The Realignment: And...We're Back! + Our PDX Trip
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Welcome Back to The Realignment
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The newsletter is going to be shorter today. As I mention below, we’re on our last vacation before we pivot into fall. I’m going to have plenty of time on the road on Sunday, so I plan on writing a special edition of the newsletter for Monday. I’m interested in reflecting on this upcoming season, what themes we’re going to focus on, and expanding a bit on the conversation with Frank DiStefano.
I’ll add that I really appreciated the positive feedback on the episode with my dad. I’m curious what people thought about that discussion and Frank and my debate on what the “crisis” or “problem” in America is (or even if there even is one)?
Support Us This Season. Subscribe to Our Supercast
We have three price points: $5 a month, $50 a year, or $500 for a lifetime membership (aka ten years of subscription paid upfront).
Subscribe at: https://realignment.supercast.com/
Subscribers get exclusive Q&A episodes every two weeks, multiple bonus interviews a month, and
The general rule with subscriptions is that 3-10% of your overall audience will pay for a membership. Last month, hundreds of thousands of unique listeners tuned in, so one can do the math. If only 3% of that number subscribed, even at the $5 rate, we’d be off to the races.
Saagar and I Are in Portland, Oregon Today. Come Say Hi.
Saagar and I are in Portland, OR for a friend’s wedding this weekend. I’ve already run into some listeners on the street, so if you see us, please drop by and say hi. Right after I schedule this email we’re heading to Multnomah Falls. We’ll be out and about in the city tonight.
I’m from the suburbs and haven’t actually spent that much time in the city during my 20s. Any recommendations for places to eat/drink?
Lincoln Network Event on Free Speech & the Internet 9/9
I’ll be in San Francisco on September 9th for an event our sponsor, Lincoln Network, is running. Would love to see you there.
Life, Liberty, and the Right to Shitpost
More info:
Online platforms, and the large companies that run them, increasingly mediate our free expression, economic activity, and family and community life. With this shift, we face a multitude of potential intrusions into our private lives, including the risk of new forms of surveillance and censorship.
These platforms are increasingly held responsible—by politicians, the media, and even their own employees—for allowing and amplifying harmful actions their users. This includes the spread false information, violent extremism, targeted harassment, and other societal harms. This has led to a rise in moderation, narrowing the scope of acceptable speech and behavior.
Would Elon Musk's vision have been better, or was it unworkable? Regardless of who's in charge, are central authorities the right governance approach, or would these challenges be better handled by distributed communities? Will the future continue the trend of tech concentration, or will the pendulum swing back—potentially with the help of regulators—from the cathedral of Big Tech to the bazaar of the open web?
We invite you to join us as we explore these issues and more, covering the balance and the boundaries of free speech, and the future of online platforms.
PANEL SPEAKERS
Renée DiResta // Research Manager, Stanford Internet Observatory // @NoUpside
Alex Feerst // CEO, Murmmuration Labs; Co-Founder, Digital Trust & Safety Partnership // @alexfeerst
Antonio García Martínez // Senior Fellow, Lincoln Network; Author of Chaos Monkeys and The Pull Request // @antoniogm
Alex Stamos // Director, Stanford Internet Observatory; Founding Partner, Krebs Stamos Group // @alexstamos
Content Moderator: Gilad Edelman // Senior Writer, WIRED // @GiladEdelman
This Week’s Free Episodes
272 | Frank DiStefano: Why Democrats & Republicans Haven't Realigned (Yet)
271 | Special: Dr. Mark Trexler (AKA Marshall's Dad) Responds to Alex Epstein on Climate Change and Energy Policy
(AUDIO)
270 | Season Premiere: Saagar & Marshall Discuss Andrew Yang's Forward, Pelosi in Taiwan, and More
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Mines Andina. Peruvian fine dining, somalier and wine cellar style.
Nice interview. I think the convo turned primarily on the political intransigence. I think it would have been more useful perhaps to spend more time dissecting the logistics and dynamics of climate solutions. From what I'm hearing for example evs are unlikely to make much a dent in climate change but is a big focus of bidens plan.
Consider interviewing Bjorn Lomborg to have a more detailed discussion on climate solutions and their viability.
Great podcast!