Birch Bark Apr 17, 2020
Thank you again for subscribing! I hope you're enjoying the weekly emails, and as ever, please feel free to reply to this email with any comments or suggestions on what you'd like to see in the future. This issue has a few more music picks because someone asked for more, so I am listening to feedback :)
Art
Videos
Abso-bloody-lutely: Expletive Infixation
Lawyer Breaks Down 17 Courtroom Scenes From Film and TV
Animal Crossing : New Horizons [dunkview]
Stuntmen React To Bad & Great Hollywood Stunts 14
Music
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys
One of my all-time absolute favorite albums, this debut record from the Arctic Monkeys blew me away in 2006, and it still is one of the best end-to-end albums I've ever heard.
Once in a Long, Long While - Low Roar
I first heard this band when they were all over the Death Stranding soundtrack last year, and their music is so calming that it's made for great background music during these less than calm times.
Tell Me How You Really Feel - Courtney Barnett
Courtney Barnett doesn't always click with me, but this record from a couple years ago is a straight up killer record, and it's a plain joy to listen to on a sunny day.
Here and Nowhere Else - Cloud Nothings
Speaking of records that are great on a sunny day, Cloud Nothings has never been better than they were on this album, which starts amazing and closes out with one of my favorite songs period.
Links
You Can See the Coronavirus From Space
In late January, near the peak of the Wuhan outbreak, the cloudy weather meant that Maxar couldn’t see what was going on. But once the skies cleared, satellites were able to capture crystal-clear images of enormous hospitals being constructed in a matter of days. “I’ve absolutely never seen anything like that,” Wood says. “It’s unprecedented.”
End of an Era: Microsoft Word Now Flagging Two Spaces After Period as an Error
While the two-space rule actually made sense in the era of typewriters, it does’t anymore, so switching to a one-space approach is something that everyone should do. Of course, not all users are ready to add just one space after a period, as the change appears to be rather difficult and painful for so many of us, but beginning recently, Microsoft is actually lending these people a hand to ease the transition.
The pope just proposed a ‘universal basic wage.’ What does that mean for the United States?
He repeated familiar refrains about the “idolatry of money” and “ecological conversion.” But he also allowed himself to offer a single policy proposal that movements might work toward: “This may be the time,” he said, “to consider a universal basic wage.” This points unmistakably to what is usually known as universal basic income—a regular, substantial cash payment to people just for being alive.
The U.S. Postal Service Has Never Been More Important, or More Endangered
Brennan has been pleading fruitlessly for congressional action since she became postmaster general in 2015. It hasn’t helped that unlike the Obama administration, which treated the USPS with indifference, the Trump White House has been openly hostile.
How the Virus Transformed the Way Americans Spend Their Money
The coronavirus has profoundly altered daily life in America, ushering in sweeping upheavals to the U.S. economy. Among the most immediate effects of the crisis? Radical changes to how people spend their money.
How Mitch McConnell Became Trump’s Enabler-in-Chief
Yet, as covid-19 decimates the economy and kills Americans across the nation, McConnell’s alliance with Trump is looking riskier. Indeed, some critics argue that McConnell bears a singular responsibility for the country’s predicament. They say that he knew from the start that Trump was unequipped to lead in a crisis, but, because the President was beloved by the Republican base, McConnell protected him.
Android users and an unwillingness to pay for great games
Ultimately, this event merely highlights why a lot of game developers no longer bother with Android at all. 50% refunds probably sounds extreme, but I’ve heard of similar figures from other games creators who’ve released objectively good games. In short: Android gamers as a group too often just aren’t willing to pay.