We’ve always liked the idea of a coffee shop in which you can also sit and read or buy books so when we heard about SPIN COFFEE AND VINYL we were looking forward to seeing how it was. Instead of books they sell vinyl record albums, which young people today – including Barbara’s son – have started getting into. Any time the current generation “discovers” something like vinyl albums or bell bottom pants, it makes us chuckle. We were a little disappointed, though, because by the time we got there in the afternoon, there was basically none of their advertised desserts or sandwiches to be had so the visit was a bit of a bust. We will say, though, that the place’s seats were full so it definitely has a customer base and we’re glad when we see an niche place like this doing well.

New series: SUPER PUMPED

Barbara: “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber” on Netflix is a series worth watching. Who of us hasn’t taken an Uber? This show is the story of how Uber got started and portrays its CEO, Travis Kalanick, played expertly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as a very innovative but extremely driven and unethical man who was eventually forced to resign. Unfortunately, his bad behavior paid off as he sold off about 90% of his shares for a profit of about $2.5 billion. I’d definitely recommend watching the series.

LEARNING CENTER

Speaking of someone who came up with a profitable idea, we learned how the SLINKY toy was created. According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, in 1943 Richard James was trying to create a set of springs that would stabilize maritime instruments during rough weather. He inadvertently knocked some of them off a shelf and watched them “walk”. This inspired the creation of the Slinky. We were probably playing with a Slinky while our brother listened to his vinyl records!