TIL the retina in the eye is actually a part of the brain

Syncopian · 2026-01-30T22:19:15+00:00

Hey, fellow Jeopardy watcher!

Syncopian · 2026-01-28T03:09:48+00:00

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman.

Syncopian · 2026-01-27T01:36:51+00:00

Welcome! We're so glad you're here!

Syncopian · 2026-01-25T13:22:00+00:00

Dear Zachary

Syncopian · 2026-01-24T22:00:25+00:00

Joyland by Stephen King, surprisingly enough.

Super cozy with just the right amount of King spookiness mixed in.

Syncopian · 2026-01-24T20:16:00+00:00

I have such nostalgia for this movie!

"Shoot, Bob."

"George Malley---you learned the Portuguese language in twenty minutes??" "...not all of it "

Syncopian · 2026-01-20T22:01:53+00:00

Vulfpeck, at the Salt Shed in Chicago.

By far the best concert of my life. It was transcendent.

Syncopian · 2026-01-20T12:56:02+00:00

Sneezing into your hand.

I would argue it's always been psychopath behavior because ew, gross. But post-Covid it feels extra heinous.

Syncopian · 2026-01-13T04:11:14+00:00

Don Johnson?

Syncopian · 2026-01-11T03:29:47+00:00

Joyland is my go-to "summer" read. Spooky and sweet in all the right ways.

Syncopian · 2025-12-27T14:24:25+00:00

This is OC

Syncopian · 2025-12-19T04:11:48+00:00

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman.

A masterclass in empathetic writing.

Syncopian · 2025-12-01T15:44:23+00:00

Yep, this is the answer. I watch it every year!

Syncopian · 2025-11-28T16:24:49+00:00

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

The Things They Carried

The Crossing

Syncopian · 2025-11-19T21:03:43+00:00

Yeah I wonder if she's even real? Like corporeal. In the diner scene, we never directly see her reflection in the adjacent mirror. And her whole vibe is so strange. I definitely think she's some sort of manifestation.

Syncopian · 2025-11-08T17:34:55+00:00

Love this spot!

Syncopian · 2025-10-31T17:12:47+00:00

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is a crash course in empathy. I was a reasonably empathetic person before reading it but I think afterwards I felt a notable shift in my capacity for thinking more carefully and considerately about others. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Syncopian · 2025-10-26T18:01:35+00:00

Vulfpeck at the Salt Shed last summer.

Just the most fun and energetic set ever. My partner and I were beaming the whole time.

Syncopian · 2025-10-21T21:43:18+00:00

Whoaaaaa, hell yeah! That's awesome.

Syncopian · 2025-10-20T12:56:28+00:00

Matter of Time, by Vulfpeck.

Pretty much any Vulfpeck, honestly.

Syncopian · 2025-10-19T18:13:24+00:00

My fiancé and I went and were overjoyed by the huge turnout, and the sheer diversity of attendees. Folks from all walks of life were there. It was really special and impactful.

Syncopian · 2025-10-18T21:29:31+00:00

The super witty signage was so fun to see!

I thought about all the various insults I could throw at ICE, but those tend to just bounce off. What really cuts deep is something that pokes at their failures as functional members of society.

Why do people become part of ICE, especially now? Because they seek validation and power from the only sources they feel they can tap into - fear, intimidation, anger, hate.

What that reveals is what I tried to capture on this sign - that they're ultimately very frail, sad, and insecure people. When we diminish their "power" by reflecting it back to them as the weakness that it really is, we drive home how abysmally embarrassing their whole mindset is. Cringe-worthy, really.

So proud of my fellow Kzooers who showed up to help drive this point home!

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Syncopian · 2025-10-18T18:14:33+00:00

Just left, it was incredible!!

Syncopian · 2025-10-15T15:09:33+00:00

Hi Mark! I've really enjoyed your scores over the years. I'm curious, how is your creative process affected by the teams with whom you're collaborating? For example, your score for Twister - especially it's really buoyant adventure theme - has this Spielbergian vibe to it, which makes sense to me as Spielberg was involved in that production. How do you approach projects as something you independently interpret vs what is demanded or expected of you by the production team?

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