I’ve been working on a coding project (more to come) and collaborating with AI is so fun. I like the near-limitless patience – explain X for the tenth time, remind me why we’re doing Y, let’s start over from scratch… again. Stuff that would exhaust a human teammate is taken without flinching. I hope we can learn from this.
Books
New York 2140. Loving this book so far – intrigue in a New York City partially submerged by global sea level rise. Exactly what I needed. Really appreciate this line:
“Stick your finger on your little tourist map and wherever it lands, amazing things will have happened. The ghosts will rise up through the manhole covers like steam on a cold morning, telling you their stories with the same boring maniacal ancient-mariner intensity that any New Yorker manifests if they start talking about history. Don’t get them started! Because a New Yorker interested in the history of New York is by definition a lunatic, going against the tide, swimming or rowing upstream against the press of his fellow citizens, all of whom don’t give a shit about this past stuff.”
The Path of Daggers, cont.
Running
I’m now over 1,000 miles for the year so far. Getting close to filling out my map of Bed-Stuy, too. Just a few more runs and I’ll have every street done.
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
Eastern Parkway was never meant to be a highway. If only…
“I was ‘2 months away from quitting the podcast‘ for 2 years.”
“It’s worth listening to your intuition because this is what’ll set your perspective apart from everyone else who’s also looking around for problems to solve.”
“In midlife almost everything looks like a midlife crisis book.”
Movies
Totally Killer. Dialogue reminded me of Hitman a bit, not in a good way, sometimes sort of listless, slow, obvious. And it ran the “boy, times have changed” and raunchy humor into the ground. But! It’s a pretty fun satire and I like the time travel angle.
Sherlock Holmes (2009). I love the fashion from this time period. Leaning into Sherlock’s restlessness and Watson’s gambling is a plus.
Music
Continuing the Asian kick from last week, I really enjoyed the stuff I’ve found in the Nonesuch Explorer Series.
- Explorer Series: Indonesia – Java: Court Gamelan, Vol. I
- Explorer Series: Indonesia – Java: Court Gamelan, Vol. II
- Explorer Series: Europe – Bulgaria: Village and Folk Music of Bulgaria. Really liked all the 1-3 minute track lengths on this album. The tight small-group harmonies in “Jofcharche mlado” followed by the more expansive chorus + woodwind + strumming” in Trugnal mi Yane Sandanski, Iele” capture the range well.
After seeing a random twitter thread about it, I switched over to Japanese jazz…
- Leo Takami, Next Door. Maybe my favorite of the bunch. Reminds me of Pat Metheny – nylon electric guitar + piano + percussion is a proven blend, like in “As If Listening“. “Family Tree” opens and closes with this melancholy line where I feel like he’s quoting something – Eno’s Airports, or Satie’s Gymnopedies, or a snippet of Copland – but maybe that’s just what happens when something is so spare, clear, beautiful, dialed in. Or maybe it’s a quote!
- Masabumi Kikuchi, Poo-Sun.
- Hiromasa Suzuki, High-Flying opens with the title track quoting Marvin Gaye. A bit more funk/fusion/blues-y than the previous.
- Masabumi Kikuch & Masahiko Togashi, Poetry.
- And a playlist: “japanese jazz when driving on a warm rainy night“.
I really enjoyed this compare/contrast exercise, and I should do it more often:
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” & Coriolan Overture, performed by Budapest Festival Orchestra, 2024. Is #3 the best Beethoven symphony?
- Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, Op. 55 “Eroica” – Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11 (Live), from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 2018. A notable increase in tempo in this Eroica. Buoyant!
Star Feminine Band, self-titled and Paris. High-energy Beninese teenage garage band!
TV
The X-Files…
- s3e4 “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose“. Quote of the season so far: “I believe in your abilities, but not your attitude.”
- s3e5 “The List“. This show loves to consider revenge after death. Has a great moody look to it – deep shadows, Florida sweat. Stories set in the prison system, with so many abuses of power, are really tough to watch.
- s3e6 “2Shy“. I like how they literalize the psychopath’s hunger to kill. Also: old school internet dating! Vulnerability, loneliness, hopefulness, the willingness to ignore red flags. Also interesting to see the villain’s reluctance to engage when it’s not on his terms.
The Leftovers, s1e10 “The Prodigal Son Returns”. Season finale stuck the landing. I am hooked.
How To With John Wilson, s1e1. So unexpectedly funny! I love the juxtaposition of image and word. This really made me appreciate NYC anew. Can’t wait to make my way through the rest.
Words of Wisdom
“All hobbies require zero talent if you’re comfortable with being bad at them.” Get a hobby!
Mark Larson 