Author: dtpennington


  • The Loss of the “Literary Man”

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    The headline is simple but does what it can to rattle the alarms: The Disappearance of Literary Men Should Worry Everyone. The author spends a lot of the essay pointing out how the numbers and proportions of male/female students, writers, readers, etc. have changed over the decades. Yes, duh. They’ve dropped across the board. Oh,…


  • Why Kids Can’t Read

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    I have no patience for podcasts. I leave it to my wife to decide what gets listened to on long road trips (or, in the winter, when a 1,000 piece puzzle is littered all over the dining table). During our drive back from Savannah, where we spent the week of Thanksgiving and adopted our darling…


  • Affiliate Arbitrage

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    Theory: search and referrals rarely deliver consumers results for the “best” product or service they are looking for. Just about every link on any “buyer’s guide” page goes through several hoops of affiliate reference codes. So you have to ask: is this product really the best? Or is the publisher getting the most incentive to…


  • How To Grieve a Dog

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    When I was 10 or 11 I remember my father taking me with him to an animal hospital out in the sticks. The cat, Friday, was in the back seat in its travel trailer. I don’t remember much about the cat other than that we didn’t care for each other very much. It was effectively…


  • The Logic of Reading Well

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    The current reality: reading isn’t a priority. When newspapers were still a stalwart of our cultural hegemony, even they were written at a 7th grade reading level. After all, everyone needs to know the news. I far the average reading level is far less than that. There is the story about the woman suing because…


  • The path to better brains

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    Write more. All the time. See what your thoughts look like on paper. Writing by hand conditions fine motor control. This can help with everything from improving synapse connections to properly fingering your partner to orgasm. Read better. Learn to read a text deeply and thoroughly. Ideally, spend large amounts of time with novels published…


  • This robot will sell you a soul

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    Was I worried about AI “taking my job”? Never. Mostly because I wasn’t sure what it was they were taking. Oh no, is AI going to run off with all of the people who send me bottom-dollar offers through Upwork? I will say I noticed a two-year lapse of people reaching out for content and…


  • Hell Hath No Fury/ Dead Men Don’t Rape

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    Frustration helps me make stuff, even if I have no idea where to take it.


  • The Post-Election Whateverness

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…


  • Togetherness and Techocalypse

    • The Post-Election Whateverness

      I tried to stay connected to the community in the aftermath of the Hurricane – but that ultimately led to hours of doomscrolling and too much social media and way too much anxiety for what I was getting in return. Of course this coincided with the run-up to the elections and before long I was…

    • Togetherness and Techocalypse

      I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…

    • Idea: Techocalypse – the reason this is all getting so much worse.

      This is a working post, it will update and get more bells and whistles as I continue to expand on the idea. Without hyperbole, this is all Facebook’s fault. Over the past year I have felt a rise of something I’m calling Techocalypse (apocalypse via technology). Last night, as the election results rolled in, I…

    • The Slowificiation

      Or maybe it’s “Slowing” – slowify? We want speed. That’s always been the deal, right? All the things you want in the world, the only thing that would make it better is if they showed up faster. The past month has taught me the difference between urgency and impatience. People needing food, water, shelter, medical…

    • Teens Will Do Whatever It Takes To Not Read William Faulkner

      And it is true that children are annoying. But I do think that all these hysterical stories that people love to circulate to prove that the younger generation is doomed because of wokeness, illiteracy, pro-Palestinian politics or whatever, overlook one very important fact: teens will do whatever it takes not to read William Faulkner. -Jessica…

    • A Year Without Magic

      Tomorrow is Halloween. All Hallows Eve. Shamain. Dios Del La Muertos. Around the world you will find hundreds of instances where people acknowledge the unknown and the other side. The time when we tell children that the veil between the two worlds is at its most open point, and it’s best to dress as a…

    • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

      It’s billed as “satire,” but, man, I don’t know. Maybe it was the vibe of the trip, but I picked up this book when we were recovering from Helene in Charleston. At the same time, in the same shop, I also bought Loneliness & Company. Both books addressing more or less the same problem: tech…

    I’ve had my drinks and nursed the hangover and the feeling of existential dread that I’ve carried over the past 8 years isn’t as intense as I figured it might be. Two reasons: 1) The election is over. It’s done. The process did what it does and we’re not looking at months of bullshit rhetoric.…