💐 GRATEFUL FOR:
- Coworkers who cook food for the office
- Ice Packs
- Heat Packs
- Deodorant
- Friends who dance
- Corner Booths
- Bright Socks
- Rollercoasters
- Board Games
- Songs with saxophones
- Thumbs
- Weather Reports
My answer:
- 🦉: I’m stoked. Owls are so cool.
- 🦉🦉: I think it’s a lucky day.
- 🦉🦉🦉: I’m buying a lotto ticket.
- 🦉🦉🦉🦉: I’m checking for cameras.
- 🦉🦉🦉🦉🦉: Changing my name & doing the squirrel scene from Rick & Morty.
🤖 A friend shared Astral Codex Ten’s overview of Moltbook (the AI-only social platform where AI agents are interacting together) and I highly recommend. Whether or not Moltbook is an augury of the future, I don’t know – but it really tickles me to read about.
💬 In Health is Membership by Wendell Berry:
If an ecosystem loses one of its native species, we now know that we cannot speak of it as itself minus one species. An ecosystem minus one species is a different ecosystem. Just so, each of us is made by—or, one might better say, made as—a set of unique associations with unique persons, places, and things. The world of love does not admit the principle of the interchangeability of parts… In the world of love, things separated by efficiency and specialization strive to come back together.
🎶 Mentioned this before, but I am becoming a fanatic for Durand Bernarr’s Grammy-winning album, BLOOM. He is a remarkable vocalist. Do yourself a favor and listen to one of these performances:
And I would love for him to do the hook on a hip-hop song.
✍️ Just dropped some new stanzas: bradley-andrews.com
(Due to formatting, I recommend reading on wide-screen or computer)
💬 A quote from Soren Kierkegaard for Valentines week:
“What is youth? A dream. What is love? The dream’s content.”
🎰 Apparently Drake placed a $1 million losing bet on the Patriots yesterday.
Still a better Superbowl for him than last year.
🗞️ A new dispatch from Mercury’s Playbook is out now:
These are the Mag Sevens, the Michael Jordans, Kendrick Lamars, Albert Einsteins, Warren Buffets, Serena Williams, or Mr. Beasts. Not just excellent operators, but undeniable winners… Just like the formation of actual astronomical stars, star performers are born within extremely unique conditions which, directly or indirectly, provide the materials necessary for their emergence. In astronomy, these environments are called stellar nurseries.
💿 3 additions to the CD collection from Generation Records in Greenwhich Village:
- Isley Brothers Story, Volume 1
- Teddy Pendergrass, Greatest Hits
- Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die
Just a digital note to record that I have waited all night, and am about begin, J. Cole’s The Falloff.
💬 From Hugh MacLeod:
“The market for something to believe in is infinite.”
✏ New Word Learned:
Skosh: a small amount, bit, smidgen
According to Merriam’s, “the word skosh comes from the Japanese word sukoshi, which is pronounced “skoh shee” and means “a tiny bit” or “a small amount.” The Japanese word was shortened by U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan after World War II. Later, in the Korean War, a small soldier was often nicknamed Skosh.”
🎵 Been trying to listen to all the Grammy winners and was wholly unprepared for how good Bloom by Durand Bernarr would be. 80’s and 90’s RnB fuzed with hip-hop, gospel, theatre, and jazz? Lyrically, he weaves in very modern themes of love and relationships without being gauche. Highly recommend.
🚕 If you use a rideshare app in NYC, the latest NBER study may save you $:
Among consumers who opened either the Uber or the Lyft app on a given day, only 16 percent opened the other. The report found that the average absolute price gap between Uber and Lyft was approximately $3.50, representing roughly 14 percent of the average fare price, with higher gaps for longer rides. Price differences exceeded $1 about 75 percent of the time, and the distribution of price gaps was relatively symmetric, meaning neither platform was consistently cheaper. NYC riders collectively forgo approximately $300 million in potential annual savings by not comparing prices between platforms. Consumers may benefit from comparing prices more regularly. The market could also become more competitive if there were increased access to price aggregators, reducing search frictions.
In sum—check Lyft and Uber before booking a ride.
💬 From The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt:
What prepares men for totalitarian domination in the non-totalitarian world is the fact that loneliness, once a borderline experience usually suffered in certain marginal social conditions like old age, has become an everyday experience.
It’s a good day to introduce yourself to neighbors. 🙂
🐢 Well, a random Youtube Animator has made the coolest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaptation since the originals. No AI was used.
🔭 In 1609, Galileo made six watercolor paintings of the moon for his book, Starry Messenger, from one of the earliest iterations of a telescope. These paintings are the first realistic depiction of the Moon in human history and lie squarely at the intersection of art and science. Captivating, isn’t it?
🎵 I posted my Grammys predictions back in November. Here is how I did, along with some thoughts:
Record of the Year:
- Wish: Luther by Kendrick and SZA
- Predict: DtMF by Bad Bunny
- Actual: Luther by Kendrick and SZA
Album of the Year:
- Wish: Let God Sort ‘Em Out by Clipse
- Predict: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS by Bad Bunny
- Actual: DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS by Bad Bunny
Song of the Year:
- Wish: Luther by Kendrick and SZA
- Predict: Golden from KPop Demon Hunters
- Actual: Wildflower by Billie Eilish
Best New Artist:
- Wish: Leon Thomas
- Predict: Leon Thomas
- Actual: Olivia Dean
Producer of the Year:
- Wish: Sounwave
- Predict: Dijon
- Actual: Cirkut
Pop Solo Performance:
- Wish: DAISIES by Justin Bieber
- Predict: Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
- Actual: Messy by Lola Young
Best Pop Duo:
- Wish: Defying Gravity by Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
- Predict: Defying Gravity by Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
- Actual: Defying Gravity by Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
Best Pop Vocal:
- Wish: SWAG by Justin Bieber
- Predict: Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter
- Actual: MAYHEM by Lady Gaga
Best R&B Performance
- Wish: Folded by Kehlani
- Predict: It Depends by Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller
- Actual: Folded by Kehlani
Best R&B Song
- Wish: Folded by Kehlani
- Predict: Folded by Kehlani
- Actual: Folded by Kehlani
Best Rap Performance
- Wish: Chains & Whips by Clipse, Pusha T & Malice ft. Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell
- Predict: Chains & Whips by Clipse, Pusha T & Malice ft. Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams
- Actual: Chains & Whips by Clipse, Pusha T & Malice ft. Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell
Best Melodic Rap Performance
- Wish: Luther by Kendrick and SZA
- Predict: Luther by Kendrick and SZA
- Actual: Luther by Kendrick and SZA
Best Rap Song
- Wish: The Birds Don’t Sing by Clipse
- Predict: The Birds Don’t Sing by Clipse
- Actual: TV Off by Kendrick Lamar ft. Lefty Gunplay
Best Rap Album
- Wish: Let God Sort ‘Em Out by Clipse
- Predict: Let God Sort ‘Em Out by Clipse
- Actual: GNX by Kendrick Lamar
Couldn’t be more thrilled for K-Dot to become the most Grammy-decorated rapper of all time, even if Clipse’s comeback was overlooked by The Academy. Kenny and his team were pure class acts onstage and looked fantastic on the carpet. He keeps the West Coast proud and, as far as I’m concerned, has sealed his place among the greats forever. If you know me, you know I am very happy with this outcome.
Similarly, Bad Bunny deserves his wins and every time he pops up in public, I like the guy more. I found his acceptance speeches to be both bold and inspiring. We are all in for a very Latin-American Superbowl. 🕺
It become obvious to me about a month ago that Olivia Dean was going to win the best new artist. She is everywhere these days and deserves to be so, even if I think Leon Thomas might be new RnB’s next wunderkind. Lady Gaga’s performance was next level. My only serious complaint was that Justin’s SWAG was horrendously snubbed. The album contains some real art, and the man reinvented his sound for the album and created a project that was so much more mature, artistically and sonically, than we’ve ever heard from him. His performance is apparently polarizing, but it was honestly my favorite of the entire night.