February 28, 2021

2021.02.DisappearingMoment

Yo!

Welcome to February 2021’s Disappearing Moment, an inventory of opinions and experiences. I hope you enjoy it.

Podcasts

• Amended (I Liked It): Laura Free, a Humanities New York board member, partners with them to revisit the story of U.S. suffrage. We missed too much in school.
• Driving the Green Book (I Loved It): Gorgeous, heart-wrenching interviews about mid-century American racism, and African-American ingenuity and kindness. Host Alvin Hall is in my Top Five. ¹
• How It Happened (I Liked It): As much as I hate to relive it, this series about Trump’s last two months feels like a justifiable coda. We must never forget.
• Politics & Polls (I Liked It): Engaging exposition and interviews about recent events. Julian Zelizar and Sam Wang's easygoing comfort, with each other and the topics, is rare in political commentary.
• The Promise (I Loved It): Meribah Knight tells the story of contemporary American segregation. First she covers public housing, then public education. East Nashville is us.

Nerdy Software

More than ~7 open browser tabs is distracting. I use online bookmarks to stay focused: del.icio.us starting in 2003, then Pinboard since 2009.

Bougie Products

Apple's HomePod mini speaker is remarkable and inexpensive. It sounds great and it’s the only device I’ve ever encountered that features reliable Bluetooth.

Personal Finance and Investing

The screeners at Finviz and Stockrow are great for identifying potential stock investments. I use Yahoo Finance to assess individual companies’ valuations and corporate governance.

Reading

• Barbara Fister, The Librarian War Against QAnon (I Liked It): There are ethical publications that strive for objectivity. There are communication practices that are not driven by a search for attention. They need our support.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. , Speeches and other recordings (A Personal Favorite): Stanford University's King Papers features audio of Dr. King delivering speeches, sermons, and other addresses. I recommend starting with Letter from a Birmingham Jail.
• Jacob Stegenga, Medical Nihilismn (2018) (I Liked It): A theoretical foundation for John Ioannidis and others who challenge standard medical research. This book should appeal to philosophers, medical practitioners, and engaged generalists.

52 Philadelphians

• Rebecca Alpert is a professor, rabbi, and author
• Denise Brown is the executive director of the Leeway Foundation
• Mandy Brown writes A Working Library
• Todd Carmichael owns La Colombe Coffee Roasters
• Te-Ping Chen is a fiction writer and journalist
• Bettye Collier-Thomas is a scholar of African-American women's history
• Drew DeVault is the founder of Sourcehut
• Angela Duckworth wrote Grit
• Annie Duke is a poker champion who studies decision-making.
• Emma Copley Eisenberg wrote The Third Rainbow Girl
• Sean Forman founded and leads Sports Reference
• Terry Gross hosts Fresh Air
• John Gruber writes Daring Fireball
• Errin Haines is a founder and editor-at-large for The 19th
• Carissa Harris studies gender and sexuality in the Middle Ages
• Rafael Ilishayev and Yakir Gola cofounded goPuff
• Feminista Jones is a writer and a host of Black Girl Missing
• Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman laid the groundwork for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines
• Chenjerai Kumanyika is a co-host of Uncivil and a couple of seasons of Scene on Radio
• Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby own and run Vedge
• Resa Lewiss is an emergency physician and host of the Visible Voices podcast
• Lil Uzi Vert is a hip hop performer
• Carmen Maria Machado wrote Her Body and Other Parties
• Sara Martin is a writer who works for the Free Library
• Amina Mayazi-Saunders is a board member of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, the leading advocate for HR-40
• Marisa McClellan writes the Food in Jars books and blog
• Brian McTear is the co-founder and executive director of Weathervane
• Katy Milkman is the host of Choiceology and author of How to Change
• Ellene Glenn Moore is a poet
• Meei Ling Ng is a social sculptor, multimedia-installation artist, and urban farmer
• Karyn Olivier is an artist who creates sculptures, installations, and public art
• John Allen Paulos wrote a Mathematician Reads the Newspaper
• Questlove is the joint frontman for the Roots, and hosts #QuestosWreckaStow and Questlove Supreme
• Frances Quinlan is the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Hop Along
• Kiley Reid wrote Such a Fun Age
• Nikil Saval, is an author, journalist (former n+1 editor), and newly elected State Senator
• Isaac Scott is a ceramic artist, curator, and photographer
• Michael Solomonov is a chef and co-owner of Zahav and other restaurants
• Philip Tetlock researches forecasting and the value of experts remaining humble
• Joy Ude is a mixed-media artist and designer
• Kurt Vile is an indie rock performer
• Emily Wilson translated The Odyssey
• Yolanda Wisher is a poet
• Audra Wolfe writes books, podcasts, and the Never Just Science newsletter
• Bee Xiong and Pang Xiong Sirirathasuk Sikoun (in memoriam) were Hmong community organizers
• Amy Yang is a pianist
• Kay Yu is an attorney, arbitrator, mediator, and advocate
• Rashid Zakat is a filmmaker and artist

Thanks for spending a few moments with me. I look forward to corresponding again next month.

Brett

No large language models were used in the production of the Disappearing Moment newsletter or website (inspired by RFC 9518 Appendix A ¶ 4 and Tantek Çelik).

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