Agent Palmer

Hunter S. Thompson is much more than just Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I knew that, but knowing that isn’t the same as knowing the wider breadth and depth of that statement. Alex Gibney’s 2008 documentary “Gonzo” filled in a few gaps for me, but for those uninitiated it may just enlighten you to just how much more than one book Hunter was.

Gibney does an amazing job throughout the documentary weaving Thompson’s words with his life. As a writer, even one like Hunter, not everything is relevant, yet it all could be usable depending on the story you want to tell.

How did the PayPal service that we take for granted today come to pass? How close did it come to going under more than once? Just how precarious was its position in the fintech field?

These questions are answered in The Founders: The Story of PayPal and The Entrepreneurs who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni. This book is more than just a story about the supposed PayPal Mafia; it’s the story of Silicon Valley success.

Today, the average content creator is likely to get “canceled” by either the right or the left because what they said was ideologically different.

But decades ago, the Smothers Brothers were removed from the airwaves because they were ideologically ahead of their time, and perhaps because they were trying to ruffle a few feathers along the way.

The point is, Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” by David Bianculli is more than a walk through a different time.

Sid Meier’s Memoir! A Life in Computer Games is a collection of anecdotes from his life, his gameography, and his philosophies. In his games, he sought to put good into the world, and he has done the same with this book. He acknowledges that bad things have happened in his life, but he doesn’t dwell on them.

I’ve previously written about some of the games Sid had a hand in creating, including a few that had his name on the box: Sid Meier’s Civilization, Sid Meier’s Colonization, and even Magic The Gathering Duels of the Planeswalkers.

The Netflix original film Quincy isn’t just a great documentary about Quincy Jones’ prolific music career. It’s a great reminder that, as an icon, Quincy’s reach and the scope of his work went far beyond entertainment and into social justice and the ongoing inspiration of generations.

Whatever you conjure in your mind when you read about Quincy Jones on the page or in this post, is just a fraction of what he has accomplished…