Newsletter: week of 12/23

Happy Holidays, bud! It's that time of year when we see what everyone really got for Christmas via app store downloads! This year, the winner is Meta Horizon, the companion app for Meta Quest devices. However, I also see Frameo and Aura Frames, two smart frame apps, in the top five. And I know that a few of those Frameo apps are my fault 👀.

What apps were you downloading? And did you receive any cool gifts? Spill!

A Midjourney AI recreation of me writing this newsletter. Look at all those big ports! (prompt: 1960 living room, little boy, opening gift, new laptop)

What I read/saw:

• Spotify's Car Thing Finds New Life

I always wanted a Car Thing, a tiny infotainment device that, before it was discontinued, allowed users to control Spotify through their car's speakers. Since the devices went offline in early December of this year, folks have gotten creative with repurposing them. Deskthing is by far my favorite! It serves as an alternative OS for Car Thing. But if you are able to get one, there is a whole subreddit full of ideas.

• Photography by Yik Keat of San Francisco’s steep hills

"It's all about perspective"

• A lightning bug that lights up any time real lightning strikes somewhere on earth

Get a friend who gifts you something as cool as this for Secret Santa! For the rest of us, here is the map from which the bug pulls lightning data. It's equally fun to watch!

• Infographics Subreddit

Trying to spend less time on Meta's social apps, I jumped back into Reddit. This is a big subreddit, but it has been the one I have been checking in on most. Please send recs!

What I watched:

• What Happened to the World's Largest Tube TV?

Although this document does not have fancy graphics or sound effects, it is an incredibly fun journey full of enablers and CRT lovers (my favorite type of people).

• Beyoncé - NFL Halftime Show 2024

If you ask me, American football is just a vessel for great halftime shows. Typically, we only get one--during the Super Bowl in February. However, since Netflix is desperately trying to get sports on its platform, it hosted two football games this Christmas and included a Beyoncé halftime show. And holy hell, bud, what a show! I have watched it three times already. We got guests, marching bands, cars, large dance numbers, and even aerials.

• Macaulay Culkin Shouldn't Be Here

This short documentary is so well edited, with fantastic music choices, endless found footage, and seamlessly strung-together interviews that tell an amazing story.

What I listened to:

Last Friday, Hannah, a few friends, and I hit Small Talk, a new cocktail bar in Woodstock, NY. I was the designated driver, so I can't speak to the cocktails, but they must have had Mura Masa radio playing because every song I loved from 2015/2016 was playing. And ever since, I have been sucked back into that sort of EDM/Pop sphere and jamming to Love$ick, What if I Go, Doses & Mimosas, Giving It All, and Omen.

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Ok, folks! That's all I got for this week. Before 2024 comes to a close, though, I want to thank you all again for your support. This has, without a doubt, been one of the wildest years of my life. I bet every last dollar I had on myself and took a giant leap into the unknown. It was terrifying, and emotionally, it has been quite the rollercoaster, but having the support of folks like you has always kept me going. I wish you all a great New Year's Eve and raise my glass for you from afar! Here is to another exciting year, Becca 🚀