3 Things: Jessica Leigh Hester, David Shrigley, and the Marchetti Constant / by Chris Duffy

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Every week, I send out an email with my show dates and recommendations of things I think you might enjoy. This past week has been an extremely LA week for me. I worked one day as a stand-in on a new game show, where I was a placeholder for a "Big Name Celebrity TBD." Another day, I took a Lyft and it turned out that the driver was an incredibly successful screenwriter. And then I took an improv class where four of my classmates were professional Instagram influencers and one described what she did for work as being "a living mannequin." So I guess what I'm trying to say is Los Angeles is living up to expectations. It's glorious.

Upcoming Shows

EVERYWHERE:
Both full seasons of Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas are streaming online and on HBO Go. Link

You can listen to all the episodes of my podcast You're the Expert on any podcast app. Three comedians interview a scientist about her work and why it matters. Link

ON TOUR:
I'm about to leave for my tour with Pop-Up Magazine's Escape Issue. "A night of live storytelling, music, art, and performance devoted to escapes big and small, daring and mundane, physical and mental."


TOUR DATES
SOLD OUT San Francisco: Friday, September 20th at the Sydney Goldstein Theater
Oakland: Saturday, September 21st at the Paramount Theatre
San Diego: Monday, September 23rd at Observatory North Park
Los Angeles: Thursday, September 26th at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel
Vancouver: Saturday, September 28th at the Vogue Theatre
Washington, DC: Monday, October 7th at the Lincoln Theatre
New York: Thursday, October 10th at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall
Chicago: Saturday, October 12th at the Athenaeum Theatre

Tickets for all shows on sale here

This week’s list

GREAT:
Jessica Leigh Hester reports on science stories "from garbage to space, archaeology, taxonomy, and more." This week, she's got a story perfect for a long summer weekend about the carnival detectives on the hunt for rigged games. "'Don't look now,' he murmurs. Richard Margittay's tone is conspiratorial—urgent, a little electric." On the Midway With the Carnival Games Inspectors Out to Protect Your Summer Fun (h/t NextDraft)


FUNNY:
David Shrigley is one of the funniest comedic minds on the planet. He's also an artist regularly shown in big name modern art museums like MoMA. I discovered his drawings and photographs in high school and they've had a profound impact on my psyche. At one point in my senior year, I made bootleg t-shirts for a bunch of my friends with one of his prints on them. If you're not familiar with his work, I am so excited for you. You're in for a real treat. Check out his drawings and paintings but don't miss the photographs too! 


INTERESTING:
"In 1994, Cesare Marchetti, an Italian physicist, described an idea that has come to be known as the Marchetti Constant. In general, he declared, people have always been willing to commute for about a half-hour, one way, from their homes each day." That seemingly simple revelation has applied for hundreds of years and defined the size and shape of cities and suburbs. Jonathan English has a fascinating look at how the Marchetti Constant has influenced our lives. The Commuting Principle That Shaped Urban History.


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Enjoy the long weekend,
Chris