Intro / Preface / Extra Words
Usually Calvin puts some dry and witty welcoming words here. However recently he and I had a conversation about the different stages of parenting we currently exist in. My life consists of managing (and dare I say, mentoring) my six and nine year old kids via frequent dad-jokes (ask me about cashews) and occasional stern lecturing. Calvin's consists of trying to keep at bay the no-knock haz-mat raid squad of child protective services through timely management of various excretions from his months-old progeny. As a result, this issue (and future ones from time to time) will find me gladly opening the front door and welcoming you into this snug little abode of thoughtfulness and eclectic levity. I hope you enjoy your time here.
Heavy Rotation
Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer, a song by DMX, Divine Bars on Spotify
The hardest part of my recent switch from Pandora to Spotify was losing access to the "Ludacrismas" station. Thankfully DMX just dropped this heatrock which is helping me cope during the holiday season. -Brian
Current Things
Uber’s Credit Card Is Bankrupting Restaurants… and It’s All Your Fault
This is a completely theoretical article, but it's an interesting idea: Uber launched a credit card that is (sort of) marketed to those who eat out frequently; if you use the card, they would probably be able to tell where you're eating and when. Eventually they'll be able to use this data in conjunction with their ride sharing product and their delivery product to sell you the exact food you want exactly when you want it.
I'd say probably not, but I do think it's part of a bigger initiative to capitalize on the explosive growth of UberEats.
Also, ghost restaurants are a thing? What?! – Calvin
Timeless Things
How the Country’s Largest White Presbyterian Church Became Multiethnic
Not only is this an awesome story full of challenges and (literally) hope, it also takes place in our hometown of Memphis -Courtesy of Katie F... Calvin & Brian
Random Things
The true story of the fake US embassy in Ghana
For however much we all talk about not believing everything on the internet why do we still struggle so much with believing everything on the internet? Apparently even the BBC and other mainstream outlets aren't any less naive. Do you remember that crazy news story about a fake US embassy in Africa? Complete, absolute, garbage-grade bologna. Thanks internet! -Brian
Food
Manhattan Season
Despite this article being a not-so-slick attempt at content marketing from an otherwise wonderful company (Harry's), it's a good reminder that when the weather turns cold, you should start ordering Manhattan's at the bar. If you don't like Manhattan's, pretending to like them is still classy. – Calvin
Eggs Baked in Hash Browns | Gordon Ramsay
A friend of mine posted a picture of this dish she made for the firefighters who had to work on Thanksgiving day. And since I only cook breakfast I plan to actually try to make this at some point. -Brian
Business Time
Disney sues Redbox for reselling DVD download codes
Forget this net neutrality stuff and which side of the issue is actually pro-consumer.... here's what you should be worried about. Let's say you bought a copy of Tangled 2: Hair Straightened to Video at a store and charged your friends a couple bucks to borrow it (like you do). It is unlikely Disney would sue you for that. But if you also wanted to sell off the code for the digital download that came with the disc? Lawsuit incoming... Why? Because in some tiny text on the package or on a EULA somewhere they've unilaterally stated you don't have the right to sell this thing they sold to you. Even though you've never actually agreed to that condition somehow they have magically locked you into this anti-free-market contract. Scary stuff... what else are they going to pretend you agreed to? -Brian
Work / Productivity
What we think about when we think about money
This is from a buddy of mine, Brian P. He writes about personal finance in his spare time (what is that, by the way) and I've always enjoyed his articles. Follow him on Medium. – Calvin
Follytics
'The Righteous Mind': Why Liberals and Conservatives Can't Get Along - YouTube
In a followup to the recent article on tribalism from Slate Star Codex here is one of the shorter videos I could find from Jonathan Haidt on the different value systems used by the two main political tribes. He's a clear communicator so either watch this video or check out his seminal Atlantic article from a couple years ago on how millennials (like Calvin) are coddled.
I can't tell you how much joy it brings me to bash millennials from this gigantic throne fashioned out of swords and labeled "Gen X".
-Brian
Outro
As we close out Issue 22, one thing you can look forward to is a new category called "Trash Fire". We tend to over-collect cool things we want to share with you but run into limitations on how much we can fit into each issue. So occasionally we will be either sending out stand-alone "Trash-Fire" issues or including that category in a normal issue. We'll use the category to clear out our backlog, rapid-fire style. Fair warning has been given...
Stay warm out there and give your families an extra hug this week as we move closer to the holidays.