First Derivative [71] newsletter
first Derivative [71]
July 21, 2019
Back after a bit of a hiatus. Some news, my longtime friend Arthur is joining the team so we can grow fD and publish more regularly. As we figure out how to improve the newsletter and try new things, your feedback is always welcome. Of the things I've seen recently, I strongly recommend checking out Fleabag (Amazon Prime). Movie-wise, The Farewell is in theaters now and very much worth seeing. —tk
Phase one of my hostile takeover of fD is complete. In the meantime, I'm excited to work with Ted. I just finished rereading Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, a fittingly apocalyptic novel for summer 2019. For more violence and toxic masculinity, with humor, you can see The Art of Self-Defense in theaters. I'm currently buried and behind this summer's peak TV, but eagerly anticipating season 2 of HBO's Succession. —ai
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The Secret Oral History of Bennington: The 1980's Most Decadent College
by Lili Anolik (Esquire)
A delight to read—tk
^unless it's 1:30am and you want to go to bed but can't because you're inhaling this oral history like line after line of 80s literary cocaine. —ai
On Self-Respect
by Joan Didion (Vogue)
Sometimes a piece of writing connects with you at the right moment, like a slap in the face you didn't know you needed.—ai
If God is Dead, Your Time is Everything
by James Wood (NYer)
If the headline and byline can't convince you to read this, nothing I can say will. But hey, it's your time.—ai
The World as He Saw It | V.S. Naipaul: 1932-2018
by Park MacDougald (The Point Mag)
Ghost World
by Darren Byler (Logic)
Good read on the surveillance technologies being developed and applied to the Uyghur population in China.—tk
Hypersonic Missiles Are Unstoppable. And They're Starting a New Global Arms Race
by R. Jeffrey Smith (NYT)
The More You Watch, The More You Vote Populist
by Yascha Mounk (The Atlantic)
A fascinating study and a textbook example of how to report on social scientific research.—ai
Reversing the One-Child Policy Isn't As Easy As Just Ending It
by Jillian Goodman (Bloomberg)
A Battle in Fallujah, Revisited
by Elliot Ackerman (NYT)
The Stories We Tell, and Don't Tell, About Asian-American Lives
by Hua Hsu (NYer)
Good companion piece in NYT Modern Love.—tk
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ABOUT fD
fD is a newsletter on what I think matters. I highlight signals, insights, and deep trends in ideas, technology, politics, economics, foreign affairs, culture, philosophy, and more. My goal is to give you content that will still matter beyond the present moment.
I hope you enjoy. Ask me anything here or just respond to this email—tk