“Bigotry is not just the psychological state of hating a group of people. Bigotry is political. It’s a reaction to changing demographics, or to liberation movements, or to changing power relations between groups. A lot of casual misogynists don’t exactly hate women in the literal psychological sense. It’s more that they feel threatened by the prospect of the social and political equality of women. In fact, I would argue that feeling threatened is the distinctive psychological experience of bigotry — much more so than feeling hateful.” — ContraPoints

I love craft beer. I love learning about styles, visiting new breweries, and following the local beer news. Really, I’ll try any new beer I can get my hands on, (nearly) regardless of style.

I particularly enjoy hazy (Northeast-style) IPAs, which have dominated craft beer for the past few years. There’s something about this beer style that seems legitimately addictive — each one is different and enticing in its own way. …

Here at Medium, we’re creating a new model for digital publishing — one that’s based on story value, not ad value, and that’s predicated on the relationship between writer and reader. In ad-based publishing, the goal is to get readers to click and stay regardless of quality. That has led to the proliferation of something we’re all familiar with: clickbait. Clickbait works great in a system that’s designed to engage as many eyeballs as possible. That’s not our system.

On Medium, we believe you should stay for the story, the writer, the nuance, and the substance. This is how deeper…

Prompted by Siobhan O'Connor’s lovely A Game to Get You Un-Stuck on Crappy Feelings.

1. My new puppy, Toby. He’s a six-month-old pitt mix and he’s pure joy, with hilarious floppy ears and an incredibly sweet personality. He’s been with us for less than a week and we’re already totally in love.

2. Being in a bubble with a few really great friends — giving/getting real hugs, long meandering conversations, and spending our time together as we wait for this awful pandemic to end.

3. The Overstory. I recently finished this epic novel and I can’t stop thinking about it…

I loved the way Medium’s VP-Editorial Siobhan O'Connor described the evolution of Medium in today’s “The Edition” newsletter (which you can only get as a member, natch):

Medium is moving toward what my boss calls a more “relational” model, which emphasizes the connection between reader and writer (and other writers), versus a world where single stories are competing for your attention by the headline alone. Headlines are important framing devices for readers, but the headline wars that have overtaken the internet in the past decade and a half also have a wicked downside: the collapse of context (“Where is what…

With the exception of slurs, verbal abuse, and hate speech that’s clearly intended to cause harm, I don’t believe in treating words as verboten and shameful. A “problematic” word does not a problematic person make. Language is evolving very rapidly, especially in social justice circles, and the majority of people are not up to speed on all things at all times. Words are just tools. Lacking vocabulary is not a mark of shame, nor is possessing it an indicator of virtue.

“We Can Abolish Language Policing”

Trip specs

• Location: Inyo National Forest (Golden Trout Wilderness, John Muir Wilderness) ➡️ Sequoia National Park ➡️ Inyo National Forest (the Whitney Zone)
• Route: One-way from Cottonwood Lakes trailhead to Whitney Portal, via Old Army Pass, Mount Langley, Upper Soldier Lake, Miter Basin, Crabtree Pass/Lakes, the John Muir Trail, and the Whitney Trail
• Stats: 40 miles, ~14.5k total elevation gain, ~16k elevation loss, two 14ers, entire trip above 10k elevation (except exit at Whitney Portal)
• Dates: Aug. 21–26, 2020 (6 days and 5 nights, although we’d planned for 7 days/6 nights)
• Conditions: Variable, more temperamental than usual in the Sierra. Temps range…

Trip specs

• Location: Iceberg Lake Valley, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
• Dates: Aug. 5–9, 2019 (5 days, 4 nights)
• Route: Lollipop loop around the valley, all off-trail. Mileage: ~15 backpacking + ~5 day-hike
• Conditions: Terrific. We got very lucky with consistently warm, very sunny days and cool nights. Highs in 60s-70s, lows in 40s. 10–15 degrees cooler near the glacier. Sunset: ~10 p.m. Sunrise: ~6 a.m.
• Travel: Fly to Anchorage, drive to McCarthy (8 hrs), bush plane to Iceberg Lake airstrip (30 mins)
• Special gear: bear canister, bear spray, InReach or sat phone, crampons or microspikes (no ice axe)
• Photos: Wrangell-St. Elias…