So What, Who Cares (vol 1, issue 40) Who's in the mood for a follow-up round-up?
Hello! As you all know, news keeps happening and things evolve over time. One of the questions that's popped up since I began So What, Who Cares is this: If I see something that would have been awesome for a previous issue of So What, Who Cares, what do I do with it?
The answer: I'll be doing periodic round-ups of links that tie right back into previously covered topics. Let me know if this format works for you, okay? (Tell me via email or Twitter.) Your feedback is what makes this newsletter useful to you.
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A scant one issue ago (vol 1, issue 39), I noted that punk culture appears to be having a mainstream culture moment, not unlike the last time the nation was grappling with rapid social change and economic uncertainty.
Naturally, hours after I sent that email, Martha Stewart Living ran a feature on how to throw a punk-rock children's party, since nothing says "reject mainstream culture and create your own" like sheet music-patterned chocolate fondant for cupcakes.
The real punk party is in the comments. I encourage you to read them.
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So remember how the Economist noted that the persistence of open-air urination and defecation was having a significant effect on some of India's rural populations? (vol 1, issue 8) One effort to curb this practice is the posting of "god tiles," or images of Indian deities. The idea here is that people who are planning on splashing their stuff all over the place might think twice if Kali is giving you the stink-eye.
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Final catch-up: I looked at whether or not modern fire-fighting techniques are actually good for the land the firefighters are battling to protect. (vol 1, issue 14) You can check the snaps that actual firefighter Gregg Boyston takes when he's not busy trying to make sure things don't burn up around him. The photos show the scope of fire in the wild and underline the bravery of the people who beat back the flames.
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Your pop culture note of the day: I have a weakness for explainer-type video series that whisk you through a subject and leave you a little smarter. For example, Ewan MacGregor and The Open University will take you through the history of western architecture in a scant 15 minutes. Another series I've been enjoying greatly are the We The Economy films, which exist solely to help you intelligently answer the question, "What is the economy?"
But don't let that be the only reason you watch the videos. Each one of the 20 short films is helmed by a different director -- Bob Balaban, Catherine Hardwicke, Adam McKay and Mary Harron among them -- and it's fun to see the different styles. I especially like how John M. Chu reduces the law of supply and demand to a dance routine.
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Did you miss an issue of So What, Who Cares? The archive is here. Also, there is now a topic index that tells you what was in each issue. If you're like, "I remember there was an issue with a gratuitious picture of The Rock, but when ...?" -- well, now you can find it. (It was September 4, 2014, btw.)
As always, I welcome your feedback and suggestions via email or Twitter. Always let me know what you think about So What, Who Cares? If you really like it, tell a friend to subscribe.