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You Are What You Read 4

FYI: This is an old post from an old blog I kept in uni

A close shot of jacarandas in front of a sandstone building at the University of Sydney, on film

Because of a wedding (congrats Em and Euon!) and the general temporal disorientation brought about by exam season, this is like 24 hours late. These articles and videos have been a welcome relief; new information is the closest I’m getting to swanning around a different country, at least for now. So please, enjoy!

  1. Chinua Achebe: Why Google Honours Him Today
    • I first came across Chinua Achebe in a Lit Theory class last year. ‘An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness‘ was the first critical theory piece I enjoyed – Achebe’s writing is crisp and clear and engaging, carrying his passion and insight in a way that no other crit I’ve read has managed. This profile by Al Jazeera conveys all that and more.
  2. ‘Neopets’: Inside Look at Early 2000s Internet Girl Culture
    • This article is a banger. I love it. Excuse the grammatically incomplete title (An Inside Look?) and you’ll find a genuinely interesting piece that explores the role that Neopets (and other online RPGs like GaiaOnline, I’d say) played in developing a generation’s entrepreneurial and technical skills.
  3. Zimbabwe: What’s Happening?
    • Literally just what it says it is. Tensions have been escalating between Zimbabwe’s government (dictatorial, run by Pres Robert Mugabe) and its military since its Vice President was exiled last week. It’s still uncertain what’s going to happen, but news sites are calling it an “apparent coup.” You can also follow along on The Washington Post.
  4. How Do You Say ‘Email’ in Yiddish?
    • I’ve been watching The West Wing lately, and in Season 3 Toby and Bruno exchange the occasional remark peppered with Yiddish slang. Naturally, I’ve been looking up Yiddish. I came across this. It’s great.
  5. Is Mark Zuckerberg Facebook’s Last True Believer?
    • Good question. Read the article.
  6. When Your Uber Driver Brings A Time Machine
    • What a title! This is a Modern Love piece that, for me, was a comfort. Underpinning its central coincidence is a gentle lesson in impermanence. Your life is long; many people will walk through it; you will learn a lot from them and, ultimately, it will be okay.
  7. Whiplash vs. Black Swan – The Anatomy of the Obsessed Artist
    • This is one of the most viewed videos on this channel, so it’s not like it’s some rare find or anything, but cudos nonetheless to this guy for what is a fantastic deconstruction of this archetype. I am a big fan. He’s also done one on what makes Independence Day so great, which you should totally watch if we’re going to be mildly civil towards each other.

Bonus: Art is Advertising for What We Really Need Because I’m a sucker for The School of Life and this is such a lovely concept, that “it lies in the power of art to honour the elusive but real value of ordinary life.” Can you imagine being able to write like that? What a dream.