Hey all, thanks for participating in Survey #2! I was glad to see a pretty engaged set of free responses and diverse range of opinions.

And thanks to those who sent some nice words and support from last week’s round-up. I still feel a little weird about doing this but it’s nice to think that some of you are getting something out of it as well. And welcome to some of the new folks who have signed up. Hope you all stick around.

Getting new people to sign-up for this has felt a bit icky to me, honestly. I feel some mix of embarrassed desperation…

…and navel-gazing egoism:

But I’m trying not to think too much about it.

One last thing before the overly-verbose round-up: here’s the link for next week’s survey. Will have it linked below as well.

Onto my ego-stroking:

Survey Results

Q1: Have you read a book in the last 3 months?

Results:

Highlighted Free Responses:

• “too busy living life”

• "genuinely believe that books aren't the right medium for most things”

• Condensed list of book recommendations:

  • Dawn

  • Leaving Las Vegas

  • Those Across the River

  • The Best and the Brightest

  • The Power Broker

Commentary

I agree with the one response that a book is not necessary for everything, especially non-fiction. For example, I’ve recently enjoyed Chuck Klosterman’s appearances on the Bill Simmons Podcast as he’s been promoting his new book about football. But in listening to him explicate the main ideas of his book, I found myself less motivated to go out and buy his book — I was already kind of getting the gist from the pod.

I still think text is king, though. Even if Ezra Klein goes on a million podcasts to promote his book, it’s still the book that is the impetus for it all, and it is still the text that will be the lasting record for his ideas, whether you buy it or not.

Hard to deny that reading is on the decline, though, and that we are swinging back towards an age of orally-dominated communication.

I can definitely understand where the trend is coming from in our modern age. I get that reading has a bit more inertia to it, it requires some more patience and attention span, and isn’t always as exciting as other forms of storytelling.

I just finished reading the extended version of The Stand by Stephen King, which is 1000+ pages. And while I overall enjoyed the book I honestly did not find it that rewarding for how long it was (this is partially my own fault for downloading that version of the book). I might have found that time more rewarding re-watching Mad Men.

(Damn I really need to rewatch Mad Men.)

Ultimately though, there is really no substitute for the experience of reading something truly great. Even if it’s just a graphic novel or a dishy memoir or some smut — having fun isn’t hard if you’ve got a library card.

Q2: Do you know who Shohei Ohtani / SGA is?

Results:

Highlighted Free Responses:

• “I know Ohtani is objectively one of the best players ever but to me he has no aura.”

• “I think one is a baseball player.”

• “Shohei definitely gambled that shit btw. He has hella aura though… SGA is one of the most unethical hoopers we have ever seen and he’s got smaller schmeat than Donovan Mitchell to boot.”

• “Shohei is the coolest baseball player since Rickey Henderson, he may have a gambling addiction, he plays in LA that rocks. SGA is Canadian, plays in Oklahoma, and he’s a FT merchant. That sucks”

• “Vaguely know that Shohei is the goat baseball player currently”

• “Ohtani is the goat, but minus aura points for joining the Angels > Mariners and then joining a superteam. I love SGA but he's kinda boring cause he's just too consistently good and humble.” [Sorry you’re still sore about that Eugene.]

Commentary

Lot of opinions on this one!

For those that don’t know who these guys are (aka nerds): Shohei Ohtani is a baseball player for the LA Dodgers and is considered one of the best players in the MLB currently, if not all-time. He is a reigning MVP and World Series Champion. And he has a good dog:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder and is considered one of the best players in the NBA currently and has recently drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He is also a reigning MVP and NBA Finals Champion, and has some flashy outfits:

I think these guys are relatively level comparison points: both are generationally great athletes in their leagues, have recently won championships, and are relatively understated as major stars, with the exception of a gambling scandal or an annoying commercial here or there.¹

I’ve chosen to ask about these two guys as a proxy into a larger question I’ve been considering lately: is the NBA or the MLB America’s Number 2 sport? As of lately there is kind of a legitimate argument.

The NBA seems to be struggling with name-recognition of its most successful stars, as suggested by results of this survey question. When the top guys in the league are all foreign and have names like “Giannis Antetokounmpo” and play in places like Milwaukee or Oklahoma, then the NBA probably does lose a little shine for regular folks. There is no chance my dad knows how to pronounce “Joel Embiid.”

And it’s hard to deny that baseball has some momentum behind it lately. Quicker games with the pitch clock, big-time stars in NY and LA, a surge of national pride from the World Baseball Classic, ABS discourse, and Aaron Judge repeatedly requiring the Heimlich maneuver on national TV - it all adds up to the MLB having a bit of a moment.

And this poll, however unscientific it may be, definitely notches a point in favor of baseball.

Plus, where else in civilized society can you sit in public and throw your empty peanut shells on the ground other than a ballpark? Hard to beat that.

Q3: Are you actively concerned about microplastics?

Results:

Highlighted Free Responses:

• “I work with a lot of people who have spent their careers studying plastic pollution and endocrine disrupting chemicals and it has changed my behavior to reduce my exposure.”

• “Just biting the bullet. But I think about them as I consume them.”

• “Unavoidable. Don’t concern myself with things that are out of my control.”

• “Everybody is on microsplastic’s ass until it comes to Uniqlo Heattech like bffr.”

• “I think it would be pretty silly to deny there's absolutely no such thing as microplastics - but i think it might be genuinely impossible at this point to reduce exposure without acting like a hypochondriac”

• “It's disconcerting that they can't really find out the impact of microplastics because there's no baseline of animal that doesn't have it in their system. Also the idea that there's a plastic spoon-level worth of plastic in my brain is unnerving.”

• “I do basic things to try to avoid them but don’t stress about it too much overall”

Commentary:

I feel like we’re at a point with microplastics like where we were with cigarettes in the ~60s, where we definitely had some signs that these things are bad for us but we don’t have quite enough science (or public acceptance of the science) to make it fully undeniable.

Or is the microplastic panic a symptom of our hypochondriac, health-optimized, and paranoid society, something closer to Red 40 or Tylenol?

There’s a caveman part of me that thinks more like the latter. I grew up regularly microwaving plastic containers, drinking out of old plastic water bottles, and chewing pen caps into a fine paste. And look at me, I’m perfectly fine and have no discernible physical or mental problems! I’m normal. I am normal.

As a society, sometimes it does feel like we have started to hit the upper limits of health optimization. At the end of the day, haven’t we already figured out most of the fundamental stuff? What’s a little plastic in my liver going to do to me?

I’m mainly playing Devil’s Advocate here. I’m sure there are many facets of modern life that we have yet to fully understand in terms of health impact (such as vaping, increased screen time, and jestermaxxing). And I do think reducing your microplastic exposure is probably something that is good to take some basic action on, if not a complete overhaul of your lifestyle.

Really I’m just reaching an age where I’m starting to grow resistant towards developments in society that pressure me to change the way I’ve always lived my life.

Dammit, is this what getting older is like?

Q4: Dave Portnoy - approve or disapprove?

Results:

Highlighted Free Responses:

• “Fuck that guy”

• “Love the pizza and philly stuff...hate the politics.”

• “Alright the pizza reviews are good. Everything else? I find him just personally annoying. The worst parts of Bill Simmons and Boston culture and the ugliness of American culture post 2016.”

• “Seems like a good character to have in the mix sometimes”

• “I know he owns barstool but ive only seen him review pizza seems chill”

• “So obviously a greasy fuck, awful to his employees. He’s a funny person to laugh at. See his Adam Friedland interview”

Commentary:

Interesting mix here.

Based on the responses, it seems that the less you know about Mr. Portnoy (founder of Barstool Sports and notorious pizza reviewer, amongst other things) the more likely you are to approve of him. If you only have a cursory awareness of him, it’s easy to write him off as an entertaining side character.

It also seems that even amongst the haters there’s some acceptance that he is at least somewhat entertaining. I won’t deny having enjoyed one of his pizza reviews from time to time.

You know who this also sounds like?

Fitting that Portnoy calls himself “El Presidente” and is frequently buddy-buddy with Trump.

Like Trump, Portnoy is a “heavy” character. He’s broad, exaggerated, un-subtle. He’s polarizing, meme-able, and undeniably engaging. Even when his sex tapes leak it seems good for the brand somehow.

I don’t want to make it seem like I actually like the guy. His Wikipedia page doesn’t tell the most enlightening story:

I’m definitely on the disapprove side here, but I do have to hand it to him that he is an effective media personality and has built Barstool into a pretty big enterprise. Being “heavy” works for him, despite his more diminutive height:

Q5: What percentage of the time you spend watching TV is spent double screening (phone/computer/tablet/gaming)?

Highlighted Results/Analysis:

• 3/14 people responded 0%

• 1 person responded 100%

• 4 people responded 50% or more

• Average percentage: ~33%

• Median percentage: 22.5%

Highlighted Free Responses:

• “I dont like to do it unless im watching a show my brain knows is bad. I actually adjusted my percentage up when I considered how much time I spend on my phone while you’re watching sports. You’re at fault for turning me into an iPad baby” [Love you too, babe.]

• “YouTube shorts has killed my brain cells.”

• “0%. I give the task at hand my undivided attention at any given moment.”

• “ADHD stops for no man”

Commentary:

Credit to the suggestion box for this question!

I’m probably somewhere around 25-30%. I only tend to do this while watching sports or TV that I don’t need to pay much attention to (like some of the recent episodes of Survivor). But if I’m watching a movie or Ken Burns’ Vietnam documentary series, I’m locking in.

I’m actually surprised at how many people confidently said 0% here - good for you. Or maybe you’re lying. Then I disapprove.

Despite how pretentious I may seem about my screentime limits (going as far as to do push-ups to earn screentime minutes), I understand the impulse to dual-wield. Sometimes your semi-plastic brain just needs a little dopamine bath of blue light to take the edge off.

For the 100% double-screener out there though - if that’s for real then I’m actually judging you. I’ll add a Subway Surfers split screen to this newsletter for you next time so you don’t get bored. You can have a binky too.

Q6: Have you donated to any causes in the last 6 months?

Results:

Highlighted Free Responses:

• “I prefer to donate to mutual aid organizations bc they have low/no overhead and money goes further with more immediate impact.”

• “Like $50. Decided based on a specific issue that came up where I felt that I wanted to donate to help someone and their family”

• “10% tithe to church”

• “10 per month to WABA [Washington Area Bicyclist Association]. Seems to be easier to justify donating when it’s something tangible you do / see / use every week”

• “I have not and these last two question have me confronting with myself right now”

Commentary:

I have to admit there are more nos here than I was expecting.

I don’t intend to judge the nos here, and I’m sure we all have our reasons and situations — I get it. Though I do think if you’re in a position to donate some money to things, you should consider it. Unless you support something that I oppose, in which case ignore everything I just said.

I won’t get any higher up on my already very high horse and tell you how to most effectively give away your money. But if you’re looking for recommendations, I think some of the ideas mentioned above are good suggestions. I’ve donated to local organizations, and also groups like GiveDirectly and Wikipedia.

If you’ve got more time than money, volunteering is a good alternative.

As a side note, I didn’t intend for these questions to be judgmental or politically charged, but I can see how some of them can read a little sanctimonious. I’ll try to mix things up in the future.

Sorry to end on a downer! Here’s a tweet to lighten the mood:

Survey #3

See here for link to Survey #3. I’m going to try including these with each round-up going forward so I reduce the number of emails I send, and to tighten the cycles between survey and round-up.

Otherwise, same drill as before: will close this for voting around Monday and have a round-up later in the week.

Programming Notes

• I’ve started to expand the subscriber list a bit, but still keeping it to people I consider friends. I’m admittedly not great at self-promotion, but I think it would be ideal to get more people to answer these surveys. Partly to boost my ego but also to have more variety in the responses and opinions. So if you know of other folks (partners, mutual friends, etc.) that you think would be interested in participating, please feel free to send this their way. Enemies not included.

• It seems like a reminder email is helping get more survey responses in the door. I’m still not totally sure if this is the best way to go about it - I’ve had some mention to me that they’d prefer a mobile-first system. I’m considering setting up a Remind101-esque (throw-back to Andrew High School for those that remember) system that can send automated texts, but I also don’t want to over-engineer this too much. If email isn’t the best way to reach you, please let me know, I’d be glad to talk through alternatives.

• I know this edition is way longer than the last one. I don’t expect all future round-ups to be quite this long, but I’m still toying around with what this newsletter is and how much time I want to spend on it. Open to feedback!