Your Mid-Week Experiment

It's back! So many things to read, listen to, and stuff!

Below we’ve got an amazeballs story about a Russian lady who tried to kill her doppelgänger, and even that lurid description undersells how dark that story is. Also illuminating reads on government incompetence in the face of tragedy, the shift from social media to subscription media (You’re soaking in it!), performative politics, parking minimums (Important! And boring!), and how to have effective, asynchronous meetings. I mean, I thought they were all interesting. Also there’s links to Brad Wetzler’s excerpt from his memoir and my essay from last weekend on how AI is changing what it’s like to be human and how Elon Musk is screwing that up, too.

Also, there’s new music from Walker Lukens, Peter One, Indigo De Souza, Bully, and Lucinda Williams.

Anyway, that’s enough from me. Let’s get to it.

I cannot wait for the podcast that’s going to become a Netflix show based on this crazy story. I curated a rabbit hole for you: (Washington Post, New York Post, BBC, CBS News)

Kids, do you like the rock ‘n roll? I’ve been trying to get S to start a band; I imagine it would sound like this.

Watch this mother: “Did you think we would go home?” (@ShimonPro)

“A closer look at the U.S. pandemic response reached an unsettling conclusion” (Washington Post)

Here’s a good palate cleanser after those two doozies.

“What Was Twitter, Anyway?” (Willy Staley)

“Will Substack Notes Save Our Posting Souls?” (Vanity Fair)

“Masnick's Impossibility Theorem: Content Moderation At Scale Is Impossible To Do Well” (Mike Masnick)

Walker Lukens has a new song out. Why isn’t this a paid holiday?

“…front-yard proclamations contradicted by backyard policies … helps explain American 21st-century dysfunction.” (Derek Thompson)

This made me want to dive into Lucinda Williams’ songbook (New York Times)

So I did:

The possibility of abolishing parking minimums sounds boring but it’s very good news for Austin housing as well as being boring (Towers)

Also, parking minimums are based on pseudoscience as well as being boring (American Planning Association)

Oh, but this is lovely stuff:

“How to make great decisions async (and avoid endless meetings)” (Peter Yang)

This Greek shrimp, tomato, and feta skillet is super easy and stupid delicious (Washington Post)

“The Last Campaign of Joe Biden's Life Has Begun” (Charles Pierce)

A Hike with Satan

Finally, I know I already plugged this, but season 2 of HBO Max’s Perry Mason was terrific. They landed the plane.

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Buy the book Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick banned from the Bullock Texas History Museum: Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of the American Myth by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and myself is out from Penguin Random House. The New York Times bestseller is 44% off and the same price as a paperback now!