This Is Just To Say

I have turned off
the AI features
that were in
the update

and which
you were probably
hoping
to monetize

Fuck you
they were stupid
so unnecessary
and so annoying

Branches of a cherry blossom tree in bloom with pink flowers. In the distance people walk on a path.

View of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden cherry blossom esplanade in bloom from an overlook. There are two rows of trees with pink flowers

Today’s #BitOfJoy: the cherry blossoms are in peak bloom at @brooklynbotanic.bsky.social

I was blessed to have @melissahung.bsky.social work with me on this book. We discussed some key changes that I believe made the book much better. If you need an editor or assistance with writing projects, you'll be very luck if Melissa is available.

I guess it’s less surprising that a shoe company that touted being sustainable & natural would pivot to AI when you remember that at one point they were the sneakers that everyone in Silicon Valley was wearing.

It’s April. It should not be store-your-chocolate-in-the-fridge-because-it’s-melting weather in NYC and yet it is.

Longtime Immigration Court Interpreter Arrested by ICE at South Texas Airport The state’s only licensed Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu legal interpreter is now languishing in a Raymondville detention center. She’s lived in America for 35 years.

Texas' only licensed Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu legal interpreter is now languishing in a Raymondville detention center. She’s lived in America for 35 years: www.texasobserver.org/immigration-...

Book cover for American Peril: The violent history of anti-Asian racism. By Scott Kurashige. The cover is blue and black with large type.

Last year I helped on a developmental edit of an ambitious book. And now it’s out in the world. Congrats, @scottkurashige.bsky.social! This history of anti-Asian racism (& how it shaped Asian American activism) is on a difficult subject, but it’s a necessary read. www.ucpress.edu/books/americ...

Book cover for American Peril: The violent history of anti-Asian racism. By Scott Kurashige. The cover is blue and black with large type.

Last year I helped on a developmental edit of an ambitious book. And now it’s out in the world. Congrats, @scottkurashige.bsky.social! This history of anti-Asian racism (& how it shaped Asian American activism) is on a difficult subject, but it’s a necessary read. www.ucpress.edu/books/americ...

Inside the Houston Diner That Never Closes Dot Coffee has served up scratch-made comfort food at all hours for almost 60 years

For @texashighways.bsky.social’s Night Issue, I wrote about Houston’s 24-hour diner with the iconic neon sign that’s been serving comfort food for nearly 60 years, Dot Coffee Shop. The April issue is on newsstands now, but you can also read this story online here:

Inside the Houston Diner That Never Closes Dot Coffee has served up scratch-made comfort food at all hours for almost 60 years

For @texashighways.bsky.social’s Night Issue, I wrote about Houston’s 24-hour diner with the iconic neon sign that’s been serving comfort food for nearly 60 years, Dot Coffee Shop. The April issue is on newsstands now, but you can also read this story online here:

Israel got away with targeting healthcare in Gaza. It's no surprise it is doing it in Lebanon too | Seema Jilani As a doctor who has worked in a conflict zone, I’ve seen spaces that were once considered sacrosanct become fair game in war. This has to end, says Seema Jilani, a paediatric physician

"Attacking a hospital is a crime, full stop. Doctors must treat patients without fear or favour. If a child is in cardiac arrest, I will not stop chest compressions to interrogate the political affiliations of her parents.” By Seema Jilani

Today is a good day to follow news outlets that have strong guardrails against Generative AI slop:

go.bsky.app/8cn1XfT

Exclusive: Chinatown nonprofit buys Empress of China building, betting culture can revive downtown S.F. A nonprofit’s purchase of this iconic San Francisco building is set to feature a new museum that would anchor a growing cultural campus in the neighborhood.

Good news for San Francisco Chinatown! Proud of the people i know involved in this, who have been working hard to keep Chinatown Chinatown against forces of displacement.

Ravenous Is a New Worker-Owned Food Culture Media Company For too long, food media has felt toothless. Help us take a bite out of it.

Today, my fellow founding worker-owners and I are launching a subscription drive to @feedravenous.bsky.social. We are a group of experienced and award-winning food journalists here to publish thoughtful writing and incisive reporting from around the food world.
www.weareravenous.com

I was so nervous & emotional watching this. (First live launch I’ve watched since Challenger.) Godspeed, astronauts.

‘It didn’t matter whose child I rescued’: parents of Iran school bombing victims describe their worst day Hours before the world learned that a US missile had hit Shajareh Tayyebeh school, parents were already searching the rubble for their sons and daughters. In this exclusive report, four families descr...

Gutting story of the US bombing of the Iranian school, told through the eyes of the parents

Even after identifying their own children's tiny, mangled bodies, many went back to the site to dig for other people's children

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Thinking of my beloved tiger queen Alice Wong today, and what better a way to celebrate than with her work; Alice was so many things, and among them was an incredibly sharp, talented writer with a luminous love for words.

Celebration of Life Welcome & Introduction On November 14, 2025, our beloved Alice Wong became an ancestor. In her own words, she told us: “Hi everyone, it looks like I ran out of time. I have so many dreams that …

I miss Alice Wong. I miss seeing her online. I’m sad I’ll never get another postcard from her. There was a beautiful celebration of her life today. Thank you to everyone who organized it and spoke.

41 years old, evacuated here legally, asylum case pending, kidnapped while driving his six children (one a US citizen) to school. Dead within 24 hours.

Betrayed and murdered by the United States government.

42nd confirmed and reported death in ICE custody under Trump.

Yes, for Pi Day!

Night in the Library | Brooklyn Public Library On Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 7 pm, Night in the Library returns with The Philosophy of Mathematics. ✨ For announcements on the night of the event please go to the BPL Presents Instagram page or to t...

Super long line (the longest line I’ve ever seen in NYC) for this math-themed late night event at @bklynlibrary.bsky.social. Line goes past the museum toward the botanical gardens. I love how much we love the library www.bklynlibrary.org/night-library

Sweet! I should

Yes! I got my start at the Houston Press & they were supportive about whatever I wanted to write about. Also the coolest job I’ve ever had

I miss the heyday of alt weeklies. They were often bolder and more enterprising than the dailies.

The McCormack Writing Center Places Artists and Community First - Electric Literature As they shed the Tin House Workshop name, Executive Director Lance Cleland discusses the values that remain at the organization's core

Attending Tin House Workshop, now @mccormackwc.bsky.social, was hugely important to my development as a writer. Love to see this interview by @alexismwright.bsky.social with director @djcampdaddy.bsky.social about the center’s next chapter.

Can Artists Help Shape American Cities Again?

In San Francisco, nonprofits are trying to make the city more affordable for artists through community land trusts. "What if they could curb gentrification by subverting the traditional rhythms of the real estate industry?” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/a...

So nice to see this interview with editor & writer @saribotton.bsky.social, who found success starting her own thing in @oldstermag.bsky.social. "It did not occur to me ever that I would be starting the best phase of my career at 60.”

A green relay mailbox with a good 15 inches (approximate) of snow piled on top, its legs are also hidden by snow. A car parked behind it also has at least a foot of snow on it.

Mailbox snow index report from Brooklyn

What really causes migraine? Our understanding of migraine is starting to shift, overturning ideas of what's a symptom and what's a trigger, and which part of the brain is key for developing effective treatments.

"This neurological condition is the second most prevalent cause of disability in the world. Yet, despite its common occurrence and debilitating effects, migraine still remains largely a mystery.”