You may be a f***ing tough guy, but I’m a crazy guy. The difference is crazy guys don’t give up.
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HBO's "Veep" is now over. It was a beyond stellar run. Creator David Mandel, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and team kept it awesome and fresh in the face of the craziness of the real world. A comedic herculean feat. Thank you.
(HBO)
Wednesday - May 22, 2019 Wed - 05/22/19
rantnrave:// COMCAST. That's right, Comcast is working on an in-home device that monitors your health. CNBC reports, "The device will monitor people’s basic health metrics using ambient sensors, with a focus on whether someone is making frequent trips to the bathroom or spending more time than usual in bed. Comcast is also building tools for detecting falls, which are common and potentially fatal for seniors... Comcast plans to offer the device and related service to at-risk people, including seniors and people with disabilities, but the timing, pricing, and roll-out plan have not been finalized." Comcast, the cable bundle people. It made me think of the irony of bundles collapsing only soon to reform as new bundles. It's happening in the OTT world already with add-on channels and services. And I expect we will see this a lot more with HULU, DISNEY+, the WARNER MEDIA service, and others. The concept of quantified-self has always intrigued me. How can we use technology and access to data to maintain and improve our health? Increasingly, we are seeing companies and apps around our health take center stage. HEADSPACE for meditation and mental well-being. APPLE making forays into this space with their native apps. I love my APPLE WATCH. I use it daily to track my steps and heart rate. I have a portable KARDIA ECG monitor. My glucose levels are tracked wirelessly through FREESTYLE LIBRELINK device and app. MYFITNESS PAL tracks calories and diet. Basically an app for anything you can think of. I haven't seen this yet, and maybe it exists, but what about the emergence of a new bundle. Not HULU with SHOWTIME or STARZ. But rather a bundle of apps to monitor and improve your health. In tiers, like any other bundle, where you can add specific ones a la carte for a good price. And my assumption is that at some point the use of these monitors and some contribution of data (in a privacy savvy way) will help to bring down your healthcare premiums. And to be fair, as MusicREDEF MATTY KARAS suggests, "my assumption is that at some point this technology and data will go directly to your insurance company as well as your doctor and will help to raise your healthcare premium and/or get you kicked off your insurance plan." Totally possible, but I'm going to stay positive for a second. We have physical maladies. Anxiety and sleep issues are at epidemic proportions. Using these apps and maybe even having doctors prescribe them can help us and society at large to be more mindful of the most precious of all commodities, our health, and well-being. I love HBO. You know that. I love NETFLIX. You know that. I love HULU, and SPOTIFY and on and on. And bundles of those are great. But the health bundle is the future... I like to let some things marinate. Be less reactive. Especially to my TV shows. Historically, a little distance and thought after watching often makes films and television better. I wanted to throw my Nikes through the TV at THE SOPRANOS finale. I now think it’s one of the best endings ever. I appreciated the profound and timely messages of GAME OF THRONES finale. I loved this piece in USA TODAY that delves in. My only complaint? I just needed it to be 3 hours. These were big topics. Worth more time. And I guess at the end of the day that's as much of a compliment as it is a criticism. Our friend MATT BALL has some issues, "Game of Thrones, like George R. R. Martin, has long focused on what comes from the decision to rule. Until the show's finale." He lays them out in the spoiler-ridden "Hot Takes: 'Game of Thrones' Betrayed Its Own Lessons on Power"... Happy Birthday to HOWARD HANDLER, SEAN RAD, REX SORGATZ, ALEX CARLOSS, and DREW LIPSHER.
- Jason Hirschhorn, curator
burgers never say die
Fortune Magazine
AT&T Has Become a New Kind of Media Giant
by Geoff Colvin
AT&T was not actually acquired by a company called Game of Thrones Corp. earlier this year, though consumers could be forgiven for wondering. AT&T cell phone stores across the land seemed to have been taken over by a vaguely medieval industrial behemoth that had filled them with the heraldry of House Lannister, House Stark, and other Westerosi factions, plus costumes, weapons, and -emblazoned smartphone cases, wireless chargers, and water bottles.
Los Angeles Times
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro is fighting the cord-cutting wave
by Stephen Battaglio
A year into the job, ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro has made some strides in stabilizing the sports network and finding new fans in the cord-cutting era.
Switched On Pop
The Smooth Sound of Morning News
by Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding
What do Bach and smooth jazz have in common? Both score the unmistakable theme song for NPR’s flagship show Morning Edition. This is undeniably pop music, a daily soundtrack to the lives of many. So why does it sound the way it does? And why, after forty years, why does NPR want to change it?
Psychology Today
RETRO READ: Love Lessons
by Hara Estroff Marano
Some of the country's most respected relationship experts have devised an array of courses that teach couples how to manage conflict without reciprocating, retaliating, or invalidating their partner. You and your mate have just had a fight.
Town & Country
Joss Sackler and Jillian Sackler Interview About Being Part of the Most Reviled Name in Philanthropy
by Norman Vanamee
Joss Sackler's husband and his family are accused of making billions off the opioid crisis. Does she get to be a rebel without a cause?
Esquire
Three Kings: Quentin, Brad, and Leo Take You Inside 'Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood'
by Michael Hainey
Director Quentin Tarantino and his headlining stars, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, get together for their first conversation since wrapping the movie.
REDEF
MUST READ: Fortnite Is the Future, but Probably Not for the Reasons You Think
by Matthew Ball
Much has been said about Fortnite’s revenue, users, business model, origin and availability. But these narratives are overhyped. What matters is what these, plus Epic Games, are collectively in the process of building.
Aeon Magazine
The red thread of obsession
by Elizabeth Svoboda
Evolved human capacities for vigilance and worry are both exacerbated and rewarded by the intense pressure of modern life.
Rolling Stone
This Is How Human Extinction Could Play Out
by Bill McKibben
Food-system collapse, sea-level rise, disease. In his new book “Falter,” Bill McKibben asks, “Is it Too Late?”
OneZero
The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet
by Yancey Strickler
Why the dark forests of the internet -- podcasts, newsletters, and other private channels -- are growing, and why might that pose a problem
25 degrees
Chicago Reader
Plugging into Chicago’s forgotten house venues
by Leor Galil
For decades, house music has shaped pop worldwide-but many of the spaces that birthed it here disappeared so quickly they barely left a trace.
Christensen Institute
'Free college': Why offering access to something broken does not make it better
by Alana Dunagan
“Free college” may score votes, but it doesn’t solve problems. Closing the gap between higher education and high-quality employment opportunities does.
The Guardian
My friend Niki Lauda was a street-fighter and a shining talent in F1
by John Watson
Niki changed people’s perceptions about motor racing, and his remarkable range of qualities will be sadly missed
The Washington Post
'MissionRacer': How Amazon turned the tedium of warehouse work into a game
by Greg Bensinger
Amazon’s experiment is part of a broader industry push to gamify low-skill work, particularly as historically low unemployment has driven up wages and attrition.
The Moment with Brian Koppelman
The Moment with Brian Koppelman; Jay Farrar -- 5/21/19
by Brian Koppelman and Jay Farrar
Musician Jay Farrar talks about his life in music, both as a solo artist and as a member of the critically-acclaimed groups Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt.
FiveThirtyEight
How Mapping Shots In The NBA Changed It Forever
by Kirk Goldsberry
Every year, NBA players take about 200,000 shots. Each season, 30 teams combine to play 1,230 games, and at the end of the regular season, you can bet the sum total of shots taken will be very close to 200,000. In the hands of a cartographer, a season’s worth of this shooting data is a veritable treasure trove of information.
USA TODAY
If facial recognition is good enough for Taylor Swift, is it good enough for you?
by Edward C. Baig
Facial recognition is spreading to where you live, work, shop and travel. What happens to the data? Would you trade privacy for safety?
Pacific Standard
The Many (Surprising) Health Benefits of Meth
by Troy Farah
In low, pharmaceutical-grade doses, meth may actually repair and protect the brain in certain circumstances.
The Verge
Faze Clan and Tfue's legal dispute could reshape e-sports and YouTube contracts forever
by Julia Alexander
The lawsuit could be a turning point for e-sports organizations.
The New Yorker
What “Game of Thrones” Could Have Taught Us About Electoral Politics
by Amy Davidson Sorkin
A show that had gained much of its strength from seriously considering the sources of a ruler’s legitimate power didn’t do so when a ruler was actually being chosen.
Forbes
Why You Should Never Use Airport USB Charging Stations
by Suzanne Rowan Kelleher
Stop! Plugging into that airport USB charging station could put your personal data at risk.
The Daily Beast
Is This the Future of Aquariums?
by William O’Connor
The multi-million dollar expansion of the Aquarium of the Pacific doesn’t just dazzle guests with technology--it shows them what’s at stake if they don’t take care of the planet.
MUSIC OF THE DAY
YouTube
"Surrender (Live at Budokan)"
Cheap Trick
“REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask ‘why?’”
@JasonHirschhorn


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