Senses working overtime #368

1 Melanie Lynskey - New Plymouth to Hollywood wilderness

2 Best songwriting partnerships

3 What are our lives for? And other philosophical questions.

4 Coffee bad? Red wine good?

5 How to stay informed without getting paralysed by bad news.

Overtime: WALK ON!

(Courtesy James Whatley)

Senses working overtime #359

1 World photography awards

(thanks to James Whatley for the link)

2 The Russian war in Ukraine mapped

(thanks to James Whatley for the link)

3 The James Webb Telescope

A distant (and I mean really really really distant) star - astronomers are captivated by the spray of tiny dots scattered across the background. Each is a distant galaxy, and this is the first time we’ve ever been able to capture them.

4 Mission: Impossible 7 ?

5 The realities of the four-day work week

Right now, many firms are looking for new ways to attract and retain the best talent – according to a recent survey of 4,000 workers in the US, 83% want a four-day workweek. This makes it more likely that firms could rush into a shorter workweek, and figure out substantial policy changes on-the-hoof.

 

Overtime: Ukrainian artist - Maria Prymachenko

Senses working overtime #300

1 Three hundred

Photo by Max Chen on Unsplash

This is the first photo that came upin Unsplash when I typed in 300. Pretty appropriate - sunrise on a new day and a fresh horizon coming into view. Three hundred weeks/posts on JFTT is worth celebrating!

2 The rest of the world

Sometimes it's hard for us in New Zealand to remember that a lot of the world is still in lockdown. Austin has reminded me in his post.

3 The greatest nature essay ever...

Austin has introduced me to Brian Doyle. Allow me to pass the favour on to you!

4 The art of collage

5  James Whatley

After a lengthy absence, he's back in my inbox with his Five Things newsletter - what's that? Oh. You're welcome!

Overtime: Striving for a balance

Senses working overtime #246

1 Terry Jones

My emotions have been all over the shop of late. When the news of Terry Jones's passing broke, TV One news included a clip showing Michael Palin overcome when talking of his friendship with Terry Jones. Got me going too!

2 Look up

Lovely reminder from Austin Kleon

(My inbox featured the return of some old favourites this week)

3 Ten types of movie posters

Welcome back James Whatley dude - he featured this wrap up.

4 Winter is coming (Poetry corner)

From Moon, January

I saw the afternoon
darkly, the gloaming soon
after dawn, each day spent
before its hand left

its pants pocket. Those long
afternoons of summer, the sun
barely ducking under the horizon
before bobbing up, well,

that was being young.
So much to look forward to,
the body waiting to angle its desires.
Winter, that was another thing.

William Logan (2020)

5 The impression of 'am' (Seth Godin)

I am 41 years old

is a very different statement than

I am a vegan.

In the first case, there’s not a lot you can do about your “am”. It is an accurate description of a state of affairs over which you have no control.

In the second, it simply describes a choice. Anyone who wants to eat a certain way instantly becomes a vegan for as long as they make that choice.

The “am” that we think of as permanent identity might actually be a choice, repeated again and again.

Overtime: Dance like yo' daddy
Ashleigh and Adam gave me some CDs during their visit - loving this one on Trainor's Thank You album. Appropriate too, as I joined in the wedding night dance-a-rama.

Senses working overtime #233

1 Aaarrrggghhhhhh!!!

Photo by Fred Moon on Unsplash

The nightmare goes on, and on, and on...

2 Deepfake


James Whatley alerted me to this extraordinary video as Jim Meskimen partnered with deepfake artist Sham00k to make his celebrity impression. More about the process here.

3 It's complicated - Seth Godin

If we only forward the easy, short and funny things we read online, why are we surprised that our inbox is filled with nothing we’ll remember tomorrow?

What would happened if instead, we shared the most complex, useful and thoughtful things we discovered instead

4 Never give in!

5 Living With Yourself 
We're enjoying Paul Rudd's show on Netflix.




Overtime: Small Faces
Combination of still reading Andrew Loog Oldham's 2Stoned and listening to my The Biggest Small Faces album on the Immediate label results in this clip of the amazing Steve Marriott in action:

Senses working overtime #201

1 Vinyl Easy Rider record covers

Records are not like books - getting regularly updated with new covers to tempt the punters, but there are exceptions - especially if they are released in different countries via different record companies.

I bought the American yellow ABC-Dunhill version in NZ way back in time and then lusted after Europe's blue EMI-Stateside version for many years. So when I spotted a mint copy in Chaldon Books and Records for 5 quid... 

I hadn't realised that the blue version was both a photo (the blue tinged cityscape) and a painting (inside the Easy Rider letters), I'd always believed the whole thing was a photo.

It's a gorgeous cover!

2 Eric Idle

I've started this one this week, so I'll finish: LOL on each page for a start but gets bogged down in name checking all the parties and all the famous (yawn) friends! Still - there's The Rutles stories and the George pictures to keen me interested until the end.


3 Seth on feeling incompetent

At some point, grown ups get tired of the feeling that accompanies growth and learning.

We start calling that feeling, “incompetence.”

We’re not good at the new software, we resist a brainstorming session for a new way to solve a problem, we never did bother to learn to juggle…

Not because we don’t want the outcomes, but because the journey promises to be difficult. Difficult in the sense that we’ll feel incompetent.

Which accompanies all growth.

First we realize something can be done.

Then we realize we can’t do it.

And finally, we get better at it.

It’s the second step that messes with us.

If you care enough to make a difference, if you care enough to get better–you should care enough to experience incompetence again.


4 Colour!

Some amazing colour shots bring WW2 to life.

5 Imagination

Normal objects reimagined (thanks to JW for the alert)

Overtime Ballad Of Easy Rider

We started here, so seems a good idea to end here. The lyrics are very apt for me at the moment:

The river flows
It flows to the sea
Wherever that river goes
That's where I want to be

Flow, river flow
Let your waters wash down
Take me from this road
To some other town

Senses working overtime #197

1 Oh January - boy did you suck!!

Good riddance. And I'm not the only one out there feeling like that. So here's to February! Thanks to Austin Kleon.

2 Groundhog Day
Hail to you Bill! Yes, it's rolled around again. celebrate with the movie.

3 Woody

I ordered a book online recently. It arrived. And along with it was a free copy of Woody Woodmansey's autobiography - Spider From Mars. It's not that great. I never would have read it but, hey - it's a free book! 

Half way through and it's okay - the usual and averagely written at that. No fault of Woody - he's a drummer. It's mostly about Bowie obviously. More particularly - a band member's take on Bowie and that has limited appeal to me. But, hey, it's a free book! It's a harmless drudge.

4 On yer bike!

I've been very disappointed by the decision not to back the Mayor London's plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street. Oslo hasn't looked back and the fact it hasn't happened in London is a profoundly short sighted decision.

5 Rejection
James Whatley recommended this Ted Talk on dealing with rejection - good enough for me! Spend a great 15 minutes!

Overtime Airport!!

Another JW link (chur bro): the new airport in Beijing in a photo essay. Yes, that's a person on the roof in the middle of that picture. As Bill Murray would say: Raz-zil Daz-zil.

Senses working overtime #178

1 Diving boards

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Seth Godin! Nails it! Take that leap! I did!

2 Poetry corner

One Day One day after another— Perfect. They all fit. Robert Creeley

3 John Cage's 10 rules for teachers and students

James Whatley is back into his newsletter (does anyone do one better?? Love to see that!). So this list came from a link shared by James. Welcome back dude. Much missed!

4 Thanks Mo

Ha ha - since 1970 there have been endless stories like this one - Let It Be (may, possibly, but who knows) set for re-release in 2020 (or not). 

Why it takes nearly 5 decades to release a film to an adoring Beatles public is beyond me.

I have a DVD bought online (sourced from Canadian TV if memory serves) and it would be GEAR to see it in pristine condition or heaven forbid - in a new expanded format. Come on Paul. Let it happen!!

5 David Crosby on tour in the UK

Great notices in The Guardian this week. I love his last few albums - and this is a great catch up from Rolling Stone.

Overtime - The aforesaid Macca's new one has one great song - Confidante

Senses working overtime #168

1 Perceptive essay on Star Wars anyone?

This one is worth reading (thanks James for the heads up)

2 Romelu Lukaku

Excellent autobiographical piece by the Belgium striker.

3 Goodbye CDs and downloads, welcome back - vinyl!

I have a lot of CDs, but I have even more records! I'm not sad about the prospect of buying less CDs and more vinyl!

4 Open offices? Hmmmm...

Interesting article.

5 Margalit Fox
Terrific piece on her retirement as an obit. writer.

Overtime - Candelas (thanks to Eleri)

Senses working overtime #130

1 How to walk out of the Louvre with a masterpiece

Excellent piece from the New York Times.

2 Steven Spielberg

Thoughtful piece backgrounding a PBS film about SS. 

3 Zinger!!

Found this list by Mary Cella on:

EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT ME, THE FEMALE CHARACTER YOU’RE FALLING IN LOVE WITH IN A ROMANTIC FILM/TV SHOW WRITTEN BY A MAN

via James Whatley's Five Things - hits plenty of bullseyes!!

4 Hit the road Jack
Goodbye to these tired cliches!

5 To do

I'm not a fan of the daily 'to do' list - this is not that! As the song says, it's something else: Da Vinci's 'what I want to learn' list via Austin Kleon's newsletter.

Overtime: Build
This song just keeps on, erm, building. 

The Housemartin original popped up on my YouTube notifications and, of course, that lead me back again to Zuni's stunning (STUNNING) version. I love Zuni!

Senses working overtime #126

1 Calm...breathe

I love this photo.

2 Jon Hamm

Fancy a nice catch up with Jon?

3 Jacinda

You have to leave home to see the country clearly. So The Guardian have today's NZ election spot on.

4 Stop chasing perfection

Loved this latest piece from Thomas Oppong.

5 Longitudinal studies
I'm a sucker for these things. Try this one on for size - it follows thousands of superbright kids for four and a half decades, and provides a how to guide on raising a high-achiever. 

Overtime: Crown shyness

I didn't know this was a thing. Read and see more here. It was the best thing on James Whatley's Five Things this week (great to have the king of weekly newsletters back btw).