With the holiday last weekend, things have piled up a bit. So a veritable smorgasbord of interesting posts and articles to share with you this week.
Following up on our viewing of Back To The Future earlier this week, here is one ranking of the best movies of the summer of 1985. Just look at that list. I could be pretty happy with just these 10 DVDs for the rest of my life.
Ranking the Best Movies of the Summer of ’85, on “Back to the Future”’s 30th Anniversary
Any time someone talks to either Hall or Oates, I’m on board. Here John talks about the writing and impact of “She’s Gone.”
Q&’80s: John Oates on the Legacy of Hall & Oates’s ‘She’s Gone’
BTW, my top 5 H2O songs? “Say It Isn’t So,” “Out Of Touch,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),” “Maneater,”[1] and “Rich Girl.”
These lists are always fun.
20 Song You Might Not Know Were Covers
I love how sometimes even the biggest music fan can miss a piece of trivia about a huge song. For example, a good friend who is also way into music had no idea “Tainted Love” was a cover. And I had never heard that “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” was not a Cyndi Lauper original.
I’m familiar with Maciej Cegłowski’s computer work. I occasionally use his Pinboard bookmarking service. I had no idea until last week that he also is a fantastic travel writer on his personal site.
He is currently using Kickstarter to raise funds for his next big trip, Antarctica. Someone else linked to his campaign with links to some of Cegłowski’s best travel posts. I’ve been loving them. So here’s an oldie, and one that just dropped today about a part of the world I spent four years in.
I have never watched Amy Schumer’s show, but I’ve seen some clips on YouTube. And I almost always find them hilarious.
As a father of three daughters, while Schumer’s comedy may make me a little uncomfortable at times, I can’t help but think it’s another big moment in the battle to erase the double standards about female behavior and sexuality that causes so many problems in our society.
The Sneaky Power of Amy Schumer, in ‘Trainwreck’ and Elsewhere
A pretty cool look at the science that goes into attempting to get pictures of a black hole.
Forgive me for getting political…actually don’t. Screw that.
Guess what? A bunch of dumbasses who claim to want to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancies and abortions have refused to fund a program that has done exactly that. Why? Because it involves giving birth control to women for free. And, you know, if you give women free birth control, it might turn them into raging sex maniacs. It’s been proven. Or something. Oh, and I’m sure there were the obligatory assertions by the folks that voted against funding this program that it offended their religious sensibilities. Which is fine. Keep your daughters and nieces and other female relatives from getting birth control if it goes against your moral code. But don’t use that excuse to stop other women from getting it. Not if you really care about the welfare of women and babies.
Colorado’s Effort Against Teenage Pregnancies Is a Startling Success
Finally, we are in the midst of summer travel season. So here’s a primer on how not to be a dick to people around you when you fly.
How To Be A Good Person On An Airplane
- I know it’s popular to hate this song. I refuse to hate! ↩