Weekend reading | 3.15

Texas lottery arbitrage, old Vanity Fair rates and more.

15 Mar

In case you missed it

Use this to separate content

Here at Dirt headquarters we are slogging through two weeks of tabs. Hence, the rare (but not unwelcome) weekend edition. Here is everything that we are paying attention to that you might have missed…

First off, Matt Levine laid out a Texas lottery arbitrage. Someone figured out that they could buy all of the tickets, guaranteeing the jackpot, for less than the size of the jackpot––I wish my mind worked this way. 

Some Torontonians launched a new magazine called Sorry, although it feels like Americans should be the ones apologizing. If you like magazines, you will looove learning what Bryan Burrough was making at Graydon Carter’s Vanity Fair…more than $166,000 per story. :) 

The most I ever made on a story was at Playboy, where I made $2 a word. The magazine is allegedly back with an annual print product, although Mark Healy only helmed the first issue before going to Puck. I’m sorry to say, none of these cover lines are remotely interesting to me. I guess everything has a (disappointing) second life. Even Humane. 

In other news sourced on LinkedIn, Patagonia developed their first custom typeface. Which reminds me of this 032c piece about aura: “For a brand to know what they want today is almost the same as knowing what people want.” 

What do I want? A plush Blessing by Amber Vittoria. The steamed fish from Brooklyn’s KRU. A forthcoming anthology of writing about raving. A fig tree––which you can get this Sunday in Astoria at the neighborhood’s first-ever fig tree exchange. And a slice of Pervert Pie. 

If you thought the stock market was in turmoil, you should check out the art world. There are rumors that online art marketplace Artsy is going under. ‘Red Chip’ art buyers have terrible taste and art lenders are issuing margin calls. At least the Comtesse d’Haussonville is returning to view when The Frick reopens next month. 

Speaking of opening––Grace Byron looks at whether (my former classmate) Zohran Mamdani can succeed in the New York Mayoral race. MSNBC is hiring 100 journalists. Bill Burr continues to be the voice of the people. Will he make a statement on poppers? 

“​​The modern makers’ machine does not want you to create heavy things. It runs on the internet—powered by social media, fueled by mass appeal, and addicted to speed.” Anu Atluru says to make something heavy. Or if you’re Nathan Fielder, make an Elizabeth Holmes documentary. 

RIP DJ FUNK. I am listening to Loren Kamer’s cover of ​hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it. Cedar Stairwell by Baths. Industrial Love Song from These New Puritans and Caroline Polacheck. No Front Teeth by Perfume Genius. Macy Gray’s On How Life Is as revisited by Pitchfork: “the debut album that only a 31-year-old mother of three could create.” 

How life is: Zando Publishing bought Tin House. Saudi Arabia bought Pokémon Go. Racquet Magazine got a fresh round of investment. And Demna is about to make some of the ugliest clothes you have ever seen at Gucci. Chi la dura, la vince… — Daisy Alioto

🤎 Do you like this format? Let us know. You can just respond to this email, we read everything! 🤎