Prof. Ron Anderson writes at The Society Pages about the importance of thrust during the Covid-19 pandemic. He gives an overview of different types of social thrust that have been theorised by classical sociologists and how their insights may apply to our current situation.
DW Documentary published a short documentary about the use of a type of pesticide, neonicotinoids, which are now seen as the main cause of damage to ecosystems and death of bee colonies. The video shows the truly horrendous practices of Bayer Group, which sells these pesticides, in manipulating research and policy.
Matt Alt at The New Yorker wrote a great piece about the Walkman, “the gadget that taught the world to socially distance”:
Hosokawa noted how listeners used the devices to tame the unpredictability of urban spaces, with all of their unexpected intrusions and loud noises. Wearing headphones functioned both as a personal “Do Not Disturb” sign and an alternate soundtrack to the cacophony of the city. This was a new form of human experience, engaged disengagement, a technological shield from the world and an antidote to ennui. Whenever nerves frayed or boredom crept in, one could just hit Play and fast-forward life a little. One of the first Westerners to grasp the import of this new human capacity was the author William Gibson, a pioneer of the genre of science fiction called cyberpunk, who wrote years later that “the Sony Walkman has done more to change human perception than any virtual reality gadget.”
Listening now to “Sol de Manha” by MANdolinMAN, via Klara radio station.
Two new video’s I liked from Vox. Of course in their trademark style, but I gained interesting insights on some of the current events in the US:
A brilliant explanation video from Kurzgesagt which explains some of recent discoveries in “gut science” about the importance of our gut microbiome.
Listening to a brilliant playlist from Laani of The FullJoy Experience at Worldwide FM with afrofuturist music 🎶 See the playlist here:
In this show, she focuses on Afrofuturism spanning the whole musical spectrum, inspired by this article written by Jonita Davis ‘How Black Women Are Reshaping Afrofuturism’.
While listening to Klara radio I discovered this album of beautiful piano pieces by a 19th century Flemish composer Peter Benoit. Played here by pianist Jozef De Beenhouwer.