No, the Phonics Decoding Advantage Does Not Persist For the Most Disadvantaged Readers
you can turn a lie into a meme, but it’s still a lie
Culture
Freddie deBoer.
Media criticism, politics, and social commentary.
Recent essays
30 of 91The Base of the Democratic Party is White Women, Obviously
I don’t know why we would feel the need to pretend that that’s not the case
The New York Times Engages in Some Extremely Weak Halloween Scaremongering
... why? why? why?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Begins Her Sista Souljah Tour
you might say it’s necessary, you might say it’s good, but it was always inevitable
“You Can See Everything” is Critic Bait of the Most Sophisticated Variety
it’s a fun, interesting diversion being wildly overpraised by the class of people it was made to pander to
Pub Week: Fucked Up People Are Fucked Up
idealizing the mentally ill is a way to erase them
Four Direct, Reasonable, and Important AI Questions (Which the AI People Will Ignore)
an AItheist’s lament
Neuromancer, Chapters 23-24: The Convergence of the Twain
Till the Spinner of the Years
How Do You Reckon?
Last week on Substack Notes I discussed how odd the New York Times’s approach to the Cornell rape scandal has been.
Neuromancer, Chapters 21-22: Neuromancer, In the Digital Flesh
We have finally met Neuromancer, officially.
Two Grandfathers
privilege, celebrity, and the end of up from below
AUDIO FIXED: Optimistic-Ish Thoughts About the Future
this video has more goddamn versions than Blade Runner
Subscriber Writing, ~September 2026
Hello folks!
Neuromancer, Chapters 19–20: Feelings Made of Zeros and Ones
Forgive me for the inexcusable delay this week….
The Politics of Fantasy and Entitlement Are Driving Everyone Insane
imperfect reality can’t win in a culture of fantasy
All In Your Head: You Be My People Power
this conversation needs to happen, this book needs to sell
The 50-Year Hangover
thirty years created expectations we haven’t met for a half-century
Call for Subscriber Writing, Septemberish 2026
It’s that time again!
No School Will Decide Najya Hannah-Jones’s Future or Fate
nothing in our educational debates will ever get better until we accept as a society that schools cannot change an individual’s nature
Neuromancer, Chapters 16-18: Bon Voyage, Armitage
Well, things are not looking good for our intrepid crew, which is not much of a crew anymore.
Sooner or Later, You’re Going to Have to Make an Actual Argument
you can’t hide on Tumblr or campus or behind a paywall forever
Neuromancer, Chapters 13-15: Immortal No More
Last week ended with three mysterious figures, waiting for Case to get back to his hotel room.
Nobody Owns Disability
and if adult academics and activists presenting formal papers at a conference are not fair targets of good-faith criticism, who possibly could be?
Germany Proves Again that Censorship Doesn’t Work
the German far right’s rise is happening in a country that has aggressively attempted to censor the far right for 70 years
Talking FOOTBALL with Neil Paine
the only sport I care about is back
Neuromancer, Chapters 10-12: A Doll’s House
Last week our crew left Earth and took a pit stop at Zion, a Rasta colony founded by construction workers who got sick of building luxury habitats for rich people and so one day decided not to finish the job.
When a Mentally Ill Person Kills, How Much Confinement is Long Enough?
a subscriber-only excerpt from All In Your Head
We Can’t Help Hurting People by Abandoning Basic Epidemiological Rigor
it’s never been less popular, or more important, to be willing to challenge claims about medical disorders and how they’re caused
Neuromancer Book Club, Chapters 7-9: The City of Dub
This is the stretch where the novel leaves orbit, literally and figuratively.
Sorry to Bother You
I had this friend - haven’t seen him in at least fifteen years, not for any reason other than that life happens and you drift - I had this friend and he was a recovering addict.