Media’s Messy Middle

Greetings!  The weather in Central Ohio has been fantastic, and the days ahead look wonderful too.  Let’s enjoy it while it lasts.  I don’t know where this morning’s early rain came from, but the day ahead should be fine.  A cadence of weekly leaf collection is now upon me.  

Two weeks into this latest edition of empty nester living, things are settling down a bit.  We’ve rearranged some furniture, and re-established a cooking cadence that makes sense for the two of us.  I made a batch of jambalaya on Tuesday that was super-satisfying.  I’m sure the long absence since we last enjoyed it contributed to its impact.  It was like a mother’s hug.  

Cooking two or three times per week really seems to work for us.  This makes the non-cooking nights shorter and sweeter - simply re-heat some leftovers, and spend a little time cleaning up the few dishes.  When I do cook, I don’t mind cooking a bit extra, or spending a bit more time, since I know that tomorrow I will have the day off, more or less.

It should go without saying just how disruptive technology has been on so many areas of our lives.  It feels to me like it's been happening gradually, and now all at once - at least in terms of how it is playing out in Hollywood.  I’ve written in the past about the news media, and how misaligned its profit motives are with the notion of reporting on important news without being sensationalistic.  Something bigger is happening in the world of movie and television production.

Consider the following:  Technology made it possible for Netflix to shift from being a mail-order movie rental business to streaming movies right into our homes.  Technology has created artificial intelligence.  Large language models are now generating competent drafts of stories, requiring only a few smart prompts from a human.  Technology is now making it possible to digitally replicate the images and voices of our most popular actors and actresses - and also our world leaders (nefarious actors are virtually certain to promote chaos by creating and distributing realistic “deep fake” videos of world leaders in the near future).  Lastly, technology is making it possible for companies like the Walt Disney Company to sell its video content directly to customers, no longer reliant on cable systems to distribute its content.

Any one of these changes would be significant.  In total, they are tectonic in scale, and happening rapidly.

This past Monday, Disney and Charter Communications (which owns Spectrum Cable) came to a retransmission fee agreement just in time for Disney-owned ESPN to air Monday Night Football.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May 2nd.  The Screen Actors Guild / American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has been on strike since July 14th.  In dispute is the question of how actors and writers can be fairly compensated by production studios for creating television and movies in a world where these things are digitally streamed into peoples’ homes, rather than broadcast over the air.  And there is also the question of how to value digital reproductions of actor’s likenesses and voices for potentially unlimited use in future productions.

It’s a crazy world.  There is quite a reckoning going on in the world of media.  Certainly something similar is coming to an industry near you.  Stay light on your feet, friend!  Use these emerging tools to your advantage.  Surf this wave, rather than having it crash down on you.

Sunday Supper
I have had these Jamaican Beef Patties on the brain ever since I tasted them on a food tour in Toronto five years ago.  (If you find yourself in Toronto, I highly recommend Chopsticks + Forks, a great provider of food tours in the city.)  The only things that have stopped me from making them at home is 1) they take a bit more time to make the pastry dough and 2) my bride doesn’t eat gluten.  But they are a perfect Sunday Supper project!  This Grilled Corn, Tomato, Feta and Herb Salad would be a great accompaniment to the patties.

Sunday Music
My Sunday Music selection this week is this recently-released version of Jackson Browne’s legendary classic, Doctor My Eyes.  It features musicians from all around the globe as part of Playing For Change.  Playing For Change has created many different global collaborations of popular tunes, it is well worth checking out their YouTube channel.  Enjoy!

Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.

Peace & Love,

Neal