An Old Hobby

Hi friend,

Years ago, the culture writer Kyle Chayka published a piece about how digital technology has killed “collecting,” particularly when it comes to music. Accumulating records, CDs, or VHS tapes has been replaced by paying for streaming services. But that means ownership is ephemera; when an artist revokes rights, or a network loses a title, you lose access to it too. Even if you clicked “purchase.”

A new class-action lawsuit is challenging this, with Amazon in its crosshairs. The plaintiff is a woman who purchased Bella and the Bulldogs — Volume 4 (a series that first aired on Nickelodeon) for $20.79, then was unable to access it. 

“The way in which digital transactions are structured, the lack of transparency around them and the streaming landscape is partly why physical media is kind-of-sort-of cool again,” says Winston Cho in The Hollywood Reporter. “DVDS offer the ability, now and forever, to bypass the complicated web of licenses that leave fans unable to access their favorite titles.” We imagine the annoyance factor would be turned up even further if you, say, were a mother spending money to buy a season of a children’s show you don’t even want to watch at all to placate your kids, to then have it vanish from your video library. (Assuming this was the case.)

It’s no wonder Gen Z is, in the words of social psychiatrist Clay Routledge, “nostalgic for a past that predates them, which is known as historical nostalgia.” After conducting a survey of more than 2,000 Gen Zers, he and his team found that the majority of them longed for eras they never lived through, and that 73 percent of respondents “were drawn to media, styles, hobbies or traditions from those eras.”

Speaking of: We’re going to take a break from our screens and crack open a book — like we did regularly in the olden days of 1999 — to try to enjoy this holiday weekend. We’re keeping it short today, so there’s no feature, but we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week.

Bye,
Your friends at Gloria

TO WATCH The big release this week is Darren Aronofsky’s crime thriller Caught Stealing, which is set in gritty ‘90s NYC and features Zoë Kravitz and Austin Butler as a couple who gets caught up with a bunch of bad guys. But we’re more interested in the winning indie film A Little Prayer, which is about empty nesters dealing with their adult children’s problems, including the fact that their son is cheating on his wife.

TO TRY We can’t help but hear all the rumblings about microplastics and toxic finishes in our cookware — which is why we’re excited to try Taima Titanium. Lightweight, naturally non-stick, antibacterial, and free from coatings. It heats fast, preserves nutrients, and lasts a lifetime. Shop everything here and use code GLORIA for 15 percent off at checkout. #partner

TO COOK This burst cherry tomato orzotto was, as the commenters state, a little reminiscent of Spaghetti O’s … but in a great way, and our kids loved it. It can be a one-pot dish, but we paired it with chicken sausage (shrimp would be good as well).

TO LISTEN This newly released Patti Smith song is just the best. She’s so cool. It’s off the 50th anniversary reissue of her album Horses, which is out October 10 and will contain three other previously unheard tracks.

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What happened with the over-40 pod Everything is Fine? • An informative chat about the Taylor-Travis engagement pics. • This is about Disney and how it has changed over the past few decades, but it applies to a lot of other places, too (like the airport). • All hail the return of the living room conversation pit.  • “Her hair was perfectly straight. Her body paid the price.”

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