The Goods for February 21, 2020

I’m a collector of good things.

Something wonderful happens when we take a moment to celebrate the fantastic things going on all around us – especially when it’s easy to focus on the less-than-fantastic and downright maddening. A simple shift of focus might do you some good this week.

Here are some of the good things I’m celebrating this week. Here are The Goods.

Listen to “Look What the Light Did Now”

I’ve been a paid Spotify user for a couple of years now and I can honestly say I’ve discovered a lot of great music because of it. Spotify’s weekly algorithmic playlists have introduced me to some fantastic artists and killer songs. I don’t know how I would discover these tracks any other way.

This week’s Listen pick is a stellar example.

Look At What The Light Did Now cover by Flo Morrissey and Matthew E. White

Combine a rock steady retro funk groove and unique, warm vocals from both contributors and you’ve got a killer track that will make you want to dance then hit repeat.

I also love the title line in the lyrics – “look at what the light did now” is such an evocative idea. That’s thanks to Little Wings, who originally wrote and performed the song for the 2010 Feist documentary called … Look At What The Light Did Now. You can hear Little Wings sing the track here. Ahh, those jazzy chords.

Throw this jam on next time you are washing dishes and I promise you it’ll hurt a little less.

Look at Renaissance Mechanics

Photographer Freddy Fabris has recreated several famous rennaissance paintings with modern-day auto mechanics as his models. The results are funny, touching and display incredible skill. Check out more from this fabulous collection of images over on Sad and Useless.

Read “The Everything Town in the Middle of Nowhere”

Amazon – do you love the convenience or hate the machine? I’m torn in a complicated relationship with the online behemoth, vowing never to shop Amazon again and then marveling that my obscure, tiny screwdriver showed up just 16 hours after I hit “buy now”.

However you feel about the service, the Amazon machine is full of weird and wild cogs that keep it buzzing 24/7. Many of those cogs live and work in a small Montana town you’ve never heard of.

It turns out that screwdriver might have been boxed, unboxed and reboxed a few times before it came to my door. It turns out that reboxing likely happened in Roundup, Montana.

The verge wrote an excellent piece on this and it’s worth a read to count the cost of the world we’re making for ourselves.

Read The Everything Town in The Middle Of Nowhere

Make Literature Before It Dissappears

Got a story brewing inside you? Need a kick to get it out?

Squibler has designed the “Most Dangerous Writing App” to get your creativity flowing.

How dangerous, you may ask?

Well, start with a prompt (or not) and a timer (5 minutes is the default). Don’t think – just write. Don’t stop writing until the timer goes off, because when you do, everything you just wrote is erased.

Lost forever!

Try the Most Dangerous Writing App – I dare you.

Have you got The Goods?

I’d love to hear about what’s made you smile, feel, grow and give this week. I’m sure I’m not the only one, so share your own Good pics in the comments below!