Novel looks at the Rust Belt, composed by an American doctor
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The 12 Best Bands From San Francisco
Before the Bay Area became strip-mall-laden, Tesla-obsessed, tech-Jesus-spawning, sterile-wine-pushing, wannabe-chill-but-actually-cutthroat, and just plain overpriced, it produced some good music. Here

Usher: 10 Songs You Should Know
In the 1990s, I spent my free time listening to Nirvana and Soundgarden, occasionally taking a few minutes to update

Grammy Trivia for the Pensive Types
Unlike most Grammy trivia questions, these have no real answers. It’s just that after engaging with the 2024 edition—as in

What Is Neuralink?
What is Neuralink? Normally, I would have waited to dive into this one, as the implications for humanity seem far

2 Things You Didn’t Know About Detroit!
It’s January 2024, and yet another Rust Belt city has bitten the dust in the NFL playoffs. First, it was

Quiet? 20 Quips for the Loudmouths in Your Life
Quiet. From personal experience, I’ve learned that this tag is definitely not a compliment. In a world designed for loudmouths,

Guess the City…
As I entered city limits, I glanced up briefly. Cloudy and dank. Perfect. I bisected the Olmsted park, knowing full

10 Art Terms That Confuse the Heck out of Me
I’m obviously cool with art—music, paintings, books, and so on—being a defining feature of the human experience. It’s the terminology

Why I’m Happy the Bills Lost
Disclaimer: I’m not actually happy the Bills lost on January 21, 2024. In fact, I’m devastated. There is, however, a

Dopamine: How To Get Unhooked
We’ve always been enamored with dopamine. And now, we’re enamored with talking about it. Thankfully, I encountered the voice of

Why Lebron James Chose Syracuse
Lebron James, by text, is a very candid man. The following thread has been abridged for the sake of brevity.*

What Parenting Taught Me About the Rust Belt
I’m no parenting guru. In fact, about a decade from now, I’ll find out how I f****d it up royally.

I Hate You IKEA—but Thank You
Nostalgia, they say, comes with rose-colored glasses. But in the case of IKEA, it can also come with nausea—and not

How The Odyssey Saved Rochester, NY
You know The Odyssey—that Christopher Nolan film with Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway. And you know Rochester, NY—that rusty town

Why Spain Is Actually Playing Italy
Don’t fall for the hype about Spain playing Argentina. (Or, if you’re reading this after July 19, 2026, I hope

Confessions of a Rust Belt Addict
The Rust Belt addict, mercifully, is not always found with a needle in his arm. The addicted, I’ve learned, get

How Being a Writer Ruined the World Cup
Being a writer, as you must know by now, is a dream. By that, I mean it’s a nightmare, something

Thank You, European, for Being So Damn Smart
Dear European, I know you’re smarter than me. How do I know? Because you tell me. Anyway, I’ve come across

These World Cup Population Numbers Will Blow Your Mind
World Cup population numbers are for the worldly—and the weirdly obsessive. Without formally committing to either category, I’ve created this
I’m Officially an Idiot
On June 26, 2026, it became official—I’m an idiot. I’d like to thank my fellow human beings—without you, I would


