5 Things I Consumed Last Week (back on 74)
on wing jones, balloon mania, dirge without music, invention of modern world and how to get your mojo back
Hello Nello!
I am very excited cause Jungle has released their new album Volcano and I am vibing to the song Back on 74 which expresses a bittersweet longing for a past time, coupled with a recognition that life inevitably changes and evolves. It touches upon themes of nostalgia, familiarity, and the human desire to find solace and a sense of belonging. Listen to it yourself!
Today’s issue is a cocktail of history, poetry, running and much more. Dig in!
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Wing Jones | Katherine Webber
I got this one in my book swap event last month and it was a real delight. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve read something so heartfelt, poignant and emotional – and witty in all the right places.
It is the story of fifteen year old Ghanian Chinese American girl who is finding her way to fit in and gradually picks up running after a family debacle.
I really like how Webber writes people. She manages to create conflict and conversations that feel real with a minimum of effort and exposition. Highly recommend if you are looking for getting out of a reading slump.
Themes: family, athletics, the 90s, teenage romance, mixed-race, discovering you’re secretly super talented at running
The Brief But Spectacular Era of Balloon Mania | George Dillard
A few hundred years ago, balloons were anything but a gentle, pleasant way to spend an afternoon. They were at the forefront of technology. They represented adventure, danger, and the drive to explore the unknown. They were vehicles that allowed people to, for the first time in history, ascend into the heavens.
Thanks to
for recommending this newsletter. A well-written piece on the history of hot-air balloons and their cultural significance. If page-turning was a concept for Substack, this is definitely one of them.
I was reminded of a book I read a couple of years back - "The Cloud Atlas" by Liam Callanan and of Fu-Go balloon bomb.
A Fu-Go or fire balloon is a hydrogen-filled balloon made of rice paper carrying a bomb was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II.
This book is the story of a bomb defuser set in mid-1940s Alaska. There is a love triangle, a confession, betrayals, all shrouded in mysticism.
Dirge Without Music: Emmy Noether, Symmetry, and the Conservation of Energy | The Marginalian
Universe in verse is my go-to links everytime I want to see some heart-warming animated poems. This poem is ironical to the bright flowers in the video since it was read on Emmy Noether’s memorial.
Born into a Jewish family in rural Germany in 1882, the daughter of a mathematician, Emmy Noether showed an early and exquisite gift for mathematics: this abstract plaything of thought, this deepest language of reality.
Read more about her contributions to the world of physics and her unwavering spirit to be the first woman as she became the first woman to give the plenary address at the International Congress of Mathematicians.
What the heck happened in 2012? | The Intrinsic Perspective
Do you also think at times when did we get so cynical about productivity? when did anxiety became a common thread of our lives? when did we become woke?
for us, for our decade, for our current vibe: what year was it established? When was the decade-defining great vibe shift? What was the first year of our particular world?
In this issue, Erik takes a turn at all these questions through some interesting graphs that denote 2012 as the inflection point. Like this
and this
You may be opinionated about causation or correlation but it is definitely a good read to understand the trend of the last decade.
How to get your mojo back | The Psyche
Do you feel blah? Not exactly suffering, but lacking interest and excitement? Do your days feel like a monotonous toil, akin to toothbrushing, but stretched over the entire day: same routines, same tiny annoyances? Are you unable to find motivation to do the activities that used to give you joy? If this describes your experience, then you may be going through a period of languishing.
A comprehensive and pragmatic guide on getting back on your feat if you are just feeling meh lately. Could also be a fun activity to just introspect obout this:
You might not find such a purpose for your life in one sitting. It can take years to crystallise. But it is worth putting effort into this, as identifying a mission worth fighting for can energise your existence, lift your spirits and give you clarity.
That’s all for this time folks! See you next week.
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The Hummingbird🌺