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Motion Sickness

American Inertia, Weekend Whats

Dave Pell

Aug 15

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Freeze. Don't move. Remain in place. Don't leave me this way. Oh, won't you stay just a little bit longer. None of these requests are really necessary in America these days. We've long been known as a country of movers and shakers (an attribute that was core to our economic growth), but for a variety of reasons, we've become more known for inertia. (We still move and shake, but mostly just in the fetal position in front of our laptops.) "For generations, Americans have chased opportunity by moving from city to city, state to state. U.S. companies were often quicker to hire—and to fire—than employers in other parts of the world. But that defining mobility has stalled, leaving many people in homes that are too small, in jobs they don’t love or in their parents’ basements looking for work." WSJ (Gift Article): Nobody’s Buying Homes, Nobody’s Switching Jobs—and America’s Mobility Is Stalling.

+ This lack of locomotion shouldn't come as a static shock because I've covered it before: The U-Haul of Mirrors: "I move so rarely from the couch indentation where I write NextDraft that my kids occasionally place a finger under my nose to see if I’m still breathing. But these days, more and more Americans are not moving; at least not from their communities. A country that was once defined by how often people moved has changed dramatically in recent decades—and the trend has left other core characteristics like entrepreneurship, innovation, growth, and social equality stuck in the mud."

2

Have We Reached Peak Summit?

"Trump told reporters on Air Force One en route to Alaska that he wasn’t having the meeting to broker a deal on behalf of Ukraine, but said instead, his goal was getting Putin to the table. He also stopped short of promising security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a deal to end the war. Trump said he spoke to Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko — a staunch Putin ally — ahead of the summit." The expectations keep getting set lower for today's summit. Why let Putin have the win of sharing the table with America if there's no upside? Consider that, "given an ICC war crimes warrant, there aren’t many places that could host Putin right now." Here's the latest from CNN, BBC, and the NYT.

+ The Atlantic (Gift Article): The U.S.-Russia Summit Is Already a Win for Putin.

+ Russian Foreign Minister Turns Up in Alaska With U.S.S.R. Shirt.

3

Grid Games

"Despite tech companies’ professed desire not to burden others, they often push regulators to impose some of the upgrade costs on everybody. They contend that data centers bring jobs to the area, and that grid upgrades will ultimately help local businesses and residents." NYT (Gift Articles): Big Tech’s A.I. Data Centers Are Driving Up Electricity Bills for Everyone. This is a story about energy prices, but it's also a story about how far big tech has integrated itself into our lives. A very few companies are everywhere, including the grid. They are the taking over every level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. (If you don't know what that is, ask Google Gemini or ChatGPT, or some other big tech co.)

4

Weekend Whats

What to Book: Among Friends by Hal Ebbot is an incisive look at adult friendship, both in good times and under stress, as the author "examines betrayal within the sanctuary of a defining relationship, as well as themes of class, marriage, friendship, power, and the things we tell ourselves to preserve our finely made worlds." Ebbot takes you inside the minds of the key characters and doesn't let you, or them, out.

+ What to Show: "After Molly receives a diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, she decides to leave her husband and begins to explore the full breadth and complexity of her sexual desires for the first time in her life." That show description always sounded a little too odd or a little too depressing for me to want to get started with the series. But man am I glad a did. It's funny, sharp, and often uplifting. And the performances are some of the best of year. Don't miss Dying for Sex on Hulu.

5

Extra, Extra

School Bullies: "On Thursday morning, educators fanned out to Los Angeles public schools to do many of the things that are done every year on the first day of school to help families feel safe. They high-fived students and greeted parents dropping off their children. But this year, there was another task at hand: Looking out for federal immigration agents." In L.A., Fear of ICE Raids Created a Tense First Day of School. (Feel safer?)

+ Newsom Kind of Wonderful: Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for a special election to allow for a new congressional map in California. Trump responded to the press conference by reminding everyone why these tough stances in blue states are increasingly necessary. Border Patrol Agents Show Up in Force at Newsom Rally. Meanwhile, from NYT Mag (Gift Article): How the Democrats Became the Party That Brings Pencils to a Knife Fight. "Will the battle over Texas’ gerrymandering lead to a new era for the party?"

+ District's Attorney: "The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it." DC sues Trump administration over police takeover.

+ Rhyme and Reason: The Atlantic (Gift Article): Why So Many MIT Students Are Writing Poetry. (Because poetry will soon pay more than coding?)

+ Reboot Camp: "While traditional kickboxing comes with the risk of blood, sweat and serious head injuries, the competitors in Friday’s match at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing faced a different set of challenges. Balance, battery life and a sense of philosophical purpose being among them." Box, run, crash: China’s humanoid robot games show advances and limitations.

+ Searchin' for My Lost Shaker of Salt: "All of this conversation about smelling salts piqued my curiosity. Based on these heartfelt testimonials, it seemed as though having this little pick-me-up was a critical part of playing in the NFL. I simply had to know how smelling salts could impact my world. Would they give me a rush strong enough to trigger the writing version of a 75-yard touchdown?" Why Do NFL Players Love Smelling Salts? I Tried Some at Work to Find Out. (News curators prefer sedatives...)

+ Going Down a Bunny Rabbit Hole: Here’s Why Rabbits Are Sprouting Tentacle Horns. (Spoiler alert: Because it's 2025, why else?)