I was on two podcasts this month, once as a host and once as a guest. Below, I also discuss Marco Rubio's push to make "radical left terrorism" a thing. The field notes section this week also contains some good pieces on the insipidness of calls
Remember minimalism? In this issue, I reflect on that trend in tech and life. Plus, field notes on the "First Amendment Tax," the shifting relationship between AI and productivity, and the future of US power in Europe. As always, scroll to the bottom to see dogs! Thanks for
In this issue, I re-up my recent piece on Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's attendance at REINDUSTRIALIZE, share a piece on anti-tech extremist violence, and dive into the ramifications of the Democratic primary in NY-12. As always, scroll to the bottom to see dogs! Thanks for
This is a joint post with Upbeat Nonsense, a Cleveland newsletter about pop culture and politics. Is warfare the future of economic development in the Midwest? Last week, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb attended the Reindustrialize Summit in Detroit, where he was the only current public official outside the Trump administration
Remember how I had to put an editor's note in my last issue after the Trump administration backed away from its "anti-weaponization" fund for paying out J6 rioters and others afflicted with fake aggrievements? The Atlantic reports it's an idea that just won&
I've published a new working paper on "Lessons for Safer Digital Spaces," drawing on insights from online video games, written with Samantha Bradshaw for the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. Plus, thoughts on Trump's $1.77 billion anti-weaponization slush fund.
I spent most of last week at an AI and Journalism conference in Baltimore; serendipitously, my latest piece for Tech Policy Press, an interactive timeline covering the transatlantic far right, started as a Claude Code experiment. Thanks for reading Unreal Birds, a newsletter about how tech, media, and capital undermine
Thanks for reading Unreal Birds, a newsletter about how tech, media, and capital undermine democratic accountability. Forwarded this newsletter? Consider subscribing. Subscribe to Unreal Birds In this issue: * I'm helping curate a second newsletter, the Gaming and Governance Brief (don't be jealous, you can sub to
Thanks for reading Unreal Birds, a newsletter about how tech, media, and capital undermine democratic accountability. Forwarded this newsletter? Consider subscribing. Subscribe to Unreal Birds In this issue: * I have two new publications to share: an article in Information, Communication, & Society offering a retrospective on election disinformation responses in
Thanks for reading Unreal Birds, a newsletter about how tech, media, and capital undermine democratic accountability. Today's newsletter is on the shorter side; I've been travelling. More on that below. Forwarded this newsletter? Consider subscribing. Subscribe to Unreal Birds In this issue: * Reflections on a week
Thanks for reading Unreal Birds, a newsletter about how tech, media, and capital undermine democratic accountability. Forwarded this newsletter? Consider subscribing. Subscribe to Unreal Birds In this issue: * Watch my remarks to the Northeast Ohio Indivisible chapter on "Citizenship in the AI era." * Last issue, I wrote about
Thanks for reading Unreal Birds, a newsletter about how tech, media, and capital undermine democratic accountability. As usual, events have overtaken me; I prostrate myself before the march of time. We're at war with Iran—read Nate Schenkkan always, but especially here on Trump's illiberal interventionism
Thanks for reading Unreal Birds, a newsletter about how tech, media, and capital undermine democratic accountability. In this issue: * I'm continuing to report on the Trump administration's shenanigans toward Europe, and I have a few forthcoming pieces on democracy, civic engagement, and pluralism. * Is the left
Thanks for reading Unreal Birds, a newsletter about how tech, media, and capital undermine democratic accountability. I was prepared to devote much this issue on the deployment of ICE agents to Springfield, OH, where a Haitian community waited on tenterhooks for the end of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Ultimately,
Thanks for subscribing to Unreal Birds! Extra special thanks for all the messages and other signs of support. They mean a lot. Some readers may wonder why this issue does not say more about the ongoing state terrorism in Minnesota. The truth is that the news comes too fast and
It's 2026, and I'm starting a newsletter. Why? ̶B̶e̶c̶a̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶e̶l̶s̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ Because there's more to write about than I can reasonably publish in any given week,