Jul 6, 2026

The Mark Pines Auction II Episode: Mark Pines, The Second Surprise Auction, The Life of a Reseller, Bidding from Korea, The Contents of the Second Set, An Unexpected Subset, More Mark to Come.

About the previously unknown second set of Mark Pines materials that was bid on, and what it means for the Mark Pines...

Jul 4, 2026

The Stacks of Catalogs Episode: A New Round of Sorting Catalogs, The Miracle of the Catalog, Desktop Publishing, Forgotten Labor, The Rise of the Instant Change, The Guided and Adored Catalog Scanning, Treasure.

Another rumination in just how much I love old catalogs, on the occasion of sorting the 40,000+ catalogs...

Jul 2, 2026

The DMZ Episode: Visiting the DMZ in Korea, A Bus Ride With a Passport Count, Burgers, Grenades, Bridge, Mines, Observation, Denial of Visitation, A Very Deep Tunnel, The Spectacle and the History. Plus: Not Forgetting.

Some notes while visiting a war zone, albeit one with a relatively small amount of action by the day.

Jun 30, 2026

The Medical Tourism Episode: Signing Up for a Medical Vacation, The Hospital, A Robe and a Keycard, Dozens of Rooms, Minutes and Seconds, Expertise and Experience, A Room of Sleeping People, The Shutoff Switch, The Results, The Chance at One Person Convinced.

How I went to South Korea and did a little medical tourism. I...

Jun 29, 2026

Before getting on a plane, I sometimes wonder if I'm leaving the ground with my life in order. Let's find out.