Jun 14, 2022 4 min read Monthly Mention

The Monthly Mention - June 2022

My monthly recommendations newsletter “The Monthly Mention” covers what I’ve been enjoying from the world of Books, Movies, Podcasts, YouTube etc.

Quick Overview

📱Application - "Obsidian"

🎞 Documentary - "The Future of Work and Death"

🎧 Podcast - "Wind Of Change"

📕 Book - "Say Nothing" - Patrick Radden Keefe

💿 Music - "Already Gone" - Sons of the East

📱APP

"Obsidian"

If you are anything like me, you have likely tried a number of note taking apps. Notion, EverNote, Apple Notes, OneNote etc etc. It's a crowded space! But discovering this "little" gem of a tool at long last has been a game changer for me. One real problem I have is an accumulation of half filled notebooks - digital as well as analogue - all in different formats. Making it a headache to transfer from one notes app to another or compile all my notes together. The beauty of Obsidian is that it saves all your notes in Rich Text Format (.rtf), the most basic of basic formats. RTF has been around since the dawn of personal computing and is likely to be here for a long time yet. So this is a great way to future proof your notes and easily transfer them at a later date. Desktop/Phone/Tablet versions are available along with easy syncing using iCloud/Dropbox etc.

Obsidian is a favourite of those who subscribe to the "Building A Second Brain" concept. This a fascinating idea and has really taken hold in the tech/productivity world. It's part of what's know as Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). The idea being that our "first brain" in unreliable and quite fallible so we need a clever system for recording our ideas and concepts, especially if part of the creator economy. Mix in a bit of the zettelkasten method for note taking and you will have a way of linking your thinking and being able to produce new content quickly and easily. Thats the theory anyways. More on this later, as the soon to be released Tiago Forte book - you guessed it, called "Building A Second Brain" - will be coming to a Monthly Mention near you very soon.

🎞 DOCUMENTARY

"The Future of Work and Death"

On the surface: a film about technology replacing the vast majority of jobs. And potentially our brains and bodies in the near future.

Take Away: It’s scary how close all this is. We are not taking about an indistinct point in the “future”. A lot of this stuff is only a few years away, if not already here, just below the surface.

The bottom line is: Humanity is ill prepared to tackle these issues at present.

Conclusion: I enjoyed the first section on the future of work more than part two, the future of death, but overall it has a lot of thought provoking ideas. I’ve heard of a lot of them before but this packages and links them very well indeed. A great primer on AI’s impact on the economy and the transhumanist movement. This stuff will inevitably affect all our lives. And most definitely our children’s. This WILL lead to a protracted discussion if you watch with your partner or a group of friends. Essential viewing.

🎧 PODCAST

"Wind Of Change"

My first of two Patrick Radden Keefe mentions this month (it could have been three as I'm a little obsessed with his work at the moment). He is an investigative journalist and staff writer at the New Yorker. In this Podcast he explores a long founded rumour that the CIA were involved in the conception and distribution of the Scorpions 1991 hit single "Wind Of Change". This is a mad crazy ride, as Keefe delves into this passion project, which explores the reach and consequences of soft power and propaganda through main stream media. It's just brilliant! Best podcast for me since Serial Season 1 (and if you don't know what Serial is, then 1) where have you been? 2) go and listen to it right now!).

📕 BOOK

"Say Nothing" - Patrick Radden Keefe

It was a toss up between "Say Nothing" or "Empire of Pain", both of which I read this month. Both fantastic. But I think "Say Nothing" just pips it for me as I'm UK based and the subject matter resonated a little more for me. The book is essentially a look at one of the most troubling crimes committed by the IRA during the troubles in Northern Ireland, the abduction and murder of mother of 10, Jean McConville. Viewed through the prism of some key players - Dolours and Marian Price - and based largely on testimony given to the Boston College Belfast project, Keefe entwines a history of the troubles alongside the internal conflict of the protagonists as they try to square up their convictions with the eventual outcome of the conflict, The Good Friday agreement. Throughly researched, masterfully crafted, extremely readable.

To whet your appetite for this one check out a great interview of Patrick on the Irish Times Inside Politics Podcast.

💿 MUSIC

"Already Gone" - Sons Of the East

In recommending this to a friend I described this as Mumford and Sons crossed with Paolo Nutini. If you like your folk rock you will love this. Strong vocals, a touch of banjo and a strong backbeat. Stand out tracks are "Fast and Slow" and "Into The Sun". But all 8 tracks on this short album are a treat. Summer evening drive vibe for me.

Side Note: This was an Apple Music recommendation based on my listening habits. The dreaded algorithm! Like it or loath it, with so much (far too much!) content out there we need it to be sifted for us one way or another and I think Apples algorithm is pretty good. It doesn't just give you carbon copies as some do but mixes the genres and styles well in my opinion. I've discovered most of my new music this way lately.