Thursday Thoughts - 10/27/2022

In this short newsletter, I share the most interesting things that I’ve read, heard, and/or watched over the past week.

What I Read:

Fire and Blood | George R. R. Martin

Fire and Blood is a prequel to A Game of Thrones written by George R. R. Martin. It details the rise and fall of the Targaryen dynasty. It stretches from Aegon the Conquerer to the Mad King. The book is written like historical fiction. True to this genre, the narrator doesn’t really know what actually happened. He pulls in different primary sources and makes his best guess.

I started Fire and Blood about midway through the first season of House of the Dragon. As I wrote before, I listened to the deep dives on House of R to gain further insight of the show. The hosts of the show, Joanna Robinson and Mallory Rubin, recommended reading Fire and Blood multiple times.

I took the plunge and I’m glad that I did. I finished the book in about a week. It is full of everything that makes Thrones great. Tons of fighting, palace intrigue, and raunchy behavior. I also enjoyed the interview transcript at the end of the book. Lots of fascinating tidbits about Martin’s writing process and career.

What I Tried:

Endel

Endel is a music app that helps with focus, relaxation, and sleep. The music comes from AI generated sounds. There was a scientific study that shows the music from Endel causes more focus than study music from other streaming services.

I’ve been using Endel for less than a week. I enjoy the music from the app. It’s similar to the Lo-Fi and Jazz Vibes playlists from Spotify. I feel a bit more relaxed or focused when using Endel. But I can’t tell if that’s the placebo effect or the app working.

There are a bunch of different subscription options from the Apple App Store. I was able to choose a 12 month subscription for $16.99 per year. It’s definitely worth subscribing to Endel at that price.

What I’m Pondering:

“The last act is bloody, however fine the rest of the play. They throw earth over your head and it is finished forever."

Blaise Pascal

Tags: #quotes #books #tech #music #purchases