What I'm reading this month

All publications are being read online. No longer receiving any physical papers or magazines. 

In my primary email inbox every morning are newsletters from the NY Times, Quartz (business), Wired magazine, the Houston Chronicle, and the Houston Business Journal. No evening updates. 

The newsletters listed below go to a different email box, or I'd never be able to find my personal emails. My newsletter reading app of preference is MECO. I pay for it, but I don't think you have to. 

TANGLE

• As mentioned on Friday morning
• 360-degree non-partisan view of politics
• Can be very long-winded. I usually scroll down to "My Take"
• About Us page: https://www.readtangle.com/about/

1440 Daily Briefing

• I've read and rejected many daily news digests, including those from Reuters and NPR
• 1440 covers "The most impactful stories of the day, distilled to deepen your understanding of the world and save you time. By humans, for humans."
• For ONCE, someone is following the news writing pyramid... 

SEMAFOR  

• I read their Principals newsletter... "what the White House is reading"
• Excellent editing and organization

MARGINAL REVOLUTION  

• I don't agree with Tyler Cowen very much, but I admire his perceptiveness
• Tyler reads very widely and rapidly so scanning his posts is a good way to find other resources
• I can't read every post, but I receive them all in my email, deleting some without a glance
• He interviews really interesting people
• Some of his best posts/podcasts are about literature. His posts on economics are usually way over my head.
• I have less interest in his blogging partner, Alex Tabarrok

CHARTR from Sherwood Media

• Data-driven insights where you look at the chart first, then read the story
• I always look at the chart but seldom read the story
• Their web site is chaotic. The Chartr newsletter is easy to read. 

THE HILL 12:30 Report

• Fun to read gossip and news from Washington, DC
• Focuses on observations, not analysis
• As close as we can probably get to a comprehensive insider's view 
• I'll probably stop reading this if Cate Martel stops writing it

TEN ACROSS

• I only read the headlines, but I should read more
• Focusing on the U.S. I-10 corridor (from Florida to California), its landscape, governance, risks, resources... 
• Avoid if the progressive quagmire annoys you, but sign up for natural resource and government news not reported in the general media

MUCK RACK DAILY

• By journalists, for journalists, full of gossip and in-jokes
• A good way to find details not in my primary sources
• If you can wade through it, it often compares coverage between publications
• As I frequently mention, my father was a journalist. He would have loved this. 

THE BLEND from The Spectator World

• Light-hearted blurbs about U.S. politics and culture from British conservatives. 
• As much conservatism as I can take on a daily basis. 

404 MEDIA 

• The hidden worlds of technology. How to be rationally afraid. 
• Just realized the web site is better than the newsletter. I may switch to their RSS feed. 

THE BROWSER

• My happy place: cultural finds, elegantly summarized. 
• For free, they send you two links a day. I couldn't afford more time, much less money. 

More to come. 

 

 

 

Getting better stuff when you microwave

How to enjoy a microwave oven... 

Wirecutter: 7 Things Our Microwave Expert Does to Instantly Improve the Performance of Any Microwave, 2024-Nov-18 by Rachel Wharton

I have to admit that most of what I learned came not so much from my hands-on testing, but from learning how microwaves work. Like many people, I had thought microwaves cook from the inside out, by heating up the water in foods. That’s not true. ...

The second thing I learned is that despite engineering tricks designed to move microwaves around the interior of these machines (and a spinning carousel), all microwaves struggle to heat foods evenly.

Summary:

1. Cut food into even pieces
2. Spread food out
3. Use a cover (including just paper or paper towels which are NOT recycled--recycled paper can include metallic threads)
4. Separate different food items
5. Higher power is faster but seldom better, although heating homogenous liquids and cooking pasta FAST is okay
6. Stir, flip, or move your food
7. Let it rest for about a minute

Progress is not glamorous

Works in Progress: The World of Tomorrow, 24-Dec-5 by Virginia Postrel

For progress to be appealing, it must offer room for diverse pursuits and identities, permitting communities with different commitments and values to enjoy a landscape of pluralism without devolving into mutually hostile tribes. The ideal of the one best way passed long ago. It was glamorous in its day but glamour is an illusion.

The Best Gifts

RobinSloan.com: 2024 Gift Guide https://www.robinsloan.com/newsletters/2024-gift-guide/ 

 

Consumable gifts are the best gifts, because they do the most graceful thing of all: they disappear, thus rescuing gift-giving from its terminal katamari ball state.

Houston high-rise apartment at 2016 Main Street

I'm devoted to reframing Houston as a great place for urban living. In every city, different residents have different views of their city. So I'm here today to promote my view. 

You can read about the apartment my friend Kaye and her husband are putting on the market. It will help you see what's possible. Amazingly, this building, 2016 Main, was built in 1964. It sits on the edge of downtown, technically in Midtown. 

Whatever your lifestyle, you can find a compatible place in Houston, if you accept our diversity and sprawl. Here are some insightful articles on the sprawl from William Fulton, Dug Begley, and Benjamin Schneider. 

I hope all this helps you build an empowered understanding of what's possible in Houston. 

Get the flyer and its links: Download 2016-Main-Apartment--722-for-sale