Really Patriotic Fellows

Don't let the smile fool you. In the words of Danielle, "That's one bad mutha."

I'm a big fan of Instapaper (if you don't know what that is, read here), and I've come to realize that, besides giving me an easy, enjoyable way to read all the shit I come across every day, it's also a good way of collecting blog ideas.

In the course of the last week or so, I've read a bunch of articles (9, actually) that before I was even half-finished with, figured would be great to share with others. Not wanting them to get lost in the rapidly-expanding Twitter timeline, I held on to them, and so without further ado:

-This is a piece on Ray Lucas' life after the NFL. I felt like it was an especially poignant read considering the recent end of Darelle Revis' holdout. I never judge professional athletes for trying to make as much money as possible, especially NFL players. Ray Lucas' story is the reason why.

-This is a huge piece, fittingly enough, from the New York Times Magazine on who else but Rex Ryan. Great read, even for those who find him obnoxious.

-This is from New York Magazine and is a great look at Jon Stewart and how/why The Daily Show is made. I say it all the time--if you're at all interested in politics/culture, and you're not watching The Daily Show on a regular basis, you're doing yourself a disservice.

-This is a fascinating piece from the Times on the people who filmed all of the United States' nuclear and hydrogen bomb tests in the 40's, 50's, and 60's. Just insane stuff. You might need a NYTimes login to read this. It's 2010. It's the NYTimes. Get over it.

-This is a great piece from TechCrunch that, hopefully, puts to bed the myth of Android being an "open" platform, or at the very least, open in a way that benefits you as a consumer.

-Ever heard of the Koch Brothers? Me neither. Read this piece from The New Yorker to find out who they are and how, among other things, they're responsible for much of the Right Wing/Tea Party War against the President. Really patriotic fellows.

-So this is a double--first, the first beta of iOS 4.2 was made available this week, and judging by the internet's response, it looks like the iPad is poised to become an even bigger success, if that's even possible. Here, iLounge gives screenshots of all of the big stuff. Bouncing off of that is this initial review of the first iPhone from John Gruber's Daring Fireball. After reading both of these, it's hard to believe only a little over 3 years separates the two.

-Last is this piece from the Harvard Kennedy School's website on why they teach a course that centers around "The Wire." If you know me at all, you know "The Wire" is my favorite TV show of all time, and I love the idea that Harvard recognizes the cultural and sociological significance of the series.

And then there's the videos. I've been aware of Arcade Fire for a while now, and really dug a couple of their songs, but with the release of "The Suburbs," their most recent offering, I've officially been converted. What a fantastic band. To pay homage to this notion, here's two videos--first, the official video of "Ready To Start," which is the first single from "The Suburbs." Bam:



And to take it back a bit, from the recent YouTube-streamed concert at MSG, a red-soaked rendition of "Power Out/Rebellion." Pow:




That's all for now. Please send me any thoughts/reactions to any of these pieces.

JS