Greetings from my home office. Today is day 17 of quarantine and I am ready to say to the world that I have quelled my problems with the internet. During quarantine, the internet has quickly transcended from AMA to escape plan. We are now seeing the internet being utilized as a way to explore the world we are being barred from knowing. We are also seeing the internet become more resourceful than ever. In an era where misinformation is running rampant, I am pleasantly surprised but what the internet has proven itself capable of: an endless resource of culture. This is fantastic news because, in my not so humble opinion, culture keeps us alive, keeps us optimistic, keeps us together. And so, this piece is dedicated to how the internet can be an escape plan, a way for us to stay alive, optimistic and together.
If you have questions about how the internet was actually made, check out this video.
Wait, but how does the internet work? Check out this video.
The most important thing in this email is a resource for all you parents out there. Wide Open School is a free collection of the best online learning experiences for kids curated by the editors at Common Sense. This service is free, does not require an account, and is ever expanding. Wide Open School aims to help make learning from home an experience that inspires kids, supports teachers, relieves families, and restores community. This site was built in a matter of days on a shared vision by a group of more than 25 organizations and features new content nearly daily.
But, as you can expect, this website sent me into a spiral. By utilizing the “Field Trips” function this morning, I entered a new world where I virtually was able to experience culture in an unprecedented way. I just spent the last half hour inside the Tate Modern and I am REVIVED. Then I learned Google is keeping art shows that have closed alive via Google Street View. I then visited The Broad here in LA where I was about to do a virtual experience inside the Infinity Room (which is featuring some amazing music). I bookmarked the Louvre and the Salvador Dali Museum for future visits.
But then I thought, well, art isn’t going to sustain me forever. So, I watched this live stream of sea otters from the Monterey Aquarium for around 10 minutes and giggled a lot. But then they swam away and I was left watching nothing. From there, I watched elephants. Then penguins. Then pandas. Then, things got weird and I watched some badgers. AND THEN I LEARNED YOU CAN LIVE STREAM AFRICA.
But then, unsurprisingly, I got bored of animals. Obviously, my mind next went to wearing animals. And then I caught myself being insensitive and thought, but wait, fashion could be fun. The spiral continued as I watched some Alexander McQueen and then some Gucci and then, of course, some Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton before landing on the trippiest fashion show ever by Iris van Herpen. This reminded me, I love trippy stuff. So, I visited Orion Nebula before learning how scientists colorize space and the sheer magnitude of the universe. Maybe I’m a space nerd because then I downloaded the Space Center App. But before I could even open it, I was reminded of Justice’s Space Odyssey movie, which reminded me how much I missed live music.
Good god, there is so much live music content living online. Tame Impala just did a version of The Slow Rush as imagined in a live environment. The band’s entire Glastonbury set is also on YouTube. Rufus Du Sol has an entire live set from Joshua Tree on YouTube. Did you know Radiohead has an online archive of more or less everything they’ve ever done live? If that’s too much to sift through, watch this set from 2008 (this version of “Videotape,” my god). Toro Y Moi, Beach House, Robyn, Billie Eilish, Roger Waters performing The Wall, Four Tet with Squid Soup, The Blaze, The xx, Bonobo, Odesza, St. Vincent, the list literally never stops. Music is LIVE on the internet. Promise me you’ll watch at least one of those sets? Imagine me jumping and screaming next to you. It’ll be fun, I promise. If those sets are too long, just watch Lorde performing “Green Light” for the last time in 2018 and truly understand that I watch this at least once a week and have a dance party in my bedroom. Also, in 9 days, Coachella is putting out a documentary that will sooth all of our souls. And if you’re a Coachella hater, it’ll be a glimmer into why so many of us fell in love with it back in the day. (Finally, after 14 years, we are getting high quality of Madonna in the Sahara, which is truly fantastic news because I am sick of watching this unbelievably low quality video from 2006.)
I’ve also bookmarked stuff on my computer for later. Futuristic architecture? Absolutely. Japanese roller coasters? Sure! What about lava tubes? I don’t know what that means but yas! The glory of the internet is not lost. If you find something amazing, send it my way.
Happy hunting, friends.
