Bird Mail: 009
Close Encarta
I was a weird kid—who grew into a weird adult—and I spent a lot of my free time with my nose in a book. I soaked up factoids about an odd range of subjects: cetaceans and pinnipeds (whales, dolphins, seals, etc.), the civil and Vietnam wars, sociology, and space. My parents didn’t have a classic, bound, encyclopedia set, but what they had was a beige Gateway with Windows 95 and Microsoft Encarta on CD-ROM.
I could type any subject I was interested in and find all sorts of information about it, including videos, soundbites, and diagrams. What I enjoyed most about Encarta was the built-in trivia game, Mindmaze. In it, you navigated the corridors and chambers of a castle (of knowledge?) racing a timer to answer one question per room trying to earn points. The rooms were static images sometimes of an empty room or a dead end and you never actually interacted with anyone. There were blank maps you filled in and levels (of difficulty?) and points that seemed arbitrary and matches that I never could figure out and in all my years of playing I never once finished a game.
Before I was exposed to the internet, Encarta was my first encounter with hyperlinked information. I could follow the links to related subjects, diving deeper, and expanding my knowledge. It was exactly how my brain worked and it’s what I love about the internet today. I can explore the fringes of topics and find connections that other people have made, and make some of my own. But the internet comes with its own mess of problems and sometimes, I miss Microsoft Encarta.
Made to be Broken
Michael Lewis, the author of math and finance books that make excellent movies has a small batch of podcasts about fairness in America. Against the Rules is a look at referees, the places rules do and don’t exist, and what happens when they’re broken . I particularly enjoyed The Alex Kogan Experience episode for its grammar sections (the last few minutes of it are amazingly nerdy). Alan Jacobs’ Snakes & Ladders newsletter highlighted a different set of rule breakers, the protestors in Hong Kong who are breaking from traditional protest methods. Jacobs even drew a parallel to a work of dystopian fiction from a few years back, a tie I would have never seen. His newsletter is always full of unusual literary references and his own personal status board which is often filled with good book, podcast, and beverage recommendations.
No surprise here, the lawyers love my authenticity. They’re also sweating my drip, which includes a pocket Constitution tucked into my A.P.C. raw denim. Synergy is so important. #SponCon
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Even though August is almost over it will still feel like summer in Austin for at least another month or two, so I’m going to take the advice of Noah and Kev and mix in a location and weather-based playlist from Tycho to finish my summer off right. Both of these links are best experienced on a larger screen.
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Reader Bobby sent over the newest project from Standards Manual and it was an instant pre-order to add to my collection. Parks is a collection of National Parks ephemera from the last 100 years and I cannot wait to page through all the old maps and posters from parks I’ve been to, and the ones on my list to visit. And if you need more National Parks in your life, snag these Field Notes and fill them with your travels. Of the nine parks Field Notes picked, I’ve been to six of them, and I think Cayla and I will be making a trip to Acadia National Park in the winter time at some point in the future. In keeping with the Public Lands theme, it is Smokey Bear’s 75th Birthday and Filson put a ton of stories together about Smokey and the efforts to protect our forests.
I would love to hear from you if you enjoyed any of these links, or if you have something you think I should add to my collection, feel free to reply to this email!
You friend,
Bruce