HodgePodge for July 12

Tropical Storm Chantal called and said you might need some things to read this weekend, so here’s some interesting things we’ve read this week.

Good Matt Hunting

If you want to feel like you’re having a beer with Matt Damon (and, really, who doesn’t?), Esquire has all the info you’d need in its latest cover story. The full article will run you $0.99 if you’re not a subscriber.

Up Down B-A Start

The worst video game ever created is a real-time simulation of a boring drive across the desert from Tucson to Las Vegas, and was created by Penn & Teller (yeah, the magic/comedy act). The New Yorker has the details about how Morgan van Humbeck and his friends are using the game to make the world a better place (language warning: the linked article includes some obscenities).

Better Call Saul!

In The Atlantic, Hope Reese ponders reasons why the golden age of television is so dark with a look at a new book by Brett Martin, called Difficult Men. I don’t know about you, but Breaking Good and Happy Men sound like terrible shows to me.

This is Stressing Me Out

Lots of people use exercise as a way to manage stress, but how long-lasting are those effects? Apparently pretty long.

They Know Something, I Can Feel It

NPR’s Planet Money podcast takes a look at what happens at the end of Trading Places, one of the greatest comedies ever made. If you’ve ever wondered how Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd’s characters benefited (and how the Duke’s suffered) from the insider knowledge, this episode will answer all of your questions.