TMoney

Finished up Ken Burns' Country Music. I wouldn't say it made me any more of a country fan, I but I do have have new appreciation for the effort, craft, showmanship and musicianship. It is well done. I learned a lot. Two artists who impressed me were Vince Gill and Dolly Parton. Vince's songwriting and musicianship clicks with me. He is a little more cerebral than some of his peers without going too far. As for Dolly, I've always been put off by her appearance but after hearing her story and her songs I'll admit... the woman is a capital-S STAR. Really impressed by her. The fact that she isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while clowns like Bon Jovi are is a complete joke. As for the old warhorses, the music of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Hank Williams never gets old.

Twin Peaks is where I found out about them as well. Almost every band that performed on that show has been fun to listen to.

Chromatics - Kill for Love

So this is pretentious, overwritten, nerdy... and... pretty good? I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would.

Sunny and Liz go on trial next year for the criminal charges. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Maybe I'm just projecting with the benefit of knowing what lied ahead for the band, but listening to these extras the guys just sound creatively and emotionally spent compared to the energy in the extras for the Super Deluxe edition of the White album a few years back. Interesting nevertheless.

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

Finally drove Colin’s X around to see what all the fuss is about. Overall I was pleasantly surprised. It is a very nice grand tourer. It is not a dialed in performance-mobile but for highway commutes and City drives it’d be very easy to live with. Quick impressions: View from driver’s position is like nothing else on the road. The “infinity” windshield is crazy. Drives great. Electric transmission/power delivery is very smooth (though I’d expect nothing less from a car with such a sticker price). Regen braking is cool. Able to drive it pretty easily with one pedal. Going back to a normal car I missed the regen. Get-up-and-go from a standstill is impressive, especially for something this heavy and even on the smaller battery model. Power is noticeably less when already moving at interstate speeds. I miss the sound of a growling V8 though. So much tech, but worry that some may be obsolete in a few years time. Tesla’s mapping worked just fine but when you’ve grown addicted to gmaps/Waze it is hard to envision using anything else. Back doors are just silly. Back seat experience is fine but doesn’t stand out vs. the luxury SUV competition.

Happy birthday, Santa-man!

Happy birthday!

Alright, I'll take the plunge on the trial. I'm not really unhappy with Tidal, but I worry about their ability to survive with (IIRC) around 5mm subscribers when Amazon, Apple and Spotify all have many multiples of that. I'll check back in with thoughts after some use.

I've been starting to dig in to Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books. There is something about her prose that I really enjoy reading. It is apparent right off the bat that she is an extremely talented writer.

Happy birthday!

First impressions of the new watch are very positive vs. the 3rd gen one I had been using up until I broke it over the 4th of July weekend. The always-on display is a game changer for the watch and was badly needed. Not having to do the "apple watch flip" with the wrist every time you want to check the time is a godsend. Also, won't be true for everybody but I really like the lighter weight of the base aluminum watch. There are some people who like a more substantial watch on their wrist but I prefer something I barely notice. This fits the bill. The base aluminum model is noticeably lighter than the Stainless or Edition models. Yes, it feels cheaper as a result. At least for me comfort is paramount.

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. Fabulous! Like a great thriller, once you get going with this one you can't put it down. I finished it off in two sittings. If you like thrillers, investigative journalism and good detective stories this book is for you. It is like watching a train go down the track, picking up speed as it goes, only the bridge is out ahead. As things approach disaster the tension builds, ending in a crescendo as the Journal goes public with its story and the house of cards starts to fall. I remember reading the Author's contemporaneous reporting on this and being blown away at the lack of scientific and medical rigor and that it hadn't raised red flags in the minds of the extremely influential people associated with the company. I have the same feeling after reading the book. Absolutely recommended. EDIT: After the events of the last few weeks I can't wait to read a similar book about WeWork. ?

Hiss Golden Messenger - Terms of Surrender. This is an artist that Tidal's auto-suggestions turned me on to. Really mellow, folk/alt-rock-ish. Relaxing and nice to have on while working. I'm a fan.

It isn't gonna be for everyone, but Dark Mode on an OLED iPhone screen is something else. "But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice." -Yoda

I hear it is a pretty buggy update, but YOLO!

I was listening to Malcolm Gladwell on Bill Simmons podcast and he said the audiobook version of his new book is outselling the hardcover by around 40%. Whoa. The times... they are a-changing. I have a lot of mixed emotions about audiobooks, to say the least.

I hope Apple Music and Spotify add a lossless tier as well. Tidal has worked great but I'm open to trying something new.

Giving the new Pixies a go. EDIT: It is not bad! I was pleasantly surprised.

Happy birthday, buddy!

New Ken Burns!

Take me home tonight, such a great track. RIP, Eddie!

Happy birthday!