28 Hours Later

A reverse zombiefication. Plus recs for Wendy MacNaughton on Sister Corita, The Onion, and Eve Fairbanks on AI writing.

This email is coming to you a day late because I was struck down with a brief but intense toddler fever. Thankfully I feel much better today so I won’t let a week go by without a Bright Spots.

I will say this though: When it comes to infectious disease spread, having a toddler in preschool is roughly equivalent to eating undercooked pangolin meat on a cruise ship full of bats. The quantity and quality of illnesses is simply unmatched.

One time, many years ago, before I had kids, I interviewed a scientist who had studied the bacteria on the NYC subway system. He told me that it’s better for humans to get exposed to more bacteria and develop their immune systems and that he would let his own kids roll around on the floor of the subway no problem.

I thought that was an unhinged answer then and I still think it is now. But I hope he’s right because my immune system is challenged every day with new and exotic strains. Next time I’m back in NYC visiting my parents, I might as well try licking a subway pole.

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My upcoming events and other projects:

MY BOOK: Humor Me is out in bookstores everywhere

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This week’s list

GREAT:

I wrote about Sister Corita Kent in my book and how much I love her views on creativity, humor, and finding something new and interesting in everyday life. I was introduced to Sister Corita’s work by Wendy MacNaughton, another author and artist who I admire so much. This week, in her newsletter, Wendy wrote about why she loves Corita’s approach so much. There’s a drawing assignment that Wendy put behind a paywall (I highly recommend subscribing if you’re looking for a way to start a creative practice or just like to draw) but the essay itself is free for anyone to read. The Radical Nun Who Wants You to Use Your Scissors

FUNNY:

I subscribed to the print edition of The Onion this year and getting to read it in hard copy is such a delight. They are hitting so many comedic home runs. Checking in on The Onion more regularly guarantees that I laugh more. Here are three headlines that recently got me good:

Report: Requests To Prove One Is Not A Robot Up 400,000% Over Past 500 Years

Ambitious Nature Center Squeezes 25 Informational Placards Out Of Sad Little Marsh

Department Of Labor Cracks Down On People Getting Paid For Work

INTERESTING:

I thought this was an excellent piece about what it means for so much writing to be generated by AI these days. How do you tell when something is actually produced by a human and why does that matter? I believe it does matter quite a lot but I couldn’t have articulated it quite as well as Eve Fairbanks does here. The Biggest Tell That Something Was Written by AI (gift article)

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That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading! Please share Bright Spots with anyone you think might enjoy it.

White blood cells multiplying,

Chris Duffy

This has been Bright Spots, a newsletter.

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…wait, who are you?

I’m Chris Duffy. I’m a comedian, I host TED’s How to Be a Better Human podcast, and I’m both a former fifth grade teacher and a former fifth grade student. I wrote a book called Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy that’s out now from Doubleday.