Blake Eskin

There is, to be sure, important and productive criticism, and we need that faculty voice. There is also the person who has come to absolutely despite their institution or sees nothing but rot. Their cynicism prevents substantive contribution. In most other industries they would have been fired.

Frame #3239 from E64 Gumbitty Doo-Dah

In the days after Pearl Harbor, a tenement girl is disrupted by San Francisco when the police turn on her and want her out of town.

I meant to do that.

What Do You Do and What Do You Make? Conversations with AI engineers, fashion Substackers, and weed clerks about what they brought in last year.

I want to make my extended friend group do this

nymag.com/intelligence...

Patrons of Journalism If not advertising, then what?

“It does not require a billion dollars to be a patron of journalism. A handful of five-figure donations could provide significant financial stability, support reporting budgets, and, crucially, replace the revenue that would be coming in if…”
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/patrons-of...

A bar chart showing the percentage of wins coming from 5 different styles of play for the most versatile NCAA Division I WBB teams.

A month or so ago, I wondered if there was a way to measure *how* #ncaawbb teams win. Turns out that there are several statistical approaches for this, and I used some of them to create a versatility score. New in the @herhoopstats.com newsletter:

herhoopstats.substack.com/p/the-teams-...

Before: Oil Prices Surge Above $100 a Barrel for the First Time in Almost Four Years After: Oil Prices Spike Over $110 a Barrel, Highest Since Pandemic

Change in Headline

Find yourself doomscrolling this morning? Alexander Voloshin was doing the same in 1936, down to the ads… @pauldrybooks.bsky.social

A Chinese warlord must decide the Polish underground to dupe the Nazis.

I say we let him go.

Surely it must also stand for “Israeli House of Parliament” or something, meaning this a serious international news story?

Nope 🥞

I hereby declare Kirschenbaum’s law:

Thinking that every discussion of writing is a discussion of student writing is a category error only academics make.

Sounds on Screen: Henry Mancini 5th March 2026 Playing Soundtrack. Two hours of soundtrack magic from Henry Mancini, whose uplifting orchestrations and arrangements left an indelible print on the pop culture of the post-war 20th Century.

perfect programming, perfect counterprogramming www.nts.live/shows/sounds...

At least they fixed it

Before: It’s the Troll vs. the Bore in the G.O.P. Texas Senate Runoff After: What the Cornyn vs. Paxton Runoff Will Mean for the Texas G.O.P.

Change in Headline

Rare perhaps on the micro level but not so rare on the macro

“There is time, there is inclination… but is there quality?”

Maybe wait a little longer for Michael Keane to come on? #COYB

Looks like Hesgeth and Trump have decided that it's time for Armageddon.
Wonder if we will have time to see an Everton home win ?

More slippery, less savvy

It is a slippery thing, this two weeks — not a measurement of time so much as a placeholder. Two weeks for Mr. Trump can mean something, or nothing at all. It is both a yes and a no. It is delaying while at the same time scheduling. It is not an objective unit of time, it is a subjective unit of time. It is completely divorced from any sense of chronology. It simply means later. But later can also mean never. Sometimes.

Savvy reporting from June www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/w...

I know you are… but what am I?

Before: The F.B.I. said it was too early to determine a motive in the shooting that killed two at an Austin bar, but added that the Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved in the investigation. After: Police and F.B.I. descend on neighborhood 30 miles north of Austin and execute search warrant after a gunman killed two and wounded 14 before being shot to death by police.

Change in Abstract

STOP JUST REPORTING THINGS PEOPLE SAY. PEOPLE CAN JUST SAY THINGS.

“Help!” cried Toad. “My list is blowing away. What will I do without my list?”

A flighty heiress threatens she's pregnant.

Before: How Iranians Can Take Control of Their Future After: The Outlook Is Grim for a Freer Iran

Change in Headline

Notable examples Some examples of settings, groups, and eras where purity spirals have occurred:[1][2] Khmer Rouge Cultural Revolution, Red Guards and mass denunciations French Revolution Instagram knitting circles[4] Moscow trials[6]

I’m writing an essay about Fn (and Globe) keys on the keyboard. If there’s anything on your mind: any questions you have, or any trivia/interesting things you know of, or any personal experiences, please let me know! 🙏