Here's what's holding my attention

I’ve been a fan of dystopian fiction since high school and haven’t looked back.

I’ve watched more apocalyptic dystopian shows than I can count, so here me when I say: This one might be my favorite.

There is something special about how Fallout portrays the end of the world. Without giving too much away, the series is set about 200 years in the future in a world divided by those who could afford bomb shelters underground and those forced to remain on the toxic earth’s surface.

The characters include Lucy (played by Ella Purnell from Yellowjackets and Arcane) who was raised in a vault her entire life. Her father (played by Kyle MacLachlan from Twin Peaks and Sex and the City) raised her to believe in meritocracy and that one day the people in her vault will help repopulate the earth.

In the first episode of Season 1, you’ll quickly watch this all go horribly, horribly wrong. The show also has strong sci-fi elements, with ghouls and mechs, and just gets it right in terms of the systemic inequalities that have persisted for too long.

Transparently, I never played the video game, but have heard the series is a good adaptation. Also, I’ll say it — I like Fallout more than The Last of Us series. Disagree with me? Tell me about it!

There’s a lot to love about this series, whose Season 2 just premiered last week on Prime. Episodes premiere once a week on Wednesday nights — like tonight!

If you know me, then you’ve probably heard me shout-out one of my favorite Boston-based rappers: Brandie Blaze. In 2023, I had a few opportunities to write about Blaze, including the release of her sophomore album, Broken Rainbows.

About a year later, Blaze followed up with her third album, Susan Lucci. The project featured hard hitting tracks like “Medusa” and my personal favorite: “BULLY.” Her music often encapsulates the anger that so many women and other marginalized groups feel, but can’t put into words.

So, rage on, girlfriend.

If you want to better understand this moment of increased surveillance in America, I highly recommend Rise of the Warrior Cop by Radley Balko.

Balko, a journalist, lays out not just the history of policing, but also provides a play-by-play of how we’ve overcorrected from a society that deeply cared about privacy to one that is signing more of their rights away with every passing day.

As cities like Cleveland invest in controversial technology such as ShotSpotter, Flock and even AI, I think it’s important to understand how we got here. This is just one perspective, but it’s a solid place to start. I’ve only read the original one from 2013, but Balko released an updated version in 2021.