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Including: transparent, grateful sloth, trendspotting
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Finding great stories, so you don't have to

Hi friend! We hold our friends dear, don't we? Except that they don't stay as constant as we think they do.

In fact, it's incredibly normal for friends to drift in and out of orbit, depending on life stage, personal circumstance and, well, just stuff.

The reason I'm talking about friendship is because there's been a confluence of friend-related content that I've happened across in the past couple of weeks.

So whether you're confused about how many friends you need, why it's so hard to make new friends (especially as you get older) or the book you need to read, then this is the place!

Oh, and there's a bunch of other interesting stuff, too. Shall we begin?...

The insane language around being a trans 'parent'
I don't normally start with a podcast link, but this episode of The Allusionist was truly enlightening. It starts with the whole bureaucratic complexity of being a pregnant trans man (which as you can imagine brings its own challenges), moves onto the issues with the word 'mother', and ends up in the frankly bewildering logic behind being/not being able to register birth certificates. Genuinely worth your time. 

Does having kids make you happy?
Do you like the segue?! "Some of the most prominent scholars in the field have argued that if you want to be happy, it’s best to be childless. Others have pushed back, pointing out that a lot depends on who you are and where you live."

BOOK OF THE FORTNIGHT
The Power of Geography: Ten Maps that Reveal the Future of our World by Tim Marshall

If you like a bit of history and politics, then ironically, this is the book for you. It takes 10 countries/regions and delves into how the geography has affected their history and their modern-day politics. I've learned loads from it, even about countries I thought I already knew a fair bit about. Fascinating for understanding why many of the world's current conflicts exist.
Buy links
*: UK Bookshop | Hive | Amazon
 

-oOo-

THE FRIENDS SECTION
How many friends do I need?

Excellent short podcast by Mona Chalabi getting to grips with her friends dilemma. (Apple podcast link)

In the podcast, Mona talks to Professor Robin Dunbar who has written the excellent book Friends: Understanding The Power Of Our Most Important Relationships. I read it last year and can highly recommend it.

3 things no-one told you about making friends in adulthood
Excellent advice in this and applies no matter what age you are, I think.

Solve awkward social situations: understand conversation styles
Then I came across this, which isn't explicitly about making friends, but it has a huge nod in that direction.  

-oOo-

What does tech take from us?
Great interview with Pamela Paul, whose new book 100 Things We've Lost To The Internet examines how technology has change society. I love this sentence: "As late as 2019, she bought – read this slowly – portable CD players for two of her children." 

How the experts spot trends
If you've ever wondered how those 'futurologists' or 'coolhunters' manage to be ahead of the game, then this is absolutely worth a read.

Why can't we teleport?
Science alert! If you've ever watched Star Trek or The Fly and wondered why we still haven't managed teleportation yet, this is for you.
Forget Squid Game – this is how the real thing stays alive

OTHER RANDOM STUFF
– I'd never heard of The Honey Cone before this week: This tune is a banger
This car was parked on the same Italian street for 47 years
Birds with arms – I mean, what else is there to know?
Delightful animation introducing Wes Anderson's new film, and with Jarvis Cocker singing. The ideal combination!
This is how your luggage gets packed in a plane
A grateful sloth
The story behind the 'post a pet' craze – you must have seen someone do it recently
How to tell when a TV show jumps the shark – uses IMDB data to show best/worst episodes/series
The real-life Borrowers


Quote I've been thinking about
"The reason we feel resistance so strongly when we are doing something important in our lives is that, the more important something is, the truer to our core being, the more vulnerable we will be in its creation, and the greater the consequences of failure." (From The Purpose Myth by Charlotte Cramer)

Ko-fi logoIf you like Content-ment, you can buy me a Ko-fi! ☕️

The end blurb...
*My book recommendation links go to one of three places: 
1) Bookshop.org (an online bookshop with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops – it's an affiliate link, so I earn a tiny amount at no extra cost to you)
2) Hive, which makes a donation to a local independent bookshop of your choosing every time you buy from them.
3) I also include an Amazon affiliate link, though, as I know lots of people still read via Kindle, even though they're taking over the world!

I'm always grateful when people send on recommendations for inclusion in here. If you ever see something you think I'd love to read, please let me know. The internet is a big space and I only search a small part of it...

Finally, if you're reading this for the first time, why not sign up here to get a dose of similar enjoyment every two weeks, or simply email me at rob@robmansfield.net with "Content-ment" in the subject line.

See you in a fortnight!

Rob

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