Favorite Things This Week 1/5
To alleviate this malaise, here are the more measured stories from this week and past months that put a more positive and enlightening spin on the rancor and destruction of the outside world.
What Apple's New Office Chairs Reveal About Work In 2018 [Fast.Co] - with workplaces becoming more and more dynamic, a British design firm has come up with a chair that reflects a collaborative and impermanent culture.
Chrome Is Turning Into the New Internet Explorer 6 [The Verge] - Chrome is the clear frontrunner when it comes to browser selection, but how has this both positively and negatively affected web design? Very dose of web browser history for those interested.
'Wait Wait' ...Please Tell Me: The Story Behind NPR's Beloved Quiz Show [The Ringer] - given the popularity of quiz shows (HQ, Jeopardy!), NPR's weekly news quiz towers above the rest for not only delivering solid trivia, but for the insightful, topical, and always hilarious commentary that accompanies it. A great look back on the history of the most consistently funny show in any medium.
Thoughtful Takes on Dave Chappelle's Latest Standup [Vulture, Consequence of Sound] - when Dave Chappelle dropped two new specials on New Year's Eve, the takes were fast, hot, and brutal. Much has been written about them but the two most well-argued pieces come from Vulture and Consequence of Sound. Looking less at the content and more at his role, and comedy as whole, plays in our current day and age, both pieces argue for both the genius Chappelle displays as well as his limitations that have become more pronounced and more out-of-place as he gets older. What do we want and expect from comedy and comedians and what is their relationship to their work, their fans, and the larger societal discussion?
2018 Will Be the First Year Humanity Directly 'Sees' Our First Black Hole [Forbes] - Science Fiction is having a cultural moment right now, but the real science behind it is doing its fair share to keep us spellbound. 2018 will hopefully be a big year for astronomical discoveries.
Movie of the Week - COLUMBUS - I finally caught up with one of the most overlooked yet critically acclaimed movies of 2017, and what an emotional trip. Combining love, loss, friendship, and uncertainty, with Modernist architecture and serene nature as a backdrop, Columbus, from video essayist Kogonada, says a whole lot without saying much at all in the way of dialogue. Small acts of love and kindness intersperse pain and tragedy for a beautiful and heart-wrenching exploration about what it means to be a son, a daughter, a father, a mother, and a friend. Bright Wall/Dark Room's exploration of the movie does it justice. [BW/DR]
Song of the Week - Visions of Gideon by Sufjan Stevens - Call Me By Your Name could have easily been the movie of week (and year) but I've opted for the devastatingly beautiful coda to a heartfelt and emotional film. Paired with Timothée Chalamet's revelatory turn as young, heartsick Elio, Visions of Gideon provides the right amount of uplift and tragedy that so highlights one of the most remarkable films in recent memory.
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend.