#23 I didn’t know what to tell you

Dear Friend,

It might sound bizarre, but I’m writing to you without having new blog posts or big news. I was initially embarrassed while thinking about what to tell you. Yet, what I read, watch and interests me everyday helps me grow. Or simply amuses me.

What I’m reading

🔗 Just Enough Research by Erika Hall (second edition). A cornerstone for anyone who wants to design the right thing for their clients. Useful and witty.

🔗 Dove mi trovo by Jhumpa Lahiri. My favourite author, who now writes in Italian too. This is her first Italian novel, out in English as Whereabouts. I’m devouring this short book where her classic themes of attachment and estrangement, nostalgia and solitude are at their peak.

What I’m watching

🔗 Silicon Valley. A TV series friends recommended years ago, that I watched only recently. Six brief series where a group of developers tries to build their start-up. Loads of laughing-out-loud moments, and a few annoying ones. Blink and it’s the series finale, with nostalgia and a hint of sadness.

🔗 For All Mankind (Apple TV +). What would have happened if the Soviets landed on the moon first? This series is a well done dystopia. Initially, I thought it was light entertainment but it confronts current themes in a clever way. The second season is available, a third is on the way.

🔗 Sound of Metal. The life of Ruben, a metal drummer, falls apart when he suddenly loses his hearing. I have yet to find the right words to describe this movie, and it’s fine. All the awards and nominations received are well earned.

What surprised me

A confirmation of how broken entrepreneurship is internationally. A couple of men received backing for their idea that should help people that menstruate. What am I talking about? A pair of gloves – pink, of course – that should make the act of removing tampons less gross. Nope, we don’t need it, thank you. They should have read Erika Hall’s book.

As a person who likes almost everything digital and tech, I was surprised to read of the study that suggests to use paper notebooks for information we need to learn or memorise. Noted.

Simone Bossi, an Italian photographer, explains why he thinks digital photography is too much to digest. His approach is fascinating: even if now it’s possible to take thousands of pictures of the same angle, he takes one. The pictures he took at the Surrey Docks Farm, the place down the road we used to live in London, are precious.

Did you find anything interesting? Let me know by replying this email.

Ciao,
Silvia