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“Can I pick your brain?” That dreaded, one-sided question.
But today, we’re flipping the script and offering, “do you want to pick our brains?” Find below a collection of our team’s favorite watches, reads, listens, and beyond. It was the closest we could get to inviting you into our office for happy hour.
Dig in during your holiday break. Or use it for energy and inspiration come Jan. 1.
Either way, we hope you have a restful December. We’ll be back in the New Year.
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Adolescence, a show. “Show of the year. Brilliant premise, brilliant acting, BRILLIANTLY filmed and executed.” - Barry
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How to With John Wilson, a show. “I haven't looked at scaffolding in NYC the same since watching.” - Clare
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The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 6, a show. “The need for self-preservationist escapism persists, and this franchise is a master class in delusion, comedy, camp, and melodrama.” - Ilana
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The Alabama Solution, a documentary. “A haunting walkthrough of the prison system in the United States, specifically Alabama. An absolute must-watch.” - Shiva
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The Stringer: The Man Who Took The Photo, a documentary. “A whodunit investigation, but instead of looking for a criminal, it's a search for who really took the Pulitzer-winning photo that reshaped America’s view of the Vietnam War.” - Trevor
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Pee-wee as Himself, a mini-series. “Pee-wee Herman was engrained in my 80s childhood experience, yet there was so much I didn't know about the origins of Pee-wee, along with Paul Reubens' background, 'double life' as an artist, and the media/legal injustice he endured.” - Katie C.
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“Get to Know the Misunderstood Canada Goose,” a short film from The New York Times. “Brought me to tears. I will never look at a goose in a parking lot the same way again. I understand why they're always so moody now.” - Olivia
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“The Sad Decline of Marge Simpson’s Voice,” a YouTube video. “A good reminder that The Simpsons is still on, won't be on forever, and we should start coming to grips with it more quickly than we think.” - Aaron
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“The Crumbling of the AI Colossus,” a YouTube video. “A must-watch for anyone looking to understand the AI bubble.” - Katie D.
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“The Year of Delusional Thinking,” a YouTube video from our very own Aaron Powers. “Dolly Parton, TikTok trends, snow-boarding history…what’s not to love?” - Natalie
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Impulse Magazine, a newsletter. “Highlights of modern day contemporary art written and run by a small Gen Z cohort in NYC'S Lower East Side. Often critiques and infuses the importance of emerging handmade art in the 2020s era of AI, online image sharing, social media, and digital artwork.” - Olivia
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“Attack of the Imposter Demons,” a Progress Report newsletter from Barry Shafrin. “The perfect piece to revisit as you’re going into the new year and doing some honest self-reflection.” - Natalie
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“A ‘Death Train’ is Haunting South Florida,” an article. “This is a fascinating look at how one high speed train line is killing pedestrians at an alarming rate. Is it that Floridians don’t understand the concept of self-preservation as well as others? Or something a little more terrifying?” - Jillian
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“A Cursed Investigation of Italian Brainrot Music,” an article. “Creator-made inside jokes that mean nothing are the new means of going viral. Shock value and absurdist visuals could be the one unifying force in culture's skepticism for AI use in the arts.” - Olivia
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Empire of AI, a book. “Based on hundreds of interviews with AI engineers and creators, Karen explains a dark side not just of AI, but the leaders at the top.” - Shannon
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The Waterbearers, a book. “A beautifully written memoir about the generations of women in Sasha’s family from Louisiana cotton plantations, to 90s Houston, to present day New York.” - Stef
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The Memory Palace, a book. “Nate DiMeo's podcast The Memory Palace is now in book form—and it's been my favorite read to take out for a solo glass of wine to get lost in a beautiful telling of a magical story from the past.” - Dorothy
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A Burglar’s Guide to the City, a book. “Part architecture and part true crime, this book will leave you wanting to plot a bank heist. It shows how looking at the world from a new perspective and inverting your purpose (say from protecting a building to escaping it) reveals the hidden opportunities in every system.” - Caroline
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“Against the Big Light,” a podcast episode. “Overhead light haters RISE!!!!! Also a great deep dive into the history of light, the growth of the LED, and why the light we use matters for our mental and physical health.” - Nora
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“The Quiet Catastrophe Brewing In Our Social Lives,” a podcast episode. “A deeper look behind the sad reality of isolation and lack of community many of us feel, and some of the structural things contributing to it. And some simple and hopeful ideas for how to make social connection easier for all of us.” - Sherzad
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“Embedded: Alternate Realities,” a podcast episode. “Man puts money on the line to try to lure his dad out of an alt-right rabbit hole. The results are super compelling and surprising, while entirely predictable at the same time.” - Barry
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Dwarkesh, a podcast. “Super smart, interesting podcast about AI to really, really nerd out on.” - Jonny
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Scriptnotes, a podcast. “Insightful look into the craft of screenwriting with major players in the industry (cohosted by Mike Mazin of The Last of Us and Chernobyl fame).” - Aaron
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“Back to the Lab,” a collective SYLVAIN playlist. “Love for music is such a deep and rich feature of SYLVAIN life. I wanted to share some of that love through sounds that represent the eclectic and varied tastes of our community, as well as pay tribute to so many great artists alive and gone who have nurtured us with their magic.” - Les
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aprtment life, a music YouTube channel. “They play really great sets that partially inspired me to upgrade to Youtube Premium.” - Meron
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The NTS Guide To, an index of playlists. “They curate playlists across every corner of global sound so you can dive into English Pastoral School, Vietnamese Bolero, or 90s Denver Rap and other pockets of music you didn't even know you needed.” - Kelsy
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Amanda Sabreah (@amandasabreah), a brand insights content creator. “Amanda breaks down trending events through insight, from Pierre Laborden's viral handbags to Rosalia's latest album and the genius of Outkast.” - Sheila
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Eden Grinshpan (@edeneats), a food content creator. “Sticks out because I find myself craving doses of positivity and her account does the trick!” - Eliza
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Dylan Kelly (@dylkelly), a fashion journalist. “He reports on the significance and history of fashion house politics, emerging designers, trend callbacks, supply chain, etc. in a conversational way that would not be out of place in the script of The Devil Wears Prada.” - Olivia
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Josh Lora (@tellthebeees), a writer and content creator. “Real, raw, famously Capricorn. Josh does it all! His takes fire up my group chats, and his TV and film recs keep my list growing.” - Fadé
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Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn), a fashion analyst. “Fascinating the masses with her ‘freaky shoe’ collection (she might have even coined the term herself!).” - Fadé
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Retro app. “A novel and intimate social networking concept crossed with a photo journal.” - Jess
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Untitled Goose Game. “For those looking for a weird, delightful, and goose giving holiday, look no further.” - Ash
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Communal retirement, as profiled in The New York Times. “As the cost of living continues to escalate and younger generations increasingly feel investing in retirement is out of reach, these ladies took it into their own hands and found a way to live fully on their own terms and budgets by supporting each other. And their dogs!” - Barry
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Butchery classes at a local restaurant. “I'm trying to be more mindful about what I eat and where it comes from. Taking butchery classes (not actually THAT hands on) has been teaching me a lot—about how not to waste, how to feel more confident as a cook, and specifics about where my food comes from.” - Dorothy
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Science-backed eyebrow grooming. “I shared a brow practicum with the team years ago for fun, which has now been proven by actual scientists. In short: too high, you look surprised and dumb; too angled and you look angry; too flat and you look callous. BROWS SAY EVERYTHING THIS IS MY STUMP SPEECH.” - Jess
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“Most Days Theory,” developed by Bree Groff. “A useful thought exercise in what is ‘enough,’ meant for those who hold themselves to impossible standards or put too much on their plates.” - Natalie
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Progress Report is a bi-weekly newsletter of business considerations, cultural conversations, and fun recommendations from around the world and web.
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