Another excellent compilation of Nashville music. The variety of upbeat pop, soundtrack music, hip-hop and even an R&B soaked demo is a tough varietal grab bag to top.

I'm happy with the pace of new editions of the podcast and I hope you're enjoying the incoming feed of new Nashville music. There's no shortage of places to hear new music but I think you'll find these selections to be quite pleasing. Continue Reading...

I've mentioned him in passing a few times but I'd like to mark a proper callout to the work of YouTube'r Pete Peppers. His channel consists of recaps, questions, "Things You Missed" and general breakdowns of a handful of shows - Twin Peaks, Game of Thrones, Mr. Robot. His insights are thorough and insightful as he presents his videos in a straightforward edit. There's no talking at the camera, there's no god-awful jokes or any of the features that a YouTube channel typically consists of. I feel the need to point this out because it's surprisingly rare in the sea of YouTube to find such a gem.

I recently backed him on Patreon as a show of thanks but I urge you to just dive into his channel and pick a show you're familiar with - maybe the Mr Robot trailer - so you can get hooked yourself and follow along as episodes are released. It's an excellent indulgence for when you're looking to nerd out on a show.

Despite the somewhat click-baity headline, this Atlantic article posing the question Have Smartphones Destroyed A Generation? is a good read. As a non-parent, I often wonder about the decision making process that goes into "screen time" with extremely young adults and with teens. Given how much smart devices penetrate our lives, how does one decide what is too much? Particularly when the distinct activities are hidden from view.

It's not a question I can answer but the article does a scary job of laying out the harms of the smartphone and too much screen time. Is this the standard reaction of one generation looking back at the younger and declaring it's unhealthiness? Probably a bit of that but there's plenty of data and survey's that come along with the article that make it hard to argue that's the only thing that's happening. It's hard to pick out a single factoid from the article that summarizes that fear completely but this one was certainly impactful:

Teens who spend three hours a day or more on electronic devices are 35 percent more likely to have a risk factor for suicide, such as making a suicide plan. (That's much more than the risk related to, say, watching TV.) One piece of data that indirectly but stunningly captures kids' growing isolation, for good and for bad: Since 2007, the homicide rate among teens has declined, but the suicide rate has increased. As teens have started spending less time together, they have become less likely to kill one another, and more likely to kill themselves. In 2011, for the first time in 24 years, the teen suicide rate was higher than the teen homicide rate.

That is a sad and scary statistic if ever there was one.

I don't think anything in the article is meant to be instructive, nor do I think it claims to be too specific - these are broad numbers from surveys (not exactly the most trustworthy source of information). But, regardless, it's a topic worth considering given all the numbers. Personally, I don't think this stops at Teens or Youth, I think much of this could be applied to a much wider net. Something for us all to consider (and I'm not a Luddite, I just like to be cautious and aware).

She is giving you LOOKS, she is giving you STRIDES, she is giving you PUMPS, this girl is WALKING https://t.co/aQqiShVqp5

#mixingwithrollum again today and tomorrow #fun #synths #drums #Rollum… https://t.co/nu3U1zGIAt

We will be admiring and analyzing Twin Peaks: the Return for a long time. A show that once again redefined tv. Than… https://t.co/UDrgLyESnI

I want to be best friends with w everyone who commented in this thread. https://t.co/JrmXab11wB

always enjoy his insights

This is the water, and this is the well... https://t.co/lOAaHaqnjL

Never sleeping again after that scream from Sheryl Lee. #TwinPeaks

aside from all of the other things to love about laura dern, she has the best clavicle, it's like a suit of armor https://t.co/dD3HQsVrPc

This Uniqlo mannequin has more self confidence than I will ever have. https://t.co/9LnTIvNpB1

delight

Is it just me or have James Murphy's lyrics gotten a lot worse on the new album? https://t.co/12xOyFJS0Z

@yewknee found a Venom-Stormtrooper https://t.co/dlo7rOnBAw

A great moment in movie history is when Harvey can't recognize The Joker until he takes off his surgery mask. https://t.co/nFbS8qMn4F

22 seconds of enticement

supposedly "for women" but never let that stop you from buying a sock.

September already! It's both a song I like and a fact about today.

If you haven't already, please please donate to Harvey recovery. It's a mess down South and people need serious help. That's not a political statement but an honest plea to assist with the most powerful thing at your disposal, a few dollars.

Been juggling a bunch of projects behind the scenes lately and am getting excited to start sharing them publicly. On the flipside, I still haven't stopped making dumb websites inspired by tweets.

• Lynx Howls - I don't think I've ever heard the sound a Lynx makes and the reality of situation is, I wasn't ready for it. It's like a cat mixed with a cow mixed with a YouTube overdub.
• Final Fight Clear Video - did you know there are tons of Mario Maker videos of people defeating custom levels? Well, this poor soul invested 400+ hours into a single level and this video captures its defeat. The board is impressive but it's his elation at the end that is extremely satisfying.
• Win Butler Describes His Songwriting Process Step by Step - brought to you by ClickHole. I was completely prepared to hate this and quickly roll my eyes but he won me over with his immediate first statement.
• Donald Trump quotes said by Zapp Brannigan - Much like Zapp, our President is a dangerous moron with zero sense of the world around him.
• Inappropriate Use of 'Holiday Road' - it's a few years old but always good to see Lindsey Buckingham gently placed into a terrible situation. There's a whole series of these if you want more.
• "Humble" but almost every lyric is "syrup sandwiches" - a skillful edit of Kendrick Lamar.
• LCD Soundsystem "Tonight" - the new album is out today. I've yet to fire it up but I suspect it will be like this video; better on every re-watch.

Looking forward to the finale of Twin Peaks: The Return this weekend. I've been spending a lot of time with these Pete Peppers reviews. Lots of spoilers but if you're a fan of the show, they provide a nice platform for speculation and tying ends together.

What is this? I have no context and no idea where this captivating wizard came from