What if…algorithm-free reco list, no. 8?

The "good" internet, the "bad" lip balm, the "ugly" taste!

Hello!

Greetings from Migraine Town, where I am lobbing some recos over the fence instead of playing with my word Sims. My brain is too mushy to meet today’s word count goal but not too mushy to share a bunch of bad opinions!

As always, please tell me about any of your own recent obsessions. 

Letterboxd

I used to be a Rotten Tomatoes evangelist, but that was in the days when the alternative was iMBD. I was also wrong, and this longread on the Tomatometer does a solid job of getting into how busted and corrupt the whole situation is. Instead, I encourage you to directly follow critics and friends whose opinions you trust on Letterboxd. The UX is great, the feed is clean, and it feels like the only “good” “social media” app I use right now. (This is my account if you’re thirsty for bad opinions on worse rom-coms.) 

Gloss Tournament

Speaking of “good” internet, please enjoy this medieval-themed tournament of lip balms made in Google Sheets. Some of the creator’s opinions are straight up wrong—Aquaphor deserves at least a 4.0 and the bits on sunscreen “chemicals” are um, suspect—but I love this commitment to the bit! Related, please share your favorite lip balm with the class.

Monsters by Claire Dederer

If you regularly interact with me IRL, I am sorry that this book has become my new personality. (I did finish Girlhood a few days ago, so a new era may be upon us.) But basically, Dederer asks, “What do we do with the art of monstrous men?” And then explores that with an exhaustive level of intellectual rigor and ruthless self-awareness. If you make art or like art—all kinds! not just capital A art!—you should read this and then we can talk about it. Oh, and in case you were hesitant because it sounds like a book about cancel culture, I assure you that it is not! Dederer is a bloodhound for nuance!

The concept of “taste”

I do not have a hot take here. Remember? Brain empty. BUT, I enjoyed how these two pieces—“Whatever happened to having taste?” and “Is It Time to Do Away With ‘Good Taste?’”—were in conversation. Am I smart enough to understand the conversation? Not right now! 

The new RHONY 

I am smart enough to tell you to watch the Real Housewives of New York reboot, though. There’s such a specific thrill when it comes to a fresh cast. The drama is all new and uniquely innocuous! Everyone is still bad at the game! Desperation is in the air! This is your chance to get in on the ground floor, so you don’t have to ask people in four years if it’s “worth it to start from the beginning.” (It is always worth it to start from the beginning.) Sidenote: the definitive recaps for this franchise are being done by John Paul Brammer in his newsletter. Flawless work.

Emoji Kitchen

Just stupid enough to be perfect. My favorite “ingredients” are the snail and the sweet potato—but not together, obviously.

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