Commonplace Reading - Issue #15
It's Christmas!
I'm using the (notional) downtime to catch up on saved articles in Pocket, Medium, Facebook et al. And for the next week, I'm going to share a small selection each day, to give you something interesting to read between the awkward family moments and the period of hedonistic over-indulgence.
But as the frequency goes up, the volume will go down. My friend Stephanie Booth has been doing a weekly newsletter with just three links - less is more, as she says. Well, I can't quite restrict myself to three, but for the next few days, it's just five a day.
And for the next three days at least - it'll all be variations on happy or interesting news - no downers here. We've had quite enough of that in 2016…
Festive link feast…
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/revue/items/images/001/649/686/web/Screen_Shot_2016_12_21_at_9.46.49_AM.0.png?1482506482)
The secret chord that makes Christmas music sound so Christmassy
Interesting video from Vox explaining exactly what makes a song feel like a Christmas song.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/revue/items/images/001/649/732/web/Lydia-Liza-portrait.jpg?1482510064)
Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski remake ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ to emphasize consent
If you think about the original lyrics - it's kinda creepy. This new version is just cute - and makes a good point.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/revue/items/images/001/649/738/web/452620350.0.jpeg?1482510415)
We finally have an effective Ebola vaccine. The war on the disease is about to change.
A study confirmed that the new vaccine is 100 percent effective. 🍾🍾🍾
Wonder Woman has empowered me since I was four. She was a great UN ambassador
I'm really hoping the Wonder Woman movie breaks the dismal streak of recent DC comics movies, because I want my daughters to grow up seeing women leading superhero films, not just men. And this is a great explanation of why Wonder Woman is so important.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/revue/items/images/001/650/175/web/Screen_20Shot_202016-09-28_20at_2012.43.54_20PM.png?1482527927)
Watch an Impromptu Medieval Icelandic Hymn Sung in a Modern Train Station
I started with a video, so let's end with one. This is a moment of real beauty.
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/revue/items/images/001/650/162/web/IMG_1221.jpg?1482527561)