April 2017

I worked for Jared Kushner. He’s the wrong businessman to reinvent government.

I worry that this new office will be more of the same: a vanity project, one that exists primarily to put Kushner in the same room with people he admires whom he wouldn’t have had access to before, glossing government agencies in the process with a thin veneer of what appears to be capitalism but is really just nihilistic cost-cutting designed to project… See more →

Here are two new and fun rock records to get you ready for summer.
whitereaper.bandcamp.com/album/the-worl…
charlybliss.bandcamp.com/album/guppy

The thunder currently keeping me awake may be the most amazing I’ve ever experienced.

send me your apps i will break them all

“The EPA estimated in 2015 that about 740 tons of drugs are wasted by nursing homes each year.” propublica.org/article/americ…

thenib.com/arkansas-runs-…

A Tumblr for GIFs of naturally fading smiles.

A fascinating – and thoroughly icky – look behind the curtain of a bonafide framework for misogyny. thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/…

I like finding precise language to describe music to unfamiliar listeners. Tonight’s spin: “atonal, misanthropic, deeply unpleasant noise.”

NYers who step onto the train and immediately plant yourselves in the open doorway, blocking everyone behind you:

Did your moms drop you?

A haiku for web developers:

my new computer
it can really do it all!
I wish yours could too

looked at my cds and jesus lizard was placed alphabetically after metallica and ive torn the whole place apart but still cant find the bug

Yeah, so, it is within the realm of possibilities that this Carrie Fisher tribute made me cry. youtube.com/watch?v=sE99le…

I started reading that long NYT thing about Comey, but it’s too nice a day to ruin with rage. 😡😠😖😞😒😏😌☺️😊😎

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick’s townhouse was nicknamed the “Jam Pad,” perhaps to entice fictional TV teens time-traveling from the early 90s? twitter.com/robweychert/st…

I know many lovely people in CA, but its megalomaniacal tech bro epidemic is a prime reason I don’t live there. nytimes.com/2017/04/23/tec… via

I wrote a bit about Graffiti Bridge, which wound up including a bit about each of the rest of Prince’s films. letterboxd.com/robweychert/fi…

In which starry-eyed conservative historians are stunned to learn they are not exempt from bias. nytimes.com/2017/04/11/mag…

“They may not care if I’m red or green or blue or purple—but they sure as hell care that I’m black.” thestranger.com/features/2017/…

Absent its jaw-dropping stage performances, Purple Rain is a weak film. And yet, there is something about the stilted drama of its narrative that elevates those stage performances, giving Purple Rain the peculiar distinction of being stronger for the inclusion of its weakest moments. Its otherwise clunky character development is lent a certain cohesiveness when expressed musically. The unconvincing relationships and turmoil established in various poorly-staged, non-musical moments somehow manage to make the already-amazing songs… See more →

This in-depth look at Russia’s post-Cold War influence in Europe is good homework for tomorrow’s French election. propublica.org/article/russia…

Just saw Sign o’ the Times on the big screen and I guess I have to go home now but I just wanna dance. 💜

Medicine.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I only want you to have some fun.” 💜

My first 3 albums, age 8–9, all on cassette:

Duran Duran: Seven and the Ragged Tiger
Van Halen: 1984
Prince: Purple Rain

Still 💜 ’em all.

You know the one. Dr. Everything’ll Be All Right.

Step away from the background-attachment:fixed.

Stephen Miller and Richard Spencer found their voices in the 2006 Duke lacrosse scandal, catalyzing the alt-right. nymag.com/daily/intellig…

I’d like to try the new @pandoramusic Premium since it presumably contains @Rdio’s DNA, but I think I’ll wait until it has a desktop option.

The mortality rate for abortion on TV is “about 6,850 times higher than the mortality rate for abortion in the U.S.” slate.com/blogs/xx_facto…

This fun critique of the DEA’s kooky patch designs provides an interesting look at how the DEA sees its mission. muckrock.com/news/archives/…

Whatever else is going on in the world, I’m really glad Better Call Saul is back.

Loving my man @mSutters’s new book of comics. If you’re looking for something different, this is it. Here’s a taste. lulu.com/shop/matt-sutt…

Every day, I see tourist families with kids at an age where they want nothing to do with their parents, and I feel so hard for all involved.

Microsoft Word did not expect you to quit because why would you ever want to do anything other than use Microsoft Word? twitter.com/hannahsbirch/s…

A quick overview of the tense North Korea situation. @thenib is really killing it with this kind of thing lately. thenib.com/north-korea-te…

First episode of the new @MST3K is fun. Tone is right. Love the addition of @HarMarSuperstar. Miss the closing credits’ final guitar twang.

Signed up for both @TypographicsNYC Python/DrawBot workshops with @justvanrossum and I’m pretty excited about it. eventbrite.com/e/python-progr…

“The most expensive [baseball card] pack from last year […] retails for about $400. There’s one card in each pack.” newsday.com/sports/basebal…

Said to be 4× more powerful than the MOAB is Russia’s FOAB, since death machines taste better with a dash of sexism. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_of…

Today’s preferred alternate timeline is the one where Fred Savage’s adult voice turned out to be exactly the same as Daniel Stern’s.

Me: “Spring has sprung! Open the windows!”
Omnipresent Loud-Ass Trucks: “HELLO”

“[C]alling for Spicer’s head is another way of saying Trump ought to have […] someone who could put a nicer gloss on the indefensible.” twitter.com/NewRepublic/st…

Man, the guy at the glasses shop who wouldn’t give up on putting brown frames on me, as if my face could possibly need any more warm colors.

In case any other New Yorkers are in the market for new glasses, here’s a map of shops that were recommended to me. drive.google.com/open?id=1KB9Q-…

Raising kids seems like a lot of work just for the distant possibility that I could make someone else give a shit about my favorite records.

Congrats also to Pulitzer finalists @JuliaAngwin, @thejefflarson, @suryamattu, @lkirchner, and @terryparrisjr! pulitzer.org/finalists/juli…

Congrats @MissRyley! Her Pulitzer-winning @propublica/@NYDailyNews reporting exposed NYPD nuisance abatement abuses. propublica.org/article/propub…

Hey NYC, where do I go for the best eyeglass frames? Warby Parker is nice but kinda vanilla. Looking for something a bit bolder.

I’ve been looking forward to this one for awhile. twitter.com/eisingerj/stat…

I’m a bit late to the @palmmlap party, glad to see math rock is alive and well. Confusing music for confusing times. palmnewyork.bandcamp.com/album/trading-…

I’m guessing the “Syria is a deep state false flag! No more war!” geniuses didn’t squawk at the DoD’s domination of Trump’s budget.

This is beyond infuriating. Did no one think to measure how efficient it would be if everyone walked? Escalators are stairs, you slugs. twitter.com/nytimes/status…

When you hear a song you were really into eons ago and had since forgotten it exists, and you still know its every last vibration.