Watching Star Trek TNG over again, with my 13yr old. I think this show fucked up my generation because it convinced us that villains tend to concede when Picard points out the moral consequences of their plans, and their unforeseen impact on other people’s rights and dignity.

I had a dream that Alex Rails was hired as The Ethicist at the New York Times and I was his/her editor.

Hey @dieworkwear.bsky.social, do men wear v-neck tshirts any more or was that only a 2010s thing. I used to have nothing but v-necks and I noticed that I haven’t worn won for years, and when I go t-shirt shopping there isn’t one in sight at the department stores.

Everyone is talking about how men don’t approach women romantically anymore but they seems to have no problem approaching me about their religion, pest control, and solar panels and I think my rejection are much angrier and damaging to their egos.

Maybe from now on there should be two Third Place matches.

The funny thing about Asian dudes is that, since we’ve been the most populous human beings on the planet for a long time, we’ve been quietly in the background of everything.

The culture warriors were so neurotic about casting they allowed Nolan to sneak in his real revisionary message, which is about what happens to a man and his culture when he commits atrocities in war.

This piece hits the nail on its head. Young people have to purchase what a functional society should offer for free. open.substack.com/pub/becoming...

Young adults are poor despite every metric which suggests otherwise

Society burned through social capital and replaced it with ruinous private expenditure

open.substack.com

I'm imagining the tens of thousands of on duty E7s and O4s and above, people used to being called "Major," "Captain" and "Colonel" and "General", being forced to line up for mandatory testosterone tests, and then having their manhood questioned, and the results listed on their performance review.

Why don’t legacy media outlets create a way to pay $.25 for access to a single paywalled article that is essentially zero friction, a double tap Apple Pay that doesn’t even take you away from the page?

I'm all for pinning this problem on DOGE, Trump, Taco Bell, big ag. But I just gotta say, is there medically or epidemiologically significant distinction between "ordinary" and "explosive" diarrhea?

Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social · 3w ago

Federal and state health officials are reportedly investigating whether Taco Bell restaurants played a role in one of the largest U.S. outbreaks of an illness that causes explosive diarrhea

I thought Project Hail Mary was absolutely wonderful. But critics who dislike it cite many space/alien movies I haven't seen that are better than it, as evidence it is derivative. Might too much knowledge of film history sometimes detract from the quality of film criticism?

Keep thinking about how Scholastic made JK Rowling change “Philosopher’s Stone” to “Sorcerer’s Stone” because the former could never be marketed in America. From now on Hi-Phi Nation is a show where sorcery and reality meet.

I just saw a question on social media asking men over 45 what their biggest regret in life was, as advice for younger men. I think my honest answer is, getting a smart phone in 2016.

I spoke to Mitch McConnell for 20 minutes this morning. He told me that he had verified the verification principle, but out of respect for his family's privacy I can't say how.

Deborah Mower's first public piece, about civil engagement. Mower tried all of the techniques of constructive engagement with her neighbor, who hates her dog. Instead of talking it out, they went to a lawyer, who issued a cease a desist letter. What is the lesson? theconversation.com/civility-req...

Civility requires the willingness to engage – a dispute with a neighbor revealed how much motivation matters

An ethicist who studies disagreement and civility assumed she could handle a neighborly dispute – until the neighbor refused to even interact with her.

theconversation.com

The person in Maine Democratic politics guaranteed with no history of abusive behavior toward women is Natasha Irving. lincolncountydemocrats.com/natasha-irvi...

What is the solution to cost-free acts of immorality and stupidity? Like when an ICE-agent violates civil rights and taxpayers payout the lawsuit, or Uni administrators bankrupt an institution and it closes but they still get their contractual payout and benefits?

Journalism is very valuable data. AI companies should be paying a premium for it. If they do not, journalism venues should data-poison the well, in a way that does not affect readers and watchers, but does the training models.

The tech companies started monopolizing pathways to media, then monopolized advertising revenue, and have now monopolized the flow of investment capital. They can now pick winners and losers in media, business, even education.

The end of an era. I need a regular Culture podcast now, please let me know which ones to audition. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/a...

Slate’s ‘Culture Gabfest’ Signs Off After 18 Years

nytimes.com

Oh my, Anthony Jeselnik on his book club wearing an @ologies.bsky.social t-shirt! youtu.be/qPAzG-GCfeM?...

Jeselnik Book Club: "A Children's Bible" Book Review + Q&A

YouTube video by Anthony Jeselnik

youtu.be

Harry Frankfurt is the Steve Kerr of 20th century analytic philosophers.

Handing over $300 billion without the war probably would have saved taxpayers 50%.

Substack is OnlyFans for people who work with words.

The daughter and mother wanted to spend $143,000 in 1991 for that wedding in Father of the Bride. That’s $351,000 in today’s dollars. George Banks is then depicted as the crazy cheap dad.

If we don't start teaching our elementary school kids Workday, how will they know how to use it when they are on-boarded for their first job at 26?

History lesson, well known to analytic philosophers. The president of Rockefeller University wanted a report on the research quality of its philosophy dept. The report said a faculty member was researching the meaning of proper names. The President closed the whole program.

Higher-ed administrators spend money on software as though it is durable infrastructure, like a building, when it is in fact a perishable long term liability. Meanwhile, tenure-stream teaching staff is a long term liability, when it is in fact durable infrastructure.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Great writing, acting, a big achievement.