I participated in New York magazine’s list of new etiquette rules, on newsstands now or available here. I’m number 41. The list in general and my advice have given people lots of feelings, but the core of my point is that it’s better to cultivate feeling affection for others than to be impressed by them, which I think is sound advice. If I wrote it a little more provocatively than that, it’s only because I understood the assignment; I found the communal reaction to the list quite weird, as it amounted to a lot of people pretending not to know what business they're in.
This Week’s Posts
Monday, February 6th - It’s So Sad When Old People Romanticize Their Heydays, Also the 90s Were Objectively the Best Time to Be Alive
A bit of nostalgia that knows that it’s nostalgia that also thinks the time period it’s nostalgizing genuinely was better in many ways.
Tuesday, February 7th - The Ray Allen Story
A true story.
Wednesday, February 8th - Pitchfork and the Death of Things as Themselves
Glass houses, throwing stones, etc.
Friday, February 10th - These Deranged Rich Ladies Are Convenient for Explaining Why We're Leaving New York (subscriber only)
On self-inflicted misery and the projection of that resentment outward.
From the Archives
Song of the Week
Non-Garbage Online Reading
There’s been a bunch of pieces about digital nomads in Mexico City, but this is one of the best of them.
Book Recommendation
As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age, Matthew Cobb, 2022
This book does what it says on the tin: while you’ll learn a lot about genetic engineering, this book is primarily about the ethics and standards that surround genetic engineering. It’s a deep topic, one with a lot of avenues, and as Cobb points out repeatedly one that has some very serious real-world consequences - even if you think the Covid lab-leak theory is total bunk (I don’t), the dangers posed by gain-of-function research are very real. And even outside of the potential for genetically-modified diseases, the many potential applications of CRISPR have a lot of spooky ethical complications. What’s frustrating about the book is that, again and again, scientists recognize the potential for things to go very wrong, and then fail to do anything, holding panel after panel but never developing enforceable policy. This book gave me a lot to think about.
NFL Picks of the Week
I’m apparently dumb enough to pick against Patrick Mahomes two games in a row. I just like the Philadelphia Eagles -1.5 tomorrow. Their play in the trenches has been truly exceptional all season long; at times they bullied the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game, and the Niners may have enjoyed the second-best line play in the whole league. It’s also very possible that, had Jalen Hurts not injured his shoulder, the Eagles would have gone 16-1 and entered the playoffs rightfully viewed as a juggernaut. I do wonder what happens if they get behind early, but Philadelphia’s offensive weapons are no joke either. Kansas City can beat anyone with Mahomes magic, but I’m taking the Eagles. May god have mercy on my soul.
Season Record: 11-8-0
Comment of the Week
I always frame this feeling as “I miss when the internet was a place we visited, not a place we inhabited.” - Eric Murphy
That’s it! See you soon.
That NY Mag rule is great advice and great writing.
Excellent song of the week choice