An entire section of the internet is devoted to background noise and ambient scenery. YouTube videos that let you "explore" Rome(opens in a new tab) with background beats or the ceaseless stream of Lofi Girl, an animated character who's endlessly writing in her notebook.
Enter into that section of the internet: Twitch channel Fix That Jawn(opens in a new tab). It's a livestream of the construction to fix the collapsed portion of I-95(opens in a new tab) in Philadelphia set to lofi hip-hop beats. It's lovely and odd. You can relax, do work, and check-in on construction workers fixing the highway that collapsed this month after a tanker crashed and burst into flames. If the word "jawn"(opens in a new tab) confuses you, the short answer is that it's Philly-area slang, a word that means literally any noun. In this case it refers to the highway.
Brent Schooley, a Philly-area software developer who created the Twitch channel, told the Philadelphia Inquirer(opens in a new tab) that people have really loved it.
"Reception has been wonderful," he told the paper. "One person commented in chat that this has been a perfect thing to put on in the background. It's really fun to see people checking back in every so often and getting excited about how much work has been done."
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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation set up a livestream for the construction on the collapse portion of I-95. It's become almost weird hit show in the Philly area and elsewhere(opens in a new tab). There is something neat about seeing the work done live. Livestreams have a weird, hypnotic quality.
But now, in my opinion, it is even better with lofi music. There are also memes of cats in hard hats, a little tractor going across the screen, and a lively chat. You get the relaxing vibes and a small community even when the camera goes down for a bit, as it often does.
In fact, I wrote this blog listening to Fix That Jawn. I guess you could call the construction people my co-workers.
