This is a great piece about how IMLS cuts impacted access to the digital New York Times database in a Bay Area library and how much such access costs, thus, why it's essential to fight to restore IMLS and understand what it does. localnewsmatters.org/2025/08/14/s...

Our friend Fobazi could use our help. And all of our good energy for a complete recovery. gofund.me/11eb33bb

The more I see people normalize AI use for shit like this, the more I feel like an alien among humans, or a human among aliens I guess. I feel so isolated, so disillusioned and sad - our species had this incredible opportunity to transcend, and we’re trading it away for help writing a grocery list

Did a special edition of Almost A Met today: Who was “Almost A Met” at the 2025 trade deadline? almostametnewsletter.substack.com/p/who-was-al... #Mets #MetsSky #LGM

It’s a golden age for Cassandras.

HAPPENING NOW: a group of New York rabbis are being arrested at a protest outside the Israeli consulate calling for bringing food into Gaza, an end to the war, and return of all hostages @newjewishnarrative.bsky.social

Ever wonder about the VIP treatment Matthew McConaughey gets at the University of Texas? FOIAball, a new site covering college football through public records reporting, is coming next week. So subscribe now: foiaball.com

Big tech promotes the story that since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, AI has been so popular it's rushed to meet the demand. The reality is different. A study by design scholars shows tech co's have had to push AI on its users with a variety of intrusive tactics. How big tech is force-feeding us AI:

It’s a genocide, possibly the greatest moral catastrophe of our time, and the flippant unwillingness to grapple with it is an egregious failure of intellect in addition to a chilling abdication of honor.

For no reason at all, a really great podcast episode: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

Here’s the bottom line for what’s going on with Grok - if the owner of the website is putting his thumb on the scale hard enough for the chatbot to turn into Goebbels, you should be deeply concerned about what he’s doing to the algorithm that you can’t so easily see, and what it’s doing to you

I've gotten quite a few new #MetsSky followers recently (ty!!) so I thought I'd re-introduce myself. I'm Andrew, and each week I write the "Almost A Met" newsletter, where I research players who were *almost* #Mets. I'll post a few examples below, but please sub! almostametnewsletter.substack.com

Refreshing the NYT so often I’m catching their “TK, TKs”

Good morning #Mets fans and #MetsSky! Did you know: Was a Jacob DeGrom injury report the reason that Kris Bryant wasn't traded to the Mets in 2021? Read more here: almostametnewsletter.substack.com/p/almost-a-m...

Our second "Almost A Met" newsletter goes live tomorrow! It's about how OF Juan Gonzalez seemed like a forgone conclusion to the #Mets... until he wasn't. Want to get it in your inbox so you can read it first? Subscribe here ➡️ almostametnewsletter.substack.com/about #MetsSky #LGM

Here's the first welcome post in case you missed it. But subscribe now if you want to see our very first deep dive into how Alfonso Soriano was Almost A Met. open.substack.com/pub/almostam... #LGM #MetsSky #Mets

It’s weird to live in a time when basic principles like cruelty is wrong, cheating is empty & the idea that curiosity, generosity, originality, the satisfaction of earned accomplishments & loving intimacy are the center of a good life feel like countercultural concepts

Ok, so more on this soon. I promise. #LGM

Last week, I was one of the many people laid off by the Daily Dot. I started in 2022 as a freelance writer, and was ecstatic when I made News Editor shortly after. I’ll miss writing my weekly column on Gen Zalpha brainrot. That being said, I’m open to any writing opportunities!

Consider me biased, but I saw every day the hard work that Andrew did at the Daily Dot. He worked tirelessly for his readers and was always looking for ways to engage them, build trust, and provide value via the "newspaper of the internet." He is such a smart, sharp, and tireless editor/journalist.

people will make fun of ancient civilization for consulting oracles and cutting up livers to tell the future and then type “what is the meaning of life?” into ChatGPT

Andrew is seriously one of the most talented people in the game (and built newsletters that i actually wanted to read!) on top of being an amazing reporter. Let their loss be your gain.

David is one of the best editors (and people) I've ever worked with—seriously, hire him before someone else does. One of the best.

I was unfortunately let go by the Daily Dot this week after eight years and, by my quick count, editing over 13,000 stories. People always talk about small sites that "punch above their weight," but no one did it with as small a team and as few resources as we did.

Was one of many let go by the Dot. Got to break a ton of great stories there: the exposure of the US No Fly list, gaining early access to Truth Social & registering an account as Trump, & countless others on hacks, leaks, & misinfo. Looking for a new gig, so don't hesitate to reach out.

I was among the many great people let go by the Daily Dot yesterday. Sad about it, obviously. One of the Dot's best characteristics was punching above its weight. I did that by single-handedly building a newsletter that was a total mess into one with an engaged, passionate audience. Will miss it.

The Daily Dot—a site that helped define the internet era and was a launch pad for me and a ton of your favorite journalists like @marisakabas.bsky.social, @ericgeller.bsky.social, @asankin.bsky.social, @kevincollier.bsky.social, @williamturton.bsky.social, @kateconger.com & more—has been gutted. RIP

I wrote about this a bit in my last book but it really shakes me that a defining feature of this catastrophic era is that we just keep going to work. We work through pandemics, we work through natural disasters, we work through economic calamity, we work through coups, we work, we work, we work.

We’re gunna need to get someone into that writers room with Mike White cause…yiiiikes.

I need a season of The Pitt every single year until I die, okay?!

How much Elon Musk makes from the government a day: $8 million. How much a senior on Social Security gets a day: $65 Guess which budget Musk and Trump want to cut?

Jersey.

Sorry I'm just in a really bad place right now (United States)

Tired: DEI Hire Wired: DUI Hire

I don't know who needs to know this, but Pro Publica has an online thing that will format a letter to your US health insurance company to demand the records behind a claim denial. (which the insurance is then legally required to provide in most cases) projects.propublica.org/claimfile/

It’s not a coincidence that all the things the authoritarians hate — education, public parks, libraries, disability care, actual freedom of speech — are exactly the things that help all of us, marginalized or otherwise, to thrive. The right need people to be suffering or else nobody needs them.

I know everyone is talking about Matt Gaetz but please don't miss this: Georgia fired every single person on its maternal mortality review committee. Why? They didn't like that reporters found out that the state's ban killed two women www.propublica.org/article/geor...

This “Now and Then” reunion is so important to me

There's been a rash in people objecting to books about Palestine in our bookstore, so I put up a sign.

Imma need some of you to think about thriving out of spite. I had big plans for 2025 and I’m definitely not gonna pre-derail them for likes of Elin and Tromp. I’m getting more involved. Loving harder. Writing hornier. Having more fun. I’m gonna be so kind to my neighbors, bitch.

New: Conspiracy theorists are trying to make Bluesky the next Pizzagate. www.dailydot.com/debug/conspi...

Currently reading: Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr. And now I need to read alllll of the books (fiction and nonfiction) about art heists, forgeries, etc.

Librarian friends (and supporters). I know right now is tough, especially for us because our field is under threat. This first week was important to just rest and process. Now, it's time to continue protecting everything we can. Linking digital archiving and library related efforts below! 📚📜

Hi! 👋 This newsletter—which will look back at MLB players who *almost* became members of the New York Mets is ~coming soon~ but if you want to subscribe early, you can! Just check us out here: almostametnewsletter.substack.com/about

okay folks it's that time: I'm putting together the 2025 horror list in earnest. If you're an author/agent/editor/marketer etc with a scary book coming out next year, please tell me about it here: forms.gle/BBYwJCtziLkR... (it used to be a lot easier to source this on twitter, pls share!)

I guess we’re all back here now 🫠

I really need the girlies to stop tap-tap-tapping every bottle they touch. Some of us have misophonia.

I don’t know about you but I’m feeling 32 💁🏻‍♀️

It’s soup season when I say it’s soup season okayyyy (it’s officially soup season)

Having to work during rain/thunder storms is truly a nightmare. We should all be able to get cozy and read all day instead 🥺