my careless contagion

   I don’t know exactly when it started. I think I started watching TV with the closed captioning on when my son was a baby (so I wouldn’t wake him up). But he’s not a baby anymore. So why do I still watch TV with the closed captioning?  An article at medium.com called “Why Gen Z Loves Closed Captioning” explores the reasons why we’re seeing a surge in Generation Z kids (born mid-1990s to mid-2000s) watching TV with closed captioning. These are kids with no hearing impairment. It’s just ... odd.  One of the reasons why Gen Z kids may like captions is because it helps them deal with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I never thought about this until I read the article, but I have long exhibited ADHD symptoms (in fact, I didn’t even finish the above-mentioned article). Could this be a reason why I prefer watching TV with the captions on? Maybe.  It seems captions help those with ADHD focus and block out distractions more easily. I don’t feel re...

What can I say about Justin Timberlake? He's highly versatile. He outgrew his boyishness but still retains enough to appeal to all sectors of his audience. Say Something features country star Chris Stapelton as well. In this song, he reminds me a little of Willie Nelson during his solo, as he's not always singing on time, just a little behind the beat. Collaborations seem to have the effect of maintaining and broadening an artist's appeal. It's usually a smart thing to do.  I want to talk about the song. The video is neat, too, and it's a somewhat unique idea. It starts out in the basement and follows JT through the building in a single take, building in intensity as it goes. There are a lot of possible interpretations for the song. I'll just talk about what it means to me.  Our world is full of noise. I'm currently reading the biography of author and lyricist Margaret Wise Brown, and even though she lived many years ago, she lamented the noise tha...