Chit-Chat and Recommendation Post: May 2022! (Patreon)

Hello and welcome to May’s chit-chat and recommendation post, a cozy little space to update each other on what we’ve been doing and all the things we’ve enjoyed during the month!

Spring has already given way to summer where I am and with the bump in temperatures came a corresponding bump in all around busyness. I haven’t had a ton of time for recreation this month behind the scenes, so my recs for May are really thin on the ground, but I hope you enjoy my humble offerings anyway!

Best Article(s) I Read This Month: Other than keeping up with the news (I know it’s my civic duty and all to be an informed citizen, but damn it’s depressing) I haven’t had much time to read this month. Fiction was basically out of the question other than an incredibly trashy romance novel that I refuse to cop to publicly, so I’ve been feeding my brain with all manner of interesting articles from across the interwebs.

Here are my favorites! It’s a nice selection of fascinating futurism and history.

What Dinner Will Look Like in the Next 100 Years, According to Scientists (and Sci-Fi Authors): Just what it says on the tin, a look at where the meals we eat might be going, based on current trends, technological advances and environmental science. With a dash of the fantastic, of course!

Robots Are Writing Poetry, and Many People Can’t Tell the Difference: A history of AIs creating poetry that charts their development from the 1980s to today, and what that may mean for human creativity in the future.

An Unfiltered Oral History of the Marlboro Man: I have a weird fascination with advertising and mascots and things of that nature, so this article about one of THE most successful ad campaigns of the twentieth century and how it reshaped an entire brand in the public consciousness really scratched that particular itch.

How America Embraced Aspics With Threatening Auras: If you've ever looked at vintage food and wondered "Why DID people put so much stuff in Jell-o, anyway?" this deep dive into that particular trend will enlighten you. 'Nuff said.

Game(s): Two favorites to share this month, and both horror related! Zombie Night Terror, a strategy-lite game about unleashing zombies on an unsuspecting populace; and the incredibly frustrating (but still wonderful!) Lovecraftian horror of Sunless Sea. 10/10 if you haven’t played that one, it’s fantastic even if it makes me want to rage quit occasionally.

(Humble Bundle also put out a bundle of basically all the DLC for Cities: Skylines, plus the main game, so if you’ve never played it and enjoy city builders, I suggest you jump on that!)

Other Stuff! I've been hitting the gym more often this month after a prolonged period of being a hedonistic lazy blob. While I'm tired af after every session, it feels good, my dudes! If you've been waiting for a sign to get back to the gym or to start going or even just to become more active, consider this that! Because I can't recommend it enough. 💖

That's it for me this month. A sad short list, I know! Hopefully June will be a bit less busy. What have you guys been up to? Do anything fun in May?