⭐️ Videos
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
💬 Marcellus (via Billy Wagglestick)
… and America it would seem.
🔗 Tesla wants to build a $10B solar factory in Texas
The Tesla playbook is the Amazon playbook … pitch as many states as you can against each other … the ongoing nail in the coffin of the UNITED States.
Tesla has applied for tax incentives to partially offset the cost, saying that it is exploring other sites “across multiple U.S. states.” The factory would create about 9,700 full-time jobs, Tesla said.
➕
Without incentives, Tesla’s accountants estimated that the property tax liability for the project would be about $1.1 billion over 37 years.
That’s roughly $30 million per year folks … heaven knows that Tesla and the Muskrat need all the help they can get … I mean just to employ 9,700 people at minimum wage is going to cost them an order of magnitude more than that .. and its not as if they have access to an army of robots capable of doing that work.
Watched 🔗📼🎵 10 Obscure Prog Rock Bands You Need to Hear Right Now
I think ‘obscure’ depends on who, when and where you are .. but that said - a good list none the less with 7 of them being represented in my vinyl and CD collections, you might think I am 💯 on board. I am not. Looking at you ‘Spock’s Beard’ and ‘Flower Kings’ - but I respect your right to be there its just that neither of you ever did ‘it’ for me … but for such a list - definitely worthy inclusions, despite some serious omissions.
Then today ..
🔗 Top Progressive Rock Albums of All Time, Ranked, which includes ‘criteria; for inclusion …
2b. Does anybody play keyboards with their feet? ….. If YES, continue to proceed to 3. If NO, they’re probably not prog, but proceed.
📼 Brilliant
Every ‘Differality’ I have 🖇️🔎 ever posted (these just on Micro.Blog) - and more - all put together in 🔗📼 a single SNL sketch - brilliant. 😂
.. Also via 🔗Matt
If you are reading this post on my site, you will see that this link is rendered as an embedded video at the bottom of the post. (THANKYOU @rknightuk]. It will render just fine - unless the video owner wants you to watch it over on YouTube (and to be fair - there are very good reasons for that). If that happens, click on the link above and you will be taken to YouTube. The 'error' is only because the creator wants you to got to YouTube to watch it. That said - on rare occasions, it might actually be broken. If it is - sorry about that - try sending me an email and I will check if I made an error.
LATER (260711) - 🔗📼 more ‘differalities’. (Also SNL).
🔗📼 Matthew McConaughey - via 🔗Matt.
Coming to a computer near you in 6 days time.
For free.
🔗📼 Looks like it was produced by Automattic .. or maybe Matt himself
Crucial Track 🎵 July 1, 2026
"Life Is a Long Song" by Jethro Tull
I wrote something recently - a friend wrote back “your on song John” and my mind instantly jumped back in time 55 years and this has been ear worming me ever since. It’s not even about what he wrote.
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, who led the 7th Cavalry, lost his entire command to Lakota warriors after falling on them unexpectedly in their own territory. The only army survivor of the battle was a horse, Comanche, who became the 7th Cavalry’s mascot, trotted out draped in ceremonial black for years after the event itself.
💬 Heather Cox Richardson
I watched 🎥 Little Big Man at the time. (In case you are wondering - ★★★★) - but it just occurred to me that at that point the film was about history from 94 years prior.
Today that would be equivalent to watching a movie about an historical event in 1932. Choices would include;
- the lowest point in the Great Depression when unemployment was 25% and millions lost their life savings.
- the election of Roosevelt.
- the beginning of the end of prohibition.
- hoover forcibly 🔗📼 emptying vet camps
They all seem a lot closer to present time than Little Big Man did in 1970.
Getting older or history rhyming at a faster pace?
Crucial Track 🎵 June 27, 2026
"America Is Waiting" by Brian Eno & David Byrne
Two of the masters delivering a master
The video is well worth a watch aswell.
“The president’s like a box of chocolates,” Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican, said Wednesday. “You never know what you’re going to get.”
He’s probably thinking about Forest Gump.
Crucial Track 🎵 June 24, 2026
"Dancing in the Street (2002 Remaster)" by David Bowie & Mick Jagger
**So great. Such fun.**
I mean sure - you could pop over to your music player and have a listen - but there's also the video for twice the fun.
I have definitely posted this link to Jason Fried’s post in the past and it keeps coming to mind as I read so much about our new ‘Trillionaire’ who went public on a vision with the smallest public float in the history of IPO’s.
🔗 PRESS RELEASE: BASECAMP VALUATION TOPS $100 BILLION AFTER BOLD VC INVESTMENT - Signal v. Noise
But you should see the spreadsheet models we’re making up. Really breakthrough stuff,” said Mirage.
And so good night. I’ll just leave this with you all to marinate.
Crucial Track 🎵 June 16, 2026
"Pictured Within (Live)" by Jon Lord
Jon Lord was always one of my favourites. My interest in Deep Purple emerged not from Taliesyn, Fireball or even 'In Rock', but rather their first live album 'In Concert'. He never managed to repeat that within Purple - but as a solo artist - that was Jon. I THINK I have them all - I certainly know them. But out of that library how do you choose a 'track'?
Hence the choice today - and again - NOT in studio from a live album with Steve Balsamo providing the vocals to one of his 'songs' ... extending it to over 10 minutes with Orchestra. Not sure. there is a single track that epitomises Jon's range - though Jazz and Rock doesn't appear in this recording.
Rock - well - you already know that side of him.
Jazz - well a little light fun introduction to Dave Brubeck's 🔗📼 Unsquare Dance
📼🎵 May I introduce you to 🔗 Mysty Mayhem … you are going to love it. (Embed courtesy of TikTok - no account/login needed)
🖇️ Me back in 2024 - in turn referencing a post back in 2021 .. and guess what it (the use of AI in hiring) is only getting worse.
🔗📼 A short video observation on Substack explaining recent research at Stanford and why you might never be getting any response to your submissions.
🔗📼 It’s not very funny for Charlie Chaplin - but needs to be watched. (Recorded 86 years ago.)
If you are reading this post on my site, you will see that this link is rendered as an embedded video at the bottom of the post. (THANKYOU @rknightuk]. It will render just fine - unless the video owner wants you to watch it over on YouTube (and to be fair - there are very good reasons for that). If that happens, click on the link above and you will be taken to YouTube. The 'error' is only because the creator wants you to got to YouTube to watch it. That said - on rare occasions, it might actually be broken. If it is - sorry about that - try sending me an email and I will check if I made an error.Crucial Track 🎵 June 10, 2026
"Rhythm Of Life" by Sammy Davis, Jr.
Not a 'musical/show' kinda guy, and this came out before I was old enough to 'get it' - but for whatever reason since I first heard it - have always absolutely loved it.
The image comes from 🔗 The Rhythm of Life
View John Philpin's Crucial Tracks profile
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📼🔗 A short video about The Rhythm of Life Art Installation in Yucca.