Jason Koebler nailing the sentiment in OpenAI Furious DeepSeek Might Have Stolen All the Data OpenAI Stole From Us

I will explain what this means in a moment, but first: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Started reading: Monsters by Claire Dederer 📚

Finished reading: John Waters by James Egan 📚

Finished reading: I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong 📚

Electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani released an early live concert on band camp. Recommend. 🎵

A beautiful poem by Emily Gorcenski about what it’s like to see the world right now. The Time of Cowards.

Perfect movie. Read more

My friend Alex reminded me of the time we performed in a drag show circa 2008. We did a little comedy medley and lip synced some tunes. That’s me on the right. We’re looking good.

I’m choosing to recognize only one significant event today. Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr seems a lot more productive.

I’m drinking iced coffee out of a Guinness glass this morning and feel like the biggest lush.

What if lycanthropy effected other animals? “Watch out! That squirrel? During a full moon, it’ll be a weasel.”

Even if you could convince people, who would care?

The narrative was thin and boring, which was also my nickname in collage. Read more

From Molly White.

The TikTok ban, the Musk Twitter takeover, the Facebook moderation policy changes, the Republicans’ rapidly intensifying crackdowns on speech… let these be the proof you needed to move anything you care about online to a space you control.

Started reading: I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong 📚

A foggy day in lower Manhattan.

Went to the NYC People’s March yesterday. A lot smaller than last time around, but nice to be part of that positive energy. Representative of the crowd, I overheard one older woman say, “Oh, there’s a young person” 🙃

Watched on Saturday January 18, 2025. Read more

Finished reading: Babel by R. F. Kuang 📚

What an incredible book.

Been listening to Never Breathe What You Can’t See by Jello Biafra and the Melvins for the first time in years. Shit rips. 🎵

I now know less about Bob Dylan. Read more

Listening to “Babel” by R.K. Kuang on the subway while someone the same car is reading it. Years ago a guy sat next to me and we both read “IT”. A toast to underground literature coincidences.

Started reading: Babel by R. F. Kuang 📚

Started reading: John Waters by James Egan 📚

From Manton Reese.

We are ready for something that we control. We are ready for something quieter. We are ready for something true. We are ready to bring back a little bit of the old web as a shield against a web that feels increasingly like an ad engagement machine instead of a publishing platform and community for people.

I see this yearning as well. Addictions are hard to break, and I think it’s obvious social media and the corporate web have addictive properties, by design. There’s no panaceas, but there are real, owned, humanistic alternatives. Blogging is one.

🍿 Letterboxd let me know that my 2024 stats in review is fully done. I thought it was already, but I stand corrected. Big horror year. And then there was the movies! 🥁