Alex Burns

The technology of TikTok might be new, but the shift itself has precedence. The history of celebrity gossip is the history of the power of meaning-making pinballing between 1) the studios that create star vehicles; 2) the publications that collaborate closely with the studios to promote those vehicles; 3) the scandal/gossip publications and paparaz... See more

A bibliophagist is a devourer of books.

Haruki Murakami, writer: If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you only think what everyone else is thinking.

Writer Gertrude Stein's definition of genius: somebody who knows who to be influenced by.

Twitter killed the link but healed my media diet. Now I rely almost entirely on human curators sharing things in chronological order: newsletters, podcasts, group chat recs, and a few social platforms that actually show me what my friends are up to. Even magazines and legacy publications have good email newsletters these days. It takes some effort ... See more

This year, pay your taxes: Resolve to throw two parties—two because two feels manageable, and chain-letter math dictates that if every party has at least 10 guests (anything less is not a party!) and everyone observes host-guest reciprocity (anything else is sociopathic!), then everyone gets 20 party invitations a year—possibly many more. Bear in m... See more

21st century privacy : Why do teens have so many randos on Find My Friends? Do CCTVs work? Who ought we most fear surveillance from: corporations, the government, or each other? Should I tell Claude my secrets? Should I use a period tracking app? How much will people trade privacy for safety and convenience? What is being lost, and how might we rec... See more

Neo-cities : When do people start new cities vs. reforming existing ones? Is Singapore an urbanist paradise or technofascist dystopia? What can the US learn from Special Economic Zones? Can you do urban renewal right? What’s the difference between Esmeralda and California Forever? Why do most charter cities fail? How might they succeed?