An entire section of the internet is devoted to background noise and ambient scenery. YouTube videos that let you “explore” Rome 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. It’s a livestream of the construction to fix the collapsed portion of I-95 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” 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 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.”
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. 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.
