what Dave thinks about movies, books and everything
When I was in Europe, many years ago, there were 2 artists I discovered who left a lasting impression on me. Although neither of their works fall into the category of “things I usually like,” learning about them helped draw me towards what they were doing. I admire their boldness and commitment to their ideals. […]
From the Funny Foxy YouTube channel, here are some items from hundreds or thousands of years ago that are amazing. See things from people you’ve heard of like Michelangelo and Galileo. And things you haven’t heard of like 1000-year-old windmills in Iran, a globe from 1504, and a hut made from mammoth bones. Very Old […]
Among the things we should get rid of in the 21st century? Monarchy. Note that I’m not talking about a specific monarchy, or specific people. Any specific monarch might be a nice person — that is irrelevant to my point. Regardless of their niceness, or usefulness, they should get off their throne. As for the […]
You might have wondered, particularly over the last 5 or 6 years, why incompetent people don’t realize they’re incompetent. For example, 88% of drivers think they’re better than average at driving — which is mathematically impossible. It happens with all kinds of things. And the people who are the least competent overrate themselves to the […]
From the people who brought you Information is Beautiful, now there’s Beautiful News. The subtitle is “unseen trends, uplifting stats, creative solutions.” The regular news is mostly bad, but there are good things happening in the world — things you should know about. Here’s the main page: Beautiful News There are lots of great infographics. […]
New Zealand has a unique and bold plan to phase out smoking. The smoking age will be raised every year — until it covers the entire population. Here’s The Damage Report on this topic: New Zealand Phases Out Cigarettes In Country-Wide Ban The video then moves on to a second topic, which is also interesting: […]
{5/5} “Sometimes a wrinkle runs through the city, and it rears up on its haunches like an ugly monkey ready to strike.” — Officer Don 3rd Rock from the Sun season 2, aired in 1996-97 Dick wants to tell Mary that he’s an alien, but Sally thinks it’s a bad idea. Sally’s having trouble understanding […]
{5/5} “Old of heart traveled to the town, and came back not just younger, but smarter and happier. Ideas radiated from the town: weaving machines, gearboxes and windmills, factory postures. Something new had happened in this place. It wasn’t the inventions. It was the people that Woodcarver had midwifed, and the outlook he had created.” […]
I’ve mentioned David Pakman before, as someone who has brilliant videos on US politics. Here he’s interviewing Amanda Montell, a linguist who’s written a book called Cultish. They have a fascinating discussion about cults, in which she brings up this term “thought terminating cliché.” It means a phrase that always ends the debate, and is […]
{5/5} “Excuse me, but there’s something about the thickness of your neck and the broadness of your shoulders that makes me think you’d be an agile hunter and provide well for our children.” — Sally 3rd Rock from the Sun season 1, aired in 1996 Dick, Sally, Harry, and Tommy are from another planet — […]