This week I watched a bunch of the Olympics. Peacock made all the difference – finally a focus on events without all the backstory filler! I’ll tune again for Los Angeles 2028 if (I’m not there in person…)
The clear highlight for me was watching a distant relative win a silver medal. I won’t mention their name out of respect for privacy/not wanting to be a celebrity stalker. I just recently learned we’re related! But man, what a thrill. I’ve never watched the Olympics with rooting interest like that, and ended up jumping up and down in my living room.
I found myself thinking back to the first Olympics I paid attention to, 1992 in Barcelona. Imagine 9 years old and seeing the Dream Team guys playing together, Dan & Dave commercials during the lead-up, the torch getting lit with a bow & arrow, and later Derek Redmond limps through the finish of a 400m semifinal with his dad. So much athletic drama to soak in, and knowledge that it was going to be down the road in Atlanta in just few years’ time.
Anyway, great week, a renewed spirit. The vibes have shifted!
Enjoy summer more, read books, poster by Bill Sokol.
Running
Yesterday I ran the Percy Sutton Harlem 5k.
The last race I’d run was back in 2019, before I left Atlanta. I did that one in 24:03, at 7:45/mile. Yesterday on a tougher course in warmer weather: 25:20 at 8:10. I had 25:00 as my reasonable goal going in, so I’m really happy with how things turned out. Haven’t lost much speed in the last 5 years, but I can handle much longer distances much more easily than I could then. It was a really fun course, too. A squished loop, with plenty of sharp turns and some wicked hills to crush your spirts before you sail back down.
The 5k is kind of a perfect distance. And when you recover a few minutes after finishing? Plenty of energy left to cheer for others.
Books
Here in the Dark. First-person narration is tricky, especially when the narrator has sharp edges. (__ that one noir with narration I really liked?)
The Vaster Wilds. Archaic, prayerful language. Reminds me of The Road, but not as morose and dreary. It’s got more urgency at the point we enter the story.
The Path of Daggers, cont.
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
“One of the great pleasures of trends is the option of sitting them out.” (via)
Designs for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics from Lance Wyman.
“Big week for the glasses community.”
“These examples are real ways I’ve used LLMs to help me. They’re not designed to showcase some impressive capabiltiy; they come from my need to get actual work done. This means the examples aren’t glamorous, but a large fraction of the work I do every day isn’t, and the LLMs that are available to me today let me automate away almost all of that work.”
“You’ve got to be proud of your wounds.”
When online content disappears. “38% of webpages that existed in 2013 are no longer accessible a decade later”
A much-needed change: a new generation of elite female runners embraces strength over thinness.
How a Rare Disorder Makes People See Monsters. This is wild.
The Urban Family Exodus Is a Warning for Progressives.
Movies
Hit Man. Overall fun, but it had too many flabby, listless passages. Not loose or goofy enough for a hangout flick. Not tight enough for a thrill. It just felt low-energy for me. Surprisingly quiet, too. I’m willing to chalk some of it up to mismatched expectations, but I was a bit let down. “Hit Man serves as a fitting microcosm of the dilemma of this charismatic new face: all the right components there but in the wrong proportions, too many ideas and not enough wisdom to discern which are worth pursuing, the right time but the wrong place.”
Superman: The Movie (1978). Better in keeping with the spirit of the week, rewatched this in celebration of Truth, justice, and the American Way.™ I got all choked up hearing Lois’ dazzled, hopeful, love-doped reflections during their flight scene. “If you need a friend… I’m the one to fly to.” 😭
Music
Mase, Welcome Back. “Breathe, Stretch, Shake” is so good. And the electronic (vocoder??) backbeat on “Into What You Say” is undermined by a terrible chorus. (Thanks, Jara!)
Christine & The Queens, PARANO¨IA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE. More “epic” than previous albums but I’m not sure it benefits. Will need a few more listens.
Muslimgauze, Mullah Said. Haunting and tranceful. Goblet drums! “Every Grain of Palestinian Sand” just buckles in and keeps pressing forward. Really liked this album.
Ezéchiel Pailhès, Ventas Rumba. Latin keyboard work, would make a good companion with Frankie Reyes from last week. I like the title track.
GoGo Penguin, Man Made Object. I looped their 2018 tune “Raven” a bunch in the past, and “Branches Break” on this album has similar flavor, a prominent acoustic bass, a chattering drumset, and a pressing forward momentum.
B. Fleischman, The Humbucking Coil
Job for a Cowboy, Doom. It’ll wake you up.
TV
The X-Files, s3e2. “Paper Clip”. I love seeing the Smoking Man nervous and trying to cover his tracks. Skinner taking action!
The Leftovers, s1e8. Kevin is having memory lapses. His daughter is chaotic and trying to join the cult. Nora has a gun. Cult lady got kidnapped, and then…
House of the Dragon, s2e7-8. Welp. Farewell to all that.
New York Undercover, s1e1. Off to a good start. With musical guest Teddy Pendergrass!
Mark Larson 