I’m having a baby.
We’ll, not actually. My wife is. Today actually marks Day 1 of the third trimester, so things are starting to pick up. Related: I am getting a crash course in all things “dad.” Basically all of my free time is being spent reading books, Googling stuff like “what is swaddling,” “swaddling techniques”, and generally just trying to prepare myself enough so when that magical time comes - just three months from now - I can at least not embarrass myself (publicly).
A lot of this information is new to me - I don’t have a ton of rearing experience. One “new” concept technique that we are going to try, which I am currently reading up on, is “hypnobirthing.” What is hypnobirthing?
Now, I am not someone who generally believes in the concept of hypnosis; I think people are either capable or incapable of being hypnotized and I am in the latter category. When my wife suggested it was something she wanted to do, I dove in. In layman’s terms, hypnobirthing is basically “psyching” yourself out of thinking that giving birth is a bad experience. It’s basically preempting your brain to recognizing recognize that you’re going to be going through an experience, and whatever you’re doing is natural and part of life. It is sort of like The Power of Yes or The Secret, but you know, for birthing a child.
It’s an interesting mindset that I am actually going to adopt in other areas of my life. Whatever preconceived thing that I don’t want to do or I might think is boring or I’m not interested in, I should start going in with a positive mindset and embrace the positive aspects of that experience.
So, I encourage you all to check out a little on hypnobirthing and - even if you’re not having a baby - start to think about giving yourself some positive reinforcement *before* that next event or meeting that you may not be that wild about. Until then? Your Links of the Week:
Where to start? How about with how life began? Out of England, two studies were published this months that ran computer simulations of a theory that suggests life as we know it came as a natural result of thermodynamics of Earth thousands of years ago. It also involves soup. [Wired]
Netflix went from the “talk of the town” to “bleeding cash” pretty dang quick. Maybe don’t grow so fast next time! (Take that, Netflix!) [Uproxx]
I am “in” on all things Elon Musk. This week, he tested his Hyperloop tube in Nevada at a speed of 192, though and interesting note: the theoretical top speed is upwards of 750mph. I am excited to see this thing in action - I’ll let someone else go first though. [The Verge]
Zach Lowe presents an interesting look at the Brooklyn Nets, who are in “Step 1” of one of the most massive (self inflicted) organizational rebuilds in modern sports history. [ESPN]
Some good perspective on once-rivals Derrick Rose and LeBron James now becoming teammates, something 2011 Brett would have never believed. [ESPN]
Podcast Episode Recommendation of the Week: Bill Simmons Podcast with Cycle CEO Jason Stein on branded content, future of video, Twitter pros/cons and the "YouTube Generation." [Soundcloud]
It’s a little more than a week old, but this oral history on New York’s comedy cellar is a great read for any standup fan. [Vanity Fair]
Random subreddit suggestion of the week: r/PerfectTiming [Reddit]
So, the latest episode of Game of Thrones leaked online, unrelated to a reported hacking of HBO’s content earlier on in the week, according to Variety. As of 11:45am on Friday, I have not seen anything in terms of leaked plot. It will be a true testament to humankind if we can all make it to Sunday night without anything being spoiled. #WeAreAllInThisTogether [Variety]
It's a little old, bu The Ringer ran a themed “Christopher Nolan Week,” delving into the career of my favorite director. I forgot how good “The Prestige” is. [The Ringer]
So… you’re saying there’s a cool fake basketball league simulator for NBA fans to play this off-season for free? [Basketball GM]
Oooooh, new QOTSA FTW! Have a good weekend.