Liz Cultivates | L.M. Fern

We have a new episode up!

The Nintendo 64 at 30 – Literally 2 Cents About Content!

As we approach the 30th anniversary of its release, Alex and Liz look back quasi-fondly at the Nintendo 64, including: Its historical place, as the first Nintendo console to debut during Japan's Lost Decades and after the Cold War. Why it was so difficult to develop for, even for seasoned software shops. How it was in retrospect a failed attempt at what the Nintendo Switch ultimately achieved: a technical breakthrough that ran on old-fashioned ROM carts

1. The Nintendo 64 at 30 02:04:25
2. David Golumbia retrospective, part 1: "Is Wario cyberlibertarian?" 01:36:50
3. An insult to dumpsters and fires 01:19:03
4. Book club: Kate Manne's "Unshrinking" 01:25:52
5. Unspoiled paradise of streaming content 01:24:17

This week, Alex and I talked about Kate Manne’s book Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia. It’s a heartbreakingly stark look at the state of fatphobia in our society — what it is, what its impacts are, and why we should interrogate our own assumptions about fatness.

This book is a relatively short, easy read. Accessible, even! Manne has an engaging writing style that doesn’t get bogged down in complicated terminology or phrasing — which she could very easily do, as an academic with a Ph.D. in philosophy. She has done her research and combined that with her own stories. Highly recommended.

During our discussion of the text, Alex and I also talked about several other books he has been reading, along with some writings from author Paul Campos. For me, this episode is a soapbox about how it is literally no one’s business how much someone weighs or what their perceived health may be. I told Alex the story about how my doctor recently admonished me about my recent weight gain and, after providing some advice on how to lose weight, all of which was met with me saying “Yep, I’ve tried that,” just kind of sighed and said, “Well, just lose five pounds before I see you next.” (Cue my hopeless laughter.)

On a recent trip to Florida, we had the T.V. on in the hotel room. We don’t watch a lot of T.V. at home, so it’s always somewhat of a treat when we go out of town — but that also comes with the commercials. One particular advertisement really hit me in the gut in a weird way. It was a commercial for Wegovy, the recently popular semaglutide weight-loss drug. In it, a succession of smiling actors parody the song “This is Me” from the musical The Greatest Showman. My friend Soph, who I was traveling with, noted with amusement that the song is supposed to be about rising above the expectations of society to be true to yourself… and they were co-opting it for a weight-loss drug commercial. Life parodies itself.

Anyway, as always, all our referenced texts are in the show notes. Thanks for coming along for this one! I have been enjoying the book club vibes of these episodes. Lots of good things in the works for the podcast. We appreciate you all listening and subscribing!