The Physics of Riding a Bicycle, Turning Reading into a Game, Pencil Typography, Wes Anderson, etc.
In which I share a local fundraiser, as well as reminders on leading a life worth living and more.
👋 Hi. I hope you had a great week. I hope this one is even better.
🌞 Behold, the glory of the sun, composite photos made using a custom-modified hydrogen alpha solar telescope. “The combined data from over 90,000 individual images was jointly processed to reveal the layers of intricate details within the solar chromosphere.”
🦆 Some RetroDuck news. Our friend and local publican Mike Kruger was recently interviewed (as he tends to be quite often), but misidentified as the owner of “Chunky’s Pub.” In the spirit of April Fools’ Day, we are printing Chunky’s apparel, designed by Media Advantage. Crunchy’s, I mean Chunky’s, will be donating proceeds to Haven House of East Lansing, as well as the Spartan Strong Fund. Get your merch today.
✉️ This letter from a dying mother to her daughters may or may not have wrecked me this week, but it is very much worth the read. “My sweet babies, I do not have the answer to the question of why, at least not now and not in this life. But I do know that there is incredible value in pain and suffering, if you allow yourself to experience it, to cry, to feel sorrow and grief, to hurt. Walk through the fire and you will emerge on the other end, whole and stronger. I promise.” A reminder to lead a life worth living.
🚲 If you truly want to learn the physics of riding a bicycle, this interactive site is your best bet.
🕹 A rather thorough history of Pong. “Pong proved that there could be a market for a video game industry. It demonstrated that there could be companies and whole ecosystems based around video games.”
✏️ Apparently pencil typography is a new interest of mine.
🐟 Did you know that Lent is the reason we have the Filet-O-Fish? “The sandwich was invented in 1962 by Catholic businessman Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in Cincinnati; his store at 5425 West North Bend Road was in a predominantly Roman Catholic neighborhood, which led to falling hamburger sales on Fridays resulting from the Roman Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays.”
📚 On Will Evans, an “accidental entrepreneur” and book publisher. “From 2018 to 2022, its budget increased by 2,000 percent. Last year, Deep Vellum sales cracked $1 million. It has published more than 1,000 books in 70 languages by authors from 100 countries and every continent except Antarctica. Evans says it has more books in translation than any other publisher in history.”
📕 Not that I need another copy of The Hobbit, but a new version including over 50 sketches by Tolkein is making its way to bookstores this September.
📖 On turning reading into a challenge, or game. “Now, however, I have a little percentage tracker on my home page, Goodreads friends applaud my progress each time I finish a book, and it feels … strangely comforting.” Whatever works, and whatever you enjoy. Here is some more advice on reading I found years ago.
🎬 Via my mother comes news that Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City is coming to theaters this June. As my friend Eric said, “Tom Hanks leaning 100% into the Wes Anderson aesthetic has the potential to be my favorite movie ever.”
📼 Brandon Trones of Thought Catalog on why we need video stores back. It is my opinion that Netflix essentially killed the video store without adequately replacing it. Perhaps Blockbuster will make a comeback...
❓This is Jeopardy! is an upcoming podcast that will be hosted by former contestant Buzzy Cohen, who “will guide listeners through the six-decade history of the game show featuring contestants and producers. It will include hours of archival tapes as well as Cohen’s own perspective having won on the show.” Launches April 26.
🎶 Eyes of Love is a 70s soul record by then-inmates at a correctional facility in Virginia. It has recently been discovered and distributed by a small label out of Chicago and can be heard on Spotify. “While incarcerated, one of the group's members managed to form a relationship with Milton Hogue, owner of Bohannon's Records And Tapes in Richmond. After arranging a special visit, Hogue brought a mobile recording studio to the jail and they were granted five hours to bust out an eight-track session. Therefore, every track on the record was recorded in just one take.”
🎼 Paul McCartney on “Blackbird,” his classic Beatles recording, and its classical roots (Bourrée in E minor, which classic rock completists might also know because of Jethro Tull).
🏄 When Seiichi Sano was 80 years old, he climbed Mt. Fuji. At 89, he’s catching waves. It’s never too late to lead that life worth living.
❤️ That’s all, folks. I will talk to you next week. Until then, remember to keep the Hoping Machine running.
Love,
Luke
