#Roman Mars

[powerbrokerreadalong]

Tumblr Should Read the Power Broker

So 99 Percent Invisible is a podcast by Roman Mars.  It talks about the design of everyday things, like postage stamps and walking trails and gas ranges. It's the sort of stories that tumblr likes. You can check out the podcast here. Roman Mars also has a thing about flags, as you can see here:

But I'm not really here to talk about why you should listen to 99 Percent Invisible in general (though hey, I like it).  I'm here because I've failed after a decade to leave this website. Also, 99 Percent Invisible is reading The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York and you, tumblr, should join the readalong.

Okay. What is The Power Broker? It's a 1,336 page biography of Robert Moses by Robert A. Caro.

Why am I suggesting that Tumblr read The Power Broker?

You all would love to hate the subject.

I'm sure some of you already do! Robert Moses stands for bureaucratic power and the midcentury city planning that prioritized cars over people. He was never elected to any office but was able to shape one of the largest cities in the world. And Robert Caro, the author, carefully notes how he was able to amass power. Also, he hated Robert Moses. You can think of it as an extremely long and detailed call out post. On that note.

It's extremely well researched.

Look. I think, after James Somerton and the scourge of AI printed materials, there's a lot of people that are feeling lied to. We want to see people do the work.The research.The footnotes. We want someone to be willing to turn over every rock, and spend years on a single project. Robert Caro is the author we need right now. He is thorough. He is willing to work diligently, reading every memo, talking to everyone involved who would talk to him. And by God, there will be footnotes.

Tumblr is the land of hyperfixation

The main stopping point for The Power Broker is that it's long. So? That's like 705,000 words. I know at least some of you monsterfuckers have written that many words in a year and read them in a weekend. And you'd be reading it along with other people, so there'd be some sort of accountability. If there was ever a social media website where I think people would be willing to go down a very deep and detailed rabbit hole on civil engineering, it would be Tumblr. Also maybe Metafilter. They've probably already read The Power Broker, though. 

It'd be funny

Being really into The Power Broker is a very dad thing to do. Getting all of the (gender neutral) Tumblr girlies into The Power Broker and giving it a very Tumblr treatment would be very entertaining. Transmascs, you can think of being into the Power Broker as a non-toxic way to affirm your masculinity. Haven't you ever wanted to commit to the bit so hard that you end up reading a seminal piece of midcentury American nonfiction? Now's your chance.

Okay, you've convinced me.  What do I do?

Acquire the Power Broker. Honestly, I'd probably just check your local used book store. I don't think it ever came out in ebook.

Read the Power Broker at your own pace. I'm not your real dad.

Listen along to whatever 99 Percent Invisible has cooked up.  I have no idea what they're planning. I'm not affiliated with them in any way. But they do have an episode up already.

Profit?  IDK.  If you feel like posting, tag it correctly and I might reblog.

[chillinglikeashilling]

Petition for Kevin Perjurer and Brennan Lee Mulligan to be featured guests on The Power Broker podcast from 99% Invisible.

Petition for them to be included in the same episode honestly, I want to hear those two bouncing off each other on Robert Moses trivia, and I want to hear Brennan and the co-host Elliott get into all the ways Moses made New York a worse place.

Side note: I knew that I would already be biased against Moses because the first time I heard of him he was a literal BBEG in a DnD show but god he sucked so bad!!! So bad! And he wasn't even elected! How do you get to decide to displace half a million people without ever having been elected to public office!

[uwudonoodle]

I got mildly interested in flag design after watching videos like this...

... and this.

Anyway, the North American Vexillological Association (people who study flag design) voted Pocatello Idaho as the worst city flag in the country. To be fair, it was truly terrible.

A few years ago, Pocatello took that judgement to heart, and finally decided to redesign their flag. This is their new flag, which is lovely.

Anyway, I'm saying all this to show you a design that they considered, but ultimately dropped in favor of the red mountain above.

I think this flag design is so cool and unique, and just deserves to see the light of day. It fits perfectly because Pocatello is the "crossroads of the west". This diagonal cross hatch design just makes me happy, and I kind of wish it had been chosen. Maybe something similar can make it onto another official flag someday.

[thoughtportal]

99 Percent Invisible producer emeritus Avery Trufelman traveled from New York to San Francisco recently, and took host Roman Mars to see an unusually shaped old building on the west side of the Bay.

As it turns out, this peculiar octagonal home isn’t unique — there was a whole architectural fad of building these back in the mid 1800s, tapping into a parallel trend: self-improvement.

[adreamthatsworthkeeping]

I'm catching up on Dear Hank and John and I've only now realised I've been getting Bruno Mars mixed up with Roman Mars. I could not understand why a singer would be on this show/know about this show.

[evanfordebarden]

for any fans of Robert Caro's biography of Robert Moses, The Power Broker, i am putting up a new comedy show in NYC next week called The Power Joker. it's a "late night" talk show hosted my RM himself. the theme of the show is tolls and we've got a congestion pricing expert joining us, Charles Komanoff, along with the hosts of The Climate Denier's Playbook, Rollie Williams and Nicole Conlan. Plus a bunch of other great comedians and music from Zenizen. it's in NY, but also available to stream.

Sunday, Nov 3, 5pm

Caveat, 21A Clinton St

[rainbowfic]

Standing on a forty-foot-high platform at the New York Crystal Palace, he gestured to an assistant to cut a support rope to simulate a snapped elevator cable. Otis fell just a few inches before his automatic brake kicked in and brought the platform to a halt, eliciting cheers from the audience. While Otis didn’t dream up the idea of a vertical lift system, he made it safer and showed off its safety in style.

The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design, Roman Mars & Kurt Kohlstedt

[factorial-one]

The Charm of the Spoken Word

I have always been drawn into spoken word, the speeches, the story telling and in the recent past this has been podcasts – The Internet’s Radio. And there is no better podcast than 99% Invisible.  Listening to 99% Invisible is a blessing and curse. Every single episode you learn something new and then there is not one conversation you can have without saying “Hey, there is fantastic 99pi episode…

[uxbridgeenglishdictionary]

Medals awarded for poetry, architecture, and many other 'non-sports' in the past. If you wanna know more specifically about architecture, check out 99% Invisible's article or their podcast episode!

[ancientrome]

Mars and Venus, fresco from pompeii

[illustratus]

Mars by Hans Thoma

[cascanora]

The seduction of war by love

[xobloodletter]

what if caesar's legion was a matriarchy

[allmythologies]

greek & roman mythology

[tragediambulante]

Mars Gravidus, Bartolomeo Ammannati, 1559

[apollophanes]

Praise be to All-Powerful Ares!

Glory to Mars the Avenger!

Mighty Lord of the battlefield

He who is ever strong

He who protects

He who brings hope and courage

May Your name never leave our hearts