how can I get a cold if I never leave the house

December 26, 2017

Welcome to Corgi-Class Starship, the newsletter that hopes the end of the year treats you as well as physically possible. Yes, you 

You'll Like This

Update(s) on thing(s) I made or somehow helped to bring about.Idea Factory GiveawayDoing something a little different this time around since I'm not release a new episode until the new year: my attempt at a sort of Top 10 Thus Far, or at the very least A Set of Episodes You Could Send to Someone To Introduce Them To The Show. There are a few in here that happen to include special guest hosts, too, which I think says something about the durability of the core concept.01 - Buy My Book, I'm Dead"Jon (@ferociousj), Besha (@besha), and special guest Kate (@keightdee) discuss post-death #brand maintenance, a brothel from the future, and new sex technologies that may or may not be terrible ideas."18 - A Hive of Scientists"Jon (@ferociousj), Besha (@besha), and special guest Kelly Jensen (@enthusiosity) wonder whether Indian food pizza is local to the San Francisco Bay before diving into a new reality show idea and a graphic design challenge for the ages."21 - Lucille Staring as a Service"Jon (@ferociousj), Besha (@besha), and special guest Laura Glu (@lauraglu) discuss the origin and powers of this episode's 4th guest, Lucille, along with innovations for sick people and an amazing idea from Laura herself."22 - Cosplay Island"Jon (@ferociousj), Besha (@besha), and special guest Jessica Zollman (@jayzombie) improve society on multiple levels before setting up a cliffhanger for Jess's next episode."23 - The Lovecraft Cinematic Universe"Jon (@ferociousj), Besha (@besha), and special guest Tim Pratt (@timpratt) crack into a tribute anthology that needs to happen, safeguards against alien infiltrators, and generate a new idea for toys, among other things."33 - Bane Mask Pacifier"Jon (@ferociousj), Jen (@jennifermarie), and special guest Kristin (@dutchashell) uncover some surprisingly viable ideas around alcohol and baby accessories for traveling parents."38 - Wolfgator"Jon (@ferociousj), Besha (@besha), and special guest Yuri (@ync) get into some dog-related matters, contemplate a pressing ontological question regarding lycanthropy, and workshop an unusual murder weapon."41 - Klingon Crossfit"Jon (@ferociousj), Kelly (@enthusiosity), and special guest Maya (@MayaPhilipson) talk through an exercise business, a celebrity magazine that isn't what you think, and opportunities in educational pornography."44 - Camerapeople of the Jersey Shore"Jon (@ferociousj), Besha (@besha), and special guest Felicia (@reelfeed) clash over proper burrito ingredients before delving into the behind-the-scenes magic of reality TV and at least one excellent party concept."50 - The Tat Ratio"Jon (@ferociousj), Besha (@besha), and special guest Yoz (@yoz) work out some games, apps, & fandom-related concepts while honoring the sacrifice that Just Two Things makes for us all every day."You can subscribe using:Apple PodcastsRSSStitcherGoogle Play MusicYou can also just go to the website to play or download episodes:https://ideafactorygiveaway.simplecast.fm/Instant Band Night 2Happening pretty soon now!In case you missed it last time, Instant Band Night is a thing that happens where I take over a small music venue:1. The stage has a drum kit, guitar, bass, keyboard, and mics.2. We draw names out of hats to make instant bands that get 10 minutes in the green room to plan an 8-minute set.3. A hat-drawn artist will also take the stage alongside each band to draw their gig poster on a meeting room easel pad.If you're in the Bay Area on January 11th and enjoy fun, get over to the East Bay Community Space:507 55th St (@ Telegraph)Oakland CA 946098p$5 doorBYOBThere are details and FAQs on Eventbrite and Facebook if you're into that sort of thing. 

Medium Ramble

Skippable if you're in a hurry.This doesn't count as a spoiler for The Last Jedi because I'm not going to talk about the movie directly in any way, but I had a thought that I can't get out of my head now: what if the Jedi and Sith weren't the only two gangs of Force users in the galaxy? Wouldn't that make more sense? Galaxies are huge, and Force use, while certainly uncommon, isn't exactly unheard of either. Why wouldn't the total population of Force users split into dozens if not hundreds or thousands of different camps? Suppose the big Jedi/Sith rivalry was in actuality more like two clubs at a high school who are at war with each other; their drama pushes all the other clubs out of the so-to-speak limelight, but they're still there, doing whatever it was they were doing before. No? I suppose this notion is predicated in part on an assumption about galactic population and distribution, not to mention the percentage explored, which is never really made clear. I'm ... I'm just talkin' here. 

#dadthoughts

Also skippable if you're in a hurry or don't care. No judgment.I'm getting sick for the first time in many, many months; I wish I had a videogame killcam-esque Infection Flashback power that would let me see the exact where, when, and how of this incipient cold's origin. Naturally, I'm doing everything in my power to keep from transmitting it to Quentin, which right now just means washing my hands every time I touch my runny nose and keeping a cloth over my mouth if we're going to be sitting together. I'll let you know next issue how my epidemiological precautions worked? 

Fascination Corner

I read a lot of newsletters; here are some links that caught my eye. 

  • There's now some evidence that taking zinc helps shorten a cold. How about that! 

  • Given Taylor Swift's concerted efforts to remain nonpolitical, the invasion of her social media app by Trumpfights is kind of funny. Also, the notion of a bespoke social media app just for Taylor Swift fans sounds bonkers. 

  • This one is three parts, but they're all interesting:1. The Verge declares We Have Abandoned Every Principle of the Free and Open Internet (they're not wrong).2. Rick Webb delivers My Internet Mea Culpa (he's not wrong, either).3. Wired UK says The internet is broken, but also gives some interesting ideas on how to fix it (they really are). 

  • If you're worried about AIs going rogue on us, Ted Chiang (author of the story on which the excellent movie Arrival is based) presents a surprisingly apt but uncomfortable analogy for our consideration. 

  • Trump warps the news world, so it would make sense if you didn't get around to reading this NY Times article on the Pentagon's UFO investigation, but you really need to correct that error as soon as possible, because what the fuuuuuuuuck 

  • Erin Griffith used to do Fortune's Term Sheet newsletter, so if she starts to warn us that there's really a cultural tech backlash brewing, we should probably listen. 

  • Here's an interesting longread about how blazingly far ahead of everyone else Google Maps is, though the author could perhaps have calmed down just a little on the example images to make it slightly less long. 

  • Fossilized microbes from 3.465 billion years ago would be cool enough, but what they imply for the existence of life on other worlds is goddamn fascinating. 

  • You need to read this just for the term "plant nanobionics" and the explanation thereof. 

  • You may want to spend this entire article about a Chinese "social credit" system screaming "BLACK MIRROR SEASON 3 EPISODE 1," and you'd be right to do it, but I guess either the author never saw it or any mention of it got edited out at some point. 

  • There's a bacterium in Antarctica that survives on nothing more than the chemicals that exist in the fucking air. What the hell is going on out there! 

  • FastCo Design on The 10 Design Trends Of 2017 That Need To Die. 

  • Here's what I've got as far as a feel-good for you this time around: after Patagonia sued Trump's ass for shrinking those national monuments, their sales jumped. 

  • The Atlantic has some ideas on how tech can help the people it's putting out of work. 

  • You know what, why not store energy using a solution based on microbes? No, seriously. 

A Fictional Thing

Something made-up that somehow suggested itself to me and which I could not escape.A work of fanfiction or a grad school thesisHarry Potter and the Spectre of Authorial Intent 

Thanks

If you've read this far, I thank you. Feel free to forward this to someone you like, or inflict upon someone you don't.