OK, let's start talking about the House's 80 page brief on impeachment. It really is an incredibly well-done piece of work. There are some things I'd do differently and some pieces I didn't love, but overall, it's very very good.

Again - this thread will happen in fits and starts. I'm swamped at work and this will come in 10-15 minute chunks as I take a break

Let's start by taking a look at the table of contents. After a 4-page intro (that's relatively long, don't love it), the brief spends a solid 30 pages walking through the facts underlying the impeachment - and, the subheadings tell us, tying in Trump's general refusal to accept

the election results with everything that followed. This is a strong rhetorical approach, but it comes with dangers: the President not only had a legal right to contest the election results, but the GOP Senators pretty much all backed that right, strongly.

It's going to be important to thread a needle of saying "this set the stage for what came after" without putting yourself in a place where you're trying to convince the Senate that the challenges themselves were impeachable. That won't fly

We may be alone in the 🌌 ENTIRE UNIVERSE.

(a thread on this bold conjecture)

🎉 It's also my 1st podcast episode https://t.co/7u2FskrhHi

1/ For my inaugural podcast episode, I interviewed @anderssandberg who is a senior research fellow at the @fhioxford.

I highly recommend listening to the entire episode. It's full of gems and insights.

But if you want key ideas, keep reading this

2/ Before we get to that, here's what we talk about in the hour-long conversation.

3/ Both history and science fiction shows us how the world can be dramatically different than what it is today.

4/ But exponential curves (like Moore's law) make it hard to predict the future because early on they look like linear

1/ Marcus Bullock went to prison in the mid-90s at the age of 15.

Today, he's the CEO of Flikshop -- the "Instagram for the Incarcerated", an alternative to the outrageously expensive phone call system.

This is a truly inspirational founder story 👇👇

2/ In 1996, Bullock was living in Maryland. One night, he and a friend carried out an armed carjacking on a man sitting idle in a shopping mall parking lot.

It was the biggest mistake of this life.

3/ Several years prior to hit actions, there was the famed 1989 Central Park "Jogger Case", in which 5 minority youths were (falsely) accused of raping a jogger.

In the aftermath, nearly every state passed new laws that made it easier for courts to try youth as adults.

4/ For the carjacking, Bullock was charged as an adult and served 8 years in prison.

With onerous prison phone charges ($18 / 15 mins), Bullock's mother kept in touch with him by sending a photo or letter every day.

"She saved me," he says of his mom's efforts.

5/ The $1.2B+ prison phone system is dominated by 2 PE-backed firms (Global Tel Link, Securus Tech).

For the right to operate these phones lines, prisons effectively pay kickbacks to state and local government. The highest kickbacks win bids, which drive up costs.

Streetwear, Gorpcore & the future of menswear.

Menswear is changing. Even Virgil says streetwear's gonna die.

Meanwhile, there's this growing trend of urban dwellers wearing camping gear like they're headed Upstate...

Meet Gorpcore.

Is it replacing streetwear?

[thread]

So let's unpack:

1/ What Gorpcore is + where it came from.
2/ What makes something Gorpcore.
3/ Its place in the culture.
4/ Predicting just how mainstream outdoor-wear can go.

What is Gorpcore:

Ever heard of "good old raisins and peanuts?"

It's another phrase for trail mix. Yep, that's it.

So how's this related to Gorpcore?

Gorpcore is someone who wears a (trail) mix of: technical, utilitarian, function, outdoorsy-wear on the regular.

... you know, clothing *traditionally* reserved for trail runners. Hikers. Campers.

Kind of like this:

In 2017, The Cut's Jason Chen coined the phrase Gorpcore as a way of describing this budding species.

But it ain't new.

It's been around for years, gaining steam in the late 2010s.

Chen says Gorpcore represents a style-shift away from minimalism (what's known as Normcore).

~°My lovely enemy°~
SUAYEON AU

Sua and Siyeon have been enemies for 4 years. This is their final year in college, will they make amends? Maybe become something even more? Maybe the verbal sticks they threw were a facade.

[CHARACTERS]

¤Bora¤
• On the surface shes confident
• She loves to dance
• Her stepsister is Minji
• Shes 22 (their age gaps dont apply)
• Dance Major

Siyeon
• Shes cold one the surface
• Singing is her passion
• she doesnt sing often
• smart
• Her best friend is Yoohyeon, her sister is Gahyeon

Handong
• Savage queen
• She is protective
• 21
• language major

I love reading books.

I'm also a huge fan of reading newsletters.

Here are 7 newsletters I highly recommend checking out.

(thread) 🧵

1/

The 3-2-1 newsletter by @JamesClear

This is a weekly email that includes 3 short ideas from James, 2 quotes from other people, and 1 question for you to

2/

Monday Musings & Friday Finds by @david_perell

In Monday Musings, David shares the coolest things he learned every week. In Friday Finds, he shares links to interesting pieces of content he discovered that week.

He's a master curator &

3/

Morning Brew by @austin_rief & @businessbarista

A daily email that will recap everything you missed in the business world. It's filled with great insights, funny puns, and quality

4/

BrandStreet by @amlewis4

If you're a brand builder, you'll want to sign up. Ari shares a weekly newsletter with lessons and news about the world of media, marketing, and

Today I'm thinking about culture - A long time ago I was cooking with a French friend and we made fried yams. While we were cleaning up, I noticed him begin to empty the pan of oil into the sink and I almost had a heart attack. I grabbed it from him and said "We don't do that!"

Now I wonder, who was "we"? I grew up in a home where used oil was always saved for another day. But it's possible that this was because I was from a lower middle income home. It's what I knew and I couldn't imagine it another way. Why do we do the things we do?

Went to a restaurant to a friend recently and she told me to try their crêpes. I told her I didn't understand crêpes and preferred pancakes. That I thought crêpes were inferior to pancakes. Then she pointed out to me that this might have something to do with colonial history.

The British eat pancakes and the French eat crêpes. Nigerians eat pancakes, Senegalese eat crêpes. This was a revelation for me. My perceived personal choice transformed into colonial legacy. I started to look out for other stuff and came up with some questions.

Do we like bread with beans because it is a version of the British beans on toast that we may have been introduced to? How about fish and chips? You can't compare both versions but it's the same idea. How many things do we think are ours but were actually introduced recently?

it has come our attention that some of our newer followers are struggling to understand the words we use to describe our rare books, and you are in for a treat with this simple guide to "Words That Don't Mean Anything What It Seems Like They Mean"

[thread 1/?]

when we get books in, collectors want to know what the damage is, so we have to find a way to tell them, and over a few centuries bookstores have developed a form of shorthand for this, because business has always been done by catalogue from hundreds of miles away

[btw no rare bookstore uses the same keywords/phrases in -exactly- the same way, dont ask me why, I have no idea why. your mileage may vary. there is no real authority on it, I have checked, it's a bloodbath out there]

if we're in a hurry, we use broad strokes and consult the following table

FINE: the book was crapped out by an angel
VERY GOOD: no-one can prove anything
GOOD: lets just be grateful it has covers, shall we
FAIR: the book is on fire, guarded by a hydra
POOR: no book, only despair

most books we sell actually fit into the common understanding of 'Very Good', but as you can see that could mean anything from "it maybe has all the pages" to "it's almost perfect"

so its not really very helpful. 5 tweets in and we have learned nothing. you are welcome.

I wrote a book about the Fairness Doctrine and how it was responsible for one of the worst episodes of government censorship in US history.

So I am somewhat alarmed at the calls percolating on Twitter for a new, internet Fairness Doctrine. This is a thread about why that is.

Let's start with what most people think when they hear "Fairness Doctrine." They imagine a time at an indeterminate point in the past when mass media was reasonable, balanced, equitable, and fair. It was a veritable golden age of mass media and the Fairness Doctrine was to thank.

Back then, radio & tv stations couldn't just air their opinions, spreading unchecked misinformation. No, they had to let the other side of any given issue have a say, giving the good guys a chance to check the bad guys when they told bald lies.

However, the problem with this narrative is that it is almost entirely a myth. In actuality, the Fairness Doctrine was a tool wielded by political interests in order to suppress dissident speech & prevent activists (from both Left & Right) from exposing the lies of the powerful.

But telling that story requires going back before the first major test of the Fairness Doctrine in 1963, before the rules were created in 1949, all the way back to the first meaningful attempt at federal regulation of radio in 1927.

[thread]

I want to write a thread with a simple theme

One from a sad day four years ago

We all have more in common

There are people who want divisive culture wars

And those who don't

Pick a side

Actually scrub that

Imagine there are no

Now I am going to make it clear at the start

I did not vote for Boris Johnson

I did not vote for Brexit

I did vote for Yes in 2014 for Scotland (although I am undecided how I may vote in any future choice)

I did vote to scrap FPTP

So as befits a Scot

I am a loser

I have "sucked up" all my losses

But

I want Boris Johnson and his party to succeed in their manifesto

I want Brexit to succeed

Within the manifesto's and campaigns they promised much

And I want them to simply deliver that

1/

Mini Thread:

Every time I think there is no more postmodernism in Christianity, I find more postmodernism in Christianity.

This time @KaitlynSchiess

2/
We start out with acknowledging a shift in how "truth" is thought about.

Which, I mean, yeah just read some Stanley Grenz and you can see it coming. It is called *taps mic*
🥐🦭🥐🦭🥐🦭🥐🦭

POSTMODERNISM

🥐🦭🥐🦭🥐🦭🥐🦭

3/
Pic 1: We are sinful and as such we are epistemicly flawed

Pic 2: Because we are flawed and imperfect we must adopt the philosophy of Richard Rorty: "The truth is out there but we can't get it."

Although she hedges slightly with "every time."

4/
Next "There is no universal basis for evaluating our environment."

This is her argument for that:

1. our perspectives are limited,
2. our communities suffer from generational and structural biases,
Therefore:
3. there is no universal basis for evaluating our
environments.

5/
This whole argument (much like the whole essay) is totally confused.

For one, the conclusion does not follow from the premises. She goes from different perspectives and people have bias directly to there is no foundation for the discovery of truth.

now....

I get asked a lot how to help the people I write about. My first response is pretty simple, treat them like anybody else, not someone who is broken, or fallen, or a victim, or whatever.

Give them the dignity to be your equal, as measured by things other than $, status, etc. 1/

Yet clearly by $ they are not equal. So how to help them that way? I believe in charity being as local & personal as possible. I buy people McDonald's meals, let them use my phone, or computer, help them navigate social services. Etc.

Or just sit & talk if they want to talk 2/

So I keep a wad of $10 & $5 bills in my pocket to hand out, if asked, or offer. I also carry McDonald's gift cards, if you worry about $s going to drugs

For those who worry about being scammed. Well, if begging for cash is their scam, they are probably still pretty desperate. 3/

If you want to help more local is IMO the best. Volunteer at local non-profit or church, & over time you will see how you can "help" the most. Like maybe buying the soup kitchen a new fridge, or a kid a bike, or whatever. The more personal the better. For a lot of reasons 4/

For those who don't have the time (life is complicated) & want to give to a charity, here are 4 links of places I tend to ask people to give to.

All are Bronx focused, because the Bronx did so much for me. I owe it.

There are variations of all of these in every city though 5/

How to help the #autistic people in your life get through Christmas - a practical thread of advice.

Please read and share!

(This is based on my own experiences of being autistic)

#autism #christmas

1. Give #autistic people an easy escape route they know they can take without judgement - knowing you can dash off to recharge without being questioned can help so much!

2. Don't play Christmas music really loudly around the house. No one needs that anyway but if you must, make it not too intrusive as it can be difficult for #autistic people to handle. Christmas music is *so* 'busy'!

3. Don't expect clear and unambiguous response to Christmas presents when opened. Many #autistic people struggle to show the appropriate emotional reaction, and are also terrified of making you feel bad. We show appreciation in our own way.

4. Don't forget #autistic friends and relatives may not be as excited about meeting up with family members as you are. There is likely a lot of anxiety there, especially this year. Be mindful of this and don't force it.

This is the gospel according to Luke. And these are the generations; no-one begat Anakin, who was slain by Vader; Vader begat Luke and Leia, and Leia begat Ben known as Kylo.

And lo, red five appeared into the rebels, saying unto them, I come with great plans. But many bothans died to bring us this information.

And three imperials came from the east unto the spaceport, saying, where are they that bear the designs of our battle station? seek ye them, tear these ships apart, and find me those plans.

And they sought the plans from the droids, but these were not the droids which they sought, and they went about their business.

It came to pass that Po and Rey came to the starport, but there was no room.

H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and their correspondence.

A thread.

H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard corresponded from 1930 until 1936, when Howard committed suicide. Lovecraft would die the next year. Two of the most renowned authors at WEIRD TALES, their correspondence shaped both men's lives and legacies.

First, before they got acquainted:

Howard was 16 years younger that Lovecraft; he had first read HPL in the early issues of WEIRD TALES in 1923-1925, and aspired to write for the pulp magazine himself - which he did. Lovecraft later claimed to have noticed REH's initial efforts

but did not comment them on his letters. The start of their correspondence in 1930 came after the reprint of Lovecraft's "The Rats in the Walls," which involved a line lifted from a certain Scottish genderqueer author. Details

Lovecraft's letters were often frequent and lengthy; 10 or 20 handwritten pages wasn't uncommon, and 70 and 100 page letters are known. To new correspondents, this could be incredibly intimidating. Robert E. Howard appears to have taken it as a challenge, and sought to match him.

If a critical mass of people on twitter generate enough Section 230 hot takes, all that energy fuses to create renewed interest in the #FairnessDoctrine.

I wrote a book on the FD so let me walk you through why reviving it would be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea.

First, the Fairness Doctrine was responsible for the most successful episode of government censorship of the past half century. While the Fairness Doctrine was technically created to encourage fair and balanced coverage of “controversial issues of public importance"...

...in the 1960s the Kennedy administration weaponized it to punish conservative radio critics. You see, fairness is in the eye of the beholder--which is the FCC--and the person who appoints the commissioners--the president--gets a say in what looks fair or foul.

(JFK also launched targeted IRS audits of his right-wing radio antagonists; the power to tax is the power to destroy, after all.) Stations responded to the secretly government-organized pressure by dropping conservative broadcasters in order to avoid Fairness Doctrine complaints.

And lest you think this Fairness Doctrine stuff is just conservative bellyaching, bear in mind that the Nixon administration used the threat of Fairness Doctrine enforcement to help bring television network heads to heel.

1) Here goes my thread about how I landed my first OWA. Open Writing Assignment. Btw, I had no idea what term meant a year ago so don't feel bad if you don't. The easy way to explain: A studio/producer has a property/IP/an idea but no writer. #screenwriting #pipelinewriters

2) So they solicit writers to come in and give their take. It's basically a bake off. I had low hopes because I'm a new writer and they almost always go with more established writers, but hey, sometimes the best idea wins! I landed it, yay.I'll get to that, but first my long road

3) Grew up on Long Island, middle class, zero connections to Hollywood. I mean ZERO. Chose law school. I wanted to be in entertainment but didn't know that was a viable career path. Did well, worked at biggest law firm in the world. But deep down I knew this wasnt the life for me

4) So quit/got fired (depends who you ask ;), and hopped on a plane to LA w no plan.Begged a guy I knew to let me sleep on floor in his back room. So went from making lots of money to zero money with no gameplan.I don't recommend having NO PLAN. Knew I loved writing and standup

4) Sidenote - this thread isn't about my standup career, but objectively I've done pretty well. Started the first and only lawyer/comedy troupe, headlined the country. Album #1 on iTunes. But was making basically NO money. Got a comedy manager, pitched an idea for a reality show

reading the self-important and vaguely-cultish textbooks by bayesians makes me want to go out and kill a sufficiently large number of bayesians that i can estimate the mean pitch of their screams

"when we have multiple models, we should choose one using Bayesian statistics"

no

you should do both and publish an appendix showing robustness tests, you cultist

"but my bayesian model takes 4 weeks to process i can't run 1,397 robustness tests"

yes

exactly

"it's #Actually impossible to use predictive accuracy to test model validity because we can't observe future values!!!"

omg

this is a real critically acclaimed textbook im barely even paraphrasing here

i don't trust quantitative methods where people say, "this method has been in use for centuries!"

that is a solid argument for perhaps a theological proposition

it is not highly compelling for code