Seattle and Portland highlighted in this article on listening bars where good sound systems and full album plays guide the night.
The global rise of listening bars
When was the last time you heard a whole album in one sitting?
salon.com
@Jake
I write about drinks, public policy, and other vices in Portland, Oregon. Co-founder of Seabird, the app you're using right now!
www.jacobgrier.comReads far and wide — 107 sources in 90 days
Also a writer — 2 original pieces this quarter
Seattle and Portland highlighted in this article on listening bars where good sound systems and full album plays guide the night.
The global rise of listening bars
When was the last time you heard a whole album in one sitting?
salon.com
I know Portland is friendly to urban goats and chickens, but apparently in Rome you can graze entire herds of sheep. If we move there at least Aubie could find a job!
How Rome’s Urban Shepherds Adapt and Survive
The flocks of the Italian capital are helping to protect its remaining natural parks, even as pressures on the ancient practice grow
newlinesmag.com
A really lovely piece from my friend Chris Onstad on getting back to running, eventually making his way up to a marathon: "You are running. The lungs struggle to pull sustenance from the oxygen, like refried beans pushed through a sieve. Panicked, the muscles frantically call upon the enzymes that will deliver life-giving glycogen; the wires are dead, the operator is in an experimental coma in a basement below the mortuary. You have gone two hundred feet."
Sweat Gets in Your Eyes | Chris Onstad
Marathons were for the test-tube babies created to compete in the Olympics—not regular guys.
thebaffler.com
Finally, a new way to make it financially as a writer. Any corduroy jacket brands looking for a guy?
You Must Be a Model! Yes, and an Author, Too.
Brands are increasingly employing writers as models, evoking a time when the profession was a shorthand for “glamour.” Today’s authors can use the paychecks.
nytimes.com
At the intersection of tech and PNW farming: how very expensive and precise optical sorting machines have changed the market for cherries, featuring a visit to Yakima.
The second most photographed fruit in the world
And how vision systems impact Chinese New Year celebrations
sftw.substack.com
Interesting, but will not deter my candy corn consumption in any way.
Just Noting That Your Candy Corn Is Made of Bug Secretions
Sorry!
theatlantic.com
News you can (possibly?) use: how to dispose of a 12-foot skeleton in New York City.
It’s the Most Popular Halloween Decoration of Our Time. But It’s Posing a Very Big Problem for Owners.
So many bones to sort!
slate.com
I can't wait to get past the midterms and the flood of political content, but this dude rocks.
I talked to Tom, the viral ‘Jonestown’ Trump rally guy
He planned to make good trouble. But he didn't expect to be handed a Fox News mic.
thehandbasket.co
The excellent Christopher Hooks reports from Texas on the guy everybody wants to lose.
Even Republicans Want Ken Paxton to Lose
Texas’s corrupt Senate candidate is the crude end point of Trump’s war against the GOP Establishment.
nymag.com
Relevant to my interests: rare books in the collection of Harry Houdini. "My favorite item from the selections in Dr. Colleary’s book are the playbills for an amazingly titled 1826 show called 'Odd Sayings and Queer Doings,' which seems ripe for revival as the title of a podcast."
Harry Houdini was a serious book collector. Here are some of his weirdest finds.
Magician and escape artist Harry Houdini was quite the collector, filling warehouses and his Harlem home with books, posters, newspaper clippings, and more. It probably shouldn’t be surprising that…
lithub.com
I'd never heard of an aoudad until we came across them on a Texas restaurant menu this month. A story from 2020 on how the creatures came to dominate west Texas.
Texas Can’t Quit the Aoudad
Some Texans are calling for the extermination of this exotic African transplant. But others depend on it.
theatlantic.com
This leans a little too much on politics as an explanation for the success of DC's Absolute comics in my opinion, but the reinvention of Superman as an updated version of what Siegel and Shuster would do today is smart. Mostly, though, these are just good stories with good creative teams doing fun stuff unbound by the conventions of the main line, which is often stale in comparison.
How DC's Progressive 'Absolute' Line Has Reinvigorated Modern Comics
DC Comics' Absolute series puts Batman, Superman and more in a grim and political parallel universe. The creators and fans talk about why it's a hit.
rollingstone.com
A bummer post here from Jeff Alworth, simply one of the best beer writers there is, on why even he can't make it work as a freelance writer anymore.
When The Wheels Come Off — Beervana
In the tell-all manner of a right and proper blog, I’m here to add that the little business I’ve been running as a writer the last 17 years isn’t really viable anymore.
beervanablog.com
Recommended as a sort of companion piece to the link Mort shared earlier, another profile of someone working to enact Trump's deportation agenda. (Despite what you might anticipate from the headline, this comes across less as sympathetic than quietly damning.)
He Helped Deport 200 People. Now He Has Misgivings.
A deputy in small-town Texas became the local face of ICE’s national crackdown.
nytimes.com
Chotiner doing his thing. Beyond the individual particulars, this interview drives home just how undignified it is to try to give principled reasons for being a Trump supporter and respond to any kind of informed pushback. It can't be done and it's embarrassing to try!
The Founder of Arab Americans for Trump Has Some Regrets
As the President and his party launch a wave of bigoted attacks on Abdul El-Sayed, Bishara Bahbah, the founder of Arab Americans for Trump, says he may have been naïve.
newyorker.com
I would like to read a longer version of this article, but it's of particular interest to me after having a rather large branch of a tree fall on our place this month. "Homeowners seeking removal have met an onerous process, costly permit fees, or worse. Last summer, the city paid $272,400 in damages to Sarah and Joel Bond, whose Southwest Portland home was crushed by a falling tree; they had been denied a permit by the city two years before to cut the tree down."
Caring for Portland’s Trees Is a Constant Puzzle
The urban canopy is filled with joys, and with trials.
pdxmonthly.com
You won't find a practical solution here, but still a fascinating discussion of the mathematics of different voting systems and why there's no perfect answer for which is best.
How Voting Is Like a Klein Bottle | Quanta Magazine
A new topological model connects a centuries-old voting paradox to a surface with no distinct inside or outside.
quantamagazine.org
Continuing the magic theme: Apollo Robbins featured in the New Yorker.
A Pickpocket’s Guide to New York
Preparing to play a petty thief in a new movie, John Turturro learned the moves—“reefing the kick” among them—from Apollo Robbins, and observed how much stealing has in common with acting.
newyorker.com
Andy Craig, always worth reading, on what a Democratic Congress should do if the midterms go their way.
A Democratic Toolkit for Using a Midterm Win to Check Trump and Force a Reckoning
The next Congress will need to act like the first branch and unabashedly use all its constitutional powers
theunpopulist.net
This is the first I've seen in this new feature of New York Times op/ed writers annotating their old pieces. And this one's from Penn Jillette, so of course it's a fun read. And give Jonny a follow for finding it!
Opinion | Penn Jillette: It’s Been Four Years Since My Friend Died. I Still Love Him.
The magician and comedian reflects on what he wrote in The Times about Bob Saget’s death.
nytimes.com
A very brief introduction to how you get caffeine out of coffee.
Coffee Decoded: The Chemistry of Decaffeination — Specialty Coffee Association
Welcome to Coffee, Decoded , the Specialty Coffee Association’s weekly column on science, research, and all things coffee knowledge. PETER GIULIANO , the SCA
sca.coffee
"Corn, candy or otherwise, symbolizes the end of harvest, and candy corn replicates its season’s flushing foliage. To set out a bowl of candy corn invites eating less than it marks a moment on the endless calendar that hurtles you ever closer to death." (For the record, I am pro-candy corn.)
You Must Respect Candy Corn
Even in paradise, death lurks.
theatlantic.com
A bit of cocktail history from the other authors with a new book out.
Q&A: Michael and Zara Madrusan
Michael Madrusan and Zara Madrusan reflect on the modern cocktail renaissance and how The Madrusan Cocktail Companion serves as a roadmap.
imbibemagazine.com
This story is long but genuinely really well done. A deep dive into the contemporary chocolate landscape to explore the question of whether chocolate treats are really degrading in quality.
Chocolate Is Getting Worse
Everyone in my life agreed: It tastes different now. I ventured into the molten belly of our crumbling world to find out why.
grubstreet.com
High praise for the big Portland movie of the year. For the music fans: it's based on a story by Colin Meloy of the Decemberists and there's a character voiced by Tom Waits.
The Magical New Movie That’s Probably Going to Beat Pixar for the Oscar
The most ambitious stop-motion movie of all time is here, and it’s tremendous.
slate.com
A follow up to this week's PHP incident... the guy who did the most to fix a huge amount of the internet is one very chill dude.
‘If Anything Happens to This Guy … Everyone Is Screwed’
Ondřej Surý was a relatively anonymous volunteer working on PHP security. Then the internet exploded.
theatlantic.com
The kids might actually be alright. But the adults...
The 75-Year-Old Screenagers
Seniors are spending more time than ever on their slop-filled, scam-riddled feeds. It has become their adult children’s job to save them.
nymag.com
I expect I'd disagree this author on a lot of economic matters, but this excerpt on the importance of not forgetting how communism led to brutally authoritarian governments does make it sound like a promising book.
How the Communist Party of China Became the Most Successful Political Party in the World
The most successful economy in the world is communist. The most successful political party in the world—the Communist Party of China (CPC)—has 100 million members and aims to be running the stronge…
lithub.com
Interview with Brett and me in Bridgetown Bites...
The Bartender's Library: A New Book From Portland's Multnomah Whiskey Library - Bridgetown Bites
The Bartender's Library is a new book on spirits & cocktails by Brett Adams and Jacob Grier of the Multnomah Whiskey Library in Portland, OR.
bridgetownbites.com
If any restaurant review institution would take extra care to avoid any suggestion of AI writing, you'd think it would be Michelin, whose whole deal is prestigious human curation. This could be toxic to their reputation.
Michelin Guide Uses AI To Write Dallas Reviews - D Magazine
Analysis by public and academic AI detection software shows that Michelin’s new Dallas reviews are not the work of its human inspectors.
dmagazine.com
From a year ago, but just came across it today. Could add to the list: use Seabird more than apps designed to keep you online indefinitely.
The Analog Life: 50 Ways to Unplug and Feel Human Again
A toolkit of habits, routines and products to help you live more intentionally
insidehook.com
I wish I knew enough to have a better idea of how bad this is.
PHP warns it plans to release 2 emergency patches imminently
Unconfirmed report claims PHP2Shell exploit remotely executes code on PHP sites.
arstechnica.com
I finished Mandel's latest book while traveling and happily recommend it. Though if you're inclined to read it, I'd actually suggest not reading the review below until afterward.
What Comes After America
Emily St. John Mandel’s latest work of science fiction considers the tenuousness of any possible future.
theatlantic.com
One more post from Texas, though I'm now back in Portland: this piece gets at why I'm hoping for some Democratic successes there in this election, especially for Talarico.
The Psychic Shock of Texas Voting Democrat
James Talarico and other Democratic candidates have America’s biggest longtime red state looking competitive, and the right is getting very nervous
arcdigital.media
"People would probably be less likely to order a sugar cookie iced matcha (Grande Iced Matcha Latte with oat milk, minus classic syrup, plus two pumps of sugar-cookie syrup, one pump of white mocha, vanilla-cream cold foam, and red and green sprinkles) if they had to say all of that to a person’s face and then actually watch them make it."
One Reason People Are Spending So Much Time Alone
There is a social cost to many modern conveniences.
theatlantic.com
Tyler Cowen recommends Brazil as dining destination.
Come to Brazil - Works in Progress Magazine
The world
worksinprogress.co
A case I've been following for a while is headed to the Supreme Court to settle an important question: is the federal ban on home distilling unconstitutional?
Supreme Court agrees to consider federal ban on home distilleries
The Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on the constitutionality of an 1868 federal law that imposes a tax on distilled spirits but also bans home distilleries – that is, the at-home production of s…
scotusblog.com
A phrase you don't hear every day (but maybe more often in the near future): "criminal mischief involving a robot".
A retired Penn professor has been blocking Uber Eats robots for months. This week, she got arrested for it
Carolyn Marvin, 78, said she is exercising her First Amendment right to protest — and will do it again.
phillyvoice.com
I've been reading about Texas barbecue places incorporating Middle Eastern and African spices and cooking techniques, but haven't had a chance to try it until today at KG BBQ in Austin. With Texas barbecue diffusing around the country in classic form, these new interpretations are really exciting and worth seeking out. Absolutely delicious.
This Egyptian-Texan Joint Adds Spice to the Typical Barbecue Tray
Austin’s KG BBQ serves za’atar-dusted pork ribs, brisket shawarma, and pistachio rice pudding in a wholly unique dining experience.
texasmonthly.com
Recommended long read on the internal dynamics of China's stance on Taiwan and what that suggests for US strategy.
How Taiwan Activates Beijing’s Chosen Fear
The standard explanations for why Taiwan is so important to the Chinese Communist Party are familiar: territorial integrity, credibility of deterrence
warontherocks.com
Unplanned destination for our Texas visit this weekend?
The 'Wiener Dog Capital of Texas' Unveils Giant Dog Statue
In celebration of 30 years of dachshund races in Buda, the Central Texas city unleashes a 19-foot-long very good boy
texashighways.com
On the benefits of seabird droppings.
Some of the most pristine coral reefs have a secret weapon: birds
Coral reefs are facing increasing threats around the globe. But on a remote Pacific island, scientists have found that reefs can get help from a surprising ally: seabirds.
npr.org
Evan Gershkovich on learning the codes of Russian prison.
The Cellmate Who Taught Me the Codes of Russian Prison
The journalist Evan Gershkovich details the delicate rapport he developed with his cellmate at Moscow’s Lefortovo prison.
newyorker.com
I'm not convinced that ties are back -- and certainly not in Portland -- but I was just lamenting that I do rarely have occasions to wear any of mine. Ties mandatory at the next Seabird meetup?
Ties are back in fashion, thanks to gen Z – should we all be smartening up?
Sales at one UK retailer are up 200%, thanks in part to young people rejecting the informal look adopted by their middle-aged bosses
theguardian.com
How scammers target authors, who are understandably eager for attention. I can confirm that as soon as word of my new book came out, scam invitations started rolling in.
The Lucrative World of Literary Scams — The Dial
Why writers are the perfect target.
thedial.world
An explainer on why Rooney's are leaving the shelves in the UK.
One of Our Most Celebrated Authors Has Had Her Books Effectively Banned in the U.K. This Is Absurd.
The U.K.’s absurd anti-terrorism laws have come for Sally Rooney.
slate.com
Portland once again setting trends for other cities (which is not an endorsement). Side note: what are the odds of getting lab grown foie gras into production? The high price of the product and its illegality in some major cities would give it a competitive advantage, though the demand may not be there to make it scale.
Two US cities could soon ban one of the world’s most controversial foods
There’s an obscure but high-stakes animal rights issue in the coming election.
vox.com
Very relevant to my interests: Liberal Currents on what Xi Jinping and the Chinese government really aim to do.
China According to China
The Pax Sinica to which Xi Jinping aspires will be no imperialism-free paradise, but a world made safe for autocracy and domestic terror.
liberalcurrents.com
Not quite as ambitious as the guy who walked across the world, but still pretty cool.
The man hiking the world in search of rare cheeses
Trevor Warmedahl has spent years documenting rare and traditional cheesemaking methods, and believes that "cheese is an edible manifestation of a place".
bbc.com
I posted Derek's article on this recently, the follow-up podcast is pretty good too.
America’s Crisis of Social Connection, With Adam Grant - The Ringer
Derek talks with psychologist Adam Grant, author of ‘Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World,’ about what we misunderstand about chemistry and closeness and how we might get people to start hosting a damn dinner party again.
theringer.com