Your Mid-Week Experiment
Yes, I know I misspelled Uma's last name
Thank you to everyone who wrote me in response to last weekend’s essay to tell me I misspelled Uma Thurman’s last name. Boy, I have some stories about misspelling names I should tell you sometime, but right now we’ve got the mid-weeker for you with recommendations on things to read, watch, and listen to.
And by the way, welcome to all the new subscribers, and thank to a certain malevolent roadway for the shoutout. It was enough to push The Experiment to over 2,000 subscribers while keeping the open rate consistently over 50%. Thank you for opening the emails, folks. Means a lot.
Let’s get to it:
If you always suspected that the story about how the Tuohys and Michael Oher in The Blind Side was too good to be true, congratulations, your cynicism has been richly rewarded. (ESPN)
Made Southern Fried Corn, and it’s far, far healthier and lighter than you’d imagine. (New York Times Cooking)
The guy who said information wants to be free also said this: “The more information is free, the more opportunities for it to be collected, refined, packaged and made expensive. The more it is expensive, the more workarounds to make it free. It’s a paradox. Each side makes the other true.” (The New York Times)
Doing the right thing sounds simple — until you are faced with the choice and can tally the exact cost of doing the right thing. I thoroughly enjoyed this essay, especially the unexpected detour through Belarus. (Ryan Holiday)
This is the soundtrack to a great dinner party:
This is a terrific bit of writing about how a breakup song can hit so hard — even if you’re not breaking up with anyone. (Brontez Purnell)
Here’s the breakup song Brontez wrote about.
And here’s a song by Brontez!
I am on a text thread with E.J., S, M.M., F.S., and C.H. It was F.S. (as in FFS) who shared this Bratislavan ditty yesterday. I used to have a theory that Europeans shouldn’t be allowed to have electronic musical instruments until they could lay down an analog groove. This is the logical end point of my rightness. Its zenith, if you will. I have never been more right than I am right now.
We set up a merch table in the back where you can get T-shirts, coffee mugs, and even tote bags now. Show the world that you’re part of The Experiment.
We’ve also got a tip jar, and I promise to waste every cent you give me on having fun, because writing this newsletter for you is how I have fun.
Buy the book Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick banned from the Bullock Texas History Museum: Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of the American Myth by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and myself is out from Penguin Random House. The New York Times bestseller is 44% off and the same price as a paperback now!