Wednesday Wonders 31
Fiio M33, Universe, Musée Carnavalet, Bandes Desinées, Superlist.
1. Fiio M33 R2R
I'm a sucker for a high-quality music player. This one is something of a brick, but Fiio have set it up to give the option of a warmer, more analogue sound alongside the standard flat reference setting.
Underneath the hood, it's an android device, so you can set it up with music streaming services, podcast apps etc, alongside hi-res downloads that are stored on a micro SD card. Paired with a pair of good headphones (Austrian Audio's cheapest cabled model are my preference, the sound of this thig is phenomenal.
2. Universe - Brian Cox (BBC)
I'm not even sure how old this is, but I've been bingeing it on BBC iPlayer and it is phenomenal.
3. Musée Carnavalet
One of my favourite spots in the world. This incredible building walks you through the history of Paris from ancient times to the present day. The exhibition spaces are brilliant and the courtyard cafe is a great place to hang out.
4. Bandes Desinées
While the likes of Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns revolutionised American comics and elevated their reputation to something more literary, the French and Belgians had no need of a revolution; bandes desinées have been variously literary throughout their history. Very rarely translated to English, the form represents an incredibly rich trove of incredible art, brilliant writing and innovative storytelling across all genres. The one thing they don't really do is superheroes. I'm reading to improve my (quite poor) French, but if your French is serviceable, you should hunt some down.
5. Superlist
I mentioned this in the last newsletter. For those who remember the insanely good Wunderlist, this is the same team. They sold Wunderlist to Microsoft, who completely broke the whole thing and so now the creators are back with a new version of the same idea; a really good, simple list app with hidden depths. I have ditched all my to do app nonsense for this and I am yet to regret that decision. As an added bonus, Superlist is based in Berlin, so you're not handing money to the US tech bros.
