This week the trend is sleep radio

This week the trend is Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio. It's a podcast playing fake baseball games. Everything is made up: the teams, the scores, the players, the ads in between innings. It's all made up.

Why? Because it turns out the docile tones of an announcer calling a baseball game with a gentle crowd noise is a great way to fall asleep. Instead of rain sounds or ocean noise, I've been falling asleep to baseball.

I've listened to the Northwoods Baseball podcast for a while on and off, but have been tuning in each night this week. If you're not a baseball fan you might be wondering, why listen to a fake game? There are a few reasons, but primarily because with real games and players there's something for your brain to latch onto. Here, it's easy to not care about hits or runs or anything.

Beyond not caring about the score and not needing to listen to see if a player goes 3-for-3, the podcast also does a good job of being more monotone than a regular MLB broadcast. Professional announcers are trying to keep you engaged. This announcer is not. The audio is more even without spikes or unexpected jolts from great plays.

This sleep podcast is great for people who love baseball, but it's also great for those who don't. You don't need to know how the game works or what's going on. It's just noise like you might hear from turning on an FM radio station or lying on the grass in a big city park.

You can subscribe to episodes with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or listen on the website.

Other things I’m thinking about this week

I've been waiting for new iPads this week. It’s clear new ones are coming. There were no new models in all of 2023. The time is any day now.

I’m convinced they’ll be compelling, like a shiny new form factor or vivid OLED screens. Plus, I’m a sucker for new gadgets and devices. They've been on my mind because I keep wondering whether I need a new iPad type of device.

I don’t use my current tablet-shaped device a lot now—but do use it some. So will a new one really make me use it more? I think I already know the answer.

Music

I’m sure the new Kacey Musgraves album is great but instead of jumping in fully, the new album just reminded me how great her 2018 album Golden Hour was and how I haven’t listened to it in a while. So I’ve been listening to that.

Movies

Since TS's Eras Tour is out in Disney+ I’ve finally watched that. It’s as good as it seemed like it would be. The really interesting thing is that by the end I recognized the band members and backup dancers. That seems unique for a big show like this.

TV

My family really liked the first season of Eugene Levy's The Reluctant Traveler. Now, it's back for season two. This season seems to be a little more sentimental and less punchy, but it's still been great and a neat way to expose the kids to places and cultures around the world.

First Manhunt, about Lincoln's death, and now Franklin, Apple TV+ is on a tear with historical dramas. I'm looking forward to this show. (It's not just shows though, the Napolean movie is also free to stream now.)

Misc links

• If you're looking for a notetaking app for Mac, iPad, and iOS, I love Bear. It's similar to Apple Notes, but can natively do Markdown and has a bunch of little niceties throughout.
• Spicetify will let you personalize the color of the Spotify app.