Chris Brooks Newsletter 038
Ah early June where the sunshine lights up the days and the cool night weather keeps our sleep comfortable. Not really this year! We've finally ended (for now) what felt like 6 straight weeks of cold rainy weather, including some serious rainfall and flooding in the Keuka Lake area. The lake rose to levels we've rarely witnessed (lake level is managed through flood gates that empty into Seneca Lake) and our gully has been... active.
1. 🚘 Where I've Been Traveling
We had a chill May getting things settled here at the cottages. Two couples visited us, I played some golf when the weather allowed, and we both continued our part-time work in our better-suited-for-cold-weather grey cottage. I did some bird watching in some local vineyards, played some Combat Commander: Europe with Allen, embarked on another vibe coding expedition, and journeyed to Erie PA for some face time with my patient and extremely helpful (blunt at times) golf coach Erik.
In early June we flew out to SFO for a long weekend in Napa. Great family time.
2. 📖 What I've Been Reading
Articles:
The Demise of the Penny? -- good economics view on pricing and efficiencies.
The Indiana Pacers Will Kill You With Weirdness -- so enjoying watching the NBA playoffs this year and managed to catch all of the final second madness in every Pacers game so far. I gave them zero chance of beating OKC but now it looks... possible.
Every CEO Is Writing the Same AI Memo. Here's What They're Really Saying.
AI-assisted coding for teams that can't get away with vibes -- great advice for those that are still actively working in the field, building software with teams.
My AI Skeptic Friends Are All Nuts -- summarizes most of the talking points I'm using when engaging with skeptics.
DOGE Days -- surprisingly pleasant mini memoir from a software dev who went to work for the VA during the DOGE days (are they over?).
5 Short Stories from My Life: Hope, Fear, and Technology -- sometimes different worlds you are part of that seem very distinct can collide head on. I was an early Nerd Fitness member (Steve Kamb is the founder) and he's firmly in the Chasing Scratch community (of which I'm also a member).
How One Writer Uses Epic Walks as a Creative ‘Operating System’ -- I'm currently reading Craig Mod's memoir Things Become Other Things.
The Real War Will Never Get Into the Books -- This from one of my all-time favorite history podcasters.
Just about everything in Simon Willison’s Weblog is so good and I'm finding I read at least one his posts start to finish every day.
Which Music Stars are Being Forgotten the Fastest? -- This aligns with much of my sense of artists from the 60s - the forgotten ones I feel like I saw repeatedly at state and county fairs in the 80s (Garry Lewis and the Playboys, Grass Roots, Turtles, etc.). But Carole King?? Come on. And if I asked you "how many top 40 singles did Rick Springfield have?" would you say 5? 7? How about 16!!?
Books:
I will finish Wind and Truth in a day or two. Seriously. I promise. This book is so much fun. And it is very long.
3. 🍿 What I've Been Watching
TV Shows:
Landman -- Billy Bob Thornton makes it worth watching but I think I'm done with Taylor Sheridan dramas. Too much outright false soliloquies and political grandstanding.
Mobland -- this is the good stuff. As Billy Bob is to Landman, Tom Hardy is to Mobland but he has a much stronger supporting cast. Pierce Brosnan! Hellen Mirren!
Murderbot -- started this series with friends Jim and Jill as we are all fans of the novels. I'm not sure how I feel yet; hoping it improves. Just feels a bit flat.
Your Friends and Neighbors -- really enjoying this because Jon Hamm is playing more than a caricature of ... Jon Hamm (or maybe Don Draper?). His base character is the same wealthy / confident / handsome archetype we are used to with him, but under the surface there's more. Recommended.
Movies:
Julie and I watched the faux documentary Culloden in preparation for our coming Scotland trip. I felt like a Monty Python sketch was about to break out at any moment, but it was actually pretty good. 30 minutes longer than it should be.
We've been absolutely loving (re?)watching Mission Impossible, 1-7. Maybe I saw all of them before, or maybe just 3-4 of them? Seeing them in close proximity is worth it. I get tired of the face mask MacGuffin but that's part of the gimmick.
4. 🎶 What I've Been Listening To
Music:
Speaking of Mobland, the theme song is by Fontaines D. C. and has a good hook. Good enough that exclusive album club co-collaborator Jim recommended their album Romance and it is very good. It was nominated for best rock album Grammy this year and it is a shame that the good-but-totally-not-inventive Hackney Diamonds beat them out. This album is a Radiohead / The Clash / Coldplay mashup that feels fresh. Long live Rock'n'Roll.
Podcasts:
Song Exploder had Curt and Roland on to chat about Tears for Fears' “Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and it is magical. I never really knew what the song is about. Now I do.
Also on Song Exploder, a replay of Jeff Tweedy on How to Write One Song . I read the book and still plan to write at least one song.
5. 🎮 What I've Been Playing
Still enjoying my Baldur's Gate 3 second playthrough, exploring some areas I didn't get to the first time around.
Played some games while Jim and Jill were here: Jump Drive, Wingspan, and Res Arcana. Anxiously awaiting the next Wingspan expansion announcement and hoping for Africa.
6. Yearly Theme Update
2025 is the year of strength for me. How is it going? Overall really well, especially compared to last year. I'm sticking to my pushup routine, and other than my week backpacking in Patagonia I haven't missed a 3 workout/week yet. Three big keys are making this happen:
My pushup group accountability partners where I checkin daily
My home gym at Keuka Lake
Honorable mention to Planet Fitness.
Time and attention are finite, and I'm afraid my gym time is taking away from some of my cardio time. I'm walking a lot but not running much, and not getting in the high intensity work I need. Maybe a second half of the year goal needs to be be working in balance on these two.
-Chris