Good Good Things – Issue 30
A friend recently told me they subscribed to this newsletter (hell yeah!) and enjoyed it, and asked me why I don’t write about current TV shows or movies that much. That’s a great question and here’s a short but rambling answer: There are numerous quality websites and newsletters that cover all the prestige shows on all the premium networks. The Ringer website posts five different reviews/recaps for each episode of the dragon show five minutes after it airs. Same goes for movies. You don’t need me telling you there’s another “Lord of Rings” movie being made by the guy in the mocap Gollum suit.
I cover mostly free-to-view content that features nice people doing interesting, inspiring, informative, weird, or silly things that don’t cause too much stress. I try to keep it light despite the ongoing horrors. Now, onto the fun stuff…
New Podcast: Portlandia Rewatch with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein
The first episode has dropped and it feels like a very chill hang with Fred and Carrie. I’m excited to hear them breakdown their sketches in upcoming episodes. Here’s a classic Portlandia bit to help us get in the mood, and remember, “Portland is the city where young people go to retire.”
Let’s Talk About Pickles
These two fellas certainly found themselves in a real pickle… judging video. This is solid intel for pickle newbs looking to find the good stuff.
X-Files Legos
The set is out there… almost! The Scully and Mulder minifigs drop August 4th.
If You Haven’t Read Colson Whitehead, Start with These Books
The L.A. Times gets you up to speed on the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead so you can be in the know when delve into his fantastic new crime novel.
This month, “Cool Machine,” a riff on 1980s New York in the form of a tightly plotted crime novel, arrives from Colson Whitehead. It concludes his Harlem trilogy, they say. If you’d told readers two decades ago that Whitehead would become a bestselling crime novelist, they might have thought you were kidding. He started out writing innovative novels with such intellectual and stylistic punch that the MacArthur Foundation gave him a fellowship in 2002.
Read the article here, get the book here, and follow Colson Whitehead on Bluesky.
Google Just Ruined Search, So I Tested Every Alternative
We could all use a Google alternative when searching for a new search bar.
Penn Vet Wants You to Meet Your Neighbors
Penn Vet have set up trail cams around the city to study the wildlife who make Philadelphia their home.
“What we’re doing is building a citywide picture of urban wildlife in Philadelphia through trail cameras,” said AUNI project leader Julie Carol Ellis, PhD, a wildlife ecologist and associate director of One Health. “We want to know who’s here, where are they, what are they doing, and what that means for the people in neighborhoods who live alongside them.”
Schuylkill River Trail Poster
Place this lovely SRT print on your favorite wall to remind yourself to get out there and enjoy the best trail in the Greater Philadelphia area!
Hop on it and go! A poster to celebrate the Schuylkill River Trail and all the places it can take you. 11”x17” Risograph-printed poster.
Buy the print here and follow @innerloop.press to view more awesome art.
Proud Mom and Dad Otters
I look at this saved screenshot whenever I need a little pick me up.
Mobile Bike Mechanic Helps Philly Cyclists Keep Moving
I know nothing about bike repair and this is always in the back of my mind when I think about going for a long ride. Thankfully, there are people like Lauren “Mittens” Mitten who can help.
Mitten, owner of The Mittens Pop Up Bike Shop, spent the afternoon of May 16 outside of Eco-Fair at Cherry Street Pier checking tires, inspecting frames, adjusting derailleurs and lubricating chains.
Quick bike story: When my daughter was three we were biking along the shore on my 20-year-old beach cruiser having a lovely time. She was sitting right behind me on her little bike seat when my chain popped off as we were crossing a busy bridge. I calmly got her out of the seat and told her where to safely stand (behind me) as I turned the bike upside down and fixed the chain. I could tell she was scared but she did not not say much. The next dozen or so times we were hopping on the bike for a ride, she would ask in a very quiet voice, “Daddy, do you think the chain is safe for us to use or should we check it first.” She is 21 now and I think she still checks the chain first before a ride.
Quick Hits
- A Case for the Giant Toxic Goo Pit I Want to Build in the Center of Town
- Make The World Better marries Philly’s two greatest loves—sports and music—for a good cause
- Elite Young Runners Are Becoming Freakishly Fast. Welcome to ‘Trackflation’
- “No CGI” Is Really Just Invisible CGI
- Very Good Music Videos – 2026 Vol. 1
- ‘Unbearably sexy in his rodenty way’: Benedict Cumberbatch’s 20 best films – ranked!
Why Monks Had That Haircut
Steal this look.
New Stellar Jams
The Tubs – “Stoop to Me”
Julia Jacklin – “Get Away From Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon)”
Pete Yorn – “All The Beauty”
Militarie Gun – “World’s Always Burning” (feat. Mannequin Pussy’s Missy Dabice)
Dillinger Four – “Don’t Happy Be Worry”
Ceremony- “Dark Summer”
Deep Sea Diver – “Teardrop”
Russian Circles – “Empath”
Why We Put In The Miles
I run a lot and I also talk about running quite a bit because I really enjoy it. When people ask why I go for long runs, I usually paraphrase ultrarunner and coach Mike Foote from an old video I barely remember where he explained why he got into ultras, “I wanted to run slower and longer to enjoy being outside more.”
Writer and runner Brandon Leonard captures this spirit and reasoning perfectly in the short video above.
This is a sort of visual poem about running, but more about repetition, and believing in a thing that we do.
Follow Brandon at Semi Rad and subscribe to his awesome newsletter.
The Descent King
Joe Scandrett is a professional parkour athlete, do NOT try this at home. Please use the stairs.
View this post on Instagram
South Africa Bird Feeder Wildlife Cam (Hoopoes, Hornbills & More)
This feeder is usually popping off with crazy bird feasting activity when it is morning on the East Coast of the US.
Welcome to our LIVE bird feeder and wildlife camera from Pretoria, South Africa! This 24/7 live stream offers a unique window into a suburban garden near Pretoria, positioned about 20 feet (6m) up in the trees at an elevation of roughly 4,600 feet (1400m). From colorful birds to fascinating nocturnal visitors, you never know what might show up next.
I Partook in a Meme
Bluesky
I’ve got a pretty bad case of banana backpack 😔 (I put a banana in my backpack and now it smells like banana in my backpack)
— House of 1000 Fionas (@cogentanalysis.bsky.social) June 26, 2025 at 10:11 PM
sick of diarrhea being a trend. my culture is not your costume.
— will buikema (@willbuikema.bsky.social) July 15, 2026 at 11:10 AM
[Coming back from a 20-minute bathroom break] It’s OK, it was regular diarrhea
— Subscribe to Radio Free America (link in bio) (@kleinman.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 1:14 PM
you know who else loves me just the way I am, horseflies
— Dan Cerinthedark (@etbeeegood.bsky.social) July 17, 2026 at 9:03 AM
[tik tok influencer voice] here’s how WE’RE embracing the latest summer phenomenon, Thick Air
— Ygrene (@ygrene.bsky.social) July 16, 2026 at 7:13 AM
video games are so good
— pmcTRILOGY (@pmctrilogy.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 4:31 PM
My wife left me by doing the “stairs behind the sofa” thing, and never came back
— Toby 🇵🇸 (@tobestewart.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 8:40 AM
when you get mad at me this is whomst you’re mad at
— Marjorie James Keenan (@unenthusiast.com) July 18, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Sadly the fight between my coworkers is not to the death
— Princess of Whales (@princessofwhales2.bsky.social) March 12, 2026 at 3:48 PM
The last time I “read a book” I learned that there’s a skeleton inside my body. Never again.
— vineyille (@vineyille.bsky.social) July 12, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Finally dug up my favorite Odyssey tweet ever
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