Five Bullets 7.21.23
This week: Oppenheimer Pt. 2, Pedro Martinez & John Coltrane
Hello and welcome back to Circles In Space for Five Bullet Friday, where each Friday I share interesting stuff collected during the week.
If you’re new to Circles In Space, I wrote a bit about myself and this newsletter.
Good morning and happy Friday everyone! It’s another cloudy and rainy morning here in New York City. I’ve got a lot to discuss this week so let’s jump right into it!
Have a topic you’d like to discuss? Leave me a comment!
THIS WEEK’S TOPICS:
If you’re as excited as I am about the release of Oppenheimer today, then you might be interested to learn more about the Manhattan Project, Los Alamos, and the man himself.
Books (if you want to go deep):
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer - the film is based on this book.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb - the essential Manhattan Project text.
Hiroshima - written in 1946 when the world had little idea of the atomic bomb’s destruction.
Links (for some quick learning):
NYC:
Gothamist: researchers used AI to process dashboard camera footage to find out where NYPD police are deployed. The team used ‘deep learning’ to train a computer model to parse 25 million photos and identify police cars. The data showed that the highest deployment numbers were in downtown Manhattan and low-income areas including the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn. The research begs the question: why doesn’t the NYPD release deployment data to the public?
DMs from NYC: Photo essay on the on-going conversation between New Yorkers in the form of handwritten messages sprawled anywhere and everywhere.
Writing & Sports: A thoughtful essay on gleaning writing tips from an unlikely source - pitcher Pedro Martinez. Writer Will Harrison studies a Yankees v. Red Sox game from September 10, 1999 in which Martinez gives up only one run, nearly pitching a no-hitter and manages to crush the heaviest of the Bronx Bomber batters. Martinez’s performance is a masterclass on rhythm and keeping your opponents (or readers) guessing.
Audiobooks: I’ve been listening to F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby narrated by actor Jake Gyllenhall, who makes for a convincing Nick Carraway. Lately, the hot and humid summer days remind me of Fitzgerald’s ornately detailed passages, specifically the scene in which Nick, Daisy, Tom, Gatsby, and Jordan ride into ‘the city’ to sip mint juleps at the Plaza hotel.
Music: Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy, recorded in August of 1961, features a blistering set by the two musicians, joined by drummer Elvin Jones, pianist McCoy Tyner and bassists Reggie Workman and Art Davis. The incredible sound quality captures the excitement and energy of the band, putting the listener right there in the room. I find myself listening closely to how the band is speaking to one another in their improvisation. This record is something special.
That’s all for this week!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great weekend.
Until next time,
KW