This is The Stuff That Pings Me: a curated, ongoing series about the stuff that makes me laugh or cry, makes my heart beat a little faster or takes my breath away. It’s the stuff I read, watch, listen to, and think about. Books, podcasts, films, music, quotes, articles, whatever.
What I’m Reading
Permanent Record, by Edward Snowden. Regardless of your politics and what you think about what Mr. Snowden did, I’d encourage you to read this book. He’s a phenomenal writer and mean storyteller. It’s part memoir and part history, part reflection on life and human connection. But it’s also a treatise about what happens to society when everything we do is remembered forever.
What I’m Watching
The Irishman. Three and a half magical hours from one of the greatest directors. Though it’ll show up in your Netflix queue soon enough, there’s two weeks left to see it on the big screen, as films like this are meant to be seen. And as a bonus, check out Maestro Scorsese’s New York Times essay on cinema here.
What I’m Listening To
This interview with Tim Ferriss and Liz Lambert. I love design and am fascinated by what separates an average or mediocre experience from a truly stellar one. In this interview, Liz talks about how she moved from the practice of law to renovating and designing phenomenal hotel experiences.
What I’m Learning
I stumbled across this method for making French press coffee the other week and it lives up to the title of “ultimate.” Short version: medium grind coffee, 30g coffee to 500 g water (I fudge it 🤷♀️), let sit for 4 minutes, stir crust and scoop grounds/foam from top, wait another 5-8 minutes (it’s too hot to drink now, anyway), and plunge very gently to just below the surface, using the screen of the French press as a strainer. The goal is to let all the silt settle to the bottom and not disrupt it (as the typical French press method does) as you pour.
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