Do you need a new crush from wherever you’re self-isolating? I can’t make you feel anything, but NNAMDÏ is a strong candidate. His new album, BRAT, is a pile of expertly communicated emotions, conveyed nowhere better than the final track, “Salut.” Through a litany of hellos and goodbyes, NNAMDÏ sings gently toward self-acceptance, brandishing his weirdness with full-octave jumps and always landing perfectly on-pitch. Although you can tell his voice is lightly autotuned, the tool is an artistic device rather than a spot corrector— an ornament he developed by getting to know himself over time. Listen and feel at peace.
In times of widespread hardship, you can develop a stronger sense of collectivism and resilience, or you can permanently give up your basic freedoms to deal in the short term. As you consider which you prefer, please meet the company offering in-store surveillance technology to ensure social distancing. The product, disturbingly named “CYou,” uses an algorithm to read video data and assess how far apart people are in a space, sending an alert when folks are too close together. While distancing is critical, we know that humans can enforce it themselves— ask any middle school dance chaperone.
Gosh, wish there was an alternative that kept our basic rights intact. Oh look! Off in the distance! It’s… a pre-existing business! Opentable is beginning to work with grocery chains to set up reservations for shopping time slots, which 1. keeps human volume at a safe low and 2. helps everyone avoid standing in annoying and potentially germ-catching lines. As a bonus, it helps keep a business going that might otherwise bite the dust while its model is in hibernation. That was easy.
While you wait for your spot in line, please enjoy these food links that I have also recently enjoyed. First: a conversation with a chemist about what makes dalgona coffee (or, as we should maybe call it, frappé) work. (Sidenote: you should totally make this— whipped coffee is the rare photo phenomenon that also tastes good). Second: a not-annoying newsletter that interviews famous people about what they’re cooking in what probably isn’t quarantine, but we’re calling it that anyway because it’s fun to say.
