In 1793, Parliament sent Lord George Macartney to meet the Qing Emperor. The British were frustrated with the trade restrictions the Chinese held them to and sought to open up the nation. Macartney, believing that… “The Man Who Loved China” Review, Winchester on Joseph Needham
American Topics I Talked About With My Tutor Ke$ha’s new song. Who the Beatles are. Why Lil Wayne thought he was a Martian. How Kanye made pink polos cool but pink on men is passé nowadays. Why… July, 14, 2017: The Chinese as Children
Hey everyone! I’ll start these newsletters with a quick personal update and the recurring series “Stuff I’ve Talked About in Chinese Class”, and then a few thoughts on stuff I’ve observed you’ll hopefully find interesting.… July 2017: The Bikeshare Revolution
Dope cover Soundtrack for the book review: Veni Creator Spiritus was the Crusades’ anthem, which folks took to singing to pump up before battles and even as they were about to get slaughtered. In 1095… The Crusades by Thomas Asbridge
I spent most of this year in recovery from a concussion. That left lots of time for sitting in dark rooms reading and listening to audiobooks. See below for thoughts and Pitchfork rating for each… Books in 2016
This guy has got a good attitude on life. I feel like some of his unawareness of/disregard for social convention I share. He got tight with the big dogs at Los Alamos because he wasn’t… Reviews from Audible: Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman
University of Hong Kong Professor Frank Dikötter has completed his trilogy of Mao’s rule. The prior book in the series, BBC Samuel Johnson award-winning Mao’s Great Famine, was remarkable for its clarity of writing and… Frank Dikötter, The Cultural Revolution, A People’s History, 1962–1976
10. Fat Joe, Remy Ma — All The Way Up 2:03 the return of Remy Ma! “P.O. said I can’t get high/hop in the helicopter/Uber said…I’m all the way up!” Was looking forward to hearing this election night.… Jordan’s Top 10 Song Moments of 2016
I just spent a week in Tunisia. A year and a half ago I was planning on making a trip to visit my friend but ISIS scared me off. After ISIS came to America though,… A Week in Tunisia
Black Mirror is my favorite show of the past few years. Show-runner Charlie Booker has now created thirteen hourlong episodes, all available on Netflix, that each independently create future dystopias through top-notch television. It (alongside… Notes on Black Mirror Season 3