Five Bullets 3.15.24
Baklava Express, Criminal, Succession & more
Good Morning & Happy Friday!
Back to our usual programming this week with another Five Bullets. I’m taking some time off next week so I’ll be back with a fresh post on March 29th.
Thanks to everyone who read last week’s post on Childhood’s End. I’m getting some good feedback and I’m encouraged to write more book analysis/discussion posts. In all honesty, I thought no one would read it and I’ve made some edits!
Here’s this week’s Five Bullets:
Books: I saw Dune: Part Two last week so this week I’m reading the novel by Frank Herbert. Two weeks ago I wrote about how Herbert, inspired by the Oregon Dunes, created the planet Arrakis. If you’ve seen the movie but haven’t read the books head over to
for a very thorough Dune: Part Two annotated.History: America’s Last Morse Code Station. While doing research on Samuel Morse and the telegraph for my 1.13.23 post, I learned about the KPH Maritime Radio Station, operated by the Maritime Radio Historical Society, the subject of this recent piece from The Atlantic. Morse code was used for maritime communications until 1999 and now the MRHS keeps the tradition alive. Interesting side-note: recently I watched The Last Sentinel, set in a not-too-distant future dystopia in which four soldiers man a solitary ocean lookout and report messages back to base using Morse Code.
Music: Baklava Express is a NYC Middle Eastern fusion band led by oud player Josh Kaye, who also plays rhythm guitar with Stephane Wrembel. The group’s 2023 album Dakva is “influenced by the traditions of the Arab world, Turkey, and Greece, as well as Jazz, Flamenco, Rock, and Eastern European Folk music”. This album was one of my most listened to records from 2023 and I’m hooked again! Check out
‘s post on the history of the oud.“The common theme between all of the geographical locations where this music is inspired from,” says Kaye, “is that everyone in these different countries eats baklava.” - Brooklyn Magazine
Podcasts: Criminal’s If I’m Long Unheard From covers the disappearance of musician Connie Converse’s. Converse was a singer/songwriter pioneer in the New York City folk scene but her music was mostly forgotten about until 2004. Her haunting, melancholic songs which you can listen to here feel timeless or maybe stuck-in-time. Converse likely ‘disappeared’ under her own accord and was never heard from again.
TV: I know I’m late to the party with this one but I’m currently watching Season 3 of Succession. The comedy-drama series follows the Roy family, led by Logan Roy owner and CEO of media company Waystar Royco and his four children who work for or against him for control of the company. The show’s fantastic writing, acting and cinematography make it exciting and addictive to watch. Writer, creator and producer Jesse Armstrong initially set out to make a film about the Murdoch family but adapted the idea into a series loosely based on a number of families in media.
Thanks for the mention! Morse Code has always been fascinating to me and that article was really interesting.