3 Things: Bruce Springsteen, Michelle Buteau, and Irv Teibel by Chris Duffy

Hi friends,

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can see the archive and sign up to get these emails here.

 Upcoming shows

EVERYWHERE:
Comedy at Dreams streams live every Wednesday night. The show starts at 8 p.m. ET and loops for the rest of the night. You can watch on your phone using the Dreams app. If you're in NYC, you can get free tickets to be in our studio audience here.

You can listen to You're the Expert online here:  Link

Episodes of The Payoff are online here: Link

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY:
Thursday, March 9th at 7 p.m. at Vassar College. You're the Expert comes to Vassar with Josh Sharp, Gary Richardson, and Obehi Janice trying to guess what a leading professor does all day. Free with registration. Link

NYC:
Saturday, March 11th at 9:30 p.m. at The PIT. I'm one of the comedian judges for Dancify That! It's a hilarious show where dancers choreograph a performance to viral videos. Last time I was there, a live peacock came onstage. I'm very excited to see what happens this time. Link 

ATLANTA, GA:
Tuesday, March 21th at 7:30 p.m. at 7 Stages. You're the Expert returns to the Atlanta Science Festival with Josh Sharp, Shalewa Sharpe, and Chuck Bryant (from Stuff You Should Know). Link

My full calendar with all upcoming shows is online here.

 This week's list

1 Thing I Think Is Great:


No one puts on a better show than Bruce Springsteen. I was only lukewarm on his music until I saw him live and now I'm obsessed. I will never understand how a 67-year-old man can have that much energy. A regular concert by The Boss is amazing, but nothing is better than when he pulls this teenager up on stage with him to play guitar. This video is an instant anti-depressant. Bruce Springsteen Invites Teenager On Stage Who Steals the Show

(Side note: I love the whole genre of videos where an audience member turns out to be incredible. I would call it a guilty pleasure, but I don't feel guilty. BeyonceMichael Buble,Kristin Chenoweth, etc.) 
 

1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:


Michelle Buteau makes me laugh so hard. Her jokes are amazing, but she's also just one of those people where everything she says is hilarious. Watching her perform, my favorite moments are when she just notices something in the room or audience and goes off on it. If you get a chance to see her live ever, do it. She's also got a Comedy Central special you can find online. But here's an interview with her where you can see her off-the-cuff brilliance. Michelle Buteau on WNYC's Live Wire Radio  


1 Interesting Thing:

Where do relaxing sounds come from? It turns out that one man, Irv Teibel, singlehandedly invented the market for nature sounds. If you've ever taken two minutes to relax and calmly listen to sounds of the ocean, you've got Irv to thank. (If you're feeling stressed or need to refocus, try this related website that Matt Porter recommended to me: donothingfor2minutes.com) Pitchfork brings the surprisingly complex story of recording some simple sounds. And like all of their longform articles, it's beautifully laid out and designed. More websites should be following their example. How a New Age Hustler Sold the Sound of the World


Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend,
Chris

3 Things: Katie Fisher, Myq Kaplan, and Brendan Koerner by Chris Duffy

Hi friends,

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can see the archive and sign up to get these emails here.

 Upcoming shows

EVERYWHERE:
Comedy at Dreams got extended through May so we'll be shooting new episodes and streaming live every Wednesday for the next few months. You can watch on your phoneusing the Dreams app. This week, Evan Kaufman and I host Michelle Buteau, Janelle James, Shalewa Sharpe, Sarah Tollemache, and Chelsea Hood. If you're in NYC, you can get free tickets to be in our studio audience by RSVPing here.

A new episode of You're the Expert is out today. Eugene Mirman, Maeve Higgins, and Ken Reid learn about behavioral economics and how social media affects what jobs we get and what we do with our money. Link

The Payoff podcast is going strong. Our third episode, all about love and credit scores, comes out on Wednesday. Link

My full calendar with all upcoming shows is online here.

 This week's list

1 Thing I Think Is Great:


I'm a big fan of traditions, emotional vulnerability, and cookies, so I love Katie Fisher Day. Each year, on March 12, it's a grassroots celebration of kindness. Katie Fisher Day is "a holiday created to spread joy (through cookies)." Abbi Jacobson (from Broad City) designed their logo, Amy Poehler is a fan, and Rachel Rosenthal helps run the whole thing each year. In past years, people have participated from Connecticut to Costa Rica to China. Kate Fisher Day
 

1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:


Myq Kaplan is constantly writing new jokes. His brain works faster and spits out more hilarious ideas than anyone else I've ever met. Myq is the master of taking a small wordplay and spinning it into something much bigger, funnier, and more meaningful. He's got a new album out now called No Kidding and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you ever get a chance to see Myq live, take it. No two shows are the same and Myq is one of the most inventive comedians performing today. Myq Kaplan


1 Interesting Thing:

A team of Russian hackers discovered a way to crack the algorithms behind slot machines. Using just a cell phone and precise timing, they've engineered a way to crack the code and guarantee a win. Law enforcement officials arrested one member of the St. Petersburg-based organization, "which employs dozens of operatives to manipulate slot machines around the world...quietly making millions by cracking some of the gaming industry's most treasured algorithms." The story was reported for WIRED by Brendan Koerner, a writer behind some of the most impressive nonfiction narratives out there. One of Koerner's books is currently being adapted by Spike Lee, the other is about a couple who hijacked a plane while on acid. I think this story is even crazier. Russians Engineer A Brilliant Slot Machine Cheat --- And Casinos Have No Fix



Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend,
Chris

3 Things: Antonia Cereijido, Jo Firestone, and Thomas Hargrove by Chris Duffy

Hi friends,

It's Saturday! Every week, I send out an email with one thing I think is great, one thing that made me laugh, and one thing I found interesting. Feel free to spread the word and share these emails with friends. If you're checking this out for the first time, you can see the archive and sign up to get these emails here.

Upcoming shows

EVERYWHERE:
Wednesday, February 15th at 8 p.m. ET  Comedy at Dreams is live again and you can watch from anywhere on your phone. This week, I'm hosting solo because Evan is in Florida. Watch as I finally cut loose. Also great sets from Aparna Nancherla, Jo Firestone, Alingon Mitra, Myq Kaplan and Ana Fabrega. Watch the show from anywhere: Link

Or get free tickets be a member of the studio audience in NYC (also includes free drinks and snacks): Link

My full calendar with all upcoming shows is online here.

 

This week's list



1 Thing I Think Is Great:

Antonia Cereijido is making some of the most interesting radio out there. She's got such a warm personality and a knack for finding unusual stories. I've had the good fortune to cohost The Payoff with Antonia and I've seen her talent firsthand. But her main job is reporting for NPR's Latino USA. This story she did for them is hilarious and fascinating and great. Finally someone tackles the big question: Are the Minions Latino? (h/t Bianca Giaever)

 

1 Thing That Made Me Laugh:

Jo Firestone is truly hilarious. I've never been more certain that someone is going to be a huge celebrity. She makes me laugh so hard and everything she does is unique and smart and so goofy. She made her debut on The Tonight Show this week with a spot-on impression of Betsy DeVos. Watch as Jimmy Fallon interviews her about her plans for the U.S. education system. Jimmy Interviews Betsy DeVos
 


1 Interesting Thing:

"His innovation was to teach a computer to spot trends in unsolved murders, using publicly available information that no one, including anyone in law enforcement, had used before. This makes him, in a manner of speaking, the Billy Beane of murder." Thomas Hargrove is a retired journalist who has been using big data to identify serial killers on the loose. The power of computers to solve crimes is incredible, but this also reveals what happens when police departments don't keep up with technological innovation: people get killed. Hargrove wants to change that. Serial Killers Should Fear This Algorithm


Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend,
Chris