Ian Robinson's Weekly Digest - 1st August 2021

After last weeks post with just music, some pushback showed that people liked when I included other stuff. So this week, and in the future, we’re back to the format used before last week’s music only post. Truth be told, last week I was a bit burnt out and just putting the music stuff in was an easy option.

Anyway, this weeks post has nine items and 15 new music pointers. As usual, get me on Twitter with any questions or feedback.

Tech Regulation: How France tamed Google - Wired UK - Link

A French regulator hit Google with two fines totalling €720 M. Surprisingly, Google didn’t appeal but agreed with their findings and said they would change how they operate to prevent the activities that led to the investigations and fines!

Chemistry: The Chemistry of Sunscreen - Compound Chemistry - Link

I’m a sucker for a good infographic. And also love chemistry. So it’ll come as no surprise that I love the Counpound Chemistry infographics. They recently posted this one on how sunscreen works to their Twitter feed. They also post to Instagram and have an archive website here.

Climate Change: UK already undergoing disruptive climate change - BBC News - Link

A BBC News article on the new Met Office State of The UK Climate 2020 report. Unsurprisingly it’s not good. As the record heat events in Ireland in July testify. We’ll need to get used to more extremes. I have the full report in my to-read queue.

Climate Change: Xi Jinping should take the Zhengzhou floods as a warning from China’s history - The Guardian - Link

Speaking of climate change. There were some bad floods in China in July. This excellent article by polymath Philip Ball on how past flooding in China has shaped their history is fantastic. I had no idea about this before reading the article.

Covid-19: How the coronavirus infects cells — and why Delta is so dangerous - Nature - Link

An excellent Nature article on how the Covid-19 virus infects cells.

Covid-19: Masks, hugs and hand washing: 18 new rules for protecting yourself and others - The Guardian - Link

A discussion between Guardian columnist Zoe Williams and Prof Christina Pagel on how we should protect ourselves from the coronavirus now that restrictions have been lifted in England and eased in other countries.

Films: The Suicide Squad - IMDB Link

Going to the cinema for One Film Per Week is a thing again. After a false start on the 2nd of July, I rebooted it again on the 30th to see The Suicide Squad. As I said on Twitter, I liked it more than I expected to. It’s a fun 2 hours of entertainment via an over the top romp with cartoon level action and violence, with seemingly ridiculous characters, who I grew to like more as the film progressed. Harley Quinn, as played by Margot Robbie, is a brilliant creation. I liked Birds of Prey more than this, but both are great fun.

Books: The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy - Arik Kershenbaum - Audiobook link

I finished the audiobook edition of The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy last week. It’s a good summary of evolution and why the animal and plant life on earth ended up the way it did. And why we should expect similar processes on other planets with the same selection pressures to result in similar solutions. It doesn’t try to predict what alien life will be like, but rather what broad principles will be in play in different environments. I liked it a lot.

Music Creation: GarageBand amps up music creation with all-new Sound Packs from Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, and today’s top music producers - Apple - Link

Apple’s GarageBand is a great app for hobbyists (and some professionals!) to create music. It got some new sound packs and video tutorials last week. All free if you have an Apple device already. Nice.

Zella Day - Golden - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Ariel Bellvalaire - Diamonds or Coal - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Bleachers - Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night - (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Sokojo - Keeps Me Going - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Gracie and Rachel - A whisper becomes a shout - (EP) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

KWAYE - Kindness - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

TeamMate - Good To Go - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

LUMP - Animal - (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Walk Off the Earth - Meet You There - (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Casper Cain - Last Chance - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Instagram

Dalton Deschain & The Traveling Show - Freakshow - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Calico Jack - I Got No Soul - (Album EP Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Gretta Ray - Cherish/The Brink (Duology Three) - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Tilsen - Forever, For Now - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Eleanor K - All In - (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Here are Apple Music and Spotify playlists with all the singles and one selected track from each album or EP. In no particular order. Play them on shuffle!