Category Archives: Blog stuff

“A scathing takedown can be cathartic, thrill-inducing, or necessary—sometimes all at once. But with the collapse of monoculture and the rise of social media, the critiquing game has changed.” Scalzi has some thoughts on this as well. “There are only … Continue reading →

“This island was on the brink of disaster. Then, they planted thousands of trees.” “It seems strange that spending money to convince people to vote is protected as free speech, while voting itself is not. In fact, though, this reasoning … Continue reading →

“The U.S. national parks are using the growing popularity of astrotourism to protect the night sky from light pollution.” Happy 45th birthday to the Endangered Species Act. We need it now more than ever. “Trump’s approval rating is, remember, unusually … Continue reading →

“But nothing was more telling about this majority than the way it dismissed the issue it rode in on as soon as Trump replaced Obama. So before House Republicans come apologizing again for their past mistakes and begging for another … Continue reading →

“The focus on the technology behind fake media obscures more pressing questions about the psychology and sociology of viral false narratives.” “I hate the fact that I believe this, but I do, in fact, believe pretty strongly that conservatives on … Continue reading →

“These power grabs highlight one of the most disturbing facts about American politics today: The Republican Party has become institutionally indifferent to the health of democracy. It prioritizes power over principle to such an extreme degree that it undermines the … Continue reading →

“The trade war between the U.S. and China is obscuring a key fact: economic growth for both countries will be significantly slower than in the past, for the simple reason that their populations are aging rapidly.” You should have the … Continue reading →

“How to Shop Online Like a Security Pro”. “And here, too, is a story of Christian outlaws springing into action to protect a human and that human’s rights from unjust thugs with no regard for that person’s humanity or rights”. … Continue reading →

“If there was one main negative takeaway from the raging fires of food tourist culture and the lists fanning the flames, it was that the people crowding the restaurant were one time customers. They were there to check off a … Continue reading →

Why the House seats the Dems won this year may be more durable than the ones they won in 2006 and 2008, while the Senate remains a challenge. The Satanic Temple is not messing around in its lawsuit against Netflix’s … Continue reading →

“Last year, a small group of researchers unveiled their plans to sequence the DNA of every species on Earth in the next 10 years. The daunting task, known as the Earth BioGenome Project, would actually only include eukaryotic species (so … Continue reading →

“Not that this is an exhaustive list, but here are 30 simple shared truths I discovered at my 30th reunion of Harvard’s class of 1988.” Having just attended my own 30th reunion (not at Harvard), I endorse this list. Electric … Continue reading →

“One of the central contradictions of capitalism is that what makes it work — competition — is also what capitalists want to get rid of the most.” “Thing is, Trump may indeed be nuts; but his constant lying is perhaps … Continue reading →

“The rules of being a conservative woman in politics require you to never consider yourself the victim of sexual assault. Victimhood, according to this principle, is a liberal complex.” Yeah, there’s no way I’d trust Facebook to provide a secure … Continue reading →

Yeah, maybe Kobe Bryant is not someone we should want to associate with. “Carbon Dioxide Is Shriveling Men’s Balls“. Just FYI. Welcome to the table, Taylor. Better late than never. Oh God, now we have to worry about our damn … Continue reading →

“The surest way to become a monster is to imagine you’re a hero”. RIP, Elfquest, the long-running indie fantasy comic. “Just as you would never give out personal information if asked to do so via email, never give out any … Continue reading →

New flash: George R.R. Martin takes his own sweet time when writing books. “With scooters, cities have a fresh shot, and they don’t intend to waste it.” “What’s surfacing in these comments is something that has, up until now, mostly … Continue reading →

When improvised slasher movies on Twitter become actual movies. “All this comin’ and goin’. Rookies flyin’ up the road and ol-timers flyin’ down and nobody in between but me an’ old John Mize, standin’ pat, watchin’ ‘em go by. I … Continue reading →

If you like manual transmissions, you will soon have one less option for buying such a car in the US. Meet Kim Kierkegaardashian, the world’s most existentialist celebrity. “As it turns out, it’s not easy to criminally prosecute old sex … Continue reading →