Mourning, celebration, and legacy — Whenever a controversial public figure dies, debate ensues over whether it is appropriate for people to openly celebrate their demise. Yesterday’s death of former secretary of state Henry Kissinger at the age of 100 is no exception. Speaking only for myself, I neither mourn nor celebrate the death of Kissinger…

Questioning the demand for unlimited free content — Since the dawn of intrusive advertisements, consumers have sought to avoid these interruptions to their viewing. This practice did not begin with the Internet. Many television viewers have left the room or muted the sound during commercial breaks. When VCRs became widely available, viewers fast-forwarded through recorded commercials. Then VCRs…

Mike Johnson encapsulates the Christian bigotry of today’s Republican Party — As my regular readers know, I am an independent voter and no fan of the Democratic Party. But I’m putting this one squarely on the Republicans. The new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, was elected this week with no opposition from voting Republicans. This man that 220…

A pacifist view on international conflict — Like many people around the world, I have read about the ongoing carnage in the Israel-Hamas war with horror and dismay. …

An ode to oatmeal and other outcasts — Growing up in the 1970s, the children’s show Sesame Street was a staple of my television diet. One of the muppet characters, Bert, is portrayed as square and boring compared with his fun-loving roommate, Ernie. (No, I don’t believe they are lovers, despite the insistence of some of my fellow…

A vegan objection to “cultivated meat” — As most of my regular readers know, I am vegan for ethical reasons. I am convinced that my fellow animals are sentient beings who feel pain and fear, and cannot consent to being exploited for human use. …

Striving to embody my values of peace and nonviolence — This Wednesday, August 23 is a special day for me: The tenth anniversary of my Nameday. Ten years ago, I announced my new name and non-binary gender identity to the world. …

Representing marginalized communities with my contributions to Wikimedia Commons — This week, I was honored to be named by the Wikimedia Foundation as the 2023 Media Contributor of the Year. The award ceremony, honoring multiple Wikimedian of the Year winners, took place on the opening night of Wikimania Singapore, which is happening both in-person and online throughout this week. For…

I mentioned this during a Medium Day session yesterday, and I'll say it again here: No one writing "on spec" should expect to make their entire living from a single source, whether that source is Medium or anywhere else. Seeing people comment that they used to make thousands of dollars a month just from writing on Medium makes me suspicious, and makes me think the changes to Partner Program earning calculations were a good idea indeed.