I said I was done with these playlists, but then this happened. You can’t keep a good synth playlist down. John Carpenter has quietly been releasing some amazing synth tunes on his “Lost Themes” albums and I am very grateful.
Why Are Democrats Such Cowards? (New Republic)
The clearest summary of current US party politics I’ve maybe ever seen: “Over the past two decades, Democrats steadily lost disaffected former supporters, while failing to consistently mobilize young or economically precarious people alienated from the entire political process, as the Republican Party increasingly became a nihilistic, anti-democratic machine designed to bamboozle a white elderly base and thwart the desires of the larger public for the sake of an entrenched oligarchy.”The Teens Who Hacked Microsoft's Xbox Empire—And Went Too Far (Wired)
Great to pair this with Hacking the Russian Power Grid. Hacking is such a weird, malicious, low-rent enterprise that’s also a new front in global warfare. It’s great.Toy Story 4’s Forky Has Haunting Metaphysical Implications for the Toy Story Universe (Slate)
Elizabeth Warren’s plan to secure elections (Medium/TeamWarren)
Voting rights (and things like election security, disenfranchisement, and gerrymandering) are important to me. I get too mad about it. Every time some state legislature tries to pass a voter ID law, I turn furious, full of simmering rage for hours. Honestly I get way too angry for being an ineffectual schmuck sitting in a New York office reading the internet. Election malfeasance is an affront to democracy and a glaring abuse of power by small (old, white) men in charge. Anything we can do to stop it is good. This is a good plan. It makes me happy.Alanis Morissette’s Four Boundaries (Self)
Nicole Cliffe interviews the legendary Alanis Morissette about pregnancy, childbirth, #MeToo, and Jagged Little Pill. Alanis teaches her kids four boundaries: “You can't tell me what I'm thinking, you can't tell me what I'm feeling, you can't fucking touch my body/you can't do anything with my body, and don't touch my stuff.” Perfect.Chillwave at 10: The Essential Tracks (Stereogum)
A power hour of hazy summer beats from the chillest 2009 indie microgenre.Can Team USA Field a Team of Randos and Still Win 3x3 Basketball Gold at the Olympics? (The Ringer)
3-on-3 basketball is now an Olympic sport. Breakdancing is about to be one (in 2024, fingers crossed). The question is whether the US can send big name NBA players to play 3-on-3, or do they have to find talented guys elsewhere? They seem to be betting on finding amateurs (i.e. guys with day jobs who played in college).How Art Arrived at Jackson Pollock (7min, Kottke.org)
The best 7-minute art lesson you might ever find.You are fine without advice and suggestions (Austin Kleon)
“Just dump the man who somehow still wants to fight about Woody Allen in this year of our Lord!!!”
This thread is gold, click through and read the whole thing:
xoxo