The Deleted Scenes - New and Old #95
A love song for Lakeforest Mall, Greater Greater Washington, Dan Malouff, January 19, 2023
I remember, very vaguely, this feeling. I’m old enough now, and consumer behavior has changed enough, that those memories have begun to have a sense of myth about them. Was it really all real? Malls are pretty much the opposite of what urbanists consider good land use. But it’s complicated. It’s not even the first time Greater Greater Washington has published an article in praise of a mall; one of the others was mine, on an old-fashioned, bustling mall in Greenbelt, Maryland full of independent, immigrant-owned businesses. All malls are is buildings full of small-ish (and a few huge) storefronts, and the only real limit on what they can be is imagination. And the parking lots? They can be redeveloped if they’re no longer needed. This particular mall will be demolished and the property turned into a walkable town-center-style development. Those can be quite nice, and the glut of aging indoor malls in the D.C. area (many already demolished) certainly points to most of them being replaced. But town centers are still private properties managed by single companies, and as they age, they will probably encounter many of the same problems as indoor malls. We’ll see. An Ode to Kraft Dinner, Food of Troubled Times, Catapult, Ivana Rihter, January 19, 2023 I have to give you a long bit from this, which is delightful:
I always wonder if there is anything more than nostalgia to these stories—mom or grandma made the best (X, Y, Z) anyone has ever made. It can’t be true, literally. But it must be capturing something. My dad observed, when my wife and I were cooking pretty much the whole day on Christmas Eve, that maybe this whole thing was a bit outdated; a holdover from the era of the housewife, when women cooked because that was what women did, or because it was very important to please the guests and show off a bit. Perhaps they got preternaturally good at it, in a way that is simply closed off to most people today. Maybe everyone’s grandma back then was to cooking what the Beatles were to classic rock. Not that we should go back to that. Also this:
So many American business stories go like this. Another very good one is Colonel Sanders of KFC fame. These guys inhabited a rough-and-tumble America with low entry costs. The flexibility and tumult they enjoyed made what they did possible. It’s like reading about another country. Can we, or should we, go back to that? How much of that comes packaged with things we cannot accept today? As I said, read the whole thing. This is a really expertly done piece of food and culture writing. When Did We All Become Pop Culture Detectives?, New York Times, Nick Haramis, January 13, 2023
Interesting piece here, on how the occasional hidden pop-culture reference has ballooned into something very weird and obsessive. Give it a read. Nintendo president Doug Bowser: Switch is ‘redefining what a console life cycle can look like’, Washington Post, Gene Park, June 18, 2021 We’ve been enjoying our Nintendo Switch that my wife got us for Christmas in 2021 quite a bit. For many years I only occasionally played my older games, and while they hold up, they really are from a different era; the technological shift from 2D to 3D was huge. As was the shift from basic 3D to hardware that could handle true “open world” adventure games. The Switch is an incremental improvement over previous recent consoles, but it doesn’t do anything they couldn’t do, really. The system’s big innovation isn’t a technological one but a design one: making the “console” a dockable handheld, such that the same games can be played on the TV with a controller, or with the handheld sans dock wherever you like. I found these remarks (from a year and a half ago, and maybe a bit outdated) really interesting:
It’s kind of refreshing to see a company prioritize the software while also being very fun and innovative—cutting-edge in a different way—with the hardware. Related Reading: Thank you for reading! Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to help support this newsletter. You’ll get a weekly subscribers-only post, plus full access to the archive: over 500 posts and growing. And you’ll help ensure more material like this! You're currently a free subscriber to The Deleted Scenes. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
Key phrases
Older messages
Parking Anxiety
Thursday, February 2, 2023
How do to readjust the car-shaped mind?
Holy Living
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #95
Pull To Inflate
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Lighthearted and serious thoughts on inflation, expenses, and housing
New Construction Blues, Northern Virginia Edition
Monday, January 30, 2023
What does 2.5 mil buy you in Fairfax County?
Digital Hoarding
Saturday, January 28, 2023
When your brain and reality clash
You Might Also Like
The way you dress and the books you read
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Skimm'd with a new book — Check out what we Skimm'd for you today Subscribe Read in browser March 28, 2024 Daily Skimm Skimm'd with a new book Update location or View forecast “Why wouldn
"Red-Shouldered Hawk" by Ciona Rouse
Thursday, March 28, 2024
We met in the middle of the street only to discuss Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day March 28, 2024 Red-Shouldered Hawk Ciona Rouse We met in the middle of the street only to discuss the
The 'Kitty Cut' Is Poised To Be 2024's #1 Haircut Trend
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Run, don't walk to your stylist.
Shopping on Amazon Is About to Get Even Worse
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
How to Make Sure Your Solar Eclipse Glasses Actually Work. I don't need to tell you that Amazon's search results keep getting worse and worse. Now, Amazon has decided to pour AI-powered jet
The Women Who Run Harlem
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 power The Women Who Run
Burn Belly Fat in Just 28 Days!
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
This science-backed plan really works Men's Health shop logo The Ultimate Belly Fat Workout From Men's Health View in Browser Men's Health 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Get Rid of Your Gut for
Rihanna Stuns In Gorgeous Floral Lace Lingerie For Vogue
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Plus, gold chrome nails are taking over, the zodiac signs who always max out their credit card, & more.
Three new cookbooks “find” something in common
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
These bakeries are redefining Puerto Rico's traditions
Heads up.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
For tomorrow. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
A guide to electric car misinformation (part 1)
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
The 2024 election is becoming all about EVs — which is terrible news for public understanding about them. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏