A coming of age travel story in the middle of 20th century America, told from the POV of multiple different protagonists.

In my semi-retired state, I am doing a lot more of the cooking for the family...which is not something that comes naturally to me. But I'm learning! Yes this app costs money...but it is easy to use and find many many different recipes and you don't need to wade through aggressive ads or read a life story before you get to the recipe.

This is my (very eclectic!) mix of songs that I have hearted during a Peloton ride. Rolling Stones to Duran Duran to Missy Elliot to Calvin Harris. In the depths of the pandemic we got a Peloton. I know... such a cliche… but despite my initial skepticism … I’ve grown to really enjoy it! Especially as my joints age, it is a very reliable way to get a great sweat in 30 minutes.

It's like the Sopranos in 1920s Ireland, more or less, but with Irish accents and period detail attention given to costumes, props and sets. It's so good!! Complex, complicated, compelling yet flawed characters. Twisty turny plots with lots of sneakiness amongst the factions. Yes, a wee bit of violence. And I really like that the seasons are compact - 6 episodes - which makes for a well sized narrative arc.

(Dork alert!) This is a techie and wonky one and won't be for everyone...but Chris Dixon is a good writer and makes a strong case for the next phase of web architecture that would allow us to own the data that we generate, rather than always storing our content in databases owned by companies that may or may not have our best interests in mind, especially in the long run (and, um, yes, this app has its own database...at least for now...)

Lots of folks seemed to think the first two seasons were better, which might be true...but Parker Posey alone made this one worth watching, along with the scenes in Thailand and the crazy island party and the Russians. So much hilarious cringe.

This one is a little "out of bounds" perhaps, but I recently realized that with a Premium Spotify account, you get 15 hours of Audiobooks per month - so basically about 1 book. This is awesome! I feel a little bad for Audible...but then again I don't because for whatever reasons Amazon has insisted on continuing to have the most bizarre pricing scheme rather than bundling into Prime which is what Amazon should have done...too late now!

I've complied with the middle aged cliche of becoming a gardener. Like an obsessive gardener. One of my recent projects has been to install a DIY drip irrigation system for less than $100, with the help from fine folks over at Drip Depot - they have great videos and complete kits to make the installation a pretty simple process - finished in a day!

Strange, mysterious, funny, stylized, well acted. So good. Is AppleTV taking the mantle from HBO for having a small but quality catalog of content? (Side note - HBO -> Max has got to be one of the biggest branding screw ups of all time?)

Epic conversation that is funny, irreverent (lots of f'bombs!) and insightful. Chris is super successful and has a thoughtful perspective on raising a family in today's world, and many of the challenges we're facing with the advent of AI, climate change, political dynamics, among other topics.

The main protagonist is, rather than a person, a plot of land in eastern Massachusetts. The plot is made up a series of quirky and poignant stories of the people who live...and die...on that land over several hundred years.

So good. My kids are addicted. I am addicted. And it's purple. It ain't cheap, but it does go on sale regularly at Whole Foods. And apparently is now available in Costco too.

PR is fascinating, and scary

Rewatched and realized: 1. Sam is the actual hero 2. The ending is absurdist: they succeed _despite_ themselves

Love hearing their take on how the Boston Public Schools School Committee actually works.

OMG. omg. I cannot believe how good it is and I'm looking for new ways to use it in my life

Funny, dark, thriller. British. Very British. The first three seasons are really great, and Anna and I enjoyed watching them together (always on the hunt for shows that fall in the intersection of our cultural Venn diagram!) It does start to drift a bit w/ the last season, though. (side note... I hate how Apple can't have just web pages for AppleTV shows and Podcasts and insists on launching those client apps...)

From the author who wrote Overstory, which is my all-time favorite book. He writes these grandiose novels that tackles complicated and timely themes, full of interesting and contemplative characters. It's a little heady for some (not quite a "beach read") but the kind of book that both really makes you think and also want to keep reading, which in my "book" (hah!) is the sweet spot for a novel. Playground touches on themes that include Class/Race/Education, Career/Family, Artificial Intelligence and...The Ocean. It works!

Tech business podcast from The NY Times (Kevin Roose) and Casey Newton who writes the substack Platformer. They have such a hilarious rapport. Also Informative. And refreshingly apolitical...which is becoming unusual in the tech world.

Yeah, my instinct was "eww" too. But really, when you think about it, it's toilet paper that's "ewww" ... a bidet is totally civilized. I'm a complete convert. As long as you have a power source near the toilet, it's very easy to install!