Sometimes the Internet provides an oddity or two that you just can't explain and, typically, it's more enjoyable without knowing anything further. VeryMan.expert is one such site. I've no idea why this exists and I don't really want to. It's weird in a way that could only exist on the Internet.

Does anyone have any historical data about Thursdays being the most stressful days at work? All the things you've been trying to accomplish seem to come to a head and really heat up on these days. Or maybe that's just me. So, in preparation for a relaxing evening of sitting around, here are some longer reads where you can be quiet and relax:

• Grantland Q&A: Errol Morris - a fascinating man and a helluva director.
• Unspooling 'The Wire' - an interview with creator David Simon on his most well known, still impressive, show. See also: Obama interviews David Simon
• How Chris Sacca Made Billions, Burned Bridges and Crafted the Best Seed Portfolio Ever - I'm always a little iffy on investor types so it's always curiously interesting to get insight on their specific personalities. No conclusions drawn from this, just interest.

• Adnan Syed’s story continues

  posted April 8, 2015 #

  new podcast the tells more of the story, including the present

It's officially official, the epic new album from Makeup and Vanity Set, Wilderness, is now available. The term "epic" gets bandied about alot but this album really does tell a story of large proportions - particularly emotionally if you're paying attention. It's a wonderful sonic journey - dark and foreboding in all the right ways. This Opus review has some praise for it that I can't disagree with:

While Makeup & Vanity Set's latest certainly has the same sleek, synth-heavy, sci-fi sound generally associated with dreamwave, it goes much deeper and darker than that. With Wilderness, Pusti has created a new benchmark for the genre, a record that's as sleek and soulful as it is synthetic and sinister.

You can hear the album, in its entirety, over on Telefuture's Bandcamp or fire up your preferred streaming music service - Rdio, Spotify, etc - to hear it there. Obviously I recommend picking up the vinyl version as well.

I have lots of gushing things to say about the happiness brought upon by being able to assist in bringing such great music into the world and getting to work with the likes of Caspar Newbolt, Joey Ciccoline and Steve Jenkins in the process. Now I just need to spread the word about its greatness.

hello old friend

This collection of Animal Eyes from Suren Manvelyan is entrancing. I recommend visiting the full gallery and slowly scrolling through - the details are what make the images compelling. That Llama eye is really something else.

If you're into that, you can browse plenty more eyes. Impressive is a halfway decent word to describe them all.

via Adam.

Free stuff: http://t.co/TcCWN0VSau

1984 (1956) Director of Photography: C.M. Pennington-Richards | Director: Michael Anderson http://t.co/gWFraNLbrp

A Legendary Redesign of Helvetica, Reborn After 30 Years http://t.co/4QHUcT6xtg via @WIRED

http://t.co/nPYNSQKBat

http://t.co/OXYjXMpczp

Here we go - the final preview track from Makeup and Vanity Set's new album Wilderness, "Remember." The track features Raul Panther and Gambler Kirkdouglas of Protomen so you know it's good.

Very excited for the release tomorrow. The vinyl is gorgeous, the film looks amazing and music continues to be incredibly compelling to me. Don't sleep on this one, go order it stat.

best

@yewknee @jedsundwall Steve & Steven: a conversation

As usual, Steve Albini has great insight on the recording and music industry. His piece The Problem With Music reknowned for its accurate skewering of the industry in the 90's. However, it's 2015 and the landscape has changed dramatically. Read his Keynote address from the Face the Music conference in Melbourne for his insight on where things are now. It is awesomely optimistic, much to the chagrin of the larger labels I'm sure.

Fans can find the music they like and develop direct relationships with the bands. It is absolutely possible - I'm sure it happens every day - that a kid in one of these far-flung places can find a new favourite band, send that band a message, and that singer of that band will read it and personally reply to it from his cell phone half a world away. How much better is that? I'll tell you, it's infinitely better than having a relationship to a band limited to reading it on the back of the record jacket. If such a thing were possible when I was a teenager I'm certain I would have become a right nuisance to the Ramones.

That's just one pullquote worthy of your time. There are literally hundreds more. Go read or listen to it now.

My question is, who is the Albini of the movie industry? My friends Austin and Jed point to Soderbergh, others Ted Hope. I don't have the answer but as you reach the end of this address it becomes clear that the old system - music industry or movie industry - is over. The opportunities presented to bands or filmmakers or any kind of creatives are in an enormous blooming period.

Maybe this is all obvious but Albini puts it in a framework and a language that I fully admire and enjoy. Please be sure to make it towards the back half of this talk, as that is when it really picks up full steam.

Over the weekend, we visited the Luxembourg & Dayan gallery on the Upper East Side - previously the home to The Mommas and The Poppas - to see this Alex Da Corte installation Die Hexe (The Witch). It was three floors of obtuse dreams manifested into full room set pieces. It was, to say the least, quite odd. It's the kind of New York Art Gallery pretentiousness that you want when you enter into an apartment building that's been revamped into an installation space. You can browse images of the nightmare scenarios over here but know going in that it's not so much the traditional nightmare - it's more subtle and strange than anything. A stripper pole with a cellphone stuck to it? Yep. An empty rocking chair with a stuffed animal rug? Okay. The basement of your grandmother's house with absolutely nothing odd on the shelves? Sure.

It was great. Go see it before it closes on April 11th.

The latest installment of Harry Says Yes features a pleasantly entertaining interview with Ross Wariner - aka Uncle Skeleton and half of Upright T-Rex Music. Topics such as suspenders, arrest records and the forthcoming backlash of country music are covered. In other words, it's all over the map in a good. Listen to it here.

single serving devices like this need to stop before they start

saw this crazy art installation this weekend. NY'ers, I suggest you partake

handy tool for Javascript debugging. If you're into that sort of thing.