# Town Hall #11: Downhill [^note]: [Subscribe to Taylor's Town Hall via email](https://newsletter.taylor.town). Last week I completed a [550-mile bicycle ride](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS/LifeCycle). It was hard yet rewarding. For those who've been waiting, my [nowify](https://github.com/surprisetalk/nowify) rewrite is officially public! It's in really rough condition, but I'd love to hear your initial thoughts. Anyway, I have a lot on my mind, but not much to say. My life is full and wonderful right now. Gravity is an ally when riding downhill. Feel free to [email me](mailto:hello@taylor.town) if you've got any major life updates. Consider sending me the best photo you've taken in the last month! --- ## New Writings - ☆ [Hogwarts had a Cafetorium?](/cafetoriums) - ☆ [they trap you in meetings because you do stupid shit](/stupid-meetings-stupid-shit) - [i pretended that i didn’t know any better](/pretending-not-to-know) - ☆ [IKEA-Oriented Development](/ikea-oriented-development) - ☆ [11 Ways to Shave a Yak](/shave-a-yak) - ☆ [Weeds & Bozo Explosions](/bozo-explosions) - [Nextdoor’s Heisensubscribe (And Other Dark Patterns)](/nextdoor) - [Put Your Reputation on the Deadline](/reputation-deadline) - [Why I Use Elm in 2023](/elm-2023) - [Self-Host Blog Images in Two Lines of Bash](/blog-download-images) --- ## Recommendations [^note]: You may skip to [books](#books), [images](#images), [videos](#videos), or [music](#music). [^note]: You can also scour my entire history of [book reviews](/books), [album ratings](/music), and [active podcasts](/podcasts). You may also want to [read about my rating system](/2-stars). ### Music {music} | | | | ----- | :------------------------------------------- | | ★★★★☆ | COVET :: _effloresce_ | | ★★★☆☆ | Swimming With Dolphins :: _Water Colours_ | | ★★★☆☆ | Sound of Ceres :: _The Twin_ | | ★★★☆☆ | Iglooghost :: _Lei Disk 「Radio•Broadcast」_ | | ★★☆☆☆ | Tomggg :: _Unbalance - EP_ | | ★★☆☆☆ | The Candlepark Stars :: _Shimmer and Gold_ | | ★★☆☆☆ | Redinho :: _Finally We're Alone_ | | ★★☆☆☆ | PeanutsKun :: _Walk Through the Stars_ | | ★★☆☆☆ | Machinedrum :: _Many Faces_ | | ★★☆☆☆ | Lights :: _Little Machines_ | | ★★☆☆☆ | Drive Like Jehu :: _Yank Crime_ | | ★★☆☆☆ | Cartel :: _Cycles_ | | ★☆☆☆☆ | Feu! Chatterton :: _Palais d'argile_ | ### Books {books} - ☆☆☆☆☆ _White Noise_ by Don DeLillo :: This book produces a cool metanarrative about finding meaning amongst noise. It also made me chuckle in quite a few parts. I really liked the characterization of the main couple; despite its humorous takes, I think the story displays a lot of elements of a realistic healthy relationship. I only read one third of this book, because I'm a bit burnt out on modern/postmodern literature right now. It seems worth another try at some point in the future though. - ★★★★★ _The Grapes of Wrath_ by John Steinbeck :: This book is a passionate exploration of United States' culture. It brilliantly covers capitalism, hunger, determination, distance, inequality, crime, family, and xenophobia. I also loved the poetic flourishes littered throughout the story. The world would probably be a kinder place if everybody read this book. - ★★★★☆ _A Swim in a Pond in the Rain_ by George Saunders :: A collection of engaging short stories with helpful analyses and writing advice. The audiobook is read by an incredible cast: [George Saunders](https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/narrator/26961/george-saunders/), [Phylicia Rashad](https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/narrator/57827/phylicia-rashad/), [Nick Offerman](https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/narrator/241710/nick-offerman/), [Glenn Close](https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/narrator/43266/glenn-close/), [Keith David](https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/narrator/2254326/keith-david/), [Rainn Wilson](https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/narrator/223820/rainn-wilson/), [BD Wong](https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/narrator/230003/bd-wong/), and [Renée Elise Goldsberry](https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/narrator/2254327/rene-elise-goldsberry/). - ★★☆☆☆ _The Black Prism_ by Brent Weeks :: Decent fantasy story with a compelling hard magic system based on the light spectrum. - ★★☆☆☆ _Lucifer's Hammer_ by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle :: An extraordinary number of people hope for the world to end in their lifetimes. ### Videos {videos} - ☆ [Best of Opossum Lady](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtLrn2zPTxQ) - ☆ [POV: He fell asleep first at the sleepover 😂😂😂](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8n6BIvCToU) - ☆ [Frank Sinatra sings Lil Jon’s “Get Low” (AI Cover)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zoQeH2wQFM) - ☆ [Country roads let'sa go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOc8SrT8jbk) - ☆ [1 Hour Of Silence occasionally broken up by Lego Yoda death sound.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO8SeXh_LaA) - ☆ [Metal Pipe Falling in 6 different languages](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ0zJDz1G1M) - ☆ [OK Nintendo 64 (Radiohead - OK Computer / N64 Soundfonts)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1I0_bsjEsY) - ☆ [Party in the USSR](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSAg0F4X6ik) - [A Day at the Beach: Roaring 20s Footage Restored to Life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wZ9bGdv16g) - [Frog Concert - Slumbering Sounds of the Frog Fellowship (2023) (Comfy Synth, Experimental Synth)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deL-qzJjzfI) - [Squirrel with a Gun - Official Trailer - Summer of Gaming 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRiRyopVm6Q) - [Björk...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0IvN1FODFw) - [Sliding home enlarges with railed-walls, underfloor bed & tub reveal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-cdo0VJWag) - [No darling, it's not pomegranate.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL5_YhqDWYk) - [Nickelback and Ray Charles were not supposed to mix this well](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4mMXrjFr78) - [bionicle: choking hazard royale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECDJvpnR5Z4) - [Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro Is a Perfect Movie, and Here's Why](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tif-n3QpQgE) - [Tame Impala - The Less I Know the Better (Super Mario 64 Remix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIarqZXbbRg) - [I put a bit of wine in it \[Original\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLO3fmmsBKI) - ["I'm a Barbie girl" but it's a three voice fugue! 🎹 🎤 - Josep Castanyer Alonso](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsE7H6YPfco) - [Inside a Breathtaking Desert Mansion That Looks Like A Fossil - Unique Spaces - Architectural Digest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1TTiLx5IPc) - [10 Hours of Opossums Eating Bananas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qtby_7Ep1A) - [Crash The Car - KNOWER](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZlVT8gPGEs) - [eggdog hula hoop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjT4O9tPPko) - [Why Do Movies Feel So Different Now?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xEi8qg266g) - [Louis ck on russia and russian people](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl7Q2Z142Jg) - [Living in a Work of Art: Inside an Iconic Monolithic Home Designed by Architect Owners (House Tour)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sACyMOMAK5I) - [Harkness Insurance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OJyRusXfwA) - [every cigarette takes 17 minutes off of your life, every slice of bacon takes 9 minutes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T96V1uoSgwc) ### Images {images} ![ratatouille](/hen8zvpa2v2b1.jpg) ![quality is our recipe](/zAS9ER4.jpg) ![oof](/c12hy84pji3b1.png) ![stop doing math](/a26.png) ![sushi room](/aoxnjfm6rd6b1.jpg) ![cat face](/c256bv6dx56b1.jpg) ![surprising dice](/lwdxi32agb6b1.jpg) ![girl with a pearl latte](/0y63peyp4a3b1.jpg) ![stop doing p-chem](/rh6v9wnhlax41.png) ![life finds a way](/0hvcuz7qfe3b1.jpg) ![glitch house](/pyi9rm5i0z2b1.png) ![sit in jeans](/n9r9hv4wr46b1.jpg) ![i'll take that onion](/n9cl028sg86b1.jpg) ![meta claw machine](/2db15dsdv03b1.jpg) ![smooth dog](/2dy9vzxugi3b1.jpg)