I got sick, so enjoy some things I have been reading:
- The Guardian: They wanted to save us from a dark AI future. Then six people were killed. If you’ve been in tech long enough you’ve run into some really weird people who are probably perfectly safe. This bunch is not that.
- Vox: The great American classic we’ve been misreading for 100 years. Vox wants us to reread Gatsby as being about broligarchs.
- Atlas Obscura: The Artist Who Turned Dublin’s Pubs Into Galleries. Harry Kernoff. When I get to Dublin, I’ll need to look for his art.
- The Flytrap: The Enshittification of eShakti. EShakti, for those who never bought from them, was an Indian fashion company that custom-made clothes in a variety of sizes over a lot of different aesthetics. They went out of business a couple of years ago (as far as we can tell; the last time I looked the site was still up) but nobody knows the details. It was a great place to buy basics though their vibe was often a little too femme for me. And nobody knows quite what happened.
- Atomic Junkshop: Of Breakfast Cereals and Cults. I knew about graham crackers but not about Ralston Purina!
- TechDirt: Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not). They’re not wrong about how most horse race political reporting is completely useless right now.
- Talking Points Memo: Toward a Theory of Civic Sede Vacantism. I generally think Marshall is a bit too enthusiastic about coverage of the horse race mentioned above, but this is him using his background (history) to rise to the moment.
- The Guardian: Centuries-old leasehold system to be abolished in England and Wales. Always interested in seeing the vestiges of medieval law in the present day, even if it’s just ending them.
- The Cut: Perfume Culture Is Starting to Stink. I’m into perfumes, not the way these folks are. But I really get that closing line.
- Outside: I Took My Work Outside Every Day for a Month This Winter. Here’s What I Learned. I’d consider this if I still lived where I had a porch with a swing.
- NY Times: Her Father Took Her on a Trip to Pakistan. The Police Say It Was a Trap. It was an honor killing. Horrifying.