Strange Frequencies

C’era una volta, not long after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, I up and moved to Rome. It didn’t take much time for me to view that decision as one of destructive idiocy (invading Iraq, I mean, not moving to Rome). But its causes seemed relatively transparent,

There is a term that phenomenologists bandy about called “qualia”: the subjective experience of sensory phenomena. But what does that mean exactly? The philosopher Thomas Nagel had a famous article titled "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” [https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/study/ugmodules/humananimalstudies/

There are two false dichotomies that routinely appear whenever the subject of nationalism comes up: the supposed distinction between patriotism and nationalism, and the one between “creedal” and cultural or ethnic nationalism. This topic was generally on my mind, as I was reading Steven Smith’s (very good) book: Reclaiming

After thinking more generally [https://www.strangefrequencies.co/no-other/] about underappreciated cultural artifacts, I was reminded of this piece I wrote for the now-defunct Rebeller on one of my all-time favorite shows. As that site no longer exists, I'm reposting it here. Underappreciation is a curious cultural phenomenon. 1970s power-pop

I’m not thrilled about it, but I figure Youtube clips are the most accessible vehicle for the tracks referenced here. Readers who enjoy the songs themselves are encouraged to seek them out in a more sonically appropriate format—whether higher resolution digital, vinyl, or what have you. Perhaps because

This post should be synched up with Dark Side of the Moon. > BOUNDARY, n. In political geography, an imaginary line between two nations, separating the imaginary rights of one from the imaginary rights of the other.                                                     – Ambrose Bierce Among much else, the new year has gifted us another neologism: “vaccine

This set of reflections began life as a Twitter thread but has since grown up. Josiah Ober had a typically thoughtful piece [https://t.co/uzFCFbZqxX?amp=1] on the meaning of politics in the new journal Antigone a couple days ago, and I’ve been mulling it over ever

Posting this one without comment. Perhaps I'll elaborate someday.