Our weekly-ish roundup of things we watched, thought about, and did.
On the Site:
We had two new posts up that got lots of interest and sparked conversation:
- Creatine. Howard wrote a practical and hands-on piece about why creatine supplements are having a moment, and what, if anything, one should do in terms of using it.
- Dietary fiber. Paul wrote about dietary fiber, and why its health benefits are hugely underestimated. He talks about why we eat so much less than we should, how much our ancestors ate, and how it might be the poor man's Ozempic.
We have more coming up on both. Stay tuned.
Podcasts:
This week while exercising Paul listened to the new series from The Rest is History on genocide and ivory exploitation in the Belgian Congo, and how it inspired Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness:
- Horror in the Congo: The Nightmare Begins (Part 1) – The Rest Is History
- Horror in the Congo: The Crimes of Empire (Part 2) – The Rest Is History
- Heart of Darkness: Fear and Loathing in the Congo – The Rest Is History
Books:
Having recently finished Jeff VanderMeer's Annihilation, a strange, moody and atmospheric thing, almost Conrad-ian, Paul moved on to its nonfiction counterpart about colliding species. I am almost done listening to Alfred Crosby's classic The Columbian Exchange, about how the arrival of Europeans in North America led to a two-way exchange of viruses, plants, and animals that transformed both.
Music:
Here are Paul's five most listened-to tracks of the week, mostly while running (according to StatsforSpotify). Note: Paul has terrible taste.
- Tangerine - Remaster – Led Zeppelin
- Every Picture Tells A Story – Rod Stewart
- Fools in Love – Inara George
- Moonage Daydream - 2012 Remaster – David Bowie
- Evil – Interpol
Gear:
Paul's years-old ski touring jacket is finally showing its age, so, being a creature of habit, he just bought the same one again, which wasn't easy. It almost required having a jacket shipped from Japan. Don't ask.
Anyway, I now have a canary yellow version of the stupidly overpriced Burton AK 3L jacket, which, while intended for backcountry snowboarding, is terrific for ski touring. It is sturdy and loaded with thoughtful pockets, and the Burton AK 3L jacket remains my favorite.
Back next week with more updates and insights.
