My Emmy Nom Is The Least Important Thing Here
Email From Baratunde
Issue 12,985
Heroes. Citizens.
This is the second version of the newly-formatted, newly-ordered email that I send to those of you who have opted to receive such things.
The weather is weird. Merrick Garland is trending. And Trumpcare failed, which means Paul Ryan is going to have to throw elderly people off of Medicare manually. That P90x training will come in handy after all.
Ok, less preamble this month, let's get to it.
I love some of you,
Baratunde
Things Others Have Done
Sarah Jones is one of my favorite artists. She poignantly and hillariously performs multiple characters and embodies a wide spectrum of the human experience. Her show, Sell/Buy/Date is truly brilliant, and she’s bringing those characters to an amazing new podcast called Playdate. Subscribe now.
Tom Wheeler is nowhere near as talented a performer as Sarah, but this former FCC chair does have a way with communications policy (segue!!), and his op ed in the NYT about how ISPs can now sell out Americans is a must-read.
Wow, you read that Tom Wheeler piece really fast, and now that you’re angry and afraid, here are some steps you can take to secure your data and your internet connections: a) peruse this zine b) learn about VPNs c) use Signal and a password manager.
Speaking of internet privacy violations, remember when several female marines had revealing images and other personal information posted online? US Marine Corps Captain Justine Elena has set up a fundraising campaign called Female Marines United to support post-9/11 vets and stand up for women in uniform targeted by online abuse.
Now you’re so fired up about data and society that you want to work in the field? Fortunately, there’s a place called the Data & Society Research Institute, and it has jobs open for Communications Manager and Research Lead on media manipulation.
Need a break from digital horrors? Check out this analog, IRL event called Re-Imagine Justice in South LA. Appropriately, it’s running in South Los Angeles through April 29.
While you’re out in the real world, take those feet and march to the voting booth. Because the women behind the Women’s March told you to, and you should do what they say.
I’ve given you a lot to think about and do. You must be tired. Take a seat in this inventive creation from RockPaperRobot called The Ollie Chair. It’s available for pre-order.
Things I Have Done
Take That, Trump!
That image above is me on the front page of the Dallas Morning News. It was taken during my talk at SXSW titled “Head Fakes & Pivots: Trump Punks Silicon Valley,” and someday I hope you get a chance to see it on an open internet. Meanwhile, check out the tweets.
Talking Bout The Future
The Pew Research Center wrote down a lot of things I said about the future of algorithms and the future of free speech, trolls, and fake news.
A Few More Things
Questlove and I answered questions aloud on stage together in Brooklyn. Many laughs were had, and the combo afro-beard game was strong.
I’ve been doing a lot more standup lately in New York and California, so keep your eyes on my events page so you can hear about them before they happen.
Things I Have Yet To Do
April 12, Skidmore College. Saratoga Springs, NY
April 14, Evergreen State College. Olympia, WA
April 17, StarTalk Live! w Neil deGrasse Tyson. Red Bank, NJ
April 30, Daytime Emmy Awards. No I haven’t won an Emmy, BUT I DID GET NOMINATED!! It’s a Creative Arts Emmy Award - Outstanding Special Class - Short Format Daytime for hosting the Mic.com/Spotify series: Clarify.
See how I buried the lead in this email? Because it’s not always about me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the Seychelles for some very important meetings you’ll hear about in three months or so through the efforts of intrepid journalists.
This is the End of the Email
EOF AF