State legislators have attempted to ban CRT in every state in the nation, except Delaware.


DNF: The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz 📚

Huge fan of the author’s previous work, but I simply could not find an entry point. Too many characters, and the emotional stakes were too abstract. I made it about 100 pages in.


Just dropped the needle on this monster for the first time in a long time and let me tell you, it still absolutely owns.


Definitely not going to take this personally.

I asked ChatGPT "Tell me what you know about Len Damico" Answer: "I'm sorry, but I don't have any information on a person named Len Damico. It's possible that this person is not widely known or has not made significant contributions in a particular field that would make them notable. If you have any additional information or context about who Len Damico is and why you are interested in them, I may be able to provide more relevant information."

If you’re suddenly in the market for a less fashy RSS reader, I can wholeheartedly recommend NetNewsWire.

(I’m also experimenting with Readwise Reader, which I’ll have more to say about soon, but its RSS features are currently underwhelming.)


I could stare at this photo for hours.


Your local paper probably deserves your subscription money more than the New York Times ever did.


Because of the way campaign finance works (or doesn’t work) in America, it’s often much easier to understand a candidate’s priorities by understanding their donors rather than listening to their stump speech.

This rundown is
 illuminating.


Finished reading: The Idiot by Elif Batuman 📚

One morning, on my way to a lecture on Balzac, it came to me with great clarity that there was no way that that guy, the professor, was going to tell me anything useful. No doubt he knew many useful things, but he wasn’t going to say them; rather, he was going to tell us again that Balzac’s Paris was extremely comprehensive.

I am shocked at how well Batuman captures the overwhelming banality of one’s first year away at college. Every experience is simultaneously novel, intense and boring.


Finished reading: The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz 📚

Still cooks.


Finished re-reading: The Perfect Pass by S. C. Gwynne 📚

Inspired to pick it back up after the untimely death of Mike Leach late last year.


Finished reading: This Wheel’s on Fire by Levon Helm 📚


It was a bit disappointing to learn that a “plant-based sports bar” had taken over and destroyed half of the Elliott Smith wall, but I wasn’t gonna let that prevent me from a photo op.


This picture was taken at the finish line of the 2012 Beaver Stadium Run, seconds after Franco Harris (right) had admonished me to “Finish strong, son!” The Penn State community lost a great ambassador today.


Thank you, Joe Brandon.

(Get yours here: www.covid.gov/tests)


Perhaps one of the most important pages on all of Wikipedia: List of Sauces.


Twitter is rapidly moving away from “place I don’t want to spend as much time” and “place where I should not be publishing original thoughts” (as documented here) and towards “place I can’t really justify being a DAU.”


Christmas kitty.


Wishing a manageable Thanksgiving to those of us struggling with disordered eating.

You don’t need to “earn” your meal. You’re not “being bad” if you get another plate. And, what does or doesn’t go on your plate is nobody’s business or concern but your own.


I’m sure how good I feel today has nothing to do with doing morning yoga for three straight days. Probably entirely unrelated. Nothing we can observe or learn from here.