Author: Chad
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Writes and thinks
Excerpts (though you should read the whole thing) from Paul Graham’s dissection of writes and write-nots: The reason so many people have trouble writing is that it’s fundamentally difficult. To write well you have to think clearly, and thinking clearly is hard. And yet writing pervades many jobs, and the more prestigious the job, the…
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Oh and guess what
Our 5 year old likes to say that a lot when he gets on a roll telling us about something he’s excited about. It could be science facts or recounting a fun outing or his latest playground escapades. He’ll sprinkle it in throughout the story, which shows he’s both excited to share and keen on…
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On the ballot
Election Day is upon us. My wife and I already voted, and I’m very grateful to live in a state that supports pro-democracy initiatives like early voting, vote by mail, and automatic voter registration. Illinois has its issues, to be sure, but it’s a leader in this regard—along with book ban bans, Midwest abortion access,…
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Links of the moment
An ongoing series Reimagined ‘80s logos of popular brands. Restoring a 1,200-year-old psalter discovered in an Irish bog. How did you find accurate information before the internet? Librarians, of course. Where did our 2004 photos go? An interview with Saturday Night Live’s early ‘90s graphic designer of sketch titles, parodies, and props.
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Recent Views
More photography here. Partly cloudy in the Windy City: Feeling reflective at our park: Fishing class with the five year old: First time downtown with the lads: Enjoying the hotel room balcony at Timber Ridge Lodge: Burgundy boy blending in with the fallen leaves:
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Media of the moment
An ongoing series Midnight Mass. Loved this Netflix limited series for the same reason I love Darren Aronofsky’s Noah: it takes literally all the Bible’s very goth elements (“drink my blood”, the terror of angels, etc.) and transposes it into a deeply human modern story. Didi. This coming-of-age story set in 2008 featuring a teenager…
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In praise of Disney’s pop punk phase
I almost couldn’t believe this when I saw it: Disney put out an album of pop punk covers of Disney songs called A Whole New Sound, which includes: I would just like to shoutout whichever 40-year-old at Disney got the greenlight for this. As Boomers retire and we Millennials take over positions of power, I…
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18 years
Ye Olde Blog turns 18 years old today. Forgive me, but as a writer of a certain age I cannot help but think of the “18 years, 18 years” line from Kanye’s “Gold Digger”—a song that debuted just a year before this blog. Unlike in the song, though, there’s no question of provenance here. From…
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Links of the moment
An ongoing series In praise of reference books. Your name in LANDSAT. America must free itself from the tyranny of the penny.
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The YouTube curios of COVID quarantine
I’m not sure how it started, but I got sucked into a YouTube wormhole of the videos I watched in that early-COVID quarantine phase, like: The first two especially were appointment viewing each week, because you never knew what celebrities would pop in. Then there were the virtual choirs: As with mask-wearing, I felt a…
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True centrism
Kai Brach, in his Dense Discovery newsletter, responding to an essay about the political “center”: True centrism shouldn’t simply find two opposing positions and place itself in the middle of them. Instead, it should anchor itself in core principles of human decency, compassion, moral integrity, etc. This version of centrism isn’t about always falling neatly…
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In favor of the opposition of Saturn
My wife sent me something about the opposition of Saturn last Saturday night, which meant it’d be more visible than usual. While at the library that day I saw they had a monocular telescope for checkout to use with smartphones, so I decided to check it out in case I had the opportunity to try…
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‘Back to the Future The Musical’ does it with style
I had the pleasure of seeing Back to the Future The Musical at the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago with my friend Kevin as an early birthday present from my wife. Back to the Future is the movie that long ago turned me into a cinephile, so it was a thrill to see this fun…
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Links of the moment
An ongoing series Sun vs. Moon — fight! Kind of Bloop is an 8-bit reinterpretation tribute to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. A collection of old Swedish packaging. Ranking every summer Olympic sport based on how terrible it would be for the average person.
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A BoyDad reads ‘BoyMom’
I recently read BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity by Ruth Whippman, a journalist and mom of three boys who wrestles with her own fears, frustrations, and biases as an avowed feminist raising boys in a world with conflicting views of modern masculinity. As the father of two young boys myself, I…
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Recent Views, Michigan edition
More photography here. Scenes from some time in Michigan with extended family… Gas station architecture: Boatin’: Cousins dancing to the sunset (also a perfect album cover for their future band): Happened to catch the sunset reflected near the five year old: Early morning dune summit: In between teaching the five year old how to play…