In which Dave and I both compare Elizabeth Holmes to Donald Trump. It ain't a good look, darlin'.
Dave: So, let’s start a multimillion dollar company. I have tons of friends who are folklorists and are good at telling stories. We just need to get them to pivot from stories about foodways, musical traditions, and artistic expression to stories about made up inventions for an audience of white guys who have money and don't know any better. Maybe then the humanities will get the attention it deserves. Until then - Jesus Christ - this documentary alone should disabuse folks of the notion that the Titans of Industry are somehow smarter, better, or more adept at picking winners than the rest of us. I mean, look at the 45th president, one of those business “geniuses,” who doesn’t seem to know the difference between political asylum and mental asylums. But I digress. The story of Theranos is yet more evidence that, in the words of our favorite podcast host Sarah Marshall, the villain was capitalism all along. For-profit healthcare is almost always destined to fail the most vulnerable patients. I’d love to have seen the big Theranos trial and the aftermath in this documentary, but there’s only so much disgusting greed and avarice you can cover in two hours. (️️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
I know regular readers of this blog (are there any?) know I’m a fool for sweet popcorns. But they might not know I’m particularly fond of lemon desserts, especially when they hit the right balance of tart and sweet. Lemon poke cake, even if it is a retro dessert these days, is one of my favorite summertime treats. And I have fond memories of going to Krispy Kreme with my mother, probably after a Meals on Wheels run, and more often than not getting a lemon filled donut. So Joe’s lemon (also poppyseed, apparently?) popcorn really hit the spot: it was lemony and tart, but had the caramel sweet crunch I’ve come to expect from a good sweet popcorn. I’d totally eat this for a snack, serve it to guests, or pack it in my lunch. It’s a home run! (️️️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Joe: A couple months ago, Dave and I listened to a multi-part podcast about Elizabeth Holmes, and it was riveting. It's no surprise that I love a story that features a charlatan or someone with far more hubris than necessary, but there's something about Holmes' audacity that borders on a level that feels psychopathic. Her story does not leave me with the smugness that comes with schadenfreude. Rather, I find it all deeply disturbing. (White) men with loads of money to throw at a "charismatic" (I think she's quite creepy) leader who just fills the room with blatant lies while dodging probing questions. Sounds like Donald Trump to me. Sounds like any cult leader. The documentary didn't fill in many more gaps than the podcast; in fact, it glosses over a lot, and because it's now 5 years old it doesn't even touch on the consequences. Still, it was neat matching faces to voices. I'd like a documentary entirely about the bravery of the whistleblower, Erika. (⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
I'm not a food scientist, so sometimes when I'm following a recipe, I'll think, "This doesn't make sense. It can't possibly work." That was my very thought while adding an egg white to 1/4 cup of sugar and mixing it vigorously with a fork. Would it actually create a foam? I knew this was essentially how a meringue is made, but it seemed kinda nuts. It worked. But the result was... strange. The popcorn wasn't too sweet, but it also wasn't savory. The poppy seeds don't really come through, but I think they're more for texture... which doesn't really work because they got lost in the crunch of the popcorn. The lemon was understated, but balanced nicely with the sugary egg whites. A fine popcorn, but not one that I'd consider making again. (⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Popcorn recipe from: the Popcorn Board
The Inventor on IMDB
Good choice! And the full.title is:
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
😁