Five things I read, saw, and listened to this morning that filled empty voids in my vapid mind.
In addition to the Peter Hessler article quoted below, some interesting things:
1. "How to Write TV in the Age of Trump: Showrunners Reveal All," New York Times
Our mystery woman was supposed to start speaking Russian, and you were supposed to understand that the Russians were trying to undermine the United States government through the election. And all of the sudden I realized we have to rebreak the entire back half of our season and turn it into something else.
2. "Sha-shokudo: A New Public Eatery in Tokyo Inspired by Office Cafeterias," Spoon & Tamago
Shya-in-shokudo (employee cafeteria) or shashoku for short, has become quite the buzzword in Japan in recent years as start-up culture and an emphasis on better, healthier living, has lifted the standard of many corporate cafeterias. TV shows that infiltrate offices to see what employees are eating have garnered popularity.
3. Speaking of Japan, artist James Curran is in Tokyo, and he's making GIFs every day.
#TokyoGifathon Day 9 - Sakura showers. pic.twitter.com/uNY1NPaTa3
— James Curran (@slimjimstudios) April 9, 2017
4. "This Age of Wonkery," David Brooks
In his book, “The Ideas Industry,” Daniel W. Drezner says we’ve shifted from a landscape dominated by public intellectuals to a world dominated by thought leaders. A public intellectual is someone like Isaiah Berlin, who is trained to comment on a wide array of public concerns from a specific moral stance. A thought leader champions one big idea to improve the world — think Al Gore’s work on global warming.
5. "State Death, War Declarations, and Battle Deaths: A Conversation with Tanisha Fazal," Council on Foreign Relations
Fazal is plain-spoken and illuminating. Best for the audio, in case you have any boring drives.