Category: Books


  • This Black Box of Doom is getting Heavy

    • 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…

    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…


  • Loneliness & Company

    • 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…

    Spoilers within, because there are points I want to keep track of. The premise of this book: a top-of-her-class researcher is hired to a company post-graduation to help with the development of an AI application meant to resolve the idea of “loneliness.” In the end, the project more or less fails. If technology drove up…


  • Failing Creativity – Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act

    • 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…

    “Hate” is such a strong word, but I can’t get my head around Rubin’s dumb book any other way. I’ve soured on Rubin over the years as he has shifted from less business and more “creativity,” wandering the world in his unruly, unwashed opulence. Sure, he looks the part of a creative guru, but my…


  • Notes on: Figuring by Maria Popova

    • 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…

    “So much of the beauty, so much of what propels our pursuit of truth, stems from the invisible connections.” And just like that, with the thesis set, Maria Popova takes us through over five hundred pages of invisible connections between Johanns Kepler in 1617 to the launch of the Voyager space probe in 1977. Between…


  • Recently Read – August 2024

    • 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…

    Two major novels of note: Heretics – Leonardo Padura Translated by Anna Kushner The back of the book alluded to Padura being “Cuba’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez” – which is quite the statement. Heretic’s is a novel of Jewish diaspora masquerading as a crime novel set across a vast span of time and locations. 17th century…

  • The Ghost of The Living

    The Ghost of The Living

    • 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…

    “They say when you meet someone who looks just like you, you die.” p.Wish, The Doppleganger “No one makes themselves; we all make and unmake one another.” Naomi Klein, Doppelganger Going through Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger, something I snagged from the library purely because of the subtitle “A Trip into the Mirror World,” I was opened…

  • The Age of Information, The Aging of Information.

    The Age of Information, The Aging of Information.

    • 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…

    Some thoughts on James Gleick’s The Information. “The alphabet is like a contagion – both the virus and the vector of transmission in and of itself.” Back in the “learn to code” days – a phrase shot off in mean spirit by anti-intellectuals to journalists and academics who were loosing their jobs by the thousands…


  • Planned Life

    • 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…

    Words about Alex Shakar’s “Luminarium”


  • The Lost Art of Reading

    • 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…

    Some notes and such from David L. Ulin’s The Lost Art of Reading


  • Spending 2024 with Infinite Jest – Notes on the first readthrough.

    • 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…

    Four months, one reading. And I’m not finished yet! Time to flip this over and see what else it can tell me.