Various and Sundry

210 Years Later, “What if?” Questions About Napoleon and Waterloo

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

For however much I’ve read and watched about Napoleon Bonaparte, there always seems to be more to discover, or at least revisit. I suppose, then, I’m posting here today on the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo as a reminder that I ought to visit that battlefield at some point… and probably read a well-received biography. The recommended reading in this case is a longform article by British historian and journalist Andrew Roberts, written…

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Various and Sundry

Your Mid-Life Meta-Physical

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Thinking of last Monday’s post about how to tackle life and its inherent constraints, here’s a video from leadership speaker and business school lecturer Conor Neill that might scratch some similar self-reflective itches. The video was posted five years ago when the pandemic was in full swing and the title purports to be something for middle-aged folks to ponder, but I would suggest it’s useful for many people. For example, teenagers might not get the…

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Various and Sundry

Strange New Space Media!

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

I’ve had a chance to check out two trailers that have dropped in the past week, the first being the latest trailer for the long awaited third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (even as it’s been announced this same week that it’s been renewed for a fifth and final season): Very much in line with the trailer from a couple months ago, they are presenting the series that, in Pike’s words is “whatever…

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Various and Sundry

Getting Everything Done isn’t Difficult. It’s Impossible

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

Periodically, some variant of a meme pops up in my feeds that goes “Adulting is saying ‘maybe next week will be easier’ until you die.” Yeah, I know. Great thought to start your Monday, right? Well, author Oliver Burkeman has a different approach in what he’s termed this “age of bewilderment.” It’s not going to get easier, but once you let go of “being on top of everything,” you have some options. Your mileage may…

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Various and Sundry

Music to Reflect on D-Day

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

While it’s not my favorite war film, I confess I do often have an itch to watch The Longest Day on June 6th… and then I think of all sorts of moments from the film, including the repeated use of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Maddy Shaw Roberts assembled a collection of music connected to World War II or in remembrance thereof in honor of the 80th anniversary of D-Day last year, but it’s still a good…

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Various and Sundry

The Oatmeal on Creativity

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

I’m deep in writing on one project and also reading books by writers about writing, almost an ouroboros about creativity, and this multi-part piece on creativity by Matthew Inman must have sensed it through the algorithm and it came up in one of my feeds. I had seen it when it first came out, but it’s been a while. All praise the algorithm! (It might be listening). You get a sense of Inman’s journey and…

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Producing Various and Sundry

Yet More History Going to the Movies

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

I posted about the accuracy of The Bear on Wednesday and I’m still into these sorts of YouTube videos, possibly because I’ve been watching a number of docu-drama or other historical films of late. Here, historian Dan Snow looks at five historical films audiences give high marks to… but we all know that doesn’t mean they pass factual muster, right? I like how he can rave about the storytelling power of a give film or…

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Producing Various and Sundry

How Bearable are the Kitchen Scenes in The Bear?

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

The Bear, FX’s much-lauded, frequently-awarded show is coming back for its fourth, and potentially final, season. Readers of this blog may recall I love the show for a number of reasons, none of which are dependent on it being a comedy. In fact, an arguable element to admire in the show is its depiction of the inherent drama within a restaurant kitchen. But how accurate is that portrayal? Veteran chef and restaurateur Paul Liebrandt weighs…

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Various and Sundry

Will the Average American Please Stand Up?

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

On this uniquely American holiday, it’s perhaps not unusual to wonder who a typical American might be. And in his usual wonky way, John Green delivers: And if you want a more dynamic video about all the many people who are American, perhaps with stirring music you may have originally heard in The Truman Show, John Cena has you covered: E pluribus unum, indeed.

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Various and Sundry

Lonnie Johnson and the Super Soaking of Summer

By Bjorn Munson | by Bjorn Munson

It’s 2025 and the first Super Soakers went on sale 35 years ago, changing backyard water gun fights forever. Invented by Lonnie Johnson, the Super Soaker (initially with the entirely accurate if less glib name “Power Drencher”) was a game-changer from a toy company called Larami. My siblings and I were already familiar with Larami doing for water guns what Activision did for Atari 2600 game cartridges. Translated from the Gen X: this was a…

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