Ian Robinson's Weekly Digest - 2nd May 2021

Here are my latest highlights of the past week, with pointers to three articles, one video, and thirteen new music releases. It was a great week for new music! I’ve created playlists for the new music. Links to Apple Music and Spotify provided below. As ever, links from names go to Twitter where possible, or to another site is required. If you have any feedback, then get me on Twitter.

Engineering: Internal Combustion Engine - Bartosz Ciechanowski - Link

An excellent description of how an internal combustion engine works. With animations to accompany the text outlining how each component works individually, and how they combine to make up the engine.

Cosmology: Dark Matter: The Situation has Changed - Sabine Hossenfelder - YouTube Link

Another good explainer video from Sabine Hossenfelder, in which she outlines how her views have changed on dark matter over the years. 

Politics: The curious case of the Miami jewellery designer and the UK government’s PPE scandal - British GQ - Link

A long read about how the UK government spent money like it was going out of fashion last year. In the pursuit of PPE supplies for the UK. Which was a laudable goal. But the evidence is mounting that there was at the very least cronyism in the contract award process. Or possibly, just good old fashioned corruption!

Opinion: Gwyneth’s Ark: sailing towards wellness but never quite getting there - Marina Hyde - Link

Another typically brilliant, and cutting, opinion column by Marina Hyde in The Guardian. She is easily my favourite opinion columnist at present. This particular column reminded me of the film A Cure For Wellness. Which I quite liked (rated it 9/10, and it was on my films of 2017 list). Other opinions on the film are available!

Lilla Vargan - Blue Prints (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Koko Nova - Addicted To You (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Maria Lidze - Out (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Lord Huron - Long Lost (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Chords Of Eve - Spinning (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Instagram

Julia Michaels - Not In Chronological Order (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Kronowski - The Pyre (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Ina Wroldsen - Fires (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Royal Blood - Typhoons (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Coeur De Pirate - Perséides (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

The Pale White - Infinite Pleasure (Album) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

The Ella Sisters - Neon Lights (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

Random Parts - So Long (Single) - Apple Music - Spotify - Twitter

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