Quote
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.”
Steve Jobs
Joke
A man died today when a pile of books fell on him. He only had his shelf to blame.
Fun Fact
Sonic the Hedgehog’s full name is actually Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog.
History Fact
Women Were Once Banned from Smoking in Public
In 1908, New Yorker Katie Mulcahey was arrested for striking a match against a wall and lighting a cigarette with it. Why? Because this was a violation of The Sullivan Ordinance, a city law banning women (and only women!) from smoking in public. During her hearing at the district court, Mulcahey argued about her rights to smoke cigarettes in public. She was fined $5.00. Two weeks later, The Sullivan Ordinance was vetoed by New York City's mayor.
Movie/TV Trivia
For Dr. Strangelove, Peter Sellers was paid $1 million, 55 percent of the film’s budget.
Movie/TV Quote
"You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear."
Garden State (2004)
The inclusion of a Garden State quote on this list generated some controversy among the Thrillist Entertainment crew, since it comes from a movie that in 2019 is nearly universally derided, but which in 2004 was loved unironically enough to turn it into a surprise cult hit. Fans weren't just twee indie men pining for a "manic pixie dream girl," a term Natalie Portman's Sam helped inspire -- they were teenagers and young adults who identified with the sense of privileged malaise and vague sadness that runs through the film, and they probably harbored a fantasy that love could cure them. It may be cringeworthy to look back on the scene in which Portman excitedly tells Zach Braff's zombified Andrew Largeman (that name!) to listen to a life-altering Shins song ("New Slang"), but to ignore its influence in 2004 and the years immediately ensuing would be to deny history. The scene also points to the enduring legacy of the Garden State soundtrack, which itself has become part of a socially acceptable opinion: "The movie sucks, but the soundtrack is great!" Ridiculous as it is, the scene emits strong nostalgia vibes for anyone who loved it the first time around, and for those of us who have been hardened into cynical skeletons by the unforgiving forces of time and the internet, it's evolved into a very good meme.
Conversation Starter
Where do you want to go on the next family vacation?
Writing Prompt
At the airport, a stranger offers your character money to carry a mysterious package onto the plane. The stranger assures your character that it's nothing illegal and points out that it has already been through the security check. Your character has serious doubts, but needs the money, and therefore agrees...