More screed in your feed: we tackle the notorious Google memo.

This episode’s topic is the prequel to Need for Screed II: Screedo Shot Last. If you don’t know what’s up with this memo yet, you will soon.

Notes

• Before we get into the screed weeds, we recap a bit, and reflect on the previous episode with Hector Monsegur. Besides being a fun one, it was probably one of our more practically useful episodes. Keeping with the theme of being useful, I’d like to share some more related links.
• This is the VPN setup that Hector directed me to. I’ve been using it for about two months now and am pleased with it.
• As for password managers, I really like 1Password, which was recommended to me by Luke Donoho. It’s available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android, with browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. I used to rely on LastPass, but then got nervous when LogMeIn bought them. I believe Hector recommends KeePass, which has the advantages of being free and open-source. It seems a little less user-friendly to me, but to be fair, I’m a big dummy. Anyway, I trust you can take it from here.
• Alright, that’s enough burying the screed. First things first: read “the screed.”
• This TED talk by Jon Ronson, primarily dealing with the Twitter immolation of Justine Sacco, is excellent. What’s most relevant to Damore, the memo, and the coverage thereof is Ronson’s point about the righteous certainty people have regarding their enemies’ true beliefs and intentions. Though I haven’t read it, I imagine he covers this in much greater detail in his book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed.
• “In Defense of the Google Manifesto” (via Area Magazine)
• The Slate Star Codex piece I quote in the episode: “Contra Grant On Exaggerated Differences”
• “James Damore Offended Fellow Students in Harvard Grad” (via Wired)
• Oh, you haven’t heard of Pimpbot 5000? Let’s fix that.
• “No Voice at VOX: Sense and Nonsense about Discussing IQ and Race” (on Vox‘s clumsy smear against Charles Murray and Sam Harris)
• Speaking of Sam Harris, after Sam Harris had Jordan Peterson on his show, Zach and I got into a bitter battle over whether Peterson made any sense: listen here! For me, the jury’s still out on this guy. I think he was stubborn and tedious in advancing his confused concept of truth on that episode of Waking Up. However, I did like him and much of what he had to say when he chatted with Joe Rogan recently. I dunno. Maybe I don’t have to pass final judgment on this guy—or anyone, for that matter.
• Much like the noises Google makes about free speech, the noises Google makes about diversity don’t quite track reality.

Media Mentions

Tom

• Screed Racer
• Just Screed
• Up to Screed
• Godscreed
• The Screeding Man
• Assassin’s Screed
• Mr. Screeds
• Screeding Frenzy
• Screedful Things
• Screeding Rainbow
• Burn After Screeding

Scott

• Louis C.K. 2017

Zach

• Room 104
• The Man from Earth
• The Road to Character by David Brooks