cheery tomatoes

[boxofdelights]

I'm reading Hannu Rajaniemi's Summerland, which is excellent so far. I hope it sticks the landing.

I found the last Season of Elementary very satisfying.

I'm watching Years and Years, about a British family living through a very believable, increasingly dismal and frightening fifteen years from 2019 onward; and listening to Stephen Pinker's Enlightenment Now, which argues that human life just keeps getting better, and, as long as we live by the principles of the Enlightenment, will continue to do so.

And last week I saw Vienna Teng at Boulder's eTown Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjRdvozIcsg
Vienna Teng starts at 1:13:03. She's magic. The kid who opened for her has a lot of potential.

Comments

[bibliofile]

I liked Summerland -- even the ending!

Yes, satisfying is a pretty good term for the end of Elementary. I don't even need to watch reruns, anymore.

tomatoes!

[bibliofile]

Forgot to ask: how do you use your dried cherry tomatoes? They're so tasty and plentiful right now, but the season will end any week now.

[seascribble]

Vienna Teng is so fucking good.

Re: tomatoes!

[boxofdelights]

Pizza! Like a mouthful of summerland.

[boxofdelights]

So good.

[sasha_feather]

I'm curious what you think of Pinker, as he seems to be quite controversial.

[boxofdelights]

Well, he's not one of those reactionary assholes like Jordan Peterson. He's arguing that liberalism and the Enlightenment are good because they have increased human well-being, and he is explicit about the fact that human well-being has to include all humans or it is bullshit. He doesn't argue that a rising tide will lift all boats: if something increases human prosperity but doesn't decrease inequality, then it is not good enough.

My main argument with this book is that it doesn't take seriously the possibility that progress -- measured by increased human well-being -- has damaged the ecosystem enough to take away all of that increase and more.

[under_the_silk_tree]

I really enjoyed Elementary last season as well. The dried tomatoes look delicious.

[notasupervillain]

MAIL THEM TO ME