Pros and Cons

There were a lot of new albums released since the last music episode in early August, so it was only right to cover a bunch before the annual music awards that will close the year. Jack and Kev cover 21 albums in 36 mins, with some bonus shoutouts at the end. This edition features smaller and bigger artists including Jorja Smith, Andre 3000, Olivia Rodrigo, Sampha, Drake, Bakar, MIKE, Teezo Touchdown, Bad Bunny, Earl Sweatshirt, Cleo Sol, PinkPantheress, Brent Fayaiz, and more.

Connected post with links to the music projects mentioned:

https://www.cesspoolnetwork.com/pros-and-cons-notes/the-rotation-vol-3

For the annual Pros & Cons gift guide, this time the focus is on items in an affordable range – with the limit set to no more than $50 to spend. Kev and Jack each select some recommendations that fit the bill as pros, including several ideas for the home.

The World Series is playing out to determine the last team standing between the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks to conclude another eventful MLB season. Jack and Kev go around the league and pick out some individual players or specific teams to talk about their year, with both new positive surprises and some brutal disappointments. Including the Dodgers and Braves getting bounced early after amazing seasons, the Yankees doing nothing outside of Judge and Cole, and exciting young star players giving a show.

In the second edition of this series around things to watch, a variety of series and movies are discussed from Barbenheimer to The Last Of Us. Kev and Jack run through some they’ve each seen so far this year and the verdicts on if they delivered. Including other examples like Bottoms, The Idol, Past Lives, The Bear, Spiderverse, Swarm, AIR, Theater Camp, How To with John Wilson, Asteroid City, Showing Up, and more. 

From music to restaurants to movies, there are a variety of types of merch to rep something you like. Or, for some, just to rock because they enjoy the design on its own. Jack and Kev talk about seeing the shift of quality in different fields, how bad it can go in the wrong hands, and how it could evolve in the future.

Check out the Pros and Cons merch collection and lookbook:

⁠https://www.cesspoolnetwork.com/pros-and-cons-lookbook⁠ 

Fresh off the latest US Open tournament in New York – where 19-year-old Coco Gauff won the Women's Championship and 36-year-old Novak Djokovic won on the Men's side – tennis is having a notable moment around a new generation. Kev and Jack discuss their experience with both playing the sport and watching it, how accessibility factors into it, the scoring, the fashion, and more around the culture of it.

Originally started in 2005, and bought by Google the year after, YouTube has established itself as the home for videos. There are other more social-focused platforms like TikTok that are challenging it now, which they've implemented YouTube Shorts to counteract, but those are just a dent in the billions of active users and hours watched each day on the site/app. It can be a place for people to create their own channels, make and share their own videos, and for people to find things connected to their interests. Jack and Kev talk about their experience using it over the years, what could be improved, and why it's unique to any streaming network or social app.

While it’s a sport or activity, skateboarding also has ties to a lot of other areas like clothing and music. It's also a lifestyle that's very DIY, very creative, and takes a lot of getting back up after falling down. Kev and Jack break down some of their experience with it, how it's changed over the years, and the impact of skating on things like sneakers and hip hop.

Since the first installment of this music series in the Spring, there have been a lot of artists dropping new songs. Jack and Kev discuss projects from the past few months – covering 24 albums in 33 mins. This edition features smaller and bigger artists including Arlo Parks, Daniel Ceaser, Kaytraminé, Tori Kelly, Uzi, King Krule, Peso Pluma, Summer Walker, Dominic Fike, Jessie Ware, Travis Scott, Disclosure, and more.

Connected post with links to the music projects mentioned:

https://www.cesspoolnetwork.com/pros-and-cons-notes/the-rotation-vol-2

With the launch of Threads this past month, Meta is trying to give competition to Twitter as Elon Musk is sinking the ship. Was it successful so far? Or is it just another copycat feature effort like has been the case with Reels to TikTok or Stories to Snapchat with their IG integrations. Kev and Jack talk about initial thoughts on Threads and how Meta is doing overall with their other properties (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp).