Nov 18, 2022Post-Twitter, Creating New Tech Tools for Advocacy and ActivismI’ve been a very heavy Twitter reader, burying myself in the text, but I was reluctant to sign up in 2009 because it posed a distraction from building new, free web tools, and raising dough to do that. People did amazingly substantive work in tweets—but whatever happens to the platform…Social Media3 min readSocial Media3 min read
Dec 24, 2021New Traction for Blockchain-Backed CooperativesPeople are grappling with blockchains, cryptocurrencies, and their efficacy in moving toward a more decentralized web. The mood in my corners of online has grown increasingly hostile to these tech tools! …Blockchain16 min readBlockchain16 min read
Mar 7, 2021Percentage Change vs. Percentage Points in COVID Mask DataLast night on Twitter, I noticed that people were sharing this March 5 CDC report, portraying it incorrectly as evidence that masks were not effective. Many people sharing the link said that it showed that masks “lowered cases by 1.5%,” suggesting that is not very much. …Covid-193 min readCovid-193 min read
Oct 18, 2020A Progressive Governing Agenda in 2021? Progressives Had One in 2009.A new essay makes the case that given Republicans’ inextricable commitment to “bad faith” politics, Democrats should proceed apace with reforms that allow them to govern responsibly. But what year is this? Many of the same arguments were raised by progressives during the first months of the Obama administration, and…Politics8 min readPolitics8 min read
Aug 30, 2020The Impediments of Jason Kidd and Nancy PelosiThis past week, the country tumbled further into fascism, argued Joshua Shanes, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at the College of Charleston, as the Republican party completely bowed to violent authoritarianism, driven by the right wing. Previously, a Twitter writer had posted an observation that I think is true. A…Politics4 min readPolitics4 min read
Feb 11, 2020Political Campaigns Are Basically Insane EnterprisesThe combination of today’s NH primary, on which I worked way back in 2003, and last night’s concert by The Strokes reminded me to liberate these old notes. In early October, I was interviewed by a political podcast about our investigative journalism at Sludge, and the conversation reminded me of…Democracy5 min readDemocracy5 min read
Jan 15, 2020Financing Medicare for AllHere’s how Congress can budget for single-payer Medicare for All. Under M4A, as in Canada, the following comprehensive healthcare would continue to be privately-provided, but would be free of charge: hospital visits, primary care, medical devices, lab services, maternity care, prescription drugs, as well as vision and dental benefits. Supplemental…Politics3 min readPolitics3 min read
Jan 5, 2020Climate Research and Green New Deal Resources for 2020Last night, in response to our latest Sludge report on millions of dollars in fossil fuel industry investments held by members of Congress while lawmakers delay on climate policy, a middle-aged tax professional in New Jersey posted the following public comment on our Facebook page: The US has reduced its…Climate Change8 min readClimate Change8 min read
Jan 27, 2019Network Effects For Sustainable News StartupsSign up for our free email list for updates from Sludge, on money in politics. After the latest terrible rounds of media industry layoffs this past week, there was plenty of Twitter chatter about models for digital news sustainability. See: Chris Hayes, Rep. …Blockchain13 min readBlockchain13 min read
Oct 12, 2018How Sludge can localize our investigative journalism with Prog Code NetworkIn August, I was fortunate to be video interviewed by Pamela of Progressive Coders Network about our new investigative journalism website, Sludge. Sludge’s focus is on money in politics, dark money in elections, and the shadowy influence of special interests and corporate lobbyists over policy making–topics of hopeful interest to…Blockchain3 min readBlockchain3 min read
