Reporter, writer, editor, podcaster, community volunteer. All opinions here are my own.
Jun 5, 2026
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3 min read
The good news for any CEOs who testify before Congress that their product is not addictive is that there are typically no consequences!
May 29, 2026
Now let's skip the ugly early part of AI and get to the luxury space communism already!
May 22, 2026
4 min read
Shein's plan to buy Everlane does not herald the death of conscious commerce or millennial idealism. Let Gen X explain why.
May 15, 2026
Please fasten your seatbelt for turbulence. Fortunately, we have snacks and in-flight reading materials.
Aug 7, 2025
5 min read
In an age where human labor seems to be ever more deprecated, it's becoming ever more apparent that the real in-demand product is human taste.
May 28, 2025
The American people aren't really that worked up over retailers backtracking on diversity, equity and inclusion as corporate values. They're mad that the retailer no longer wants them.
Mar 13, 2025
It's a small thing, but Southwest Airlines' announcement to start charging for luggage really points to bigger issues in the U.S.
Feb 28, 2025
There's a difference between gatekeeping and censorship, though at least a few newspaper owners really don't understand the distinction.
Dec 3, 2024
A recent bout of bad-faith discourse around leaving Twitter for Bluesky points to a bigger cultural disconnect around why and how we connect with others
Nov 18, 2024
Look, "flood the zone with shit" is a strategy, but staying on the floodplain is a choice
Aug 19, 2024
When summer beach reads normalize formerly hot-button topics, it's a sign of some social shift among an uncool but influential group.
Aug 2, 2024
I don't think it's a coincidence that we've embraced autumn while the world burns
Nov 17, 2023
We just can't have nice things -- even when someone tries to round up nice things
Nov 10, 2023
It's like "27 Dresses," if by "dresses," you mean, "interesting articles to read."
Nov 7, 2023
Cleaving to icons of a previous age is an act of pessimism
Oct 30, 2023
2 min read
... and you're going to pretend you're paying attention on a Zoom call instead of reading this newsletter
Oct 20, 2023
Hippie shoes provide a model for the future in this week's collection of reads around reckoning with the past and thinking ahead.
Oct 13, 2023
The Modern Web is optimized by and for algorithms, not people. I want to bring back old-school randomness once a week.
Jul 11, 2023
Which social media site will tell me what to think now? I mean, I guess I could go full Instagram but I like vaccines ...
Jul 6, 2023
7 min read
The branding bungles of Warner Brothers Discovery were entirely preventable -- and could be very expensive if not corrected.
May 2, 2023
Peek at the numbers for a look at what's going on with retail in 2023
Jan 3, 2023
By their shifting wardrobes ye shall know a generation's shifting values
Dec 18, 2022
"When you're alone and life is making you lonely/ you can always go downtown" isn't exactly true these days
Dec 15, 2022
I hope you're not tired of cultural churn, because the signs and portents are pointing to a few new ideas and attitudes about to go mainstream
Jul 14, 2022
Americans were already grappling with the realities of have and have-not regions in the U.S. in terms of jobs and money. Now human rights have joined the list of inequalities.
