Digest, 12/17/2022: The Dice Was Loaded From the Start
the seventy-fifth digest post
And I bet.
This Week’s Posts
Monday, December 12th - The Twitter Files and Writing for the Maw
The horde decides.
Thursday, December 15th - How We Got to "Unhoused"
How bad progressive euphemisms spread.
Friday, December 16th - How Should We Feel About the ADHD Epidemic? (subscriber only)
They say there’s an ADHD epidemic, and some say stimulants are overprescribed. What’s the right way to think about this?
I also did another post for our rapidly-dying book club.
From the Archives
Song of the Week
Non-Garbage Online Reading
This piece on Kirsten Sinema’s Facebook Marketplace dealings has gotten shared everywhere, but the stuff that’s found is worth the price of admission.
Book Recommendation
Macroanalysis: Digital Methods & Literary History, Matthew Jockers, 2013
Digital literary analysis will always be treated as something of a gimmick, and it can definitely be used that way. Jockers himself admits as much. There’s also ways to get lots of information without getting a lot of understanding. For all of that, though, this book demonstrates ably why you’d want to use digital tools to analyze literature, and throws in a little technical detail for how to undertake such analysis and the results of some sample investigations. It’s a set of tools, and like any tools, the value depends on what you do with it. If you find yourself interested in doing this sort of thing, his technical guide using R is a great place to start.
NFL Picks of the Week
Not only did my Texans +17.5 pick hit last week, they came verrrrry close to winning outright. This week I like the New York Giants +4.5 on the road against the Washington Commanders. You never know when Taylor Heineke is going to turn back into the pumpkin, and I believe in Brian Daboll. Daniel Jones does just enough to keep it close.
Season record: 9-4-0
Comment of the Week
Has anyone mentioned the ubiquity of smartphones and the all-day use of laptops for a lot of white collar jobs in relation to the rise in adult ADHD diagnoses? I got my first smartphone when I was a junior in college and I can clearly remember a change in my reading habits within a few months of getting it. Before, I could run through chapter after chapter without stopping. After getting a smartphone I was checking that thing at every line break. We've been talking about the "attention economy" for ages now, and it seems to me that having devices on hand—all day, every day—that are nakedly trying to distract you could have some serious effects on your ability to concentrate and follow through with tasks. Obviously this isn't the only cause of ADHD, but it may be worth considering given the explosion of adult diagnoses. - McDuke
That’s it. Christmas is coming!
I hope the book club isn’t dying - I really enjoy it, and it’s bringing me to books I wouldn’t have otherwise read.
Maybe tie it closer to your regular posts? I missed a bunch of posts at the beginning of the club because I didn’t know where to find them.
I’m not sure what the alternative could be, but trying to avoid spoilers when discussing the early sections of books can be difficult. Maybe keep the structure - discussing books in chapters - but assume that everyone has finished the book from the start?
I really enjoyed the Demian book club but did not come back. I think it's just really tough to do it in the Substack model. It's really difficult to facilitate a discussion with people's Substack habits. As a friend who also subscribes here pointed out to me, it's really difficult to get involved in the book club if you have to wait until after work to post. I know I really wanted to read and think about people's comments on it, and I put a lot of thought into mine, and it meant I was completely out of sync with the way most people use Substack (where most comments are early and it dies out).
I don't think there's a way beyond that. It's easy with the regular posts because you can bang out a quick comment or joke or reply, but I'm not going to read a book club post then comment "lol, yeah, Emil is such a twerp." And it's really demoralizing to put thought into something and feel like you're sending it into the void. Unless Freddie is going to personally respond to every book club comment, I don't see a way around that. Maybe the chat feature? idk
I also don't read the Book Club posts anymore because it feels like if I'm not following along I won't get anything out of it. Maybe that's stupid? I'm not a big literary guy, I'm just a dumdum lawyer who struggles with fiction. But I really enjoy a lot of Freddie's book reviews (the Babysitter Club one is still the peak of Substack, by which I mean the entire platform) so maybe I'm just scared off because it feels like a commitment. Does anyone else feel this way?
Either way I feel guilty and if there's another book club I will try my best to get involved.