The Dice — 028

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I got to hang out with my nieces. And by hanging out I mean I was in close proximity as their attention was glued to their father's iPhone. When they weren’t scrolling TikTok, they were playing a curious game that I now know is called Airport Security: Fly Safe. In the game you “take on the crucial role of the official security" by working as a TSA agent. If this isn’t a sign of living in a police state I don’t know what is.

Thanksgiving dinner was great. The Turkey Wellington and Stuffing Muffins were on point as always. I hope you were able to enjoy the food and time as well. Even for those readers in other countries who I presume enjoyed a nice quiet break from “the Americans.” I know I would.

Ok. I'm back. You're back. Let's roll The Dice.

Vive Notre-Dame! It’s not every day that a cherished architectural treasure is reopened and reintroduced to the world after nearly burning to the ground. On Saturday evening France opened the doors to a fully restored Notre Dame and it is—as they say—Magnifique! You must take a look and see for yourself. The New York Times has a wonderful breakdown of the construction and restoration of the cathedral with their classic use of breakaways and fly-ins to observe details of the work. Also make time to view the behind-the-scenes look at the work by engineers, masons, and timber workers from NOVA. The bredth and depth of the renovation is insane.

When it comes to the current state of our culture and society, Howard Rheingold got it right in 1993 but nobody paid attention. At least I didn’t. “Thirty-three years ago, I set out to think about the likely sinister pathways that could lead computer-mediated communication to dark outcomes. The final chapter of that book, Disinformocracy foresaw four ways computer-mediated communication could go wrong. More than three decades later, arguments can be made for each of these olden forecasts as explanations of our present predicament.” Each bullet point is a laser-guided direct hit. 

A few years later another warning appeared in 1995 by Clifford Stoll,  “What's missing from this electronic wonderland? Human contact. Discount the fawning techno-burble about virtual communities. Computers and networks isolate us from one another. A network chat line is a limp substitute for meeting friends over coffee.” Are you feeling that? I am.

Hey, but cheer up! We now have Blueskyesque starter packs for Mastodon so you can follow and mast more people you will never talk to in person.

When I come across a television program with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes it requires further inspection. And that is the case with Pantheon, “a sophisticated treatise on consciousness and mortality, this absorbing mind-bender earns its own place in the pantheon of exemplary animated television.” Suppose that was too high brow for you, here is another promotion from BBS user, Spartan. “Rare for me to recommend a show this hard but if you love sci-fi, transhumanism, and existential thinking I'd highly recommend this show. It will start out almost like an animated YA story for some but stick with it, it really, really goes places by its second season finale.” The program has bounced around streaming networks and it’s now on Netflix.

The series was inspired by The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu. You can and should listen to Levar Burton read one of those stories titled Staying Behind.

By now you should have caught the news that A Book Apart shut down its operations earlier this year. All authors are free to republish their works as they see fit. Like a few other former ABA authors, my friend, designer, and author Samera Kapila is about to re-launch her must-read, must-own book Inclusive Design Communities. “I finally have time to re-typeset my book so I can republish it. For me, context is essential for typeface selection. One of the typefaces I’m considering for headlines is Tatsuro by Vocal Type. Please read about the typeface and the history behind it.” As I know this means a lot to Sam, let's read about it together…

“The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 8th December 1941, a large sign reading 'I AM AN AMERICAN', was hung on the Wanto Co grocery store (401-403 Eighth and Franklin Streets) in Oakland, California. The store was soon closed, as the Matsuda family, who owned it, were relocated and incarcerated under the US government's policy of internment of Japanese Americans. Tatsuro Matsuda, a University of California graduate, commissioned and installed the sign that inspired VTC Tatsuro.“ Wow. I look forward to reading Sam's work again with this added layer and dimension of meaning through her typography decisions.

Former enemy of the state and Japanese American, George Takei published a second book on his internment experience as a children’s book, My Lost Freedom. His first book They Called Us Enemy is highly recommended.

While it is not a primary interest, I do enjoy facets of the automotive world from Formula 1 to Matt’s Off Road Recovery and a plethora of vehicle review videos. I know there are gearheads subscribed to this wonderful publication so for you I have a two-part series on the most and least expensive vehicle brands to service. The show is made by a “father and Son working together to change the automotive repair industry and bring transparency like has never seen before.” While the Internet may not be the best place to make friends, it sure does make one hell of an incredibly useful and entertaining public access cable channel.

Related: Matt Haughey recently drove a 2003 Jetta Wagon TDI from Oregon to Indiana with plenty of stops and diversions along the way. There is a story from each day’s journey paired with fantastic photos—start with day zero.

Warning! Our last roll may trigger an immediate craving for instant ramen. Epicurious brought in three renowned chefs to taste, review, and rate sixteen different instant ramen products. “Chefs Eunjo Park, Douglas Kim, and Toshiaki Kondo are used to thinking outside the box when it comes to cooking; however, today on Epicurious we’ve asked them to give us their unfiltered, honest reviews of some prominent instant ramen brands found on supermarket shelves.” I was pleasantly surprised to discover some products I didn’t know existed and I felt somewhat validated by the chef’s judgment at the end. Now, drive carefully as you jam over to your favorite Asian market to pick up Nongshim Shin Black Beef.

Published in Tacoma, Washington while listening and watching Fatboy Slim play an hour long set in an elevator.