Links I’d share in private #16

Welcome to another edition of Links I’d share in private, a (bi-)weekly blog post about all the things and content I come across the Internet during my intense web binging, worthy of being shared to you all (instead of in all of my private group chats 🤣).

Montreal’s Cultural Renaissance: A September to Remember

September heralds a cultural renaissance in Montreal, with a flurry of new shows and exhibits gracing our beautiful and vibrant city. Living in the heart of downtown, I’m fortunate to have an easy access to this cornucopia of cultural events. As we transition into my favourite season—autumn 🍂🧡—the city bathes in a perfect blend of cozy warmth and crisp air. The leaves begin their spectacular transformation, painting the landscape in a breathtaking rainbow of colours. It’s a joy to witness the city come alive as Montrealers eagerly embrace the season’s offerings and the last breath of warm weather.

Last Friday, I had the joy of attending a captivating performance by emerging artist Akawui. Fresh from his residency at the Maison de la Culture Marie-Uguay, Akawui crafted an intimate ambience on stage that beautifully reflected his dual heritage—a harmonious fusion of Montreal’s urban pulse and the rich traditions of his parents’ homeland, Chile and the Mapuche nation.

The music was nothing short of enchanting. Closing my eyes, I found myself transported to the majestic Andes Mountains. Akawui’s masterful use of native instruments infused his compositions with an authentic Latin essence, creating a sound both familiar and refreshingly innovative. The experience left me eagerly anticipating the release of his new tracks on digital platforms. In the meantime, I’ve been revisiting his previous albums on YouTube Music, savouring the evolution of his artistry.

For those curious to explore Akawui’s musical journey, you can listen to his earlier works [here].

To give you a glimpse of this extraordinary performance, I’ve included some photos I captured during the show. These images hardly do justice to the magical atmosphere, but I hope they convey a sense of the evening’s enchantment I had.

As Montreal’s cultural calendar continues to unfold, I’m filled with giddiness for the myriad of experiences that await me. This city never ceases to amaze with its rich tapestry of arts and culture, and I’m grateful to be at the heart of it all. Next show? The drag queen Rainbow doing her show, Nostalgie, at the Theatre Paradoxe. Can’t wait!

Revisiting Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles: A Journey from Page to Screen to Page again

Inspired by the captivating AMC TV adaptation of “Interview with the Vampire,” I’ve embarked on an ambitious literary journey: revisiting Anne Rice’s entire Vampire Chronicles series. The show’s masterful reimagining of Rice’s gothic world has reignited my passion for these timeless tales of immortality, morality, and the human condition. So I embarked on the re-reading of the books.

The TV series’ portrayal of the central triumvirate—Louis, Claudia, and Lestat—was nothing short of fantastic. Each character, brought to life with nuanced performances, added new layers of complexity to Rice’s already rich narrative tapestry. The adaptation skillfully expanded upon the original story, offering fresh perspectives and deeper explorations of the characters’ motivations and relationships. And while I really appreciated Kristen Dunst’ portrayal of Claudia, Delainey Hayles‘ portrayal was also very, very good! And Sam Reid’s Lestat… Oh my! OH MYYYYYYYYYYY!

As I eagerly anticipate the next installment, “The Vampire Lestat,” I find myself compelled to revisit the source material. This literary pilgrimage serves a dual purpose: to refresh my memory of Rice’s vampire mythology, and to heighten my excitement for the upcoming adaptation. I’m particularly curious to see how the show will introduce and interpret the myriad of fascinating characters that populate Rice’s vampire universe.

As I progress through the series, I find myself speculating about how future adaptations might bring to life characters like Pandora, Marius, or the formidable Akasha. The prospect of seeing these complex, centuries-old beings incarnated on screen fills me with a giddy anticipation that only fellow fans of the Vampire Chronicles can truly understand.

This renewed exploration of Rice’s vampire world is more than just a nostalgic indulgence—it’s a bridge between past and present, connecting the timeless appeal of the original novels with the fresh energy of modern adaptations. As I turn each page, I’m not just refreshing my memory; I’m rediscovering why these stories continue to captivate audiences across generations. And with the inevitable crossover with the Witches’ hour / the Mayfair Witches series, I am so happy to have a new serie to hyperfocus my attention on for the next few years.

Now on with the Links I’d share in private part!

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Keywords: This week’s Links I’d share in private touches on various topics, including: Roxane Gay, and TikTok vs Thread. Discussions around the future of the internet. Themes like perimenopause/menopause, Classical Antiquity, and the antiquity-to-alt-right pipeline. The rise of DIY pharmaceuticals. On the cultural side, the Astronomy Photographer of the Year and Google Arts & Culture offer stunning visual experiences, while William Bouguereau and Artvee bring classical art to the forefront. In design, free fonts, vibrant cabin interiors, and the KISS philosophy in web development advocate for simplicity over complexity. Additionally, topics like virtual reality, AI concerns, and computing power’s impact on capitalism reflect growing disillusionment in the tech world. Useful tools like the PNG Maker, word cloud generator, and font interceptor also enhance creative and web development projects.

TO READ

• The New Pornographers: Roxane Gay has a way with words. And she wrote an excellent piece on TikTok (once my favorite social media until the arrival of Threads), that I saw circulate online this summer. I think this phrase resumes it well: “It’s striking that TikTok, on the surface, prizes individuality but what truly sustains the platform is imitation and repetition and the all-too-human desire to be just like everyone else. Despite the many charming or strange or jaw-dropping videos on TikTok, far more of the videos are fairly mundane. They receive little attention, but the creators seem undeterred. In the absence of an audience, the hope that an audience might yet find them sustains.“. It might also explains how I came to favorize Threads over TikTok for the last 6 months…
• Interesting take on the future of the Internet: Offline is the new online The nostalgia for the old Internet of early 2000s, combined with the tiredness behind all the algorithmic feeds and AI content and fake news/disinformation era, will push more people OUT of the Internet space, and back into the physical realm of life. The Main Prediction of the article: By 2027, less than 15% of the population will actively participate in the digital world for non-work purposes. Can’t wait to see if it will come to pass as a prediction.
• My Twin: A short story: Beautiful fiction with a twist…
• Welcome to your cronehood: a beautiful ode to the perimenopause/menopause all women goes through in their mid-lives. I am in my late perimenopause phase, and I’ve come to accept and be happy about this new phase of my life.
• The Antiquity to Alt-Right Pipeline: I had a hunch about this after years of seeing those accounts gaining traction online, but to have someone write it so concisely… This article explores the connection between interest in Classical Antiquity and exposure to alt-right ideologies on Twitter. Through a month-long experiment, the author followed history-related accounts and engaged with ancient history content, observing how the platform’s algorithm increasingly recommended right-wing and extremist accounts. The investigation revealed five common themes in alt-right content using Classical imagery: glorification of violence as masculinity, anti-feminist sentiments, claims of “objective beauty,” perceived threats to “white culture,” and calls to preserve endangered heritage. The author argues that the alt-right co-opts Greco-Roman aesthetics and history to construct a mythologized past, using it to justify and propagate fascist ideologies. This “antiquity to alt-right pipeline” on social media platforms like Twitter normalizes extremist views by exposing unsuspecting users to radicalizing content through seemingly innocuous historical interest. To read if you’re interested in current politics/world affairs
• The Last Rave: this personal story hits close to home. A personal, sad story of a couple going awry, the writer not understanding what switch was flipped in her partner’s head for it to go so bad so quickly.
• If you looking for new creative swear words, this website is perfect for you
• The Friendship Paradox: We all want more time with our friends, but we’re spending more time alone.
• ‘Right to Repair for Your Body’: The Rise of DIY, Pirated Medicine: This article discusses the work of Four Thieves Vinegar Collective, an anarchist group led by Mixæl Swan Laufer, which aims to make expensive pharmaceuticals accessible through DIY methods. It also raises questions about drug pricing, intellectual property in medicine, and the ethics of DIY pharmaceutical production. Very US centric, but since our governments here up north are pushing for this type of healthcare privatization, it may be of interesting to many of us. “I am of the firm belief that we are hitting a watershed where economics and morality are coming to a head, like, ‘Look: intellectual property law is based off some ideas that came out of 1400s Venice. They’re not applicable and they’re being abused and people are dying every day because of it, and it’s not OK,’” Laufer told me.”

TO SEE

• You love cool astronomy photos that are simply awesome? The Astronomy Photographer of the Year shortlist revealed article has TONS of amazing pics!
  
• On Google Arts & Culture, you need to see The Tales of Lower Silesia, a visually compelling website for this region of Poland that is rich with beautiful landscapes and tales of folklore and interesting people. It is beautiful; it is interactive; tons of videos and rich medias to dive into this region of the world, and maybe give you the drive to plan a future vacation there?
  
• Artvee: Discover the best in Classical & Modern Art, browse and download high-resolution, public domain paintings, posters and illustrations
  I’m sharing a picture of a painting by my favourite painter, William Bouguereau
  

Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

Mark Twain

TO FOLLOW

• You love art, and want to receive beautiful art in your email? Then Art Class is the Newsletter for you! Receive art directly into your inbox.
• Another interesting Instagram account to follow: Artez, street artist & muralist
  

TO HEAR

• All I can say is: listen to the next Sewer Spewer episode on Tuesday, September 24th 2024, on PunkRockRadio.ca. Tons of interesting punk music this week, and it’s a good listen. Or do like me, and have early access to the radio show by subscribing to the Patreon page of Sewer Spewer for 2$ a month!
• If you want a slow beat, hippie vibe playlist, go listen to OK Mondays on Spotify

RECIPES

• A simple Cauliflower and beans taco recipe for your week nights quick recipes
• You want a fresh dip to go with your nice homemade bread? This Greek Goddess dip is the recipe to go to

DESIGN

• Free beautiful fonts? YES PLEASE! Free Faces is available for your font design envy!
• OMG THAT GREEN KITCHEN!💚 The entire apartment’s colours choices are simply amazing. I much prefer houses with tons of vivid colours than the fucking trend of grey/white or beige interior design that we are seing everythere for the last 10 years! GIMME HOUSES WITH LIFE IN IT!
  
• I want a cabin like this so bad! All the wood inside give me Cabin mood now.
  

TECH & WEB

• I’m a proponent of the KISS philosophy in Web Development: “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. And this article, “Going Buildless“, kinda comes to validate my thought of the current processes going on in the field of webdev. Too many builds is killing the joy of coding, me think. The overcomplication of using dependencies to write code is overloading our processes to just see our results online, and having too many builds is killing it. In this article, the author have a go at different methods for using web components logic instead, which can help simplify the development of a website. Love the simplicity being it.
• I’m seeing tons of disillusion over the web/tech field in the last two years, and an overall sense that it’s all bullshit and capitalistic fever dreams. This later blog post, “Any Technology Indistinguishable From Magic is Hiding Something“, is pretty spot on. Here’s an interesting phrase from it: “I can’t stress this point enough. The reason why GAMM and all its little digirati minions on social media are pushing things like crypto, then the blockchain, and now virtual reality and artificial intelligence is because those technologies require a metric fuckton of computing power to operate. That fact may be devastating for the earth, indeed it is for our mental health, but it’s wonderful news for the four storefronts selling all the juice” So many bits from it are quotable, I can’t urge you enough to go read it now!
• PNG Maker: a free online PNG image creator tool, where you give it a prompt of what you need, and the tool generates the image in a PNG format to your desired requirements. Useful for quick web development projects.
• For those of us who remembers the words cloud of taxonomies from the early days of blogging, this tool helps recreate one for your online projects
• PURELY for educational purposes, *cough cough*. Font Interceptor website, useful to… know…which fonts are used on any website.