Money
Leaked Amazon memo warns that Amazon may run out of people to hire because of its crappy working conditions. Score one for the libertarians, I guess!
To what extent is crypto basically just MLMs for men? (A lot.) MLMs have always interested me because they’re sort of the stripped-down NASCAR racecar of ideological abuse. Most ideologically abusive communities have all sorts of quirks related to their leaders’ idiosyncratic beliefs, pet peeves, and emotional needs. MLMs are sleek and trim, with no excess beyond what is needed to separate the victim from their money. Crypto might be an interesting comparison case of the same dynamic. Also interesting: the role of inspirational/self-help media in both crypto and MLM communities.
Media Reviews
Max Gladstone on The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, with particular attention to Heinlein’s writing choices. A lot of the mythology about it is quite wrong: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress has relatively weak science, prose that calls attention to itself, a surprisingly passive protagonist, and a remarkable focus on character relationships. You could probably do a great paper on how a book’s role in intergenre slapfights bears almost no resemblance to what it’s actually doing as a text.
I’ve found castrati fascinating since I was a middle schooler reading Anne Rice’s Cry to Heaven, and so I liked this book review/summary of a book about castrati. The liminality of castrati intrigues me: on the borderline between men and women, simultaneously celebrities and outcasts, disapproved of by the church even as they sang religious music.
I’ve been getting into Thai dramas lately and I recommend Manner of Death (available subtitled on WeTV) to everyone who would like to see beautiful men make out with and then point guns at each other. To my American eye, Thai dramas come off as remarkably unprofessional: I’d never realized that there was such a thing as being bad at music cues. But they sure do avert everyone is beautiful and no one is horny. Manner of Death is profoundly, gleefully, enthusiastically horny and I enjoyed the heck out of it.
Social Justice
Friend of the blog Toggle has an excellent essay of comfort, advice, and inspiration for anyone who is struggling with the loss of Roe vs. Wade.
The Intercept reports on dysfunctional dynamics in leftist non-governmental organizations. NGOs are getting caught up in internal strife around issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is making them less capable of advocating for actual improvement. People are focusing on reforming their own workplaces, instead of prioritizing larger goals, to the detriment of leftist organizing. A good piece on some dynamics I have heard my friends talking about privately.
Fun
Try reading this paper out loud.
Just before there was crypto and maybe still, there were "gurus"-- men who gave "investment advice" which was basically teasers for buying more "investment advice". I don't think MLM structures were typical-- instead there would be one guy getting the money, but It was interesting how gendered scam cultures were.
Coffeezilla has podcast a lot about both gurus and crypto.
Somtow Sucharitkul is a Thai composer and author and you might would to look his work up.