Roundup: July 4, 2023
Ooooh! Ahhhhhh! Arghhhh!
My beloved grandfather was born on July 4 in England. He always said that he had to emigrate because no one celebrated his birthday there. Independence Day was always a big holiday in my family because it was Grandad’s birthday and because of the pyrotechnics.
And then I married a pyromaniac, and, well, it will be loud around my house tomorrow.
Some Independence Days, we’ve had visitors from other countries, and they are usually astonished by the firepower in the alley. It’s the American way! John Adams even said so.
It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
—John Adams, in a letter to his wife, July 3, 1776
Here are other things to do this holiday:
Things to Read
Submersibles: The alarming story of cut corners in the development of Titan, the submersible that imploded a few weeks ago. While it’s cool that college interns designed the electrical system, it’s alarming that college interns designed the electrical system. (The New Yorker)
Boffo business goes bust: Remember Starter jackets? This history of the company that first made them, then blew up. It’s an old story and a good read. The brand is still around, under different owners. (Defector)
Things to Do
Experiment with ChatGPT: This week, I discovered that I could have ChatGPT write equations in LaTeX, a markup language that I have not yet mastered. Do I need to now? I found a handy cheat sheet with more ideas for using the chatbot. (.PDF file at Dartmouth University)
Things to Hear
Finding meaning: My husband has been watching Indy Neidell’s D-Day Hour by Hour YouTube series. We were talking about it, which brought up Band of Brothers, which led to Connor Ratliff’s excellent podcast Dead Eyes. It’s loosely about getting fired from a small role in Band of Brothers and specifically about finding your way through disappointment and absurdity. (Headgum)
2023’s best cover song: Country singer Luke Combs has a great version of Tracy Chapman’s Indie/Alternative hit Fast Car, which makes her the first Black woman songwriter to have a number 1 Country hit. (Spotify)