Five Point Update - February 7, 2016

1. Track in heavy rotation - Run into the Sun by Joachim Svare, Julia Michaels. I am trying to invoke some sympathetic magic for some earnest spring weather. 

2. What I'm watching - Foundations of Modern Social Theory with Iván Szelényi, a series of Yale lectures made available on YouTube:

The subject can be dry at times (especially when he starts covering Weber), but the guy's enthusiasm for ideas is infectious. Plus: lots of juicy gossip on the personal lives of philosophers.

3.  Purchase I'm excited about -  The uni-ball KuruToga mechanical pencil. It's got a sophisticated internal mechanism to prevent breakage and ensure the point stays sharp. Plus, diamond-infused lead - which gives you an idea how worthless crystallized carbon really is. 

4. Article I'm reading -  You're Wrong About Voicemail  by Leslie Horn. The Philippines was overtaken by text and email before it had a chance to develop communications practices around voicemail. Which is a shame.

5. Podcast I'm listening to - Note to Self, which explores all the good and maddening ways we relate to our phones and our tech.