustwit weaves it all together.
I have one complaint about the portfolio of Nada Hayek - I want to see the images bigger! Way bigger! There is a stunning combo of striking simplicity and minute detail that makes you want to pore over each and every one.
If you're clever, you can do a little manipulation on the URL images to achieve those goals.
Obviously I'm kidding about the complaints. There are none to be had. This work is wonderful. I randomly stumbled across it from this Fake Fruit album cover and quickly discovered there are manyothercovers to appreciate. Follow them on Instagram @sloppyjohansson.
You know that thing that happens when you click on a YouTube video and then YouTube assumes everything else you want to see is exactly that same topic? Well, that happened to me with Ween recently and YouTube has, correctly, offered me a bounty of goods.
I was reminiscing about this public access performance of "Buckingham Green" - possibly the greatest (presumably coked out) performance of the band - which led to this performance of "The Final Alarm", a song they only play live that absolutely crushes here.
From there, I was led to Easy Listening Ween, a compilation of b-sides, rarities and high quality live tracks that capture the gentler side of Ween. Unfortunately, Volume 1 and 2 are blocked entirely on YouTube (tho you can see Vol 1 on Vimeo) but Volume 3 is a real treat!
May this unlock a Ween rabbit hole for you as well. Enjoy.
Big round of applause for this Ilithios video "How We've Faded." It's hard to pull off an engaging music video in 2024, much less one that uses a single simple trick - backwards footage. Others have done it but that doesn't make it any less fun to watch. I wonder how many times he practiced walking that path backwards before they filmed it?
I don't recall where I ran across this but it's a fun one. The story goes: back in 1978, Stewart Copeland of The Police had written a song that Sting was having trouble connecting with. So, instead of scrapping it, Copeland recorded it with himself singing lead and released it under the pseudonym Klark Kent so as not to detract from any attention The Police was receiving. The track got traction and the "band" was invited to perform on Top of the Pops. Since the band was really just The Police, they all wore masks to hide their identities. Copeland's singing was too muffled, so he ditched the disguise and wore face paint instead. This pretty much gave away the secret of the band, tho Copeland denied his involvement for a number of years.
Most surprisingly, there's a Deluxe Edition of the Klark Kent material with 30 tracks of odds and ends. Quite a side project!
LIFE ad
Retired Catwalk Car
