Clips
Things I wrote.
“Why do cozy games keep asking us to work, and why does it feel so good?” Mothership, February 9, 2026
The word cozy has been worked very hard lately. It’s an aesthetic, a lifestyle, a genre, a mood, a season, a personality trait. It’s an oversized sweatshirt that’s faded from too many washes. A hot mug of coffee or tea — or maybe a joint — warming your hands on a wintry day. It’s the kind of quiet where no one expects anything from you, and you don’t expect anything from yourself. It promises safety, softness, and time — three things that are increasingly in short supply.
“The Best Hawaiian Shirts to Buy Right Now,” Genius, December, 2021
When the sunshine hits, so do warm-weather fits, and no other wardrobe piece says tropical locale quite like the classic Hawaiian shirt. (Well, maybe a pair of linen pants.) Decked out in vivid colors and allover prints, the Hawaiian shirt, or aloha shirt, signifies vacations and weekends alike. But you may not know about its complicated history.
“The Surprising Allure of Vintage Gaming Tees,” EGM NOW, August 15, 2019
In a 2006 issue of Tips & Tricks magazine—issue #140—editor-in-chief Chris Bieniek wrote an essay on video game t-shirts that posed the question: “Collector’s Item or Fashion Statement?” In the piece, Bieniek introduces gaming t-shirts as a free promotional item, dismissing their value as collector’s pieces and noting the t-shirt’s ability to accumulate fabric-related defects. “There’s no established price guide for these things,” he writes. “The resale value of a t-shirt diminishes greatly if the shirt is worn even once… nobody is going to pay for a used t-shirt that’s been faded from repeated washings and stretched to the shape of somebody else’s body.”
When it comes to footwear, we tend to put a lot of stock into big names like Veja, Adidas, New Balance, and Merrell. But what about the major players who make the components that go into these shoes? One Italian-born company stands as king in terms of popularity and reliability for shoe outsoles: Vibram. What’s the deal with these soles? And why are Vibram soles so popular?
“YouTube & Chill: A Glimpse Into The World Of
Lo-fi Hip-Hop,” Genius, April 24, 2018
In the corners of YouTube, thousands of viewers are tuned into a radio station featuring an endless loop of a .gif of an anime girl writing in her journal. She’s soundtracked by hazy beats smothered in tape hiss, next to her is a chatroom with people from all over the world writing in multiple languages. Thousands of people have come to this stream for microgenre of music: lo-fi hip-hop.
“Dancing shoes: What rhythm gamers are wearing in competition,” Input, May, 2022
Like a pair of Nike Air Zoom Alphaflys for marathon runners or a SteelSeries gaming mouse for esports gamers, dance gamers have their own tools to help them reach peak performance. But unlike the aforementioned athletes, the world's dance game competitors don't always have the luxury of sponsors backing their apparel and accessory choices. Instead, they've relied on years of trial and error to discover what makes for the perfect shoe to use when grazing the metallic platforms of games like Dance Dance Revolution, In the Groove, DanceRush: Stardom, and StepManiaX…
“The Joys and Opportunities of ‘Passive Podcasts’,” Hot Pod News/Vulture, February 16, 2021
Generally speaking, it’s usually assumed that podcasts require us to give them our attention. But what about the ones that don’t? Even a cursory glance at the podcast charts would reveal that the bulk of popular shows tend to center around storytelling, informational, or educational experiences. And so, when we see something like WALKING — a podcast created by Jon Mooallem, the author and New York Times Magazine writer-at-large, which features him walking around Bainbridge Island with a voice recorder inside of a repurposed sock — rising to critical acclaim (however defined), it feels sort of eccentric in a pleasantly unfamiliar kind of way.
“The Best Home-Office Rugs if You Have a Rolling Desk Chair” WSJ Buy Side, May 29, 2024
A rug that’s soft underfoot can make your workspace feel elevated and more comfortable, and thus more inspiring and motivating—but not every rug can handle a typical desk chair with wheels. Some are susceptible to fraying; others are too thick to allow for chair gliding. We spoke to rug specialists and design pros about what to look for, and then put options from eight reputable brands to the test. If you’re looking for a quality office rug you can easily roll your chair over, the Olivia Flat-Weave Rug by Aelfie is our top pick.
“Your Morning Routine Needs a 2024 Reboot. These Gadgets Will Help.” WSJ, May 17, 2024
ILLUSTRATION: RICHARD BORGE
According to 2022 Deloitte consumer report that surveyed 36,150 adults aged 18 to 75 across 21 countries, 57% of smartphone owners look at their device within 15 minutes of waking up. As someone who used to do this with my iPhone, I know that checking DMs, work emails and election headlines before leaving bed is a good way to kick-start the day with stress. Not that starting your day with the help of devices is a total mistake. Many offer convenience without sending you down a rabbit hole of poll results and interoffice gripes.