T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 138

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #138!

Here are some things I really like and that you might too.

Financial Independence/Work Life/Retirement Articles & Content

Why is Gen Z suddenly flocking to this college course that’s been taught for decades? (Fortune) – “Does personal finance education work?

Are You Resilient? (Can I Retire Yet) – “My aim in this post is to shine a light on a more insidious threat; that of technological fragility.“

Video

Way back in 2001 I was fortunate to be in Hawaii and able to hike out to active lava flows coming out of Kilauea when the national park allowed that.  Ever since I’ve been mesmerized by watching lava flow.  Enjoy this spectacular drone footage of a volcano in Iceland from 2019.

What I’m Grateful For

A real winter in the D.C. region which means frozen waterfalls and ice climbing only an hour and a half from home!

Lyrically Speaking

I’ve been struggling up here, just trying to make a living
Everybody wants to take, nobody likes giving

From “Going Back to Memphis” by The Band

I highlighted The Band in T.G.I.F. Friday Volume 101 to mark the death of Robbie Robertson.  Well, here we are again.  Garth Hudson, the last surviving member of the original lineup of The Band, died last week at the age of 87.  The Band deserve as many highlights as they want because their legacy and influence demand it.  Rock and pop music would not be what it is today without their music, plain and simple. 

Hudson was a master of the Lowrey Organ and used it to great effect to layer complex melodies into so many songs.  He’s undoubtedly best known for the song “Chest Fever” from the Band’s first release in 1968.  Hudson however added organ and piano to hundreds of recordings over the years across many genres.  Here’s Hudson playing on the “The Walls Came Down” by The Call in 1985 which was a radio hit and quite a departure from the sounds of The Band.  He liked to explore music and wasn’t married to the rootsy sounds that made him famous.

As for the lyrics above, I’m not struggling to make a living but many are.  And those two lines speak a lot of truth.

Miscellaneous

Aerobic exercise: A powerful ally in fight against Alzheimer’s – “Regular aerobic exercise could significantly reduce disease markers associated with Alzheimer’s, new research has found.“

FDA bans Red No. 3, artificial coloring used in beverages, candy and other foods – “Evidence shows that the synthetic dye can cause cancer in lab animals.”  Dave’s comment:  AWESOME!  But we have Lots more to do to get poisons out of our food, so let’s gooooooo!”

Knowing less about AI makes people more open to having it in their lives – new research – “People with less knowledge about AI are actually more open to using the technology.“

How Boom is resurrecting supersonic flight – “You’ll be able to fly twice as fast as a Boeing or Airbus, and it’ll be like the cost of flying business today.“