Weekend Reads: Tiger King, Gundam, Minecraft, The Twilight Zone, Goats
Recommended weekend reading material for April 4, 2020.
Every week, I compile a list of interesting, thought-provoking, and enjoyable articles, blog posts, and reviews. I hope you’ll find they make for good weekend reading material.
Tiger King has been a massive hit for Netflix, but Alissa Wilkinson is troubled by the popular series’ approach to its story and characters.
As with some reality TV shows, the goal isn’t to let us look into others’ lives. On Tiger King, it’s to let us judge them for being weird and thereby feel better about ourselves. It taps the same impulse that used to drive people to freak shows at carnivals: Through their supposed abnormality, we feel normal.
I’ve been a fan of mecha-based anime for many years now, but to my shame, I’ve never watched any Gundam, arguably the most famous mecha-based anime of all time. So I feel like this guide to the franchise was written just for me.
Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most iconic mecha franchises of all time, but it’s also been going on for so long, and in so many different forms, that getting into it can seem incredibly intimidating. But if you’re looking for shows to binge-watch that are full of rad robot action (and little horror of war, as a treat), here are a few interesting — and occasionally wacky — entry points to try.
A really ambitious nerd has created a scale version of the entire Earth in Minecraft.
PippenFTS has started a collective project called “Build The Earth” to get other Minecraft players to decorate the Earth with man-made structures, and also create an edge for the borders, fulfilling the centuries-old myth of being able to sail off the edge of the Earth. PippenFTS is hoping players will download the mods, rebuild specific areas in 1 to 1 scale, and then join them all together at the end using map editors.
Watch a video explaining the project.
Geoffrey Reiter considers two classic episodes of The Twilight Zone and what they have to say about the value of books and reading.
[W]hile each of these episodes draws attention to its protagonist’s reading habits, the contrast between the characters’ respective approaches to reading could not be greater. In examining this contrast, we can better understand Serling’s wisdom in pointing us toward reading not just as a recreational pastime but as a possible site for the cultivation of virtue.
The Arts & Faith community has released a list of their top 100 films of all time.
This list of 100 greatest films seeks to capture stories that, bathed in artistry and cinematic talent, mean to experiment with recurring spiritual motifs and questions presented throughout human experience. These films illustrate stories expressive of history and faith, struggle and reconciliation, family dynamic and fellowship, and more.
Some of the directors spotlighted include Andrei Tarkovsky, Krzysztof Kieślowski, the Dardennes, Akira Kurosawa, and Hayao Miyazaki.
During times of crisis, it’s helpful to find constructive, creative outlets for your stress. It can be writing a journal or, if you’re a web developer, working on your website.
[M]y point is that your website is quite literally an outlet. While you’re stuck inside, your website is not just a place you can go to, it’s a place you can control, a place you can maintain, a place you can tidy up, a place you can expand. Most of all, it’s a place you can lose yourself in, even if it’s just for a little while.
Or, to quote Ethan Marcotte, let your website be a worry stone.
Alan Lightman suggests that the coronavirus may force us to live our lives differently — and not in a bad way.
In bad times, innovation can occur in habits of mind as well as in new technologies. The frightening COVID-19 pandemic may be creating such a change now — by forcing many of us to slow down, to spend more time in personal reflection, away from the noise and heave of the world. With more quiet time, more privacy, more stillness, we have an opportunity to think about who we are, as individuals and as a society.
Via NextDraft.
A group of reporters in my former hometown of Omaha, Nebraska spent a day exploring how the coronavirus has impacted life in the city.
We found a city unsettled by what’s happening and frightened of what’s next. Grocery store shelves are empty; homeless shelters are full. School buses are gone; Amazon trucks are everywhere.
In a span of 24 hours, we found emotions leaping from one extreme to the next. From resilience to anxiety. Sorrow to inspiration.
Here’s a fun bit of personal trivia: My family raised goats when I was a wee child. So naturally, I found this Twitter thread about goats taking over a Welsh town that was social distancing particularly delightful.
Earlier this week, I posted a new Spotify playlist for paying subscribers only. It’s a deep dive into the music of Darla Records, one of my favorite music labels over the last two decades. Accompanying the playlist is my latest song breakdown podcast, focusing on “Fourshadowing” by Junior Varsity KM.
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