classic Age of Enlightenment bit

January 29, 2026 at 1:31 AM Dan McQuade passed away on his birthday which is exactly the kind of fact that I would learn about someone else from Dan McQuade. Because Dan may have known more things than anyone I've ever met. His love for Philadelphia was one of his most famous traits but I used to plumb the depths of it. Years ago, before he met his wife Jan, I would take the bus down to visit him and we would just walk. For a long time. And every so often I'd say "Tell me something that happened on this block" and he'd say "This one? I don't think anything happened here." Then after about 8 seconds he'd exclaim "Oh wait!" with his index finger in the air like a little kid and tell me one of the craziest fucking things I'd ever heard.

Some thoughts on one of the best friends I ever had.

Sixers hold a moment of silence for Dan McQuade.

Dan McQuade, 1983–2026 | Defector Dan McQuade, our friend and colleague, died this week at the age of 43. He is survived by his wife and young son. At the end of 2024, Dan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. The news of his diag...

Rest in peace to one of the great bloggers and the de facto mayor of Philadelphia. It was my honor and pleasure to work with him. defector.com/dan-mcquade-...

Dr Kareem Carr man: i wish to publish @kareem_carr Jan 21 reviewer 2: your paper is no good man: i'll do anything to improve reviewer 2: it's simple. you must read the work of the great scientist Pagliarini man: *bursts into tears* but i am Pagliarini Andre Pagliarini @apagliar Jan 21 a first: in rejecting an article I submitted to a journal, reviewer 2 noted I failed to engage the work of one Andre Pagliarini Jan 21, 2026 • 3:47 PM UTC

I just thought everyone should see this

The man's name is Bean Beanland

You're not ready for the name of the energy transition specialist at Heat Pump Association UK

Justice Dept. Drops Claim That Venezuela’s ‘Cartel de los Soles’ Is an Actual Group

Justice Dept. Drops Claim That Venezuela’s ‘Cartel de los Soles’ Is an Actual Group

Last year, before capturing Maduro, the Trump administration designated a Venezuelan slang term for drug corruption in the military as a terrorist organization and said he led it.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/u...

Henry James’s The Turn of the Liberty-Insured Manor Casement Window Screw

If I had known the two paragraphs about genAI in my article today would be so controversial, I would have expanded them a bit! Here's a rough transcript of the relevant portion of my interview with Swen Vincke, so everyone has all the context. (Full article here: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...)

‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Maker Promises ‘Divinity’ Will Be ‘Next Level’ ‘I think this one is going to be way better’ than ‘Baldur’s Gate 3,’ Larian CEO Vincke says

NEW: I spoke to Larian boss Swen Vincke about their ambitions for their new RPG Divinity, cutting down development time, pressures from Baldur's Gate 3, why BG3 wouldn't have happened without Tencent, how Larian uses generative AI, and much more www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

The Mystery Lady in the Governor’s Palace? Maybe a Ghost, He Says

Mexican governor explains his theory that a mystery woman seen in a government palace was the ghost of the 19th century empress Carlota www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/w...

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD ***************** Investigation of: LOSS OF THE SUBMARINE TITAN IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN ON JUNE 18, 2023 * * * * * * Accident No.: *********** * * * * * * Interview of: Co-designer/Pilot Deepsea Challenger DCA23FM036 via Microsoft Teams Friday, July 26, 2024

INTERVIEW OF 10 BY LCDR 11 Q. So how did you get yourself started into submersible 12 operations? 13 A. Well, I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic. When I 14 set down the path to make that film, the first thing that I did 15 was arrange to be introduced to the head of the submersible 16 program at the P.P. Shirshov Institute in Moscow, a guy named 17| Professor I. I did that through a mutual friend 18 of ours, a guy named , who is one of the preeminent underwater cinematographers in the world. And had been on a 20 submersible expedition out to Titanic the previous year with the 21 Russians. And that was organized by a Canadian company that was 22 doing an IMAX film which was released under the title Titanica.

Learned that an anonymous outside expert on submersibles did an interview with the OceanGate Titan investigation, and they released a transcript, with all the names redacted. The first line of his first answer? "I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic."

I hope this ends up with Larian owning the Ultima IP

Defector Reads A Book Is Deciding If This Is The Funniest Novel Ever Written | Defector The last few times Defector staffers have gathered to read a book, we’ve chosen sports novels. Namely, baseball and cycling. Well, we’re continuing that trend with the sport of chasing down your wife,...

this is a great excuse to read this perfect book if you somehow have not defector.com/drab-charles...

Maya Ruler’s Tomb Is Unearthed in Belize, With Clues to His Ancient World

Diane and Arlen Chase have been working at Caracol, the largest Maya site in Belize for 40 years. They'd never found the tomb of a ruler until now, and he was the founder of a dynasty www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/w...

More on the nineteenth-century runic carving from northern Ontario. A great example of the reception history of runes. #runology

A Runestone That May Be North America’s Oldest Turns Up in a Canada Forest

rune news www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/w...

Supreme Court Candidates Try TikTok and Tinder in Mexico’s Elections

in the United States, people who want to be Supreme Court justices have to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate

in Mexico, people who want to be on the Supreme Court are now trying to get attention doing dances on TikTok and swiping on Tinder www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/w...

Cargo Ship Crashed Into Man’s Yard After Crewman Fell Asleep, Police Say

"Johan Helberg woke up on Thursday morning to find his backyard view of a Norwegian fjord transformed into the side of a giant ship." www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/w...

Cargo Ship Crashes Into Norway Man’s Backyard

Cargo Ship Crashes Into Norway Man’s Backyard www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/w...

Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon: 9781594206108 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books The new novel from Thomas Pynchon Milwaukee 1932, the Great Depression going full blast, repeal of Prohibition just around the corner, Al Capone in the federal pen, the private investigation busines...

In six months we will have so many new dumb songs www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316427...

They Work All Day and Go Home to Shelters

There is perhaps no more visceral symbol of the hollowing out of NYC’s middle class than the emergence of the employment shelter: facilities that cater to people who work jobs, many full-time, that in a different city or a different economy would not make them rich but would not leave them homeless.

Medieval Tales of Merlin and Arthur, Hidden for Centuries, Return to Light (Gift Article) Cambridge University researchers found a manuscript with rare Arthurian tales bound into a ledger more than 400 years old and used advanced technology to reveal its contents.

Got a wizard into a headline www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/w...

MFA grads writing moody, barely veiled novellas about unexpected infidelities and deranged rivalries blossoming out of life in the abandoned mine, Patterson collecting the drafts of the fallen to assemble into said co-authored thriller

lmao never change Philly

My little brother just sent this video….

Move Closer To Your World, /r/Philadelphia [5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY] YouTube video by cazzhmirTV

P H I L A D E L P H I A www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozZT...

Move Closer To Your World, /r/Philadelphia [5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY] YouTube video by cazzhmirTV

P H I L A D E L P H I A www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozZT...

Inner excellence!!!!

down with the sentient State Farm commercial