#I was doing England’s voice and it was very funny and now red antagonizes me constantly

[popofventi]

Ventipop #226 :: Good To Be Back

I know. I know. It’s been a spell. I’ve been off cheating on Ventipop with some other business excursions. My hope moving forward is to be a bit more monogamist with Ventipop and update at least once per week. I’ve also taken down the ads from all new posts. I’m not making any money unless generous readers like you choose to click on the Patreon button and give what you can. I enjoy finding reassuring stories which validate humanity is not all but lost. I hope I can keep ‘em coming. If you can’t give money, do the next best thing and tell a few people about Ventipop. I’d appreciate it. Now…for the first time in a long time…Let’s grind.

Recommendations

TV Recommendations - The Cleaners on PBS, Bodyguard on Netflix

Book Recommendations - Elevation by Stephen King, We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas

Music Recommendations - “New Birth in New England” by Phosphorescent, “Love You So Bad” by Ezra Furman

Japanese Subtlety

“Sober Halloween” is Japanese dry humor in it peak form. Flashy, fanciful costumes are banned in favor of gems like “Guy who spilled coffee down front of shirt” or “hotel guest going to get his breakfast”. Gold, Jerry, gold!

Can you guess these elaborately dull cosplay getups?

Art is Wherever You Find It

This artist uses jigsaw puzzles, with the same die cut pattern, to make these terrific mashups:

Fame Game 2018

This could be the most Buzzfeedy, YouTubey, Internety story ever:

Book by Book

Shoulder to shoulder, community members formed a line 500 feet long: from the stockroom of the old shop, down the sidewalk, and onto the shop floor of the new store.

Cafes brought cups of tea to the volunteers. People at bus stops joined in. Passersby asked what was happening, then joined the chain themselves.

"We had elderly people, children, and everybody in between," Brown said.

How Do You Move A Bookstore? With A Human Chain, Book By Book

Good Grief!

BBC writer Cameron Laux wrote a moving tribute to the work of Charles M. Schulz.

Awash in Creativity

“So not only do Gates and Bezos get to slip in a bit of mindfulness rinsing plates, their nightly chore is also a valuable spring of creativity…”

Kiddie Talk

An adorable little girl trying to get Amazon's A.I. assistant Alexa to play her favourite song 'Baby Shark'. But Alexa can't understand her voice.

"This is Daisy. She's a little bit crazy and rambles on the phone a lot.”

Bits n Pieces

"I’m a very quiet person with strong opinions,” he says, “and the beauty of building a fictional nation is it gives you an outlet to express those things."  -- Ian Silva, Australian Commuter Train Conductor and Creator of the Koana Islands

The world not a representation of what you would like it to be? Create your own.

A doughnut store owner had to keep working long days and couldn't visit his ailing wife. So the neighborhood starting buying out all of his doughnuts in the morning so he could leave early.

Seriously, Stephen King is a good dude.

"So I thought, 'Well, if a dog can smell fruits and vegetables in luggage, could they smell malaria in a person?'" - How A Dog Could Stop The Global Spread Of Malaria

Indiana Vending Machine Dispenses Clean Clothing and Blankets to People Without Homes

Why is everyone naming their babies with four-letter names?

No good answer as to ‘What are pubes actually for?’

Humor Me

Congrats to the Red Sox on the World Series. Here's a fun way to wrap the season:

The Future Is Now

China’s state news agency this week unveiled the world’s first virtual newsman:

Dubai Police are now training on flying motorbikes.

Epidemic

This reality is depressing…just look around you. The Ubiquity of Smartphones.

Duct Work

This is how a ship passes through the Panama Canal:

Wish List

Ani DiFranco's long-awaited memoir "No Walls and the Recurring Dream" is coming out May 7, 2019 via Viking Books! Pre-Order Here In her memoir, DiFranco recounts her early life from a place of hard-won wisdom, combining personal expression, the power of music, feminism, political activism, storytelling, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and much more into an inspiring whole. In these frank, honest, passionate, and often funny pages is the tale of one woman's eventful and radical journey to the age of thirty. Ani's coming of age story is defined by her ethos of fierce independence--from being an emancipated minor sleeping in a Buffalo bus station, to unwaveringly building a career through appearances at small clubs and festivals, to releasing her first album at the age of 18, to consciously rejecting the mainstream recording industry and creating her own label, Righteous Babe Records. In these pages, as in life, she never hesitates to challenge established rules and expectations, maintaining a level of artistic integrity that has impressed many and antagonized more than a few. Ani continues to be a major touring and recording artist as well as a celebrated activist and feminist, standing as living proof that you can overcome all personal and societal obstacles to be who you are and to follow your dreams.

Feel

Odessa Goldberg put together a short tribute in honor of those who have lost their lives to violence - and a call to the rest of us not to remain silent:

Mental Yoga or Long Read of the Week

'Oh my God,' she said. 'What if this is what we should be doing? What if it's that simple?'" 

Jason Cherkis in HuffPo Highline: The Best Way To Save People From Suicide.

…And Finally…R.I.P. William Goldman

One of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read:

“As you wish...”  ― William Goldman, The Princess Bride

Again, if you like what I do and want to see it continue, please consider supporting me on Patreon:

-xxx-