Afternoon Tea (3/28/19)

By any measure, Nathan Chen’s performance at Worlds matches standard for transcendent greatness

Apple’s new streaming service is still mostly defined by what we don’t know

Human Genomics Research Has A Diversity Problem

Skara Brae women archaeologists who were written out of history

12 Jewish YA Books You’ll Want to Read in 2019

Morning Coffee (1/3/19)

Shutdown Leaves Food, Medicine and Pay in Doubt in Indian Country

What Is and Isn’t Affected by the Government Shutdown

This is great: Massachusetts Episcopal diocese buys shares in Smith & Wesson parent to influence gun debate

Heh: I Don’t Hate Women Candidates — I Just Hated Hillary and Coincidentally I’m Starting to Hate Elizabeth Warren

New Poll of U.S. Troops and Veterans Reveals Their Thoughts on Current Military Policies

Apple is basically blaming Trump’s trade war for disappointing iPhone sales in China

Women Form 385-Mile Human Chain to Protest Temple's Menstruation Ban

Ooh! NASA's New Horizons Mission Reveals Entirely New Kind of World

Ugh: Kristi Toliver, an N.B.A. Assistant Who’s Paid Like an Intern

Oh good: McNally Jackson Books will Remain at its Longtime Prince Street Shop

Morning Coffee (8/4/18)

I'm glad our state party immediately called for him to resign: State Sen. Jeff Woodburn Arrested On Domestic Violence, Assault Charges

Myanmar Official Line: Rohingya Are Returning. But Cracks in That Story Abound.

Suspected Russian spy found working at US embassy in Moscow

This story has a GREAT lede: Beto O’Rourke Is Officially Making Ted Cruz Sweat

Good for him: Pope Francis Declares Death Penalty Unacceptable in All Cases

WHAT A PITY: The NRA Says It’s in Deep Financial Trouble, May Be ‘Unable to Exist’

Spotify removes Alex Jones’s podcasts, citing policy on ‘hate content’ (Really, they've removed specific episodes that were flagged by users, which is... a step but not enough.)

Apple Is Worth $1,000,000,000,000. Two Decades Ago, It Was Almost Bankrupt.

This saga is so terrible: Agent Danielle Smith’s Former Clients Speak Out

Oh no: Fields Medal Is Stolen Minutes After It’s Given in Brazil

Morning Coffee (2/24/18)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: Knife Skills and The Breadwinner

Rick Gates, Trump Campaign Aide, Pleads Guilty in Mueller Inquiry and Will Cooperate

And here's what "conspiracy against the United States" actually means. (It's not treason or anything.)

Robert Mueller’s new indictment of Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, explained

What Pennsylvania’s new congressional map means for 2018

Italy election: violence and harassment rise in echo of 1970s unrest

Gross: NRA’s Dana Loesch, Sitcom Star? ‘NCIS’ Producer Says He Got The Pitch

Sigh: Oscar Recognition for Women Showing ‘Little Progress,’ Report Finds

If I were a real competitor in this sport I would be INFURIATED by this nonsense: The Winter Olympics Feature 2,951 Of The World’s Greatest Athletes, And Also This Woman

The Fascinating Reason Why Apple Wants Its Own Supply of Cobalt

Neat: Copies of Mary Shelley's original Frankenstein text to be published

Morning Coffee (11/14/17)

Finally!! Apple Fixes Text A[?]nput A[?]ssue

Dear Lord: Sessions Considering Special Counsel to Probe Hillary Clinton

Locals Were Troubled by Roy Moore's Interactions with Teen Girls at the Gadsden Mall

The Roy Moore allegations and the media’s crisis of trust

OF COURSE: Former Eli Lilly Executive Is Trump’s Choice for Health Secretary (Though this guy actually seems more qualified than a lot of Trump picks.)

German Newspaper Catalogs 33,293 Who Died Trying to Enter Europe

The mysterious sudden resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister, explained

SHOCKER: Hate Crimes Up In 2016, FBI Statistics Show

End of an era: Liz Smith, Premier Gossip Columnist, Dies at 94

Today's Theory About Amelia Earhart's Death Involves Giant Crabs

Morning Coffee (9/24/16)

FIRST THE TRULY IMPORTANT NEWS: Mary Berry 'to lead new rival' to the Great British Bake Off on the BBC Yes, Mel and Sue are supposedly involved. THANK GOODNESS.

So, this COULD be a gigantic thing, but what's getting lost in some of the discussion is that it is being LOOKED INTO, not definite, yet: U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin

This is horrible: Assad and Putin are bombing Syrian hospitals on purpose

"Finally, the lie here matters because it shows how shameless Trump is and how reckless. He told this lie even though he knew he was standing next to a credible witness—Bush—who could contradict him, and he gambled that no one would discover his sworn testimony."

Palmer Luckey: The Facebook Near-Billionaire Secretly Funding Trump’s Meme Machine

Oh: Ohio Trump campaign chair Kathy Miller says there was 'no racism' before Obama

This story about the Verge employee secretly working for Apple is SO wacky.

Hahahahahaha: Studio Notes on the 2016 Presidential-Election Screenplay

!!! Apocalypse Meow: How a Cult That Believes Cats Are Divine Beings Ended Up in Tennessee

The Obscure Ultra-Endurance Sport Women Are Quietly Dominating

Morning Coffee (4/25/16)

Ireland Seeks Peaceful Path to Marking 1916 Easter Rising

Nothing to see here, I'm sure: Russia’s New Human Rights Ombudsman Is Former Police General

Hmmmm: The U.S. government just withdrew its iPhone-unlocking case against Apple in New York

Heh: An Incomplete List of Topics J.K. Rowling and President Obama May Have Discussed

Ooh, fascinating: Triangles in the Sky Tell the Story of the Universe's Birth

This is what I'd expect from Bernie Ecclestone, but I'd hoped for better from Mario Andretti. For... some reason.

Meet the Association Upholding the Integrity of Instant Noodles

Researchers Discover Ancient Observations of a 1006 AD Supernova

Confession: I gave up keeping track of the current name of Lockhart Gardner etc. etc. years ago.

Amazing: Audubon Made Up At Least 28 Fake Species To Prank A Rival

Morning Coffee (4/12/16)

Me elsewhere: A few thoughts on the Fantastic Beasts trailer and franchise expansion in general.

Here's the transcript of Clinton's meeting with the New York Daily News editorial board. The contrast with the Sanders version is... striking.

Related: How Much Does Bernie Sanders Know About Policy? (Not much!)

Awesome: Obama to designate a national monument in D.C. to honor women’s equality Tuesday

Eugh: Apple Patent Filing Points to a Keyboard With No Keys

This kind of analysis is so important: Women Write About Family, Men Write About War

How an internet mapping glitch turned a random Kansas farm into a digital hell

I'd assumed Twitter was overselling this crazy McDonald's story, but it really is quite something.

It had never really occurred to me that American Idol gambling was a thing but this is fascinating.

I would read a novel about this cheating triathlete and the rivals who exposed her.

Wait, is disliking the same thing/person NOT a valid basis for friendship?

Morning Coffee (3/14/16)

Me elsewhere: TV news!

Donald Trump Gives White Men Permission to Be Sexist and Racist

Wondering what, exactly, Sanders's path to the nomination would be at this point? Vox is on it.

The GOP learned one lesson from Romney’s loss. Trump taught them another.

The New Yorker has an interesting, important look at the history and future of Black Lives Matter.

I was more intrigued by this headline when I thought it was literally about a casting agent - like for campaign videos and stuff - but the article is still interesting: The Right Wing’s Casting Agency, and Its Agent

Big news in publishing: Nora Roberts is going to St. Martin's.

The Rise and Fall of the Black Cop in Baltimore

The Apple Case Will Grope Its Way Into Your Future

I haven't watched much of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend yet but this look inside the writers' room was neat.

Men In Western Art Who Are So Nude It Makes Them Furious

Morning Coffee (3/1/16)

How is it MARCH? Anyway, happy Super Tuesday! Everything is terrible!

I think it's important that we talk about these violent rape fantasies and other disturbing things that Bernie Sanders wrote in the 1960s and 70s. Because people's views can evolve. They can. I am all for that. But a few things - this isn't a policy point evolving as research or the political climate change; I don't want a president who EVER wrote about "typical" women's fantasies involving being raped by three men (and he wrote this while running for governor AND U.S. Senate, by the way, he wasn't fifteen or something), or who just LAST YEAR dismissed reporters' concerns about this rather than disavowing it, and basically said that it's okay because women like 50 Shades. No. You do not just get a pass on this. (And also in just a practical sense - when we bring up Trump's attitudes toward women, do we want Republicans to be able to say "Well, your candidate thinks women want to be gang-raped?" I mean. COME ON.)

Yesterday at a Trump event, the Secret Service threw a reporter to the ground in a choke hold and the idea that this is okay because the reporter swore at the agent is so, so dangerous. Also: Trump's insistence on reporters staying in a pen and not mingling with crowds is terrible, and this reporter was not anywhere near the candidate the Secret Service is supposed to be protecting. So. There's that.

And at another Trump event, a group of black students were made to leave by the Secret Service, who say they were told to do so by Trump. The students were not protesting or anything. They were just standing there being black.

Also dangerous: The idea that the New York Times should release an off-the-record tape just because it might hurt Trump. No. That is not how journalism works.

In case you had any doubt: That article claiming Elizabeth Warren had endorsed Sanders was fake fake fake. (And apparently included a "quote" from Lena Dunham, who is a well-known Clinton supporter? If you're going to be terrible at least be good at it, people.)

Super Tuesday is make or break for Bernie Sanders. Here are the key states to watch.

How the Supreme Court Case Could Change Women’s Access to Abortion

CLARENCE THOMAS IS SPEAKING.

Move along, clearly nothing to see here: One of the missing Hong Kong booksellers has gone on Chinese state TV to deny being abducted and renounce his UK citizenship.

Erin Andrews: ESPN Forced Me To Go On TV And Talk About My Stalker

Here's something good: This is a different case of the government trying to make Apple unlock a phone, but a court in New York ruled for Apple and that's a somewhat encouraging sign. (Here's a PDF of the filing, if you're curious. My favorite part of the way the judge basically says "I wouldn't want to LEGISLATE from the BENCH!" Such great trolling.)

Morning Coffee (2/27/16)

Happy Oscar weekend! There are going to be a flurry of posts as I cram in as many more movies as possible, and then early afternoon Sunday check back for my picks for each category.

ICYMI, yesterday's movie posts: Everything Will Be Okay and Day One.

Yesterday was quite a day and Vox had some fun with headlines while despairing about the actual content: Chris Christie endorses Donald Trump for president. Like, of the United States.

America's Trumpiest governor just endorsed Donald Trump

From Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau: Why Electing Hillary in ’16 Is More Important Than Electing Obama in ’08

Wow: Melissa Harris-Perry Walks Off Her MSNBC Show After Pre-emptions "I am not a token, mammy or little brown bobble head." Good for her. I don't watch any cable news shows regularly, but I'm familiar with her work and hers is an important voice to have in the conversation.

This is amazing. Imagine having your bachelor party crashed by Hillary Clinton. "'I love having men at my feet,' Clinton said, laughing, as Kinney and the men all took photos."

I read this and was shocked by how strongly I felt that of course code should count as speech, since it wasn't an issue I'd considered consciously before.

Interesting: A neurologist examines Ted Cruz's face.

Hey, my mom's in this! Pediatricians back new push to allow medical marijuana for some kids

Terrible: Illinois Republicans target single mothers and their babies: GOP bill would ban birth certificates, financial aid if father is not named

Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of llama/dress day, and this oral history was genuinely interesting and also made me wish Arpaio cared about people as much as animals.

Morning Coffee (2/24/16)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar project posts: The Martian (YAY!), Prologue (meh), Bear Story (whoa). (I have a book review for you for February that I'm working on, but because of the avalanche of movie posts, I might hold it until early March, when I will not want to think about another movie for a while. So you'd get February's review in early March and March's review a few weeks later. Would that be okay, Patreon folks?)

So. Nevada happened. Brian Beutler, as usual, is worth reading on this: "Assuming the trend continues after Trump’s overwhelming victory in Nevada’s Republican caucuses, it’s both redundant and stunning to note that what’s happening in American politics right now is completely novel: An unwelcome insurgent is commandeering one of the country’s two major political parties, and its leaders are simply pretending it isn’t happening."

Also: "Republican operatives have told major donors it would require an eight-figure advertising campaign or campaigns to make any kind of dent in Trump’s surprisingly durable popularity. While many of the donors have privately voiced support for the cause, most have begged off writing big checks."

ALSO: "Nearly 20 percent of Mr. Trump’s voters disagreed with the freeing of slaves in Southern states after the Civil War."

And: Donald Trump on Protester: ‘I’d Like to Punch Him in the Face’ (Among many other things, I sincerely worry about Trump inspiring his supporters to lots of random violence against pretty much anyone they don't like.)

This is worrisome: More than half of Americans think Apple should comply with FBI, finds Pew survey

Considering everything else happening in the world, I guess this is ...good ...news? Don't buy the hype: Russia's military is much weaker than Putin wants us to think

This certainly is: The First Day of the New Supreme Court

Shocker: Hollywood Is a ‘Straight, White, Boys’ Club,’ Blistering Study Finds

And for a perspective on that: A Hollywood Agent Explains How Negotiations Work and Why Actresses Get Paid Less

Ava DuVernay is directing the Wrinkle in Time movie and I am SO excited.

Morning Coffee (2/23/16)

ICYMI, yesterday's Oscar Project posts: Mad Max: Fury Road, Steve Jobs, Sanjay's Super Team

I agree with Ezra Klein's worries about Sanders's management style: "My worry about Sanders, watching him in this campaign, is that he isn't very interested in learning the weak points in his ideas, that he hasn't surrounded himself with people who police the limits between what they wish were true and what the best evidence says is true, that he doesn't seek out counterarguments to his instincts, that he's attracted to strategies that align with his hopes for American politics rather than what we know about American politics. And these tendencies, if they persist, can turn good values into bad policies and an inspiring candidate into a bad president." (There were two other paragraphs I considered quoting instead, so really, go read the whole thing.)

If you're going to spread a false story about your boss's opponent at least make it a more believable one, geez.

FBI and Apple vie for public support in dispute over California shooter's iPhone

And: Apple, DOJ fight heads to Capitol Hill

An interesting look at the labor law involved in Kesha's case: Following Kesha's Court Decision, Is It Time To Reexamine The Seven-Year Contract Statute?

‘She Was Proving Hard to Control’: Some Background on Kesha's History With Dr. Luke

"Men in the music industry shouldn’t support Kesha out of some sort of chivalry. They should support her because exploitation and unfair business practices are issues that affect every performer, of whatever gender. But, somehow, women are the only ones expected to do anything about it."

The X-Files revival ended last night, and I agree with pretty much everything Zack Handlen says here both about how TERRIBLE that finale was and how I persist in wanting more episodes because they COULD be good. I WANT TO BELIEVE. (There are obviously spoilers at that link, but here's a great, non-spoilery line: "His dialogue sounds like it was a translated from the Greek by a person who speaks excellent German.")

In other X-Files news: We're getting YA books! I find it fascinating that Mulder's book is being written by a female author and Scully's by a male author.

The publication of Umberto Eco's final book has been pushed up a few months to capitalize on his death, and . . . my first thought was "Is it ready??" but it's a collection of previously-published essays, so maybe it is. And, frankly, this is better than whatever the fuck I'm expecting to happen regarding someone miraculously finding yet more unpublished stuff they're just sure Harper Lee would want out in the world making other people money.

Oscar Project 2016: Steve Jobs

Movie: Steve Jobs

I knew going in that I was likely to love this movie, and I did, just as expected. One of my Twitter friends semi-jokingly asked "Who is the audience Steve Jobs?" and my answer was: Me. Me exactly. I love tech history. I love movies about smart people making things. I love difficult complicated geniuses. I love Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet and Jeff Daniels. And while I can recognize his (many) problems, Aaron Sorkin's writing somehow just hits my brain in a way virtually no one else's does; almost every line makes me so happy I want to cry.

Availability: Available to buy or rent on Blu-ray/DVD or digital download.

Nominated in:

Actor in a Leading Role: Yes. Fassbender was great here - not every actor can make Sorkin's dialogue seem natural, and he did a great job of showing Jobs's complexities and how he evolved (and didn't) over time.

Actress in a Supporting Role: I thought Winslet was good but . . . not quite convincing enough to win this category. Part of it was the accent - it just never seemed natural or even and I'd have preferred if they'd just left it out.

Morning Coffee (2/18/16)

ICYMI: Yesterday's Oscar Project posts were on The Revenant and The Hunting Ground.

How Hillary Clinton Won Harlem

This is exciting: ABC has named the first (I'm pretty sure) African-American female network head, Channing Dungey.

I'm on Apple's side.

And an explainer in case you've missed this: Why Apple and the FBI are fighting over access to the San Bernardino shooter’s phone

Speaking of San Bernardino, the New Yorker has the best piece I've read on the shooters.

SB Nation Publishes, Deletes "Complete Failure" Of A Story About Convicted Rapist Cop Daniel Holtzclaw

This kind of process thing is always interesting: How the San Antonio Express-News Got the Scoop on Antonin Scalia’s Death (Confession: I had a thought process while reading this that started with "I'd watch something like..." and ended with me realizing I'd basically just reinvented Spotlight and/or The Newsroom. At least I'm consistent.)

WHOA: Met to Stage Its First Opera by a Woman Since 1903

New evidence: Easter Island civilization was not destroyed by war (JARED DIAMOND WAS WRONG. And yet this made me want to read Collapse, which I own and started on a vacation once but never finished.)

"Murdering people for inefficiency on the planet you control doesn’t really seem intersectional. -7"

Morning Coffee (6/23/15)

Sad news: Composer James Horner has died.

Impressive: Taylor Swift used her platform to write a letter to Apple about paying artists for their work...

...and Apple immediately reversed course.

My friend Amy wrote a lovely piece about becoming a foster parent.

The line between protecting girls and isolating them

JoAnn Dean Killingsworth, Disneyland’s First Snow White, Dies at 91

Awesome: Orange County Declares July 31 "Geek Day" As Thousands Of Self-Proclaimed Geeks Get Ready For Annual GeekyCon

Downton Abbey on stage? Sure, why not.