Welcome back to Dispatch, a personal roundup of videos, records, and anything that I found interesting this month. Think of Dispatch as my monthly mixtape from the internet with no real theme except “this was neat.”
Last month I nearly didn’t post my now monthly links roundup and this month was a struggle too, but for different reasons. I consumed (I hate the word but bare with me) a lot of interesting content to the point of finding it hard to whittle them down. In the end I think I found a decent balance/compromise.
Videos
- There are some channels that remind me of old Top Gear such as Candy Showroom and this 500 mile night race between a Bentley and a train by ThatGuyGray easily scratches that itch. The host even seamlessly weaves in some history with great humour to cap it off.
- Emily from Rabbit Hole describes this video as accidentally becoming the world expert on placeholder text Lorem Ipsum. Her enthusiasm overflows and even the lovely guest and legend, Richard McClintock, appreciates it.
- A group of scientists and enthusiasts tracked a meteorite and found it almost immediately. It’s also quite impressive how accurate their projection was especially in what seemingly is the middle of nowhere.
- Australia is very strict when it comes to bio-security and this video probably plays a part. Some individuals planted an invasive species that became wild laying stage for a battle between it and the country. It also helps that the video is amazingly produced akin to some of the greatest cinematic hits from your favourite directors while taking not so subtle jabs at Kevin O’Leary (and other billionaires by extension) for his data centre obsession.
Music
- I don’t know how I never knew of the Device Orchestra YouTube channel earlier but this version of Toxic by Britney Spears played by an epilator, 2 toothbrushes, 3 credit card machines, and 2 typewriters completely left me in awe and down the rabbit hole I went.
- Jacob Collier strikes again. He teams up with VSO School of Music Orchestra and like the mad scientist he is, he arranges an iconic song on the spot. The guy is just way too cool and talented.
I also enjoyed these new-to-me albums:
- The Internet - Ego Death
- Sade - Love Deluxe
Films & Shows
- Clarkson’s Farm - Jeremy continues to draw us into farming and this season was no different. The humour was amazing and the sense of community was heartwarming especially in the wake of sad news broken in the show. In the end I was even angry on behalf of Jeremy in regards to the handling of tuberculosis tests. Needless to say, this season ranks highly alongside the rest.
- If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) - James Baldwin is one of my favourite authors and I enjoyed the source material last year. It details racism and the justice system. This is an impressive adaptation with some great acting especially from Regina King.
Books
A few posts back, I described my experience buying a book blindly from Wine & Spine and that totally paid off. My colleague also bought a different book with no context and I gave that a go too. Those are the two books I read this month and they were both amazing.
- By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah (4 out of 5 stars) - this is the story of two men in a foreign land that stumble upon each other and discover they have a shared history. Latif Mahmud seeks clarity and explanations from Omar who was previously an acquaintance of his father back in Zanzibar. Their family history is heavy with different supposed acts of betrayal. I enjoyed the writing. It is beautifully descriptive with endless stories and anecdotes that seem to lead to nowhere but eventually matter.
- Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite (4.5 out of 5 stars) - I just finished this book and as such I haven’t fully formed a coherent thought but what I know for certain is I thoroughly enjoyed it. We follow a family that believe to have inherited a curse from one of their ancestors. They are destined to struggle in love and this supposed curse occasionally rears it’s ugly head but is it really a curse or are they just in their head? Are they just not accepting fault and laying it squarely on a “curse”? As some to beat this “curse”, will they manage?
Articles
- The Human Touch - “When I blog, it’s because I want to rant, or share some thoughts, or talk about something that means a lot to me. I don’t get clicks or make money from ads. I don’t get hearts or shares. I write because I enjoy it. The way it was meant to be. Personal.”
- Stop Making Ugly Apps: Simple Tailwind Tricks for Backend Developers
- Why DIY Software Is Great Until It Is Not - Albert beautifully analogises vibe coding with the DIY scene and dives deeper.
That’s all for this Dispatch. See you in July 🤞.
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