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We’ve Gone Heat Pump
Yes, we have, and I’m pretty excited about it. Our home will henceforth be cooled in the summer and warmed in the winter by a single energy-efficient device, powered by electricity and silent as a light summer breeze. I hope that more people will soon embrace the pump, both for lower bills and the benefit… Continue reading
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How best to honor September Eleventh
Especially if you are a white American— Speak out against the bigotry that has falsely defined itself as patriotic. Commit yourself to a pluralism so thorough that it does not hesitate to embrace Muslims as an integral part of “we the people.” Do whatever it is you do best on behalf of immigrants and refugees.… Continue reading
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Mercator-Schmercator
Recently, the U.N. General Assembly voted to endorse a version of the world map that more accurately depicts the relative size of the Earth’s landmasses. As usual when this issue pops up, the discourse has focused on the apparent size of Africa, an enormous continent which appears to be suspiciously modest on some common types… Continue reading
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Climate Realism vs Despair
If you have been aware of the news lately, you’ve likely heard about a grim forecast from the United Nations: The goal of limiting global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius above “normal” will almost certainly not be achieved. This means that the extraordinary weather-related disasters we have begun to see will not only… Continue reading
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Every Election Matters
I want to state this very plainly, because I don’t think we in the United States have any more room to mess around—we cannot afford to ignore the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections. It is a cliché to describe every election yet to come as the most important one in our lifetimes. It is… Continue reading
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Somebody Tried to Scam Me
I am embarassed that I spent as much time talking on the phone with somebody who was trying to defraud and scam me as I did. It’s not because I wasn’t suspicious (I was, from the start). It’s not because he managed to wring any amount of money from me in the end (he didn’t).… Continue reading
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Infinite Scroll
Conflating faces,giggling, clappinghands and scribblingsituations,dressing actorsup, like dolls,and making littlekissy noises,playing doctor,diagnosis:same as me,I’m represented(take my money),kinks and squeesand innocenceand cinnamonand puritans,and everythingis calibratednicely, setto my specificScoville rating(half as hot asjalapeño),vetted, deemedunproblematic,well-informedby modern poppsychology,a parrot’s speech,a popinjaywith all his favoritewords in onevertical clip,a sassy littlebit of cheek,a nonconformistà la mode(so take my money)up to dateon… Continue reading
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Five Years and Counting
The sixth year of my marriage to Ariele has officially begun, and it’s a special milestone indeed. Our wedding took place very close to the fifth anniversary of our first date, which means that in the coming months I will at last be able to say that I have spent the majority of my acquaintance… Continue reading
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Opera Report: August 2026
Contextual note: Every three months my wife Ariele and I host an opera night for our friends at our house and via Discord, and while she does all the hard work of streaming and of updating the website where people vote for the shows, I contribute with an informal newsletter, sharing some history and other… Continue reading
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The Air Is a Nasty Soup
It is a relief that the conditions that inspired me to write this post will have been much improved by the time it actually goes up. On Wednesday, the day I took the above photograph just outside my front door, wildfire smoke from the foothills of the Cascade mountains had settled over the Willamette valley. Simultaneously,… Continue reading
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