Some ‘readership capture’ I’ve been stocking up:
A delightful new Netflix series, “Cat People” follows individuals in different parts of the world who have built a life around cats, and gently pulls back the layers of judgment and cliché that these humans contend with, @Sarcher writes. https://t.co/l5yR3aDfLJ
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) July 21, 2021
Four-legged stars ruled the red carpet at a Czech premiere of a movie about rescued dogs, based on a surprise hit book whose stories have helped finance a new shelter for fellow canines ?? pic.twitter.com/bXFfTO1xcE
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 23, 2021
Tips from the Netherlands on how to build a nation of cyclistshttps://t.co/XyocCm8X5y pic.twitter.com/tEI4dkIZ5c
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) July 24, 2021
Astrophotographer in Idaho captures falling meteor fireball earlier this monthhttps://t.co/vAMjxHAe9Q pic.twitter.com/plP4rtWgpS
— Black Hole (@konstructivizm) July 24, 2021
“There’s a difference between thinking out of the box and being out of your mind. And you know, it’s not that either one is bad. It’s just that when you get up any given morning you gotta know [which is it].”
– rocket scientist Dave Crisalli
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) July 23, 2021
Lapassionara
I saw a lovely photo today of a care dog in a vet’s office, comforting a sick dog. So sweet.
Math Guy
We would all be better off following the Dutch example.
Cermet
As for the current world, despite Covid and AGW rising, it is a far better world than I recall as a child; while this won’t last, definitely enjoy it while it does last for a few more years of getting better.
cmorenc
Re: the Dutch cycling clip –
Dorothy A. Winsor
UncleEbeneezer
If you aren’t watching For All Mankind on AppleTV, holy shit are you missing out!
We just binged the first season in a week (woulda been faster but I was working a bunch). It’s an alternate history drama about the Space Race, done by the guy who did Battlestar Galactica and Deep Space Nine and it is really amazing. The cinematography, action, performances, costumes are all really great. But what I really love about it is: 1.) the characters turn out much different than you think and 2.) the show feels slow but somehow a lot still happens in each episode. Only 4 episodes in it feels like you have come SO FAR from where it started. Also it has some really great women characters. Probably the best show we’ve watched since The Queen’s Gambit. I can’t believe this show isn’t mopping the floor with Emmy nominations because much as I love them, it’s even better than Handmaid’s Tale, The Crown, Mare of Easttown and several other award-winning shows. Like Snowfall, this show is criminally overlooked in discussions of prestige tv series.
sab
@cmorenc: I live in NE Ohio. My city is very hilly (700 ft changes in altitude within city limits.) I grew up in Florida (extremely flat) and rode my bike everywhere. Netherlands seems the same. In NE Ohio that isn’t really feasible unless you are training for the Tour de France. Normal people cannot function on a bike here, except peddling around on top of their particular neighborhood’s own hill.
JustRuss
Related to cycling, here’s a good video about revamping our infrastructure to work better for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers: youtu.be/ORzNZUeUHAM
sab
@UncleEbeneezer: Guy also did “Outlander.”
Mike in NC
We’ve watched a couple episodes of ‘Cat People’. Cute show.
tom
@sab:
e-bikes (bikes with electric assist) are becoming more common and less expensive, and I think will go a long way in overcoming problems with hilly terrain.
Mike in NC
@UncleEbeneezer: It was a fantastic series. Hoping for another season.
MomSense
@sab:
His wife Terry was the costume designer for the first four seasons of the series. On her blog she hosted an ongoing discussion of her designs, inspiration, research, process, materials, among a small group of makers. It was absolutely fascinating and I really miss it.
ETA She used to describe Battlestar as a period piece. Changed my whole mindset.
UncleEbeneezer
@sab: Ah…interesting. We watched the first season of Outlander but got kinda bored sometime during S2 and never went back to it. We mainly watched for the scenery, costumes and eye candy talent but it always felt a bit silly for us.
The Right Stuff was one of my boyhood faves, so I knew For All Mankind would be right up my alley, though it’s actually much better than I thought it would be. Loving it. I hear S2 is even better.
Bill Arnold
Found the full quote about “out of the box” vs “out of my mind” days:
Dave Crisalli, a wisecracking former Navy officer and propulsion engineer
(Dunno if link is legal but google found it.)
NotMax
@UncleEbeneezer
Have been a fan of Michael Dorman since first encountered his acting/screen presence nearly a decade ago in the Aussie series Wild Boys. Don’t have Apple+, though, so shall have to wait until the current alternate history space series trickles out elsewhere later on, once the bloom is off the rose so to speak.
I understand that it wasn’t prosthetics, that he really did pack on the 40-some extra pounds of avoirdupois his character was written as carrying around as Mankind progressed.
As a side note, have heard nothing but good things about the Nordic noir Wisting, also now being shown in the U.S. on other services to which I don’t happen to subscribe.
dmsilev
@Mike in NC: I think it’s already been renewed for a third season. I thought the second season was good, but maybe not quite up to the level of the first.
Anne Laurie
Bikes are not for everyone (I’ve had mild vertigo all my adult life, although I occasionally look at adult tricycles websites) or for every trip. They’re good alternatives for a lot of people, for most trips — and in crowded urban areas, every not-private-car trip counts. Similarly, as demand increases, electric bikes are getting better all the time!
Hob
I haven’t watched the Cat People series but I know one of the episodes is about the Acro-Cats cat circus act and the person behind it. Having participated in Acro-Cats as a stagehand (like, continuously bribing one of the cats with treats so it won’t stop doing the trick it’s supposed to be doing – I also had to similarly bribe a chicken who is part of the act) I can say that it’s a ridiculously enjoyable weird little event and Samantha is a memorable character.
UncleEbeneezer
@NotMax: Ooh, Wisting looks right up our alley. We’ve been looking for something good and Nordic/Scandanavian (we loved Beartown, The Bridge, Borgen…). Don’t have Acorn though so Wisting will have to wait.
Obvious Russian Troll
@cmorenc: I had training in the RTP area a couple years ago. I picked a hotel within what I would consider easy walking distance from my hotel (about a mile). I did not rent a car, figuring I could get delivery for food.
That was dumb. Dumb dumb dumb. The road in front of the hotel was so busy that I felt I was taking my lift into my hands every time I crossed–and a guy on a motorcycle was killed right in front of the hotel before I left the first morning. I wound up taking an Uber (blech) every day until the weekend (damn class was seven straight days).
I was back a bunch of times but after that I rented a car. Terrible area for cycling and walking.
Martin
@sab: So, I have an eBike, and my commute (such as I had one) involved an 800′ hill to cross. Pre-ebike, I used to do it with my bike from time to time, but the hill was a real challenge if I wanted to keep my appearance suitable for meetings.
But the ebike will let me climb the hill at about 20 MPH, with no more effort than riding on flats. It’s great. It like riding a bike when you were a kid – all of the fun, none of the effort. Most importantly, it allows me to take longer, or routes with more elevation changes, in lieu of flatter, or shorter but more dangerous routes for a cyclist.
But what’s notable, what I’ve forgotten, is just how fucking obnoxious cars are. I ride to the store, a place that has allocated more of their land area to parking than to selling stuff I want to buy, and they can’t bother to have a bike rack. I used to live in NY, taking mass transit, walking, and mostly ignoring cars, and it was great. I forgot how less stressful it was walking down the street in NYC in the 1970s than it is walking down quite a few suburban streets now, mostly because I didn’t really have to worry about a four ton F-150 barreling at me at 50MPH.
My suggestion is to go rent an ebike for a day and give it a ride. It feels wonderful.
NotMax
Respite can almost always use a spot of music.
Q: “How much do you love your butcher?”
A: “This much!”
:)
Martin
@Obvious Russian Troll: People really should watch this video.
We’ve picked the absolutely most expensive, least efficient way to build cities, and steadfastly refuse to learn our lesson.
ljt
@JustRuss: I’m a member of Strong Towns, the organization mentioned in the video whose founder, Chuck Marohn, coined the term “stroad” (the ugly, dangerous multi-laned thoroughfares that aren’t quite a street or a road, found in nearly all North American suburbs). Chuck has a new book coming out in September, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town. If you liked the Not Just Bikes video, I think you’ll appreciate the book.
debbie
Catching a shot of that meteor is very impressive, but keeping such a steady hand on the camera? Wow! ?
Obvious Russian Troll
@Martin: Tell me about it! I’m in a very walkable section of Toronto now, but I grew up in suburban Detroit.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Math Guy: Yeah I’m getting there. Have been mostly getting around the DC area by bike for months. It’s a really practical way to get around in dense urban environments if the infrastructure is there to give cyclists a dedicated space to be in. Never have to worry about finding a parking place or paying for parking. If you’re going anywhere during rush hours it’s often just as fast or faster than driving. Shorter 1 to 3 mile trips are plenty quick on a bike. I’m liking it a lot.
debbie
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
The more hand movements, the bigger the lies.
Baud
@debbie:
His arms will fall off if he keeps that up.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
Has anyone watched High on the Hog? It’s a Netflix documentary about African American contributions to American cuisine. I’ve been meaning to watch it for awhile and a positive review might motivate me.
germy
germy
?BillinGlendaleCA
@debbie: If he was shooting astrophotography, he was using a tripod.
Betsy
@Math Guy: @cmorenc: @sab:
That video is a great short and sweet introduction. E Bikes make every place comfortabl and are proved to cause people to actually take longer and more frequent bike rides, because hills and distance aren’t barriers any more — and paradoxically this results in *more* activity!
I would just add that whenever you hear someone say “But [this city or climate or country] isn’t the Netherlands” — just remember, the Netherlands was completely dominated by cars and highways at one time. Every Danish and Dutch and German square was covered in parked car storage in 1974. It’s a matter of providing safe separate infrastructure so that everyone from age “8 to 80” can ride a bike.
Sure Lurkalot
@Math Guy: Yes please. The only issue I saw with bikes in the Netherlands was how densely they were parked at rail stations. I hope I’m not alone to have lost track of my car in a lot….how you find your bike in that mass of wheels and spokes is beyond me.
Viva BrisVegas
@NotMax: Dorman is also very good in Patriot, another underrated show.
He plays an intelligence operative undergoing a slow burning mental breakdown while dealing with the incompetence and mendacity of not only his enemies, but his allies and family. It’s a dark comedy (mostly).
mali muso
@What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: We watched it when it first came out. Highly recommend! You will learn so much hidden history and have a deeper appreciation of how black folks have contributed to the wider culture, albeit without getting any credit. Also the first episode in which the host travels to Benin and grapples with the legacy of being in the footsteps of unknown ancestors is so sober yet uplifting…you really need to see it.
NotMax
@Betsy
Peripherally related (as well as respite-y) , The History of the Dutch Car Industry.
;)
NotMax
@Viva BrisVegas
Yes and yes. Have praised it here previously. Sly, caustic, midnight-black pasquinade inside a chewy espionage bun. His capability for handling dialogue with a spot on American accent is a joy to behear.
CindyH
@What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:
yes! Loved it and was sorry when we watched the last episode that there weren’t more. Highly recommend!
Ruckus
@Anne Laurie:
I have a lot of miles on 2 wheels, have ridden motorcycles over 1/2 a million miles, and a lot on bicycles as well, although not as much, I owned a bicycle shop and manufactured bicycles. I had to give up all 2 wheel travel because of balance issues due to health issues about 2 yrs ago. So while I think one really only needs more than 2 wheels due to some weather issues, there are a lot of us who really can not join in the concept of fewer wheels are fine.
sab
@germy: Jesus doesn’t look like he likes that cat, and that cat looks like ( and looks as mean as) our meankitty.
NotMax
@NotMax
I’ll quickly add for any who have not seen it that the first episode is the weakest of the lot, IMHO. Helter-skeltery enough to come out of it 50/50 as to whether to continue with the series and ended up very pleased did decide in the affirmative. Second season even better than is the first.
sab
@Martin: I will try that. I think we actually have such a rental place 1/4 mile from my house.
Ella in New Mexico
There are just so many impossible obstacles to overcome to make the US a “Bicycle Dominant” country I just wanna cry. Certain cities and even states? Good blueprint. Everywhere? Never. Gonna. Happen. In. America.
But I will say the irony of the video’s Banjo/Appalachian Mountain music calling to mind every single red state that would literally have incidents of jerkwads shooting at bikers was kind of wierd.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Ella in New Mexico: I would have said that very thing about DC when I moved here 20 years ago but it’s very bikeable now and getting moreso by the minute.
Anne Laurie
The carpark solution used to be a bright trinket on the car’s antennae. Could that be made to work for a bike?
Or for a hi-tech solution, one of those ‘Tile’ GPS locator tags?
NotMax
@Anne Laurie
Bike shops and some auto parts shops sell long flexible rods with a brightly colored pennant attached which can be affixed to a bike.
There’s probably also already mountable gadgets which sound a signal and/or flash the lights by pressing a button on a fob, in the same way as with autos.
Keith P.
Here’s an interesting article about how Williams (formerly Transco) Tower in Houston TX has a cat built into it.
Old Times
Cat People is excellent. Both of my kids have psychiatric disabilities and their cats are recognized as ESAs, and they really should qualify as service animals. Would happily pay for Cole’s Netflix subscription for 2021 if he reviewed the show and weighed in – the dog v cat crap is really counterproductive, and he clearly appreciates both species and what they have to offer us humans.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
Maybe a dead thread, but I’ve been saving this for a bit now
From a local rescue/foster:
This is Chance. He’s having surgery tomorrow to have his remaining teeth extracted. I’m not sure what the money situation is right now; I mostly thought y’all would like to meet him.
facebook.com/kellie.wester/posts/10225947360981029
Just One More Canuck
A walkable area of Toronto? Is there such a thing? I’m kidding, but in the suburbs, it’s a 15 minute walk to a bus stop and 25 minutes to a grocery store. Beer store is a bit c
Observers though @Obvious Russian Troll:
Kayla Rudbek
@Anne Laurie: combination of what’s mounted on the handlebars (lights, tape, grips, computer, phone case, mirrors) and what’s mounted on the frame (seat, rear lights, fenders, racks, panniers, baskets) to tell one bike from another.