In case you missed it, July is expected to be the hottest month on record! Here’s how our team distracted themselves from the fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk weather.
Go to Brittany's pick
Franki
editorial
associate
White noise/Meditation frequencies/Epic action music
I love listening to music while I work, but when I need to concentrate, lyrics are my number one distraction. Thankfully, YouTube has countless videos that provide white noise, wordless music for meditation, and music with specific frequencies said to help release stress and anxiety and promote focus. You can also find compilations of action sequences available to keep you alert. These videos tend to run long, so I don't have to worry about changing a song or playlist.
Eat watermelon and pasta salad for most meals
Have a hot
drink (Yep, hot)
Go see a movie in an air-conditioned theater
Justin
design associate
The Lion King (2019) review
The Lion King is a fun nostalgic adventure that brings back memories of characters I grew up watching. It was interesting to see the world reimagined with beautiful CGI effects and realistic animals. The way they move and react to situations is incredible—at times it feels like you’re watching a nature documentary. Unfortunately, because the animals’ faces were so realistic, you do lose some of the emotional nuance you get in the original. However, you still do feel the weight of big character moments. As a pet owner myself, anything tragic involving animals always affects me.
The music and voice acting were okay, with a lot of lines from the original repeated, but they can’t quite compare. Of course, James Earl Jones’s voice acting is always a treat, and I'm glad he reprised his role as Mufasa. But by far, the show stealers were Timon and Pumba's comedic moments.
Overall, it’s a good time. But only go to see it in theaters if want to see the visuals in full effect!
My score: 3/5
David
editorial associate
Life Metal
I was recently fortunate enough to see drone metal legends Sunn O))) play the University of Chicago's gorgeous Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. It was my third time seeing the band in the past ten years, and they have continued to evolve their densely layered, ultraloud compositions to new levels of beauty and intensity. There's nothing else like it—no recording can capture it—90 minutes of pure sound worship.
Go to David's pick
Brittany
Senior editor
Go to Justin's pick
Go to Franki's pick
I rode in a self-driving car down the Kennedy. Here's how that went.”
I enjoyed this short article in Crain's about journalist John Pletz's first jaunt in a semi-autonomous vehicle (AV) down the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago. At Leff, we write a lot about infrastructure and technology, and AVs are often discussed alongside other big vehicle trends (electrification, ridesharing)—but truly self-driving, Jetsons-style cars are still pretty far off. Pletz gives an approachable overview of why, as well as a firsthand account of the thrill of feeling the car change lanes (but only after the driver has flipped on the turn signal). AVs are coming—but not for a while.
Leff team tips to beat the heat:
Go to a water park or pool
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