Michael Sam’s Troubled Upbringing in Texas →

Joe Drape, Steve Eder, and Billy Witz, writing for The New York Times:

But Sam has never had it easy. He grew up about 40 miles southeast of Houston near Galveston Bay in Texas, the seventh of eight children. Three of his siblings have died and two brothers are in prison. He lived briefly in the back seat of his mother’s car, and his relationship with his family remains complicated: When he visits home, he usually stays with friends.

For the unnamed NFL executives who have wondered publicly about Sam’s ability to deal with the “media circus” that will follow his inevitable journey into the NFL, just know that this guy has already dealt with adversity—real adversity, not bullshit manufactured adversity—and, by all accounts, seems to not only have gotten through it, but appears to be a better man for it.

Also, make sure you watch the video in this piece. This guy is loved—not liked, loved—in his hometown and at his school by people of all different shapes and colors and backgrounds. It’s too early to say, but it’s looking like Michael Sam might be the perfect person to break down the barrier he’s about to break down. What a class act.

Inside the Home Studio of Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad →

Joe Brown, writing for WIRED:

When Jad Abumrad, cohost of the on-air amazingness that is Radiolab, wants to prep a show for broadcast, he uses WNYC’s studio. But he’s most productive when left alone in his home studio, where he spends hours manipulating the sounds and effects that give Radiolab its trademark sonic complexity. “This is where I scratch,” Abumrad says. His space is the audio equivalent of a sketchbook, and it’s full of wonderful toys.

*swoon*

Retired NFL Receiver Destroys Argument Against Gay Players →

Melissa Jeltsen, writing for The Huffington Post:

Former NFL player Donte' Stallworth doesn't buy the argument that an openly gay player would be too distracting for an NFL team to be successful.

In a series of tweets, the retired wide receiver responded to the suggestion -- floated by former NFL coach Herm Edwards -- that intense media attention may discourage teams from drafting gay players.

"Can the players handle the media attention they are going to get when they get the question asked, 'Are you okay with a gay teammate?'" Edwards asked in an ESPN interview Sunday night.

Stallworth, who last played for the New England Patriots, didn't mince words. If a team can't handle the media scrutiny of drafting a gay player, he wrote, "Your team is already a loser on the field."

What’s funny is that they’re both right—Stallworth’s theory is 100% accurate, but so is Edwards’. Both can and will come true.

Does a More Equal Marriage Mean Less Sex? →

Lori Gottlieb, writing for the New York Times Magazine:

A study called “Egalitarianism, Housework and Sexual Frequency in Marriage,” which appeared in The American Sociological Review last year, surprised many, precisely because it went against the logical assumption that as marriages improve by becoming more equal, the sex in these marriages will improve, too. Instead, it found that when men did certain kinds of chores around the house, couples had less sex. Specifically, if men did all of what the researchers characterized as feminine chores like folding laundry, cooking or vacuuming — the kinds of things many women say they want their husbands to do — then couples had sex 1.5 fewer times per month than those with husbands who did what were considered masculine chores, like taking out the trash or fixing the car. It wasn’t just the frequency that was affected, either — at least for the wives. The more traditional the division of labor, meaning the greater the husband’s share of masculine chores compared with feminine ones, the greater his wife’s reported sexual satisfaction.

A fascinating read. What if, in some very specific ways, there is a “natural” order—or at least a natural reasoning—behind gender roles? And if there is, what will be the results of tinkering with them?

‘Rain brings out the contours of what’s around you.’ →

Peter Middleton and James Spinney:

In 1983, after years of deteriorating vision, the writer and theologian John Hull lost the last traces of light sensation. For the next three years, he kept a diary on audio-cassette of his interior world of blindness. This film is a dramatization that uses his original recordings.

This is a beautiful short film in every way. I recommend reading The Story Behind ‘Notes on Blindness’ as well. Nick Partyka of The Fox is Black had this to say:

When you set aside the aesthetic beauty of the visuals and storytelling, you’re left with a rather grim tale of a dejected man coming-to-terms with blindness. But, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it’s tremendously inspiring. Hull describes his blindness as “a dark, paradoxical gift.” Indeed, as his troubles leave me feeling more able to cope with my own. One instance, for example, sees Hull describing the rain, a moment that left me completely enthralled with Middleton and Spinney’s interpretation. His thoughts here are so utterly perceptive, that when coupled with the breathtaking visuals, I feel filled with a new level of understanding.

I was bowled over by the rain moment he mentions—it’s where the title of my post comes from. I want to start every day off with a viewing of this.

/via The Fox is Black

Skeleton Helmets Are Awesome →

Barry Petchesky, writing for Deadspin:

Skeleton, which has only been a regular Winter Olympic event since 2002, is every bit as fast and intense and as scary as luge. Scarier; the sliders go down face-first. But that gives the sport an aesthetic edge over its cohorts. Look at those helmets!

A slider's helmet receives every bit as much thought and detail as does, say, a goalie's mask. Combined with a choice of visor, they run the gamut from futuristic to intimidating to playful to inscrutable. Here now a gallery of some of our favorites, with all photos taken today as the sliders made practice runs on the Sanki track.

I’ve always thought that goalie masks were the coolest, most personalized pieces of sports equipment—until today.

The Entire Fucking World Is Ending →

The Russian government is said to be blocking a shipment of Chobani yogurt from reaching the United States Olympic team at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The blockade has prompted alarm from the yogurt industry’s political allies, who are outraged that American athletes could be deprived of their beloved Greek yogurt.

The Russian government, according to United States officials, is not permitting the yogurt to enter Russia without a special certification.

At first a breakfast-table squabble, the dairy situation is quickly escalating.

Brilliant satire by The Onion—or New York Times reporting by Thomas Kaplan?

The end is truly nigh.

The Future of Microsoft →

John Gruber:

“A computer on every desk and in every home” was incredible foresight for 1977. It carried Microsoft for 25 years of growth. But once that goal was achieved, I don’t think they knew where to go. They were like the dog that caught the car. They spent a lot of time and energy on TV. Not just with Xbox, which is alive and well today (albeit not a significant source of income), but with other ideas that did not pan out, like “media center PCs” and the joint ownership of “MSNBC”, which was originally imagined as a sort of cable news network, website, dessert, and floor wax rolled into one.

What they missed was the next step from every desk and home: a computer in every pocket.

You wouldn’t think that Daring Fireball would be the place to go for a smart piece on Microsoft and their new CEO and the future of their products. But you’d be wrong.

How a Chicken McNugget Is Made

I wasn’t nearly as grossed-out by the whole Pink Goop thing as others seemed to be (you can’t pay $5 for 20 chicken nuggets and expect free-range, guilt-free, grass-fed, all of the hyphens chicken), but if you still needed some reassurance, this video will provide it. The entire process seems logical, clean, and efficient. And, lest they be accused of creating a commercial, rather than an answer to a legitimate question, I appreciated how they didn’t end on hot, just-friend McNugget porn.

Also—why is McDonalds Canada so awesome and transparent?

/via Devour

A Couple of Philip Seymour Hoffman Pieces

Alex Pappademas, writing for Grantland:

But at one point I remember asking him some real JV-ball actor-interview question about what, if anything, he felt he had in common with Truman Capote. Hoffman thought about it for a second, and then talked about how Capote was 35 when he started reporting the story that became In Cold Blood, and how there comes a time in every man’s life, around your mid-thirties, when you start to ask yourself, Have I done the great thing I was supposed to do? Am I ever going to do it?

And then there’s Wesley Morris, also writing for Grantland:

Before Capote, he mostly played the schlubby irritant who mocked typical actor vanities. You were drawn to his weirdos, freaks, losers, and assholes — to their nastiness and cruelty — because the actor playing them didn’t seem to have a long game. He didn’t want stardom. He didn’t care what we thought. If he wanted to play a guy who makes obscene phone calls and masturbates (as he did in Todd Solondz’s 1998 tonal masterpiece Happiness), then he would. If he wanted to spend Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights desperate for Mark Wahlberg, so be it.

This Fresh Air remembrance is also worth your time. I have an affection for actors who so clearly put thought—which usually means annoyance as well as enthusiasm—into their answers during interviews. The two interviews of him are full of thought and realness and flaws.