I ordered a new Tesla Model 3 today. It's blue. Arrives in December. I haven't been as excited about a new toy in a long time. #

Enes Kanter, an NBA player for the Boston Celtics, wrote a tweet saying the leader of China is a "brutal dictator." And of course China is shitting its pants. This is a big problem. They don't understand that there's a line they're not allowed to cross. In the US, Kanter has a right to his opinion. And the leader of China is a brutal dictator. And even if there's some question about it, Kanter is allowed to say what he thinks. This is a similar problem to the one they're having at Netflix with Dave Chappelle's show which I have not watched. I find him incredibly offensive. I'd love to have a private conversation with him where I ask what he's trying to accomplish. I find his stories humiliating. Is there some lesson I'm supposed to learn? If so, could we skip to that part. Anyway, I won't watch him. Employees at Netflix were offended too, and they want Netflix to remove him. That's just as wrong as what China is doing to pressure the NBA about Kanter. One more. The NYT fucked up when they fired Donald McNeil. I think even the assholes who forced him out would agree, as their coverage of Covid is now bullshit, where before McNeil was canned, it was stellar. They had no place trying to control what appears in the NYT. They just work there. It's a platform for speech, I think even the most jaded and cynical reporter at the NYT would agree with that. And just because you get a paycheck from the NYT, that doesn't empower you to control other people's speech, same as China and Netflix. I wrote yesterday that when Zuck rolls out his new thing next week, we'll find out if the journalists properly understand their role. There will be no fake news yet on their new platform for them to complain about. But I guarantee you it will restrict speech in an effort to appease the journalists. Will they see this, and call bullshit? Or will their vanity and narcissism prevail. Obviously they don't care about our speech, but will they mind being so visible about not honoring it?#

I'm watching Succession from the beginning, just to see how all the michegas got started. Seeing the first appearances of all the characters. The special relationship with Roman and Gerri is flirtatious from the first meeting. Cousin Greg plays a starring role in the first few episodes. And my friend Nick Denton is in the show, via proxy, only this version of Denton gets revenge over the rich capitalists who were tormenting him (no spoilers beyond that). Season 3 of Succession started last Sunday, it's just getting better all the time. One of the best TV series ever. #

BTW, I took the picture of Denton on his Wikipedia page, but don't seem to be credited. Is that fair? The picture was taken at a restaurant in Berkeley. #

How could a court decision on abortion not be political? It's as silly as saying you could go swimming without being immersed in water, or breathe in a vacuum. It's as ridiculous as the view from nowhere in journalism.#