The Martian. What’s most refreshing here is that it’s a fairly gentle, nice movie. Perfectly pleasant, always positive. I don’t think there’s anythig here for me to come back to, but it was really fun to watch. I didn’t finish the book.
Primal Fear
Primal Fear. Ugh.
Why I Quit Ordering From Uber-for-Food Start-Ups
Sprig-type operations drain agency and expertise out of the world. They centralize, aiming to build huge hubs with small spokes; their innermost mechanisms are hidden. They depend on humans behaving as interchangeable units of labor.
Absolute Power
Absolute Power. A jewel thief witnesses the President murdering his mistress. I’d put this in the upper middle-class of movies Eastwood has directed.
Living and Dying on Airbnb — Matter
Startups that redefine social and economic relations pop up in an instant. Lawsuits and regulations lag behind.
Why is English so weirdly different from other languages? by John McWhorter — Aeon
English is a mutt and it’s the best thing. I love dives like this, into the history of a language. Well, at least this one.
Why is English so weirdly different from other languages? by John McWhorter — Aeon
In the Line of Fire
In the Line of Fire. Cat, mouse. Better than I’d hoped. I still can’t jive with Malkovich, though.
Can a Trip Ever Be ‘Authentic’? - The New York Times
Our notion of places — which is to say the romances and images we project onto them — are always less current and subtle than the places themselves. […] That disconnect is even more acute because so many travelers have been everywhere (if only on-screen), which in turn means that reality — all that is unmediated and nonvirtual — holds a greater premium than ever.
Collateral
Collateral. I keep trying to re-rank Mann movies and running out of #1 slots.
Getting along isn’t luck, it’s a skill
Getting along isn’t luck, it’s a skill.