Reviewed the (great) new book by @themountaingoats.bsky.social for America

I wrote about the most thought provoking show of the year whttps://jesuitmedialab.org/pluribus-and-the-gift-of-ambiguity/e

Reviewed @rianjohnson.bsky.social ‘s new Knives Out (it’s fantastic)

This entire grift relies on convincing people that they don't know how to do the things they have always known how to do, and ironically, if it works, we will, in a very short amount of time, forget how to do all the things we have always known how to do.

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.

I keep coming back to this: Notre Dame's two losses were by a combined four points. Their most recent loss was on September 14th. Alabama lost by 21 yesterday.

There's reason to rank ND ahead (especially if, like me, you're not an "h2h is everything" person), and there's reason to rank Miami ahead. Pushing Miami ahead after neither of them played a game and only ND's résumé changed even slightly (for the better) makes me insane. bsky.app/profile/coun...

Person who actually deserves a trophy is the artist who made the FIFA peace prize trophy look like everyone in the entire world holding their head in their hands out of secondhand embarrassment

“Blah,” said Toad.

Ooof Liverpool 😔

Post a movie where you are from

America in late 2025: “Every American must unite and condemn the President's calls for our murder.”

Thoughts on Frankenstein, Pluribus, and the new @themountaingoats.bsky.social album and Quan Barry novel

Wishing a joyous 83rd birthday to the legendary Martin Scorsese!

In 2006 a high school English teacher asked students to write to a famous author & ask for advice. KURT VONNEGUT - born 103yrs ago today - was the only one to respond. His reply was a doozy.

Frankenstein review — if you want to watch Oscar Isaac be Victor Frankenstein in a really great movie…watch Ex Machina

On some level, I’m always looking for works that capture the feel of the opening of The Stand. Pluribus episode 1 delivers

ahhhh that one beautiful day when it felt like these people finally became a punchline rather than a threat, that the whole world could see these halfwits couldn't even organize a press conference let alone run a whole country then 4 years later they're back failing to run the country again

Wrote about the 🌊 and collective online joy (and why AI sucks, and why the ability to correctly interpret a story matters)

If I had a shitload of money and wished to hasten the arrival of the Kingdom of God I would simply follow the clearly labeled instructions by housing immigrants, freeing prisoners, and so forth

Great mail day, @sheaserrano.bsky.social !

In which I rank the stages of the writing process on a ten point scale

I assume we’ll figure out a way to keep playing USC, but if we don’t, glad to get the final W. Go Irish ☘️

He’s right

Shohei Ohtani is the first player with 3 homers and 10 strikeouts as a pitcher in a game Reg or post !!!

Good lord shohei

damn. hoping it at least signifies something

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

I’m leading a 4 week class in November on David Foster Wallace’s short stories through the 92nd St Y Roundtable. Join me! roundtable.org/live-courses...

Pope Leo XIV today: "Brothers and sisters, those boats which hope to catch sight of a safe port, and those eyes filled with anguish and hope seeking to reach the shore, cannot and must not find the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination!"

Wrote about seeing Zach Bryan at the Big House

Our 2026 DFW conference in Austin welcomes scholars and non-academics of all backgrounds. Our call for papers is now live: call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/09/...

An absolute icon

This is such a no-brainer that the lack of a coordinated response feels deeply damning. A Democratic leadership team that can't mobilize an instant all-hands-on-deck effort on RFK Jr. isn't a leadership team at all.

CFB Watch Grid, Week 1: Saint Origen and Cam Skattebo

Riooooooooo #lfc

I feel you, Toad.

Wrote about a couple of songs I love, and turning to music to get through dark times

the intensity of my anger at those who would criminalize the homeless — a population literally created by the greed and callousness of the ruling class — is very hard to contain. it was you who dismantled the safety net. if you don’t like the results, put it back

Michael O'Connell reflects on David Tracy and the Catholic imagination. jesuitmedialab.org/in-memoriam-...

Post someone who looks good in a hat

The @aadl.org Summer Game is the best!

If you don’t count covid victims people won’t die. If you don’t measure carbon the temperature won’t rise. If you fudge unemployment numbers the economy will soar. Our fool is building his paradise

Featuring Stephen Colbert, Thomas Merton, George Saunders, JRR Tolkien, and (of course) Ignatius of Loyola.

Wrote about @jamesmartinsj.bsky.social recent podcast with Stephen Colbert, and mystical experiences, for Ignatius Day

In memory of Ryne Sandberg - the funniest/ most memorable baseball card story of my youth:

Wrote about Diogo Jota. And Wimbledon. And dealing with awful realities

Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain Bon Iver - For Emma Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher Decemberists - Picaresque Death Cab - Transatlanticism Frightened Rabbit - Midnight Organ Flight Mountain Goats - Sunset Tree Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

“The source for your entire worldview, if they get their way, will be bots with access to the most vulnerable parts of your psyche and the capacity to influence your thinking, without you ever noticing, in directions the owners of the bots control.”

1977: why would the bartender in star wars even care if some robots with artificial intelligence came into his bar 2025: ohhh ok