Altered States, Our psychedelic science podcast, is a finalist in the science category of the Signal awards! if you’ve ever listened to the show and enjoyed it, it would be amazing if you voted for us! vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

If you’ve ever listened to the Hopkins playlist while tripping on shrooms, this episode of Altered States is for you. I put together one of the most comprehensive histories of the playlist to date, and we published it today! open.spotify.com/episode/5r2o...

We just published a really special episode of Altered States, yall. It’s got music. It’s got psychedelics. It’s got history. It’s got science. (Heck, it’s science history!) What more could you possibly want? Time to take a listen open.spotify.com/episode/5r2o...

Completed my first (very simple) woodworking projects this past week, and I’m pleased as punch. Both projects were designed to make my life easier as an artist.

Here’s what’s ACTUALLY happening in Oregon right now. New Oregon gun law on bump stocks, switches goes into effect today - OregonLive.com

We're back! Season 2 of Altered States starts today with an interview with @michaelpollan.bsky.social who walks me through the religious leaders magic mushroom study. It's a good one! open.spotify.com/episode/7gJe...

Also, this seems like a good time to mention that I'm a freelance podcast host (with years of experience making and hosting critically-acclaimed shows), and I'm always open to discussing new projects. So hit me up if you think I might be a good fit.

And btw, the trailer for this season is EXTREMELY good. This is definitely one of the best podcast trailers I've ever been a part of... which bodes very well for the season ahead! Thanks for making this possible @prx.org @scipsychedelics.bsky.social

Excited to announce that Season 2 of Altered States begins next week! This season we're examining the spiritual side of psychedelics, and how that side has been interacting with the more science-oriented side of psychedelics. In other words: This is gonna be good. open.spotify.com/episode/1Lq1...

Statement from @postguild.bsky.social on the firing of Karen Attiah:

And yes, I was the last Black full-time columnist in the Opinion section. Washington Post -- operating in a city which for a long time has been majority Black, is now without any full-time Black opinion writers.

Oh boy… Columbia tries using AI to cool off student tensions www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Washington, Oregon and California governors form a health alliance “The partnership plans to coordinate health guidelines by aligning immunization plans based on recommendations from respected national medical organizations” www.statnews.com/2025/09/03/w... via @statnews.com

Authors, there are more and more ways to produce and distribute audiobooks without Amazon's ACX. If you're interested in producing audiobooks without Amazon, we've rounded a handful up: blog.libro.fm/how-authors-...

Ridiculously pleased that I can now read @instapaper.com on my Kobo e-reader. big quality of life improvement!

I tend to say "during High Covid" and people always get what I mean; it's easy to not be a denialist

This drives me crazy, too, and that's why I say, "during the COVID lockdown period," though I like "at the height of the pandemic" even better because it emphasizes the strength of the virus rather than the policy decisions around that.

It’s a fact checking issue. Get it right.

I will die on this hill: it isn’t hard to say “at the height of the pandemic” or “at the start of COVID” during a podcast interview. Producers, hosts, don’t let your guests say “during COVID” like this thing is over. Correct them. Ask them to say the sentence again. This is your job.

Refreshing to see a rheumatologist call this out re: long covid & other post-viral illnesses “Rheumatologists are uniquely trained to manage complex, multisystem illnesses. Yet the field has largely remained at the margins...leaving patients to fend for themselves" www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

WTF? I was quoted in this story but I have never spoken to the reporter nor would I have said those things. Is everything just generated by LLMs these days? cosmosmagazine.com/earth/oceans...

The nicest people work at the Portland, Oregon airport. I’m sure of it.

Aaaaand… yup. (🎁🔗) www.nytimes.com/1996/06/07/u...

It felt so good to have this conversation with @filowenstein.bsky.social. I spend a lot of time thinking about disaster preparedness and prepping while being disabled — and I clearly need an outlet for this, so thank you, Fi, for having me on the show open.substack.com/pub/fionalow...

I read a lot of science history books & disability books. “Everything is Tuberculosis” by @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social did what most don’t: it examined this disease through both lenses (and a political lens, too), without sacrificing one in favor of the other. Truly excellent listen (on @libro.fm)

Surprised that this was the first thing that came to mind watching this but: it's very nice to see the Pebble watch guy be so comfortable on camera, finally (so much more comfortable than he was back in the day) He's older and more confident, and it shows www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCI7...

An underrated aspect of human colleagues is that they can tell you when you shouldn’t post something.

I just can't understand how an administration's most visible initiative is directing meaningless cruelty toward the people most enthusiastic about working for them

I did City Year in Los Angeles in the 2010s. We would have done anything for those kids. They needed as much support as they could get... while also charming and inspiring us City Years with their vibrant souls. I'm so saddened by this. It made me proud of America that such a program existed.

Americorps was *the* thing that got my wife and I through two years of the 2008 recession. Heading into another recession without this agency is going to be absolutely devastating for communities and young adults.

Reading reactions to the Americorps news on Reddit. So many young folks who wanted to help their country are struggling to understand how this will impact them and the people they currently serve. www.reddit.com/r/AmeriCorps...

So, covid.gov now redirects to, uh, this... www.whitehouse.gov/lab-leak-tru...

New Comic on IG. And in the words of Forrest Gump: "That's all I have to say about that."(But for real — the comics community has been very welcoming to me thus far. Artists just seem excited to help and share knowledge. And I really don't think I need to worry) www.instagram.com/p/DIjdQVJJSU...

Please don’t put in the papers that I’m mad

"A direct inverse correlation between fluoride exposure and IQ loss" So uhm fluoride raises one's iq?

Reporters should include it in their articles when the White House refuses to respond to a question because a reporter has pronouns in their bio. PRINT IT. EVERY TIME. OVER AND OVER.

Gross. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/b...

Love the idea of the Light Phone, but ultimately I already have what i need to disconnect: I turn off my phone and rely on my cellular-enabled Apple Watch to keep me in contact with folks I love.

So many restaurant workers will be harmed by this (and therefore restaurants too - not to mention those tariffs) www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/u...

I just learned that the entire press team at the FDA was fired last week. The *entire* press team. It's difficult to grasp how bizarre this is. To wrap my brain around the idea, I made a list of things the FDA is responsible for, and that reporters now have no one at the agency to ask about... 🧪🛟

Remember that factory that caused a nationwide baby formula shortage in 2022 ? (I sure do. I remember trying to find formula for my friends’ newborn) Workers say that factory is still operating under unsanitary conditions www.propublica.org/article/baby...

After all the discourse over whether super-intelligent, ultra-powerful AI is coming, we now have a prime example of exactly how AI is massively disruptive, today: When it is used by lazy, reckless, and malicious people in power. Welcome to the age of AI-generated economic collapse, everyone

Almost all NOAA Research websites that rely on cloud services - including Amazon, Google and WordPress - are poised to disappear at midnight ET Saturday after a contract was targeted for "early termination." Labs may also feel the effects. Story for @bloomberg.com (free link):

New sarcophagus juice dropped

Elon Musk and DOGE have taken a blowtorch to federal agencies. But the tariffs are a helpful reminder that it's Donald Trump who's fiddling while it all burns.

This is really all you need to know about these tariffs

“Evermaskers” is a pejorative term commonly used on Twitter/X. So that’s the level of discourse or “journalism” we’re talking about here.

Delighted to learn that Altered States, my podcast about the science of psychedelics, was nominated for a Webby! You can vote for our show here: vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting...