August 2023
Hey all,
Sometimes this intro section is the hardest part of my email to write.
I guess I just don't have much to say this month. So let's just get into the stories.
-Dann
✋ Talk to the hand
I had a busy few weeks of movies, but there's one film I just feel the need to talk about.
No, it's not Barbie or Oppenheimer (Barbie won for me). I also saw and enjoyed Theater Camp, maybe more than my previous Barbenheimer weekend. And Jules seemed to come out of nowhere, taking top place as my favorite comedy of the year.
Instead, I really really want to talk about the movie Talk to Me.
I didn't know anything about the movie before entering the theater. Only that I tend to like A24 horror films and the trailer looked fantastic. Other than that, I went in totally blind.
It was a solid movie. But most of my love/appreciation for Talk to Me came after the film was over.
Talk to Me is the debut film from high-energy Australian twins Danny and Michael Philippou. These two got their start on YouTube through their channel RackaRacka. While I had never heard of them before, they had a pretty large following (millions) before making their first film.
I feel like "YouTube Filmmakers" has a negative connotation. But in this case, it's all pros and no negatives. The pacing, editing, tone, and script feels hip and modern, and those are the only traces of the more "amateur" YouTube roots of the directors.
Instead, their YouTube background meant a ton of supplementary content following these two extremely likable directors as they experience hitting a home run with their first film.
After watching the movie, I recommend:
We Made a HORROR FILM (Talk To Me) follows the two through their surreal experience bringing their movie to the Sundance film festival and selling to A24.
We released our film WORLDWIDE (Talk to Me) walks through the intense promotional circuit for the film.
'Talk to Me' Scene Breakdown with Danny and Michael Philippou is a Fandango video with the two directors giving the inside scoop behind a scene, and is a great peek into how they work
They're just so gosh darn likable. I can't wait to see what they do next.
🐈 Automation Station
We recently adopted a new cat (welcome to our home, Peter!). I've had cats nearly my entire life, but was really enjoying the few-month stretch where I didn't need to clean a litter box. During that time, I decided that if we were to adopt another cat, I'd invest in a Litter Robot.
It's amazing. Even better than I expected. Not having the task of cleaning a litter box constantly hanging over my head is just such a relief.
For anyone that knows me, my desire for a Litter Robot comes as no surprise. It's part of a larger theme of automation that's been running through my life over the past several years.
I first read David Allen's Getting Things Done in 2007, and his concept of "mind like water" had a huge impact on me. The more you can automate, the less your brain needs to hold on to these recurring tasks.
Slowly but surely, I've been trying to automate tasks that I either do regularly or want to do regularly. At this point in my life, I have a fairly healthy list of automations:
Lights turn on and off in different rooms in the morning and evening
Amazon Subscribe and Save for a few selected frequently-used items
Automatic retirement savings out of every paycheck
All digital files automatically backed up to the cloud
A script I wrote sends me historical Pinboard Bookmarks I've made
Recurring Apple Reminders remind me to complete tasks like daily journaling and weekly Inbox Zero/Download Folder Zero
Calendar events (with alerts) remind me about upcoming dates-of-note, such as movie/book releases, birthdays, events
Personal automation is extremely powerful, and something I wholly recommend to everyone reading. You can start easy — toss a recurring event onto your calendar, or set up a recurring reminder on your phone. But even more advanced tasks are easy thanks to ChatGPT. Just search "How can I automate XXX" and you're off to the races.
Are you automating something interesting? I'd love to hear. Reply and let me know.
🏢 Home from Work
Life is definitely starting to feel much more back-to-(new)-normal post-pandemic, but New York City is still undergoing seismic shifts just below the surface. In many ways, I'm still sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop, as work-from-home culture starts seriously impacting New York City's in-office-based economy.
There are two stories in particular that caught my eye:
Outdoor dining in becoming permanent in NYC with the caveat that structures in the street must be taken down in the winter
Parts of Midtown are being rezoned from office to residential (NYT gift article) after some serious feet-dragging over the apparent difficulty
I, for one, think both moves are in the right direction. Prolific outdoor dining just seems like a no-brainer, and clearing the streets for street cleaning in the winter (even though NYC doesn't really get snow anymore) seams like a fair ask.
I imagine the re-zoning will take much longer for us to really notice. But the change seems to match the market, so let's get some apartments up in those empty offices.
🚘 Y'all are (road) trippin'
Old habits die hard. I was watching MKBHD's video Worst Hot Takes in Tech and remembered that there are still iPhone users who use Google Maps because they think that Apple Maps is garbage.
This is a friendly Public Service Announcement: Apple Maps is now better than Google Maps*.
When Apple Maps first launched, this was definitively not the case. Apple Maps was terrible compared to Google Maps. Of course, Google had a seven year head start at that point.
But quietly, over the course of several years, Apple Maps caught up and then surpassed Google Maps. Try and side-by-side comparison of directions, traffic, street view...everything. See for yourself.
If you're still using Google Maps because of an opinion you formed over a decade ago when the Apple Maps was first released...it might be time to re-evaluate the options.
PS Please please please stop constantly closing all your iOS apps, too.
* for most features, and in most locations.
🤖 Game of Love
I have no doubt in my mind that humans in the future will have in-depth, meaningful relationships with machines. Hell, it's happening already.
Despite this, I rolled my eyes during the first 30-seconds of this Krazam skit, but ended up liking the video so much I knew I had to share it. You should push past any biases about the premise and watch the 4 minute and 43 second video AI Boyfriend.
End note
If you've enjoyed this, I'd love it if you shared it with a friend. You can send them here to sign up.
I'll be sending out these emails once per month, and I'm happy you're along for the ride. I'm trying to make it one of the best things that arrives in your inbox each month, so thoughts and feedback are always appreciated. You can just reply to this email.
Also, if you find anything interesting, send it my way.
Thanks for reading. Until next time,
Dann
The Dann Chronicles: August 2023 🫠