Tom's Top 3: September 17, 2024
Live, Laugh, Stress
Hi everyone! Welcome to this week’s installment of Tom’s Top 3 Tuesdays, where I highlight three pieces of content (Podcasts/Shows/Songs/Articles/etc.) that I found interesting or noteworthy from the prior week.
If you’re new here, please consider subscribing to my newsletter — the creatively named: Tom’s Newsletter. In addition to posts like these, I write about my interests (the entertainment industry, sports, fitness, productivity, and more!) and books that I am reading.
If you find at least one thing in this post useful, please drop a like and share with a friend using the link below. I really appreciate the support!
Let’s get into it.
The golden age of comedy is dead.
Gone are the days of big-budget buddy comedies and slapstick sitcoms. At least for now, until the see-saw that is Hollywood inevitably swings back to equilibrium.
The Bear sought to capitalize on this dearth of 30-minute laughs by competing in the Emmy’s comedy category. If you’ve never seen The Bear, you should, but it is certainly not a comedy.
To everyone’s surprise (and my delight), Hacks beat out The Bear for the top spot in the category. This is amazing news, not just for the Hacks creators, but for comedy television as a whole. The golden age may be behind us, but rest assured, there are still funny people making funny stuff.
I strongly suggest everyone check Hacks out. It’s witty, heartwarming, shocking, and hilarious. Great writing and great acting.
Here is the show’s premise, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas-based stand-up comedian, needs to re-invent her aging act to avoid losing her residency at the Palmetto Casino. Ava Daniels is a young comedy writer who is unable to find work due to an insensitive tweet and her reputation for being self-centered and arrogant. When Ava's agent sends her to work as Deborah's new head writer, the two slowly bond as Ava pushes her new boss to take more risks and Deborah, in turn, helps Ava start to work through her personal problems.
I’ve heard the show is planning on running two more seasons, with Season 4 likely airing in May 2025.
[YouTube] Every - MAXIMIZE Your Reading with ChatGPT’s NEW Advanced Voice Mode
If you want practical ideas for how to leverage AI to improve your life, I suggest you give Dan Shipper a follow. He lives and breathes this stuff, and even hosts his own podcast where he interviews people from different disciplines to learn how they are using AI in their work.
I found this particular use case to be compelling. With ChatGPT’s voice features, you can be a kid again! No question is a dumb question, and you can ask as many questions as your pretty little heart desires. Best of all, you don’t have to spend all that time typing out everything.
Before bald, buff Bezos, there was this guy.
I love this Bezos—his excitement, intellectual curiosity, and positivity is infectious. I also love learning about successful people before they make it big.
This video is a snippet from a much longer interview he had in 2001. The internet was in its infancy, and Amazon was just finding its footing. At this time, Amazon’s stock price didn’t crack $1. Today, you can buy the stock for $186.
The major takeaway here is that Bezos believes stress is a product of inaction. Just start moving in the right direction, no matter how small a step. Small actions compound on one another, and getting any form of traction does much to stem anxiety.
Try to be mindful of when you feel stressed this week. When you feel it coming on, acknowledge it, and try to identify one action you can take to make some progress.
That wraps up this edition of Tom’s Top 3 Tuesdays. If you know anyone who would like this newsletter, please consider sharing. I’ll be back next week. ✌️