On the quintessentially-American fowl: "Turkey" @swordsjew.bsky.social
(Plus- the actual first Thanksgiving)

Gobble: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/13/turkey-a-large-bird-whose-flesh-when-eaten-on-certain-religious-anniversaries-has-the-peculiar-property-of-attesting-piety-and-gratitude/

A classic "mirror of princes" and what it offers us today: "The Epic of the Fear of Death" @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social
(Plus- the world's oldest seat of learning)

Reach back: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/12/sex-and-death-are-the-only-things-that-can-interest-a-serious-mind/

The future of Western forests depends on professionals slowly being starved out of existence: "The plight of the pinecone cowboy" @highcountrynews.org
(Plus- Glacier National Park)

Treasure trees: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/11/the-clearest-way-into-the-universe-is-through-a-forest/

Fewer and fewer winners take more and more of the pot. The new mechanics of concentration: "AI is Eating Markets" @paulkedrosky.com
(Plus- Mother's Day: the rest of the story)

Contemplating concentration: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/10/gambling-is-a-tax-on-ignorance/

On gray literature and Webster’s Timeline History books: "The First Tomato to Know Everything" @sosallyo.bsky.social @cabinetmagazine.bsky.social
(Plus- Mother's Day proclaimed)

Hold on to the human: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/09/everything-is-ephemeral-both-that-which-remembers-and-that-which-is-remembered/

A significant part of the earth's climate infrastructure is under threat: "A complete guide to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)"
(Plus- Andrew Sharrett)

Put on your sailin' shoes: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/08/it-is-by-the-deep-hidden-currents-that-the-oceans-are-made-one/

The Socratic Method and the importance of recognizing and responding to the times in which we live: "Socrates is Mortal"
(Plus- David Hume)

Inhabiting our moment: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/07/i-cannot-teach-anybody-anything-i-can-only-make-them-think/

How does one become a person? "We" before "I": "To be is to participate" @aeon.co
(Plus- Kenneth Spence)

Get together: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/06/the-web-of-our-life-is-of-a-mingled-yarn/

An optimistic look at what AI could mean: "Hooray! Post-Fordism Is Finally Here!"
(Plus- Andrew Meikle)

Resolving to remain rosy: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/05/always-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life-2/

"Ultrafinitism" rejects the infinite. Long dismissed as mathematical heresy, it nonetheless produces new insights: "What Can We Gain by Losing Infinity?" @gregbarber.bsky.social @quantamagazine.bsky.social
(Plus- Isaac Barrow)

Engaging the endless: https://roughlydaily.com/2026/05/04/something-that-doesnt-actually-exist-can-still-be-useful/