Nothing else to say than: “wish me good luck for next week”. See you on the other side.
Books
God’s Madman at the End of the World by Javier Cercas. Much to my surprise, the Vatican has never let a writer follow the Pope around during one of his trips abroad. Why would “a godless lunatic” such as Javier Cercas follow “God’s shepherd to the ends of the earth”? The answer forms the premise of the book: “to ask Pope Francis if my mother will see my father in the afterlife and report his answer back to her.” It’s a simple yet effective device.
I was disappointed by Terra Alta, Cercas’s foray into crime fiction, because its characters were somewhat cartoonish. The Spanish writer is a master at exploring kaleidoscopic characters, such as Enric Marco (a Civil War hero who turned out to be a fabulist) and Manuel Mena (a martyr who died for the wrong cause). Pope Francis, a cassocked contradiction on legs, is the perfect subject for him.
You need people to build a church and people are at the core of the book — a hippie priest sent to China, a “pornocardinal” who likes erotic poems, a temperamental Pope, recent converts who believe in their fellow believers more than they believe in God… The answer to the afterlife question might well be the least interesting thing in God’s madman at the end of the world. That said, the end might make you teary-eyed…
Movies
Wake Up Dead Man by Rian Johnson. I love how the best detective in the world can’t pronounce his own name correctly. (It tracks with the nonsensical French plaque on that box.) The writing might be a tad overdramatic and the killer is definitely too obvious, but overall, Wake Up Dead Man was tightly paced, beautifully shot and brilliantly performed. Most of all, its portrayal of faith seemed earnest and unironic, which added a depth that was missing from previous instalments.
Music
Shadows by Magnus Carlson & The Moon Ray Quintet. The perfect “elevated lounge bar” experience, complete with cheesy basslines and wavy singing. The cheerful interpretation of “Me and My Shadow” is delightful.
Motion II by Out Of/Into. Gerald Clayton, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Kendrick Scott, Matt Brewer. Need i say more? Motion I was already cutting-edge post-bop, but after playing more than forty concerts together, these five have learned to push themselves and each other farther than ever before. Motion II is expansive and tight at the same time, which is exactly what you want from this kind of jazz.
Videos
“Are we stuck with the same desktop UI forever?” by Scott Jenson. One of the best talks i’ve seen this year. I’ve always love hearing practitioners from other fields talk about their thinking frameworks. His four types of “design empathy” (understanding, bridging, flowing and refining) aren’t far from the four steps i use in technical writing (understand, experiment, outline and iterate) and the five steps of the ADDIE model we use in instructional design (analyse, design, develop, implement and evaluate).