Freddy Tran Nager
@professorfreddy.bsky.social
Marketing & Media Professor @USC | Creative Strategy Consultant | Writer | Raging Moderate | Los Angeleno | Cat Herder Site: https://www.AtomicTango.com LinkedIn: https://www.FreddyNager.com USC: https://annenberg.usc.edu/faculty/freddy-tran-nager
I'm quoted in this CNN article on #HigherEd, the creator economy, and influencer marketing, along with Professor @brookeerinduffy.bsky.social. edition.cnn.com/2026/08/01/b... #business #academicchatter
Influencing looks like the new American Dream for young people. Universities are taking advantage | CNN Business
Influencing is Gen Z’s new glamour job. So if more than half of young people say they want to be influencers, why not study it?
edition.cnn.com
My Gmail just flagged a Google update (a real one) as spam. Yay, technology.
Kermit The Frog Shakes Head in Classic Muppets Meme
ALT: Kermit The Frog Shakes Head in Classic Muppets Meme
static.klipy.com
Oh the distractions of trying to teach in #LosAngeles... If they didn't inform us that the gunfire, explosions, drones, and shattering glass were part of a film production, we would say "just another Wednesday." #USC #FightOn #Hollywood
Happy to see this in L.A.: "Los Angeles Indie Book Crawl delivers crowds, Christmas-sized sales..." www.dailynews.com/2026/07/27/l... #books #BookSky #LosAngeles
Funny, when I read "1984," I didn't picture Florida... www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t... #AcademicChatter #AcademicSky #censorship
Professor Fired for Teaching “Political” Story Sues College
English professor Vinita Prabhakar is suing South Florida State College after she was abruptly fired for teaching a story the college president deemed “political,” according to a complaint filed Wedne...
insidehighered.com
@haggistamer.bsky.social I know you detest AI companies, and likely don't love Wall Street, but since you're a math genius, you might find this article interesting: The Million-Dollar Talent Wars for 20-Something #Math Geniuses www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
The Million-Dollar Talent Wars for 20-Something Math Geniuses
Flush with cash, Wall Street and Silicon Valley are vying to hire the same tiny pool of genius graduates.
wsj.com
Overdue Book Review: Fast, entertaining & provocative, Murata’s “Convenience Store Woman” satirizes conformity + social pressure to be more than you ever care to be. Bonus: the descriptions of everyday store management in Japan sound oddly appealing. bookshop.org/a/115667/978... #Books #BookSky
Convenience Store Woman
Shortlisted for the Best Translated Book AwardLonglisted for the Believer Book AwardLonglisted for the Warwick Prize for Women in TranslationA Los Angeles Times BestsellerThe English-language debut of...
bookshop.org
I donated money to Troy Jackson's Senate campaign via @actblueorg.bsky.social. Now I'm getting solicitation texts from Democratic candidates all over the country. How do I keep this from happening in the future, ActBlue?
So Trump's industrial policy is also dysfunctional. What a surprise. #economy #manufacturing #employment
Marketplace@marketplace.org · last wk.The U.S. is down 75,000 manufacturing jobs since January 2025. Plus: the trade deficit, AI insurance, and mortgage rate acceptance. Today on Marketplace.
Overdue Book Review: I just read “The Phantom Tollbooth,” the devilishly clever childhood classic by Prof. Juster, for the first time. As a pro writer/communication prof, I appreciated the wordplay + messages far more now than I could have as a child. bookshop.org/a/115667/978... #Books #BookSky
The Phantom Tollbooth
With almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publication, generations of readers have now journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic. Enriched by Jules Feiffer’s ...
bookshop.org
So Susan Collins has a cash advantage in #Maine? Let's see what we can do about that, BlueSky... I'm donating to the Troy Jackson campaign here: www.jacksonformaine.com www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/u... #Maine #Senate #RESIST!
After Democratic Shake-Up, Susan Collins Holds Enormous Cash Edge in Maine (Gift Article)
Republicans are pouring huge sums behind the Maine senator through a web of billionaire-funded super PACs. Troy Jackson, picked as the new Democratic nominee, has a lot of catching up to do.
nytimes.com
The Salem Cat Museum is hosting a pop-up by Black Cat Rescue today! If you're in the #Boston area and love #cats, check it out. Details here: www.instagram.com/p/DbGmv34FDo... #Caturday
Viridian Bookshop in Cleveland struggled because #Google #AI erroneously claimed it was "permanently closed." This local news story appears to have fixed the problem just by reporting it. AI means #journalism has never been more essential. ca.news.yahoo.com/open-local-b... #books #BookSky
'We’re open': Local bookstore battles false Google AI Summary
Artificial intelligence is supposed to make our lives easier. But The Viridian Bookshop Co-owner, Chanel Bush, said it’s been causing more harm than good for her Willoughby business.
ca.news.yahoo.com
I was looking for a good ghost movie. Someone recommended "Hereditary." That wasn't a ghost movie. That was a feel-bad movie, complete with horrific graphic violence against good people (including a child) and the pacing of an airplane stuck in a holding pattern for 2 hours.
Hereditary: Alex Wolff's Terrified Gaze
ALT: Hereditary: Alex Wolff's Terrified Gaze
static.klipy.com
Encouraging story about @bookshop.org, which helps support independent bookstores. Fun fact from the article: "A total of 605 bookstores opened in 2025, an 87% increase from 2024." www.modernretail.co/operations/b... #books #BookSky #business #ecommerce
Bookshop.org reinvented itself for post-pandemic survival. It worked
The pandemic was a massive tailwind for Bookshop.org. But it eventually had to find its footing again once the pandemic subsided.
modernretail.co
Overdue Book Review: While not dismissing the troubling allegations against Neil Gaiman, there's no denying he’s a hell of a writer. “The Ocean At The End Of The Lane” is a ghost story about childhood & forgotten dreams—not scary but haunting. bookshop.org/a/115667/978... #BookSky Book Reviews
The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel
#1 NewYork Times BestsellerFrom #1 New York Timesbestselling author Neil Gaiman, a haunting novel that explores the awesomepower of memory, friendship, and sacrifice―one of ten classic Gaiman worksrep...
bookshop.org
Ha: "Hollywood has spent $600 million trying to bring Matt Damon home" www.instagram.com/p/DZFuTFzoPsW/ #odyssey #theodyssey #movies #film
How do you say "I have too much money" without saying "I have too much money"? How about buying a refrigerator that looks like a Fiat for only $14,999.95? (Yes, shaving that nickel makes it look like a bargain!) www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sme... #cars #automotive
SMEG 500 Fiat Beverage Refrigerator
Add fun and style to your space with the SMEG 500 Fiat Beverage Refrigerator, perfect for chilling drinks and impressing guests at any gathering.
williams-sonoma.com
Something you don't expect to see outside your home-office window in Los Angeles: an old-fashioned TV antenna! The bird? Oh, that's a Cooper's Hawk who took up residence in the 'hood alongside parrots, crows, hummingbirds, an owl, and various other #birds. Parts of L.A. are practically aviaries.
I'm feeling so colorful... and 3-dimensional... And, yes, those are real #cars and props behind me. It's an exhibition of #art by Joshua Vides at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. More info here: petersen.org/pages/peters... #automotive
For all who love #cats and crafts... From my wife's blog: "Cat-Themed Grandma Hobbies: Top Ten Black Cat Paint-By-Number Kits" marcyverymuch.com/series/summe...
Cat Themed Grandma Hobbies: Top Ten Black Cat Paint By Number Kits
penelope’s picks …
marcyverymuch.com
Overdue Book Review: As a former adjunct, I was excited to read Adelmann’s novel. I anticipated hard truths about academic exploitation; I didn't expect such dismal darkness. It’s Fantine from “Les Miserables” without the showstopper. bookshop.org/a/115667/978... #Books #BookSky #AcademicChatter
The Adjunct: A Novel
From the author of How to Be Eaten, a “darkly funny, deeply incisive” (Booklist) take on the campus novel that follows a woman on the edge gigging her way through academia’s poor job...
bookshop.org
As a former teenage dungeon master many a decade ago, and as a more recent improv dabbler, I love this article. And to all the teachers and professors out there, Mallory Carra is spot on about the value of improv skills in #teaching. #DungeonsAndDragons #journalism
Mallory Carra@mallorycarra.com · 3w agoPaying D&D and interviewing folks in the TTRPG community made me get very introspective about my former life in improv and UCB. A nerdy personal essay on going from improv to D&D and teaching in between: medium.com/@MalloryCarr...
Book recommendations for people who love #cats: My wife's books, of course, including her latest, "Penelope Kitten's Epic Adventure (with cheese)"... marcyverymuch.com/book/ #books #BookSky
Such a shame. www.latimes.com/business/sto... #SpaceX #Musk
SpaceX stock erases all its gains and slides below IPO price in intraday trading
SpaceX shares dipped below their IPO price of $135 on Wednesday morning for the first time since listing, signaling dwindling hype around the Elon Musk company.
latimes.com
Just when you thought this administration couldn't get any more asinine... www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... #Hegseth #Trump #RESIST!
Pete Hegseth says soldiers over age 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency
US defense secretary unveils plan that will work to ensure service members have the ‘right testosterone levels’
theguardian.com