Seth Putnam

Are you there, Algorithm? It's me, Seth.

Popsicle-lovers everywhere: what is the BEST ice pop, paleta, or other frozen #treat on a stick?

With all the AI Studio Ghibli chatter, I just keep thinking about how frustrated and hurt Hayao Miyazaki must be — just as an individual creative, given his well-publicized opinion about AI being an insult to humanity. Real they-massacred-my-boy vibes.

Shelter will be written and published from Palm Springs this week. Is there anything I should know before going there? Assume I know less than Jon Snow (nothing).

How to Participate Participating is easy, fun to do alone or with others, and can be done anywhere you find birds. Simply watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days and tell us what you see!

This didn’t quite make the cut for this week’s newsletter but is delightful & worth 15 minutes of your time this weekend: The Great Backyard Bird Count, a global group project where you log the birds you see in your yard. It really helps scientists. Learn more here: birdcount.org/participate

Pretty bad week for Drake tbh

The politics behind the mainstream social media platforms are repellent, but I bet it would be a lot harder for users to leave if they hadn’t also enshittified the user experience.

Substack & TikTok are proving the point by being a delight to use (though there’s plenty to debate about them, too.)

Hell yeah Casey

It seems like all the Nigerian prince scams of yore really should have prepared us better to spot its cousin: the South African prince scam.

the ppl who were very concerned that Joe Brandon wasn't following Congresss rules and thrilled Chevron deference was ending so unelected agency staff couldn't interpret laws seem to have chilled out for some reason

525-Lb. Bear Discovered Under Evacuated Altadena Home Too Fat to Tranquilize: 'Not an Option' An Altadena, Calif., man was shocked to discover he couldn't return to his home — which he evacuated due to the Eaton fire — because a 525-lb. bear had nested in the crawl space under his house. It to...

Here you go
people.com/525-pound-be...

New issue just dropped on what concrete steps you can take to resist. shelterletter.substack.com

It also points you to @mariapopova.bsky.social (on Camus’ antidotes to absurdity); KC Davis (on messy homes); Anita Shah (on voice notes) & Emily Tobin (on a barn in the Cotswolds).

Heard, chef.

Chicago, baby.

You get it!

Oof, better ask for a refund

You can rename stuff all you want, but people are still gonna call it what they want. Ask any Chicagoan.

This week's newsletter points you to excellent stories from:
@monteiro.bsky.social
@katykelleher.bsky.social
@kottke.org
...and some other folks who aren't on Bsky. They deserve your attention! Link above or in bio.

In the newsletter: a dispatch from a weary captain (read: dad) dealing with mutinous deckhands (read: children) after four days of stomach flu. shelterletter.substack.com

Okay pen geeks, maybe an odd query, but what highlighter models do we love?

I am a recovering underliner while reading novels, but lately I’ve had my head turned.

Okay pen geeks, maybe an odd query, but what highlighter models do we love?

I am a recovering underliner while reading novels, but lately I’ve had my head turned.

“Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground.” —Frederick Douglass

(Whom I hear is being recognized more and more.)

The mask is off and it took less time than a TikTok ban.

Half his simps saying “he was throwing his heart to the crowd.” The other half: “Get used to it. We’re making the Roman salute great again.”

He can’t be the most brilliant entrepreneur in the world AND too dumb/naive to know what this means.

as the rollercoaster crests the top of the initial incline, the ratcheting noise slows and stops, and you can, right before the plunge, observe the entire amusement park

As far as Sunday Scaries go, I must say this is the scariest one in a minute

Welcome, teens coming here from tiktok. I think you’ll find that through the magic of the written word I am able to craft sentences that are as vivid and compelling as any short-form video!

The colors are duller this morning. Breakfast has no taste. Can't smell the coffee. My TikTok has gone...

Wow, the TT ban really did hit you hard eh

Shutting down TikTok early has to be a calculated move, yeah? Accompanied by the direct mention of the hero-president for maximum drama…

You will not be able to stay home, brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on, and cop out.