easy listening for mellow winter nights

New album from these guys. I'm a fan of the rich multipart harmonies combined with legit top tapping rock beat - it's a pretty unique sound.

OK yes this is a little self-promotional...but, strangely enough, I've become really interested in the tax code, and specifically approaching the tax code as a product and engineering problem that is in dire need of a refactor. I propose capital gains reforms with 5 simple rules that will reduce the deficit, wealth inequality and drastically cut out complexity.

Jason Bateman deserves credit for his dexterity as an actor. This new HBO show falls right between Arrested Development and Ozark in genre, as a dark comedy murder mystery. And, at least 2 episodes in, it is similarly awesome like those two very different shows.

A great alternative to TurboTax from a small and scrappy company that is just as easy to use, and is free for federal returns and $15 for state. I've been using it for years and no regrets!

This is the best Pilot I've seen in a long time. It reminds me of watching the first season of Lost. You think it’s falling into a classic trope…but then it defies expectations, and really starts to make you think.

I am really leaning into middle aged cliches. Gardening and landscaping in general has become one of my hobbies...and I'm really into dahlias in particular. They bloom in late summer and then into the fall and there is so much variety in the flower shapes and colors and they are giant!

I like markets and finance and history and clever literary devices. This novel ticks all of those boxes. It tells the story of a fictional Wall Street titan and his wife from a variety of different perspectives - his, his biographer, a novel, his wife's...and along the way you wonder what in fact the real story is.

Deep conversations with interesting people. It reminds me of being in college. Start with the interview with the episode with my thesis advisor Mark Taylor, about his new book. Other provocative episodes are "The case against free will" with Robert Sopolsky and "The Great Enshittening" with Cory Doctorow

A hghly conceptual cover of Canada's national anthem: Nailed it!

From the Senses Working Overtime podcast. If you like Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, and/or Mr Show - you'll love this free-flowing conversation.

Warning: contains SPOILERS. Analyzing the early-2000s TV series (Six Feet Under), two decades later.

We're watching this series for the very first time. It's a smart, funny, vivid time capsule from a specific place and time (exploring crime, family, suburbia, therapy, business).

It's been so long since I last read this, but it remains the only book on the list of "books I would like to read again". (Note: I am not a book re-read'er. Never have, and so far -- and most likely -- never will). Chabon uses words like paint, layering giant globs of it while still deploying nuance where neccessary. This was the book that got me going reading anything he wrote and I'm better as a result. "A young escape artist and budding magician named Joe Kavalier arrives on the doorstep of his cousin, Sammy Clay. While the long shadow of Hitler falls across Europe, America is happily in thrall to the Golden Age of comic books, and in a distant corner of Brooklyn, Sammy is looking for a way to cash in on the craze. He finds the ideal partner in the aloof, artistically gifted Joe, and together they embark on an adventure that takes them deep into the heart of Manhattan, and the heart of old-fashioned American ambition."

I am such a sucker for espionage _anything_. This show was absolutely un-put-down'able.

(After John Williams, the 🐐) - Zimmer's the greatest to ever do it. The only thing better than this album is seeing it performed live. An absolute *spectacle*.

Not your grand-daddy's funny books. This isn't Batman or Spider-man, but an anthology series delving into deep and thought-provoking themes.

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!