February 2026

Frankenstein, brighter summer day [1991]

Karel čapek - r.u.r. [the first robot uprising book ever!]

the atlantic - Why Taylor Swift’s Accent Has Changed 
axios - Where Christian nationalism is most dominant in the U.S.
billboard - The Rise of ‘Mumble Rap’: Did Lyricism Take a Hit in 2016?
thrillist - Young Queer Christians Are Going on a New Kind of Pilgrimage 
the guardian - Armed US immigration agents drive off with toddler after arrest of father
the guardian - It’s time to accept that the US supreme court is illegitimate and must be replaced

the atlantic - Young Men Aren’t the Only Ones Struggling 

the atlantic - How Private Equity Is Changing Housing
"corporations now own a remarkable one in 11 residential real-estate parcels in the 500 urban counties with data robust enough to analyze. In some communities, they control more than 20 percent of properties."
"“They’re pulling all the starter homes off of the market in low-income, high-minority-density neighborhoods,” George McCarthy, the president of the Lincoln Institute, told me—a trend that is intensifying the country’s yawning racial wealth and homeownership gaps."

the atlantic - ‘Commuting Is Bad’—Particularly for Women 
"A 10-minute increase in average commute time decreases by 4.4 percentage points the probability that married women in the area work. The effect was driven pretty much entirely by moms, rose with the number of children they had, and was bigger for those with younger children."
"A study this year, using data from Norway, found that after having a child, mothers reduce their commute time considerably more than fathers do, leaving them with fewer and lower-quality job opportunities. And a paper last year, looking at Germany, found that women’s willingness to sacrifice wages for a shorter commute jumps by 130 percent after they have a child and does not start to decline again until the child reaches age 12."

the atlantic - The Podcast ‘Productivity’ Trap 
"...why subpar nonfiction is so much better than subpar fiction,” Garner wrote. “With nonfiction at least you can learn something.” That’s how I used to feel about podcasts. At least they help me improve my grasp of international affairs and prepare for the AI apocalypse."
this is definitely me...