Author: Chris Aldrich

I'm a biomedical and electrical engineer with interests in information theory, complexity, evolution, genetics, signal processing, IndieWeb, theoretical mathematics, and big history. I'm also a talent manager-producer-publisher in the entertainment industry with expertise in representation, distribution, finance, production, content delivery, and new media.

👓 A PSA, A Rant, A Declaration, and An Email You Didn’t Expect in Your Inbox | hautemacabre.com

Read A PSA, A Rant, A Declaration, and An Email You Didn’t Expect in Your Inbox (Haute Macabre)

Instagram has rewired my brain.

It is the first thing I do when I wake up, it is the last thing I do when I go to sleep. I don’t actually enjoy it: my eyes hurt from the glowing screen, my hands cramp from holding my phone up constantly, and my psychological state has declined dramatically.

Moments are no longer experienced. Moments are viewed, captured, posted, promoted, shared, storied. There is a constant sense of anxiety and urgency, resulting in rewards of likes and comments or blows to the ego when a post bombs. Any sense of prediction has been diminished: connection with the audience is no longer determined by a personal preference but by an automated expectation of what you may potentially want to see. It creates fears of scarcity, of comparison, and it is all an illusion.

📺 BOSS: The Black Experience in Business | PBS

Watched BOSS: The Black Experience in Business from PBS

Learn about the untold story of African American entrepreneurship, where skill, industriousness, ingenuity and sheer courage in the face of overwhelming odds provide the backbone of this nation’s economic and social growth.

I’ve either seen or read about large portions of the stories in this documentary, but even then this goes into a bit more depth than some of the vignettes I’ve read about. It also does a great job of aggregating these stories into a broader story arc. A stunning bit of documentary work. I recommend this highly.

It is painful to watch the destruction of lives and value over several hundred years here however.

I was entertained to see the documentary re-appropriate The O’Jays song For The Love of Money to highlight African American entrepreneurship as it was obviously horrifically misused in NBC’s The Apprentice.

📺 April 23, 2019 – PBS NewsHour | PBS

Watched April 23, 2019 - PBS NewsHour from PBS
Tuesday on the NewsHour, the death toll in Sri Lanka's Sunday bombings surpasses 300. Plus: The Supreme Court considers whether the census can ask about citizenship, how defiance by the president’s advisers protected him, why Democrats are divided on impeachment, a killing sparks fears of more violence in Northern Ireland, frustrated teachers on the brink and a newly revealed slave narrative.

👓 Kate Manne on why female candidates get ruled “unelectable” so quickly | Vox

Read Kate Manne on why female candidates get ruled "unelectable" so quickly by Ezra Klein (Vox)
"Electability isn’t a static social fact; it’s a social fact we’re constructing."

📺 “The Americans” The Committee on Human Rights | Amazon Prime

Watched "The Americans" The Committee on Human Rights from Amazon Prime
Directed by Matthew Rhys. With Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Brandon J. Dirden, Costa Ronin. As Paige becomes even more enmeshed in her parents' world, tensions with Matthew Beeman come to a head, Philip and Elizabeth's honeytraps take surprising turns, and Stan faces the consequences of overplaying his hand at the FBI.