Chunky eyewear, independent thinking, and a walk in the rain
Postcard #6
Hello and welcome back to another edition of THE POSTCARD, Unregistered’s fortnightly roundup of recommendations.
Thoughts, tools, and treats
This week’s links are about fashion, emerging culture, and independence.
What the classics wrote about wine
Over at The Humanities Library, „a directionless man turning to the bookshelf in search of guidance“ opens his Zettelkasten and compiles what the classics wrote about wine.
The value of a denim shirt for 700 bucks
In a nuanced post, Corinne Fay muses about whether or not to buy a denim shirt for $700, a question far more challenging to answer than one might think.
Why women wear giant eyeglasses
Vanessa Friedman, chief fashion critic for The Times, explains why some women opt for chunky frames: „They communicate a certain seriousness, studiousness and even nerdiness, but in a good way. Also something a little old-fashioned.“ She argues that „when you wear big glasses with heavy frames, people tend to focus on the style more than the fact that your eyesight is fading.“ Smart!
Psych 101
Professor Paul Bloom offers six options for studying the human mind from the comfort of your home—terrific advice from the creator of the Yale Introduction to Psychology.
Where the latest in culture is happening
In this excellent and well-informed piece, Katherine Dee observes the emergence of new forms of culture online, including TikTok sketch comedy and social media personalities. By avoiding nostalgia and preconceived norms, she succeeds in noticing what’s next: „We’re witnessing the rise of new forms of cultural expression. If these new forms aren’t dismissed by critics, it’s because most of them don’t even register as relevant. Or maybe because they can’t even perceive them.” Meanwhile, Ted Gioia, Substack’s elder statesman of cultural pessimism, predictably misrepresents her position (without even linking to the article he is upset about) and misses the chance for benevolent reading and constructive discussion. I tried to offer a nuanced take here.
Freddie deBoer
I added Freddie deBoer’s Substack to my Blogroll because I appreciate how he acknowledges life’s structural and personal components without highlighting one at the expense of the other. If you’re inclined to put people in a drawer, Freddie is on „the left“ what Andrew Sullivan is on „the right“– a truly independent writer who infuriates many. The whole point, of course, is that these categorizations suck once you start thinking for yourself.
G.
Speaking of independent thinking. This week, I enjoyed being on a video call with Gurwinder Bhogal. If you don’t already know him, a good place to start is his conversations with Chris Williamson on the Modern Wisdom Podcast. Gurwinder appears in episodes 385, 486, 516, 602, 662, 742, and 805.
Noteworthy
“(...)
- People interested in critical thinking, but the real kind, not the one where people pretend they are ‘truth seekers’ only to cherry pick.
- People who have a healthy dose of skepticism but don't just disagree for the sake of it.
(...)“
—Katherine Brodsky, describing her target audience
A mystery link leading into the unknown
If you missed this lovely challenge, click to spend ten minutes in sudden rain.
As always,
Dirk
P.S.: Feel free to send me pointers to articles, books, sites, pods, tools, and treats that could be interesting for this roundup. While I cannot promise to link them, I read and appreciate every hint.
Pointer: Kevin Simler's "Natural History of Beauty" (https://meltingasphalt.com/a-natural-history-of-beauty/). It includes another interesting explantion to the puzzle of modern architecture (why it's still built though no one likes it): it's a case of correlated desire/runaway selection.