Today, in Yeah, No Shit:

Thinking about how this NFL season is the first time in something like three decades where I'm not doing fantasy football. First learned from my grandpa way back in 1994. And, frankly, I do not miss it at all.

dudes rock

So the bullshit machine will never stop producing bullshit. Got it. As if that wasn't glaringly obvious from the "this bullshit machine will get things wrong" disclaimer.

Played in the APA summer tri-annuals this afternoon and lost, which stings a bit. Team was one and done in the tournament after a close loss, too, which also stings. But damn, man; now I've had a taste of success on the pool table, and I want more.

Well, I now live on the east coast and haven't regularly written about Mountain West football in over two years. Barely watch football at all these days, honestly. But that's about the only major difference.

Infinite #10 in Marvel Snap. Had fun figuring out this spin on hand creation.

They try to warn you, when you're a kid, that there's never enough time to do all of the things you want to do in adulthood. Suppose that's part of what makes this current crisis so immediately disarming; finding ways to get collectively engaged is like turning an aircraft carrier or something.

I read this headline to my wife just now, and she replied, "I would never use ChatGPT to attack you. I would simply attack you myself." Love that woman.

I wrote about the experience of government of, by, and for people who have been driven insane by screens. (This is a gift link, please Consider Defector if you are interested in subscribing to a website) defector.com/the-united-s...

The Enoch Pratt Library system is one of the best things about Baltimore, in my opinion.

I wrote about the leveling and deranging effects of the Trumpist snitchscape, and the awful content creation imperatives governing this awful moment. defector.com/the-united-s...

Oh, you need a "tank" in which to "think" of ways to "improve" our lives, huh? Have you considered pondering the infinite possibilities of our shared existence out in the wilderness, under the open sky, instead?

If the pedagogy adds up to anything other than "this stuff is not magic; it is, in fact, an inconsistent business product", then it's not worth doing.

Reading @stephenking.bsky.social's "The Dead Zone" this morning. This exchange seems prescient.

I dont think it'll ever stop being at least a little funny being the only obvious 49ers fan in most public spaces, within a sea of purple and black on Ravens gamedays here in Baltimore.

Out at the Baltimore Book Festival this afternoon because of *course* I'm going to add to my impossibly long reading list. My shelves aren't gonna fill themselves. West Coast IPA at Peabody Heights, to-go four-pack of the Meadworks' pumpkin mead. A touch warm, but the vibes are otherwise immaculate.

every time you’re about to make a half-formed argument online, ask yourself: is there a chore I should be doing instead

For the Baltimore Bluesky folks: If you like the idea of volunteering a couple hours of your time for seven (7) free beers, then Trash Free Maryland has the event for you.

The Bridge

I think about this quote from Fanny Jackson Coppin a lot these days.

Lowering the flags on 9/11 at the Guantanamo Bay McDonald's for Charlie Kirk is the most dril tweet thing that's ever happened

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Confirmed: Paul Skenes is good.

Nothing but respect to the gentleman I just saw here at Camden Yards wearing a short-sleeved button-up plastered with Paul Skenes's face.

Fresno State men's basketball has been mostly miserable for like 20 years, and this certainly doesn't help!

I fuck up my signature in little ways all the time, and I'm pretty sure most people are like that. On that basis, I'm about as persuaded as anyone can be that it is definitely Donald Trump's signature in that wildly creepy Epstein book. Defenses like this just feel like running interference.

I'm harnessing the unprecedented power of AI to forget how to read and develop a severe mental illness that makes me unrecognizable to those who once knew me.

I wrote about what I think is a genuinely revealing document of elite depravity and impunity. It is shocking and sickening. But it's also a crucial moment. We're about to see what happens when conspiracy theorists actually get what they asked for but it turns out not to be what they want.

Taking a bus to Camden Yards tomorrow night. Gonna watch Paul Skenes in person. Pretty good seats, too, and cheap. Baltimore rocks. Love that I can do this kind of thing.

Visiting the Maryland Renaissance Festival for the first time, and it's pretty much worth the price of admission for the vibe alone. The only caveat is that there are a gazillion bees; you'd think the Friends of Red Jenny put this event together out here today.

LOWEST POSTGAME WIN EXPECTANCY IN A WIN, WEEK 2: Mich St > BC 24.6% Fresno > Ore St 28.8% Army > K-State 29.8% Bryant > UMass 43.8% NMSU > Tulsa 43.8% TXST > UTSA 44.9% Baylor > SMU 49.3% USF > Florida 53.9% LOTS of tossup games this week. Full list: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Hell yeah, Maryland.

Fuck your feelings, but Donald Trump must be cooed at and have his hair and chin gently stroked like a delicate child during everyone's waking hours.

See, it's times like these that make me think we should all just ignore Nate Silver permanently rather than continually bring him up like he matters and find more things to do like post about college football. Like, mass ignore of mentions of his name. Not our concern anymore; game's on.

Ok, ever take a moment and watch this.

Fresno State just had the wildest punt return touchdown that I've ever seen... because Oregon State's punter fumbled the snap and kicked the ball straight off of a bounce, directly to a Bulldog?

E.J. Warner, woof.

Wait, what the

You ever think about how many conservatives have concluded that awareness of our shared problems is a bad thing? Or that awareness, in general, is a bad thing?

Frankly, it's embarrassing to espouse white nationalism here in 2025. Everyone's more aware of everyone else than ever before! Nearly everyone in the world can go online, and 90% of folks will conclude you're just like the racist shitheads who've preceded you for the last 500 years!

Oh, so we're already doing Mountainhead, huh?

So very neat to be scrolling through the 2025 @pw.org Guide to MFA Programs and see us! Come write with Venita Blackburn, @stevenchurch.bsky.social, Ra Jarrar, Brynn Saito, Mai Der Vang, & myself at Fresno State, and work on The Normal School! I’m so proud to work where I do ✍🏽

[To the tune of blink-182's "Dammit"] The old world is dying The new world is struggling It's struggling to be born Now is the time of monsters

The good news keeps the Baltimore haters shaken. More work to be done, but if you aren't here trying to do it, say what you want, but we'll keep making good things happen.

happy labor day

I remember looking into this dude when he transferred to Fresno State and thinking "oh, this guy is gonna be good". You love to see it.

Today we secured a major victory for public service programs and the Marylanders who rely on them. The federal government will now release over $184 million in AmeriCorps funding – across the nation - that supports volunteers who tutor students, deliver food to families, and care for state parks.

Damn it, that's good marketing.