the future of the internet of literal things

like my favorite david bowie song, changes are a'coming

turn and face the strange, y’all

it’s been over a year and a half since i wrote to you here! a lot has changed! i’ve been on a social media sabbatical since december 31st, 2020, have started using my first and middle name (instead of my first and legal last name of nason), and have been writing to a separate email list as i drive my truck camper across the united states with my dog. we’ve put 20,000 miles on my truck since may. it’s been an adventure and a half.

i’ve put all of those dispatches on my website here, if you’re interested in checking it out.

i also have been experimenting with different email platforms and substack feels the easiest to return to, with tech difficulties abound on other platforms.

SO, i’ll be combining those two lists: and sending out the dispatches going forward, with (hopefully) a similar plug of IOLT things that you remember, but more connected to the world around me, more long-form thoughts on the state of the natural world we connect with and live in.

it’s an experiment for sure.

if this doesn’t gel with what you’d like to receive in your inbox, i invite you to the free and easy unsubscribe button! next update will come from ‘A Great American Road Trip’ tomorrow.

so far, july sucks

Welcome, welcome to another week of The Internet of Literal Things (Week 68, July 6, 2020).

We’re six days into July, and I have a confession: I hate the month of July. Not only is it my birth month, but it also just feels like the worst possible weather combined with the knowledge that I’m stuck indoors for most of the day and with the understanding that our country is undergoing radical shifts while trying to ensure that more people don’t die. And amongst all of this, I continue to try to find a balance of self-care and moral work along with tangible work that pays for my rent. So truly, so far, July sucks. I’m hopeful that it might be going better for you.

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I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To:

How North Carolina transformed itself into the worst state to be unemployed. De-escalating social media, from context collapse to content collapse, and why you should stop doomscrolling. You can hire better. 24 hours at Veselka during the pandemic. Wellness and racism’s inextricable ties. It’s time to decolonize wine. “Who said it was simple,” by Audre Lorde. Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner share the secrets of their 70-year friendship. “Why I call myself a socialist,” by Wallace Shawn. George and Martha Washington enslaved 300 people. How would prison abolition actually work? “What has spawned this extraordinary reckoning, the fire this time, was our collective witness of what must be described without hyperbole as a modern-day lynching.” Should this meeting be an email?

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A sneak peak at my upcoming EP cover with some more academic things I’ve been reading:

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You know what they say — it’s only a party if you bring your friends. So share this with your friends, and let them know that they’re missing LOLs (lots of links).

how things change

Welcome, welcome to another week of The Internet of Literal Things (Week 67, June 29, 2020).

This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about how things change in life: for me, change usually appears in a four month period where everything gets flipped on its head. That’s been consistent for almost my whole life. I’m in a period of thinking about what it means to change in a really short period of time, as I work my way through some gut punches full of release. Here are the links that I’ve been reading and absorbing and processing this week:

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I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To:

“My family saw a police car hit a kid on Halloween — then I learned how NYPD impunity works.” 15 points museums must understand to dismantle structural injustice. Why police often single out trans people for violence. When will Black women see justice? You’re not listening — here’s why. A Black bourbon writer reflects on representation in the whiskey industry. Finding well-being and Black joy when the world is on fire. “How I became a socialist,” by Helen Keller (yes, that Helen Keller). A brief look at ethnocentrism in US media’s coverage of Puerto Rican cuisine. In 1918 and 2020, race colors America’s response to epidemics.

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You know what they say — it’s only a party if you bring your friends. So share this with your friends, and let them know that they’re missing LOLs (lots of links).

Systemic structures

Welcome, welcome to another week of The Internet of Literal Things (Week 66, June 22, 2020).

The title of my newsletter speaks for itself, as does the list of links below. The links are what I’m thinking about this week, as I hope you will do the same.

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I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To:

Black reparations and the racial wealth gap. When Gandhi was wrong. Why diversity training isn’t enough. Celebrating Juneteenth in 2020 is an act of resistance. Media reckoning. Why did Cup Foods call the cops on George Floyd? Inside WNBA legend Maya Moore's extraordinary quest for justice. ‘Performative allyship’ is an unchecked problem in the office; is your company actually fighting racism or just talking about it? Seeing police brutality then and now. Celebrating black-owned businesses. Order today from these black-owned independent bookstores. Save the tears: white woman’s guide.

DONATE TO BAIL AND MUTUAL FUNDS / ORGANIZERS / BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES

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You know what they say — it’s only a party if you bring your friends. So share this with your friends, and let them know that they’re missing LOLs (lots of links).