As you may have deduced from yesterday's very dark article about the midterms, I am back in civilization after a month off-grid. And if you were hoping for an article about that experience instead of one of the most depressing things I've ever written, I have great news: that article dropped today, in Slate, just now. You can read it here if you would like to:
I'd really hoped this trip would give me clarity. That it would magically fix my burnout, that I'd feel better, that I'd figure out how to move beyond what often feels like apocalyptic sports commentary and instigate real change—action, not reaction. Big, grandiose, unreasonable expectations: all met and all exceeded. This was one of the best months of my life, and I am thankful every day to have been able to obtain something so precious and so rare. Everyone deserves a month like I just had, but very few get to have one. That's something we need to change.
Before I departed, I loaded up my Kindle with a dozen books about history and politics and power so I could spend my vacation figuring out how people have changed the world in the past and how we can change our own world now. I read almost none of them. Instead, I learned how to rest. And then I wrote about it for Slate. And I hope you like it, because it lays out themes I intend to explore in the coming months and years. How do we survive in a world carefully crafted to drive us insane? How can we use technology on our own terms, instead of resigning ourselves to whatever online skinner box the billionaires develop? How can we make room in our everyday lives for art, for beauty, for rest—not despite the ugliness and the danger, but because of it?
I look forward to finding out. We are entering the latter days of Firewalled Media; the third and final rebrand is coming. The new domain has been acquired. I am moving off of Substack (your paid subscriptions will carry over). My hoped-for launch date is January 1st, which is almost certainly overambitious, but early 2027 for sure. I’m really excited. I hope you'll like it too.
Read the article if you would like to. More soon.
This post is all great news to hear. Was thinking earlier today that I wanted to tell you that you are a rising star -- and one that the world really needs. Your investigative reporting chops are prime, and your writing is compelling, but the kicker is that you can both see the big picture and also drill down into potential, detailed scenarios -- as yesterday's nightmare article demonstrates. I was going to say 'Please continue to bring it, the world needs what you know, what you're going to learn, and how you convey it' -- but thankfully it seems you already decided all of that while sensibly building up your capacity & recharging over the last month, which I'll now go read about. Looking forward to the new iteration in '27.
I look forward to reading it!
(I think)