I realize that I'm immediately falling back into journal-ish thoughtwriting, but here we are.

Kevin Conroy, the longtime voice of Batman, died this week. 

While the cinematic adaptations of Batman can feel a bit like a revolving door of actors who are more well-known for some other role anyway, Kevin Conroy was definitively Batman for almost three decades across Batman: The Animated Series, the Arkham game series, and more.

Having been Batman for Halloween multiple years (sometimes consecutively), I've always admired the character. The combination of nobility and gruffness, the preparedness, the intelligence; Batman is always who I thought (well, hoped) I'd be if I was in the universe. But that image of the character was, and still is, heavily influenced by Kevin Conroy.

As a gay man, Conroy overcame discrimination throughout his career. He recounted his being casted as Batman overlapping with the AIDS epidemic in "Finding Batman", his debut effort as a comic writer published just this year.

Here's one of the best clips from Justic League Unlimited, in which Batman loses a bet and croons "Am I Blue?" (a song that's nearly 100 years old now) in order to free Wonder Woman. A lovely, surreal scene.

Anyway, just a reminder that even though characters can live forever, we need to remember the heroes who brought them to life.

— n.b.

R E A D  :

what's your status?

Status as a Disservice: 

As Neo-Nero slowly burns the Twitter empire, I really enjoyed this piece by Every co-founder Nathan Baschez. In it, aside from recapping the recent chaos with Twitter's verification process, he goes further to explore the psychology of status. Why we want it, why it's valuable, and why it's not quite working correctly on Twitter.

A good excerpt below:

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go take a walk

Give Your Idea Some Legs: 

In case you needed any scientific evidence, here it is. Taking a walk is good for your creativity. In this study by Stanford University, a research team found that walking increased key types of creative thinking for over 80% of undergraduates. You can compare this to a similar recent study about showers, which improved creative thinking by 30%.

The "reasons aren't completely clear" in these studies, which is one of those illogicalities that actually makes me want to believe it more.

W A T C H  :

still feeling spooky

Netflix's Cabinet of Curiosities:

Although it's November, it doesn't mean that I can't still feel a lil' spooky. I started Cabinet of Curiosities, an anthology series "curated" by Guillermo del Toro, on Halloween, and I've been working my way through it since then.

If, and I mean if, you are into disturbing, unsettling, and sometimes grotesque horror, I would absolutely suggest the series. Certain episodes (you'll know which third—er, one—I'm talking about) have left me with my hands on my face in various shapes of displeasure. All episodes are based on short stories and feature a surprising amount of Hollywood powerhouses. Very much suggest it if you are into such a thing.

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remember some hits

The Greatest Hits of the Past: 

A TikTok account, TokyoHiatus, is posting really interesting visualizations of the top songs of years past. One part a walk down memory lane, one part a fun data visualization; it's very entertaining to see how long and outsized the reign of certain songs was (Smooth by Santana and Rob Thomas, anyone?).  

A few specific highlights below:2012 - Gotye and LMFAO.1999 - The aforementioned Santana dominance.2021 - Just a reminder that nearly every year starts with Mariah Carey.

P L A Y  :

back to history class

WikiTrivia:

Test your chronological knowledge in this Wiki History Game that creator Tom Watson calls, “Wikidata as a trivia card game”.

Be sure to appreciate the delightful integration of the UI and the API, all while you’re deliberating with total, unalarming composure over whether Cleopatra was born after the Silk Road opened, or if she predated the Aeneid, or…

Thank you again for reading. I hope you found some of these oddities valuable.

— n.b.