Hi, hello, welcome back. Last week was my birthday and I turned 24! Crazy. Feeling v grateful and excited to see what this next year might bring.
Anyways— enough of that saccharine! Here are a few things I’d recommend this week:
"AI: Is It Out Of Control?" from Science Vs (podcast episode)
AI is definitely the tech fad of the moment, but it’s already having lasting implications compared to other trends (hi metaverse). This episode of Science Vs explores AI, its abilities (deepfakes, misinformation, and murderous chatbots, oh my!), and what an artificially intelligent future might look like. Kinda scary but quite interesting.
Desperate Housewives (TV show)
I recently started rewatching Desperate Housewives and I almost forgot how good it is. I first saw the show as an elementary schooler. You might say I had refined taste for my age (read: zero parental controls on my family’s Hulu account). Would highly recommend if you’re in the market for a new (or rather, new-to-you) show. The series creator, Marc Cherry, once pitched it as Stepford Wives meets Six Feet Under, if that piques your interest. Side note— the show was notorious for its on-set drama, as outlined in this 2005 cover story from Vanity Fair. And side note to the side note: the writing is very 2005, so bear that in mind if you choose to read.
"We Need to Talk About the New York Times with Tuck Woodstock" from You're Wrong About (podcast episode)
If you don’t already know, The New York Times is terrible in its coverage of trans issues. This episode of “You’re Wrong About” delves into the paper’s history covering them. The guest/expert for the episode is Tuck Woodstock, who sums up how the NYT writes about trans people like so: “What if you were writing a profile on someone named Janet and I was your editor, and I was like, ‘I’m sorry, for balance, find someone who wants to kill Janet’?”. Anyway, Tuck is wonderful and super thorough and has his own equally wonderful podcast, Gender Reveal (rec within a rec!).
Antique stores & markets (as a concept)
I hate owning the same things as everyone else. I just think it’s boring when everyone’s homes/outfits/etc look identical. I am being a slight hypocrite because I do absolutely love IKEA, the epicenter of mass-market furniture and decor. But I’m slowly moving out of my IKEA phase and into my antique market phase. Case in point: I’ll be going to the Brimfield Flea Market in July. It is apparently the oldest outdoor antiques flea market in the US. Which, fun! I feel quite geriatric for getting so excited over this, but I don’t care. Take this as your sign to browse an antique market or thrift store.
That’s all for this week. Bye for now~
xoxo Mia