My other word processor
What I Am Reading
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman
I first heard of Burkeman through The Tim Ferris Show, a long form interview podcast hosted by Tim Ferris. Burkeman was discussing his book 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. I wanted to read it but it wasn’t available at the time so I ordered this book instead. That was 6 months ago and I finally got around to reading it. (You can see why I needed the time management one.)
The Antidote looks at the positive thinking fad which has taken hold of much of the world. According to this philosophy, we can create happiness and success just by banishing thoughts of negativity. Not so fast says Burkeman who looks at research and alternative philosophies and concludes that a more healthy approach to life acknowledges that sometimes things don’t go as planed or as we’d like them to. Turns out that like so many goals in life, happiness may come easier if we are not working too hard at it. And you don’t have to work too hard to read this either. Burkeman has a straightforward way of talking about complex ideas and he is pretty funny too.
What I’m Watching
Sydney on Apple TV+
Of course, I have seen a few Sydney Poitier movies including To Sir With Love and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner but I didn’t full appreciate the extent to which this man changed Hollywood, the civil rights movement, and the world. This was a man who had the whole package: Handsome, intelligent, talented, and ethical driven by an essential core of morality.
It’s only on Apple TV+ but well worth watching if you have or can get access.
Podcast I’m Listening To
People I Mostly Admire — hosted by Steven Levitt
Interview with Ken Burns on his new documentary about the America and Holocaust and his artistic process.
In this long form interview (yes, I love this format) the man who has taught more Americans history than anyone else, discusses how he became a film maker, how he works, and just why the world needs another documentary about the Holocaust. I found him to be thoughtful, modest, a decent human being. I think it says much about him that in spite of the fact that he could walk into any motion picture studio in the world and walk out with a contract, he continues to make his work exclusively for public television. One thing seems odd. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would color his hair but he is 69 years old and has not a lock of grey. Someone needs to investigate.
Music I’m Listening To
I first heard of Ben Sidran around 1993 when he had just released an album of Jewish music for the High Holidays inspired by songs from the liturgy. I fell in love with the soft, slow Jam jazz sounds and have continued to listen to this album every fall since. His other albums although not explicitly Jewish are nonetheless highly enjoyable with great little jazz numbers — many with funny and funky lyrics sung by Sidran.
His latest album is Swing State, soft jazz versions of some of the great big band numbers and classics of an earlier era. Initially, I was disappointed that there are none of Sidran’s witty and soothing vocals on this album but I found that lack makes the instrumentation stand out all the more. Although I had long ago put “Over the Rainbow” on a list of songs I need never hear again as long as I live, I found something new, something to like in his track. I have listened to the album at least seven times and have yet to tire of it. Other great Sidran albums are Don’t Cry for No Hipster and Dylan Different. All available on Apple Music and no doubt other music streaming platforms as well.
Cool New Thing I’m Enjoying
The last time I bought a computer was May 2015. I was about to leave my job at the Apple Store and start my interim gig at Hillel at the University of Rochester. My previous MacBook was slowing and the hard drive was full. With my employee discount, I splurged on the new MacBook Pro model that had just come out and maxed it out with as much RAM and hard disk space that the thing could hold. It turned out to be a smart move. That machine easily sailed through five years of work in Rochester and two more years of post work pandemic.
I kept that computer longer than any previous and, it is still serviceable for most tasks. The only repair it ever required was a battery replacement in 2020.
Sadly, from a software point of view it is at the end of the line. When the new Mac operating system comes out this month the 2015 MacBook will not be able to run it. Some of my applications were getting a little sluggish too.
At first I thought I would get the new MacBook Pro but after a bit of research (i.e. four months of watching YouTube videos about the new machines) I realized that the small, lighter, and cheaper MacBook Air be more than enough computer to serve my modest needs for many years. Even fully loaded with memory and hard disk space, the cost was far less than what I paid in 2015 even without an employee discount and before adjusting for inflation. The Air weighs nearly a pound less than my old computer, has a larger, brighter display, and dramatically better battery life. In short, I love using this thing and even more carrying it around. If you are in the market for a new laptop and don’t need to do high end video rendering, this is likely all the computer you need.
What are you learning? What art, literature, or tools are making your life more interesting or product. Share an item and a link in the comments below!