Links
Figured I should start the summer off right by getting the links out on the normal day.
Tomorrow is the Champions League final. After a lengthy absence from the elite, Juventus is back in the title game after a surprise run through the knock-out stages. They were my first favorite European team; I adopted them after the 1994 World Cup because so many of Italy’s best players were on the Bionconeri. I followed them closely through their glory days of the ‘90s and into the early ‘00s, but after they were involved in a massive scandal that included possible match fixing, I shifted my loyalties to the easier-to-follow Arsenal of the Premier League. But it is awesome that Juve is back on the biggest stage of European club soccer. Maybe, just maybe, they can pull the huge upset off.
Grantland’s Mike Goodman looks at the inventive way in which the club has assembled a fantastic roster of players.
Find a Free Pirlo: How Juventus Built a Champions League Finalist on a Budget
Wait, “West End Girls” was hip-hop? That’s what Kenneth Partridge argues at the AV Club. If he’s right, that makes it the first hip-hop track to hit #1 on the Billboard charts.[1] Regardless, I’ve always thought that was a hell of a song. I love that slow intro, where the synths ease up until that unforgettable bass line drops.
With “West End Girls,” Pet Shop Boys set a high standard for U.K. hip-hop
Top 20 One-Hit Wonders of the 90s? Sure. Can’t argue with #1, which is just a fantastic song.
There’s been plenty about Bruce Jenner’s transformation into Caitlyn Jenner. Joe Posnanski takes a fine track, explaining how the legend of Bruce came about to a generation that has no idea what he stood for back in 1976.
As usual, I was about three weeks behind in my viewing of The Americans this season. And now I’m about three weeks behind sharing my thoughts on the season once I finally got to the finale.
Simply put, it was another phenomenal season. It was likely the most intense of the show’s three seasons. There were at least three moments that were utterly shocking and unforgettable. And the season ended with a first-rate cliff hanger that fans of the show will be wondering about until next January.
It’s such a shame so few people watch The Americans. It’s wonderfully written, expertly directed and produced, and every single character is well developed and beautifully acted.
There were several excellent summaries of where the show went over the most recent 13 episodes. I liked this recap of both the finale and the season as a whole.
Spies in the House of Love: Lies, the Limits of Honesty, and ‘The Americans’ Season 3 Finale
The Internet has turned us all into gearheads of one kind or another. If you have a hobby, chances are there is a subculture of sites on the web that provide folks the chance to answer the question “What’s in your bag?”
As I read more about photography, I’ve certainly gotten sucked into that world. Along with the constant virtual window shopping for more gear to add to my bag.
In this article, which is framed as a review of Fuji’s X100T camera, Randall Armor shines a light on the gearheads and implores people to stop worrying about what’s next and spend more time appreciating what they have. Good advice whether you are into photography, golf, or techie gadgets.
The Myth of More can get in the way of being inquisitive and thoughtful about what is right in front of you, right now. You can use whatever gear you have to examine your own astonishingly varied, nuanced and personal universe, the one all around you and the one that exists uniquely inside your head. Pictures and ideas are around us and in us, everywhere, all the time, but because we often become so obsessed with the tools that record them, we all too often never get to create them, let alone see them.
The Myth of More (Not Just Another Fuji X100T Review)
Finally, this is a lake weekend for us. I’ve always been a little skittish in water where I can not see the bottom. Watching this video, taken in Jellyfish Lake on the island of Palau, sure doesn’t help. At least it’s beautiful.
- As he points out, “Rapture” is disqualified for only having one rapped verse. ↩