“Nemeses” (featuring John Roderick of The Long Winters) by Jonathan Coulton.
This came up on shuffle recently and it’s just so catchy, I can’t get it out of my head. Clever as heck too.
Plus, the guest artist on the track is the awesome John Roderick from the band, The Long Winters, who are responsible for one of my favorite songs of all time.
From the “Indra’s Net” file comes, the use of the word polymath alongside a recommendation to read The Economist. As always, when duplicate mentions like this occur from different sources at the same time, I tend to follow it.
Thankfully for you, both these sources are really worth your time!
The first is the video above, a recent Creative Mornings Talk by Anna Rascouët-Paz on the importance of curiousity. Not only does this wonderful talk include asking the audience, “Where have all the polymaths gone?” and recommends reading The Economist, she includes a deep reference to MacGyver. You’ll just have to watch for that one.
The second instance is the latest episode of Back To Work featuring the awesome, John Roderick of The Long Winters. In this wonderful episode, John Roderick and host Merlin Mann discuss the lack of polymaths in today’s world, learning as an adult, our education system, and why you should read… the Economist.
Coincidence?! Maybe. But I’d say that this is just the universe (via a few very smart people) telling you to be more curious, try and find (or become?) a modern day polymath, and check out The Economist. I can’t help with the first two, as those are left up to you, but if you’re interested in The Economist, you can visit the site or check out The Economist’s excellent iPad app. In my opinion, it’s probably the best magazine to iPad translation. Plus, it’s free!
So check those out, read more, and be curious. Maybe even go listen to The Long Winters, if you haven’t before. Believe me, they’re pretty great. See you tomorrow.
