Are our phones listening to us? – Cold Lasagne – The Holmes trial
...and other recs this week!
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
Probably everybody with a smartphone has experienced the spooky phenomenon of talking about something IRL then minutes later getting an ad for that very thing on Instagram or Facebook. Our phones are definitely listening to us, right?
As this week’s episode of Extremely Online explains, that’s not quite what’s going on – but the truth is probably just as creepy. For more on this topic, this episode of Reply All from 2017 is still a fun and interesting listen.
This week’s new podcasts
On When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey looked at supply chains and how we can find out which products are produced as sustainably and ethically as they claim to be.
The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] delivered another definitive weekly recap of Celebrity Treasure Island, along with all the usual Real News, Real Life and other bits and pieces.
And on Business is Boring [Apple | Spotify], Simon Pound spoke with Luke Nutting from Lightforce about the growth of solar power installations in New Zealand.
As always, follow and listen now wherever you normally get your podcasts!
Brynley Stent on FIRST
Why have Brynley Stent and Chris Parker been so good at Celebrity Treasure Island? The answer may lie in their shared theatrical past. At least, that’s my theory after watching this week’s episode of FIRST and hearing how they once shared a fleece onesie in a stage production of The Three Little Pigs.
The Other Two
Amber says: “I’ve been watching The Other Two, a comedy series about two millennial siblings struggling to make it in New York, while their 13-year-old brother stumbles into Bieber-esque stardom. Episodes are a nice short 20 minutes and it’s wonderfully low stakes, making it perfect pandemic viewing. (The second season has just aired in the US, so will hopefully be available here soon, and a third season has just been announced, so there’s more to look forward to.)”
Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999
Next time you feel in the mood for a stand-up comedy special, I recommend going and buying James Acaster’s Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 on Vimeo. Not only is it very funny, it’s also very long – like two hours plus – so you will definitely get your money’s worth. I watched it over two sittings last week and was a very satisfied customer.
Scaring Jessica St Clair with horror movies
Sam says: “I recommend this clip of comedian/podcaster Paul Scheer showing Jessica St Clair pictures of horror movie villains and getting her to describe them. She reacts to all of them correctly: with horror and revulsion. It’s honestly one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, like most of the things Jessica St Clair does.”
The Dropout / Bad Blood
Chris says: “No less than two podcasts are following the trial of Elizabeth Holmes over her failed blood test venture Theranos – and you'll need to hear both to fully understand what's going on at her San Jose court case. The Dropout is the one you want for day-to-day court updates, while Bad Blood is from the journalist who broke the story, John Carreyrou, and explains the background. Nothing has helped me escape lockdown fatigue more than bingeing on the intimate details of this crazy case – the private planes, the cover ups and the text messages are all laid out in full. Holmes, a new mum, faces jail time of up to 20 years for fraud. Her trial is slated to run until December. A film, starring Jennifer Lawrence, is also planned.”
Project Hail Mary
Harkanwal says: “One of my escape listens this lockdown has been the audiobook version of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, author of The Martian. It’s speculative science fiction about a pandemic that affects stars, including our own. A high school teacher is sent to an unaffected star to solve the puzzle and runs into a stranded alien, working on the same problem. It’s a story about a pandemic on a galactic scale, with some interplanetary science collaboration.”
Cardamom buns
Alyssa says: “I tried the cardamom croissant buns from Fort Greene in Auckland as my first level three takeaway food last week – 10/10. I’ve been obsessed with looking for cardamom buns ever since watching this video in level four.”
Going beyond butter chicken
Leonie says: “I can’t knit or paint and I can barely concentrate on a book in lockdown, so my go-to hobby has been cooking. Unfortunately, one of the most delicious things I’ve made, I can’t take the credit for. Before lockdown The Spinoff was gifted a few of Perzen Patel’s Dolly Mumma range of homemade Indian pastes. I took home the ghee tadka (clarified butter spiced with curry leaves, red chilli, cumin, mustard seeds, fenugreek and nigella) and it is a game changer. I first made dal tadka – as easy as boiling lentils then mixing in the sunshine-yellow, delicate but flavourful ghee – and have since used it in soup, marinades and for frying eggs. Patel encourages New Zealanders to “go beyond butter chicken” and these are a great place to start.”
That’s all for this week! Please reply to get in touch and share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋