All articles from Slow Boring
Thursday thread
I love cooking from this guy's newsletter/instagram.ChuckEggplant Coconut AdoboEggplant Coconut Adobo...Read more14 days ago · 37 likes · 2 comments · Chuck Cruz Read more
A Zoomer explains it all
People sometimes ask me how I manage to write so many articles about such a wide range of topics and the answer is (1) I've always written fast and (2) I have invaluable help from some amazing people. This is not directly relevant to work, but our editorial assistant Ben is the only person I've ever
Tuesday thread
Good stuff here! Link. Read more
MAGA’s war on the American economy
Last week was a real roller coaster of economic news. It started with MAGA taking an undeserved victory lap over second quarter economic data and ended with the president intemperately firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics over some bad jobs numbers. The irony of it, to the extent that o
The case against debate
Like the rest of the internet, I've been watching viral clips of Mehdi Hasan debating 20 far-right knuckle draggers for nearly two hours. It's an impressive display of stamina, poise, and argumentative skill from Hasan, who is quite good at this sort of thing. He even published a book called "Win Ev
Sunday Thread + Mailbag
Ask your questions below! Read more
Monday Thread
A lot of redistricting talk lately — I drew this 8-0 Dem map of Maryland in Dave's Redistricting App. Read more
Tuesday Thread
Another day, another attempt to grab more power Read more
The power of a single-issue group
Chris Elmendorf and David Schleicher wrote a piece for Niskanen's Hypertext magazine arguing that it's time for YIMBYism to transcend its single-issue orientation and become something more like a moderate "urban growth and reform coalition," linking housing reform with issues like public safety and
Sunday thread + Ben Mailbag
Hello! This is my last week before I head to Taiwan for the year (I'll still be on part-time to moderate the comment section). As a bit of a sendoff, I'll be answering questions in this Friday's mailbag.Ask away below! Read more
Wednesday thread
If anyone has any recs for Hokkaido and Osaka in Japan or Seoul, Busan, and Gyung Ju, in Korea, let me know! Headed there for a three week trip starting Friday. Read more
Matt and Joseph Gordon-Levitt on AI and copyright
I know Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an actor from the TV show Third Rock From The Sun and then later from his roles in everything from Ten Things I Hate About You to Brick, Looper, Lincoln, The Dark Knight Rises, and the Trial of the Chicago 7. Don Jon which he wrote, directed, and starred in back in 201
Help improve federal mass transit policy
I've written many articles over the years about how mass transit projects in the United States go awry — from overbuilt stations to misguided priorities, too much focus on projects with little transportation value, outdated operational paradigms, and a reluctance to just say no, all of which show th
How Wuthering Heights keeps changing
As part of my ongoing quest to unscramble my brain by reading classic literature, I recently wrapped up an eight-week Zoom discussion group on Emily Brontë's 1847 novel "Wuthering Heights" run by The Catherine Project. This was, to put it mildly, not my favorite of the various 19th-century English n
Ride-sharing apps are good, actually
Before we get to today's post, we want to introduce two new Slow Boring staff members. Feel free to say hello in the comments!Caroline Sutton is the assistant editor at Slow Boring, where she fact-checks, copyedits, and provides other editorial support. Previously, she edited policy and politics con
Emotional labor was about paid work
The latest New York Times viral outrage story is a Catherine Pearson article looking at the trend of women who are "Weary of the Emotional Labor of 'Mankeeping'". Mankeeping, Pearson explains, is a term devised by Angelica Puzio Ferrara for "the work women do to meet the social and emotional needs o
SB PM: Rebuilding the National Weather Service
Our discussion threads are getting a new look! Slow Boring Writing Fellow Halina Bennet will be sharing a short piece with readers on weekday evenings. As always, paid subscribers are welcome to join the conversation in the comments below. Let us know what you think about the piece or share what's o
Tax the tourists
While sitting in my vacation home in Maine, I learned from Brian Potter's article on vacation homes that Maine is the state where the largest share of homes are seasonal residences — and it's not particularly close. This is a fact about the Maine housing stock, but it reveals a larger truth about th
Monday thread
Great news for Senate Dems, and a great announcement video! Read more
A cure for high grocery prices
Credit: Moyo StudioWith Donald Trump talking about "federalizing" DC in order to fight crime in the nation's capital, I think it's a good time to point out that a huge share of the city's criminal justice system is already under federal control. That starts with the US attorney's office, which, unli
Thursday Discussion Thread
I didn't want to give my sister this satisfaction, but here we go. She moved to Tulsa in April, and it feels like every time we talk, she tries to convince me to become a Tulsa Remoter. Though she, herself, is not a remoter, she may be onto something.Between its launch in 2018 and its 2024 impact re
Wednesday Discussion Thread
Google is following OpenAI, Anthropic and Amazon, and Microsoft to promote AI in education. Yesterday's conversation between Matt and Joseph Gordon-Levitt addressed the need for regulation. As Matt mentioned in his post on Monday, I've joined Slow Boring as a writing fellow! I'll be sharing more of
The humanities should be harder
Credit: SeventyFourIf you major in philosophy, as I did, you will inevitably get jokes about whether they're hiring at the philosophy factory. The truth, though, is that philosophy majors have above-average earnings compared to the typical college graduate. And that's not just a function of would-be
Sunday Thread + Mailbag
Hey guys, sorry, the posting of discussion threads got a little messed up during the personnel transition. We'll get back on top of it. If you've got questions for this week's mailbag, this is the place to ask! Read more