This week in Gweek we review Adam Parfrey and Cletus Nelson's biography of famous kitsch artists, the Keanes. Plus: Plex media server, play putties, and much more. Brought to you by Random House Audio (click here for free downloads!) and by Stamps.com (click here for a special $110 offer!)

In each episode of Gweek, Dean Putney and I discuss recommended media, apps, and gadgets. This time we talked about the Plex media server, Crazy Aaron’s Putty World and the history of Silly Putty, Baggu's eco-friendly shopping bags, the Instacart grocery delivery service. We also recommended three books:

The Dinner - Over the course of a dinner in a restaurant in Amsterdam, we learn a secret shared by two brothers and their wives. The story is told by an unreliable narrator, and it’s hard to tell what he is making up. Reminiscent of Roald Dahl's stories for grown ups.

The Blighted Eye - Samples from the world’s greatest comic book art collector.

Citizen Keane: The Big Lies Behind the Big Eyes - A juicy biography of Walter and Margaret Keane, famous for the “big eye waif” paintings of the 1960s. Walter Keane was a sociopathic liar who couldn’t paint. Margaret did all the paintings herself. Tim Burton has a movie coming out about the Keanes.

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History's most productive geniuses goofed off like crazy

In Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less (published in 2016, just out in paperback), Alex Soojung-Kim Pang painstakingly investigates the working lives of the likes of Charles Darwin and finds that history's most productive high-performers were working about four hours a day and slacking off the rest of the time: napping, […]

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SON OF COCKY: a writer is trying to trademark "DRAGON SLAYER" for fantasy novels

Back in May, the romance writing community was rocked by a scandal after author Faleena Hopkins started enforcing a trademark over the common word "COCKY" in the titles of romance novels; I predicted then that there would be some sociopaths who would observe the controversy and decide that it was an inspiration, rather than a […]

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The Open Revolution: the vital struggle of open vs closed, free vs unfree

Rufus Pollock’s new book The Open Revolution: rewriting the rules of the information age, reimagines ownership in a digital age and its implications from the power of tech monopolies to control how we think and vote , to unaffordable medicines, to growing inequality. Get the book and find out more at openrevolution.net. - Cory

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This flexible camera pinpoints problems at the source

The human eye is a powerful thing, but it’s not so great at seeing in the dark or around tight spaces, which is partially why most of us struggle with unplugging drains, cleaning under the fridge, and other hard-to-reach jobs. This 1080p HD Waterproof WiFi Wireless Endoscopic Camera, however, gives you the flexibility necessary to get […]

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These top-rated apps can elevate your Mac's potential

Macs are undeniably some of the most versatile computers on the market, but they can do so much more than what their stock apps allow. For those looking to get the most out of their Mac hardware, the Pay What You Want 2018 Super Mac Bundle features 10 of the industry’s top apps, including photo editors and […]

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How these Salesforce courses can improve your job prospects

Salesforce has reinvented the way companies manage customer information, close deals, and ultimately drive revenue, so it should come as no surprise that it’s one of the more valuable skills you can list on your resume today. In fact, according to research from Burning Glass, this platform is now the 7th most in-demand software skill, beating out […]

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