Friday, July 30, 2021

Weekend Links 7-30-21

 Were back after a weekend off. Had a great time with my lovely bride celebrating our anniversary. The time off was well worth it. Of course, that means there was no post last weekend. But that also means this week's is longer than normal. Hope you enjoy!

With the release of Black Widow the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand. Here is how to watch all the movies in order. 

This seems timely with the Olympics taking place in Tokyo: how Wheaties became the breakfast of champions.

The history of America's first disastrous attempt to launch a satellite.

Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe explains why "following your passion" is usually terrible advice. 

One of my favorite singer/songwriters is James Taylor. Here is the story behind his iconic song "Fire and Rain."

A new game based on Agatha Christies Hercule Poirot will be released for the Nintendo Switch this fall.

The ten best Hitchcock villains. Numbers 2, 3, and 7 are my personal favorites. 

Why is English spelling so difficult?

How to score free refills on McDonalds fries. I haven't tried this so I am not sure whether it would work. 

If you pick up a book it is likely there is a blurb from an author or critic singing its praises. How did this become standard practice?

Here are some ways to have fun with Alexa. 

On an episode of M*A*S*H, Charles Emerson Winchester (portrayed by David Ogden Stiers) comes to the aid of a soldier being bullied because he stutters. For Stiers, the story hit close to home. 

The benefits of browsing in bookstores. It is one of my favorite pastimes.

Babe Ruth is a baseball legend in large part because of the efforts of Christy Walsh. Who is Walsh? He is widely considered the first baseball agent. 

Otto Penzler (in an introduction to his new book) discusses what constitutes Golden Age Detective Fiction. 

Podcast of the week: I really enjoyed this episode of Shedunnit (it is one of my favorite podcasts). It is an interview with Sophie Hannah on whether Agatha Christie is a great writer. There is also discussion about whether detective fiction can be considered great literature. Given the fact that most of the fiction I read is detective fiction and it is a genre that got me back into reading fiction I think you can guess where I land on these questions. 

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