a list of good things

Want to share a few things that have been making my eyes and ears perk up. And making my brain generally feel like a better (I accidentally just typed “bitter”) place:

Documentary films
The Linguists – Two men trolling the continents to unearth obscure, dying languages. (Apparently, one world language dies every two weeks.) Their unbridled joy at discovering things like new counting patterns is amazing. If only everyone had such zest for their work.

Objectified – Gary Hustwit's compendium of industrial design. There’s a lot that goes into creating products people use everyday and this film tackles the gamut:

• Initially identifying the problem
• Striving for uncomplicated solutions
• Working within constraints
• Style as a component of substance
• Environmental impact and sustainability

Beautifully filmed. Medatative. All that. Good stuff.

(Both movies can be streamed on Netflix)

Audio documentary
The Dirtbag Diaries – Extremely low-fi radio. Mostly interviews that lead to wicked narrative arcs. Travel. Adventure. Sport. Wish I hadn’t waited so long to discover this puppy.