Unknotted

Somehow, it is September. The pumpkin vine we planted grew exactly one (1) enormous, brilliantly orange, fairytale pumpkin, which insisted on being harvested in the middle of August; our front steps look like we kicked off spooky season early (and why not?). Meanwhile, our peach tree—which I could swear we just planted—delivered a crop of two dozen peaches over Labor Day weekend. So our garden’s got the seasons a little out of order.

If you’ve still got access to fresh peaches—or any good baking fruits, fresh or frozen—may I recommend extending your summer slightly by making this absolutely killer crumble-pie from Smitten Kitchen? I confess I’ve made it three times in the past five weeks; I literally do not want to stop eating it. I make some adjustments: I use store-bought pie crust to save time, and I’ve been getting about 5-6 cups of chopped peaches in there, with another 1-2 cups of berries, plus a splash of amaretto. With the crumble topping, I’ve been going 50-50 on the butter with olive oil, and 50-50 on the white flour with almond meal—but I’m sure the original is equally perfect. It’s so good I could cry.

If baking’s not your thing, may I recommend a cocktail? I’ve never heard of a Division Bell before, but I stumbled across the recipe when I was looking for something to make with Aperol. I love Aperol, but somehow this whole summer went by without opening the bottle once (migraine frequency has kept me away from alcohol, generally). I made it a point this week to get in one nice Aperol beverage before fall hits, and this certainly did the trick: 1 oz mezcal, 3/4 oz Aperol, 1/4 oz Luxardo, 3/4 oz lime juice. Shake, serve, sip, chef’s kiss.

Going so many weeks between newsletters, I’ve accumulated a lot of links to share—so this issue is double lightning rounds, loosely themed.

Tech and UX round

• “You’re being very inflexible about doing everything in a microwave and that won’t serve you well in the new microwave era.” [Colin Cornaby]

• An always-has-been-always-will-be-true piece on “Kudzu IA” and the critical need for content governance and maintenance [Dylan Wilbanks]

• “People who make things tend to move on when there’s nothing left to make […] but the Torment Nexus.” [Mike Monteiro]

• A new hub for dozens of tactics for resisting Big Tech from YK Hong [Decolonize.Digital]

• “so many of the small indignities of daily life come from us being denied the ability to tell a rich man in a tech company to fuck off.” [Bluesky]

• The talented Margo Stern has written a fabulous new book all about interviewing for design roles—from both sides of the table [Good Job]

• Want to develop some JavaScript chops? There’s a new course for that (full disclosure: I’m married to the author) [JavaScript for Everyone]

Humor and beauty round

• Ads for henchmen up for adoption from the shelter [tumblr]

• The sound of editing Wikipedia [Listen to Wikipedia]

• Gorgeously illustrated posters about disability, sexuality, feminism, politics, and more [Liberal Jane]

• A devastatingly beautiful essay on despair and survival from Hanif Abdurraqib [The New Yorker]

• A very cool collection of science fiction film lettering [Reagan Ray]

• “As long as they recognize each other as equals, Dads and Lesbians are more than capable of cohabitation. Now, if you were to release a pack of Lumberjacks into a Lowes or Home Depot, that’s where chaos will reign.” [tumblr]

September’s causes

• I’m a longtime fan of the People’s CDC, and with the ongoing dismantling of public health policy, their work is more important than ever—please give them some love (and subscribe to their newsletter!). (And while I’m at it: please mask up in public! Your disabled friends and neighbors thank you!)

• Public broadcasting has been hit hard with federal funding cuts—and even if my local station is okay, I love the idea of helping out a random town through Adopt a Station.

• I’ve been supporting Luce, a local-to-me organization working for immigrant justice. It would be amazing if you sent a few dollars their way (or look for an equivalent group in your state)!

Buy my book

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