As I mentioned in my post about ditching my iPhone, I'm trying to get back into reading books.

One of the hardest parts about getting back into reading is to adjust my mindset about how I read books.

For the last couple decades, I was extremely selective about the books I read. I wouldn't pick up a book unless I was positive that I'd make it through without abandoning it early.

After all, dedicating time to a few hundred pages was a significant investment! I'm a busy man, after all.¹

A couple weeks back, my family walked up to the library together. Usually, it's a time where my wife gets to meander down the aisles, picking out books for herself and the kids, while the rest of us play with the puppets and dinosaurs they've got set up in the kids area.

This time, I decided to walk through the new release section and see if anything caught my eye.The distinctive pink cover of this book caught it right away.

I was slightly embarrassed as I sat down on the couches and started reading a book about a movie geared toward teenaged girls. I didn't realize that fifteen minutes had gone by when my family was asking if I was ready to leave.

I finished the book up yesterday and recommend it if you are into behind-the-scenes stories of how media gets made. The author interviewed all the actors from the movie, including those who only had one or two lines.

I was particularly compelled by the story of Rajiv Surendra, the actor who played Kevin G. He talked about how much effort it took to cultivate the confidence that his character exudes, and how he often channels that character in real life when he needs a boost.

Self confidence is an area I'm actively working on, so I appreciated being able to pull a little inspiration from a book I picked up on a whim from the library.

I'm sure none of this is new information to you all. Libraries have books, books are useful for transmitting new ideas, yadda yadda. Give me a break, I'm trying here!

I'm also working my way through A Hacker's Mind by Bruce Schneier based off a recommendation from my pal Arun.

Not sure if you all knew this, but reading books can be pretty dope.

(My buddy Paul recommended a few graphic novels that I'll reserve from the library next, but I'm still looking for a solid fiction series to get behind, so holler if you have any suggestions! )

ROGEN: What’s horrifying is a comment I get a lot where cops come up to me and say, “I became a cop because of Superbad.” That has been said to me on numerous occasions. And when they say that to me, I say, “That is fucked up. You did not understand the movie.”

This movie had a profound impact on me when it came out. I probably watched it 50 times on DVD.

I think I should go watch it again.

I remember seeing this movie once as a kid and I have very few memories of it. Anyone who knows me knows that’s a startling admission because nearly 75% of what I say originated from media I consumed as a kid.

I love these “oral history” articles, and when I saw this one, I almost dismissed it because of my vague recollection of the movie.

Reading it, however, caused me to want to rewatch it. I’m so glad I did, because while this movie is definitely not for children, it’s quite enjoyable to watch as an adult.

It is layered with subtext, and for a society who is currently vilifying Disney for a lot of things, I think the way they re-tell the Victor Hugo story should be agreeable to someone who insists on modest decorum.

If you are like me and have no recollection of this movie, do yourself a favor and spend an evening reading this article and then watching it. You’ll have a ton of appreciation for how this movie advanced animation forward.

You should also check out this video mentioned towards the end of this article of pandemic-produced cover of “The Bells of Notre Dame.” Just sent shivers up my spine.

This was a wonderfully written account of life inside the NBA’s bubble that was formed during the COVID outbreak.

There are a ton of great stories, but this one actually made me laugh out loud:

Once, I played Heads Up! (the charades-like game where you hold your phone up to your forehead) with Kemba Walker of the Boston Celtics at the end of an interview. The answer on the screen was “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,” and the clue he gave me was “They be flying on brooms and shit.”

I remember first watching Wonder Showzen during a band trip to Ireland in 2005. I thought it was the weirdest and coolest thing I’ve ever seen.

This retrospective was really fun to read (if you were a fan like me), and it made me want to go back and watch the whole series.

Edmonds: Nintendo’s legal department also got worried about lawsuits from various gun manufacturers if we used real gun names. We had to change them to made up ones, which was disappointing.

Hilton: So the whole team just started making up names that sounded appropriate for the guns — except for the Klobb, which we named after Ken Lobb, who was one of the most senior guys at Nintendo at the time and was a big supporter of the game within Nintendo.

I mean, is there anyone my age who didn't grow up on this game? The story of how multiplayer came to exist is particularly interesting as someone who is used to working in an industry where the best ideas come late in the game.

This was when I was roughly 4, and yet I very vividly remember the buzz surrounding the 1992 Dream Team. This article is a great biography of the team and offers a ton of insider stories. According to the article, the Dream Team (consisting of the greats of that era, including Jordan, Bird, Barkley, Malone, Ewing, etc.) faced off for the first time together against a bunch of college players (consisting of future stars like Penny Hardaway and Chris Webber). In that game, the college guys upset the greats in the 4th quarter. A few days later, they had a rematch:

Charles Barkley: We sent them a little message.

Chris Webber: We didn't score a point. Not one point. Not a point on a free throw, not a point in the game. We were the perfect wake-up call for them, and they were the perfect reality check for us.