Adam Sternbergh
@sternbergh.bsky.social
culture editor, NYTimes Opinion
novelist: THE EDEN TEST (out now); THE BLINDS; NEAR ENEMY; SHOVEL READY
I wear suits now
novelist: THE EDEN TEST (out now); THE BLINDS; NEAR ENEMY; SHOVEL READY
I wear suits now
kid rock
sort of curious who would be a *terrible* muppet show guest host. to nuke myself from orbit, i am starting with gillian anderson
janelle monáe, ke huy quan and pedro pascal
February 7, 2026 at 3:31 AM
kid rock
looking forward to another Super Bowl featuring two teams I barely care about in a tight-fought battle that comes down to the final minutes/total blowout
February 7, 2026 at 2:25 AM
looking forward to another Super Bowl featuring two teams I barely care about in a tight-fought battle that comes down to the final minutes/total blowout
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
They’ll be hearing from his father
February 7, 2026 at 2:14 AM
They’ll be hearing from his father
'"talent" is a gatekeeping mechanism' 10/10 no notes
no great artists have ever struggled, a famous thing about artists that we all know. everyone prior to three years ago lived lives of luxury.
![the stupid 'talent is a gatekeeping mechanism' thread that's going around, three posts reading:
tired of having these arguments so i'm gonna lay out the STARK reality of AI for some of you privileged fucks:
1. "talent" is a gatekeeping mechanism that has created a culture of professionalism that is no less of an ivory tower than academia, a moralized proxy for access to time, training, money.
2. being poor means having to make hard choices like:
[a] drawing something yourself in a way society would call "bad" (i.e. unprofessional)
[b] sacrificing resources you don't have to pay a real artist what they're worth (or learn yourself)
[c] not doing it at all, or
[d] using AI.
“just don’t use AI” is a luxury position. when people moralize choices made under scarcity, they’re pretending the menu is the same for everyone. it fucking isn’t.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dei7f7zh74xr3hoghei6ke3d/bafkreig5uei5qn5bkwhgniorhoyesfs73ovo76xwfk2yxprmtnbde4cvp4@jpeg)
February 7, 2026 at 2:14 AM
'"talent" is a gatekeeping mechanism' 10/10 no notes
if you haven't read it, read it
Because I can tell y’all need some serious distraction:
I’ve dropped the ebook price for the first of Richard Stark’s Parker novels, The Hunter, to $2.99. Buy it direct below, or from any major ebook retailer.
You won’t regret it.
I’ve dropped the ebook price for the first of Richard Stark’s Parker novels, The Hunter, to $2.99. Buy it direct below, or from any major ebook retailer.
You won’t regret it.
The Hunter
Where it all begins: The first book in the action-packed classic crime series that's the basis for the forthcoming film Play Dirty! Richard Stark's Parker novels are the hardest of hard-boiled, classi...
press.uchicago.edu
February 6, 2026 at 5:59 PM
if you haven't read it, read it
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
This is the top of the NYT webpage right now
February 6, 2026 at 4:51 PM
This is the top of the NYT webpage right now
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
A significant part of my integration into Canadian life has involved listening to Buck Martinez's color commentary. The distinct timbre of his voice and the cadence of his stories are seared into my experience of Jays games. Baseball color commentary is an art form, and Martinez was an artist.
February 6, 2026 at 4:42 PM
A significant part of my integration into Canadian life has involved listening to Buck Martinez's color commentary. The distinct timbre of his voice and the cadence of his stories are seared into my experience of Jays games. Baseball color commentary is an art form, and Martinez was an artist.
tired: please clap
wired: please don’t boo
wired: please don’t boo
February 6, 2026 at 4:02 PM
tired: please clap
wired: please don’t boo
wired: please don’t boo
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
Every time I see a girl, a dog, a scarecrow, a lion, and a tin man walking around together, I think of that one old movie
February 6, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Every time I see a girl, a dog, a scarecrow, a lion, and a tin man walking around together, I think of that one old movie
if you prefer to start your day with something uplifting rather than disheartening, watch this video
The Wright Museums Instagram page is HILARIOUS. Think The Office but it's the staff at a Museum for Black History. Better believe this is on my list of places to visit.
Gentle Spades
"I'm a veteran"
Gentle Spades
"I'm a veteran"
February 6, 2026 at 2:29 PM
if you prefer to start your day with something uplifting rather than disheartening, watch this video
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
The Wright Museums Instagram page is HILARIOUS. Think The Office but it's the staff at a Museum for Black History. Better believe this is on my list of places to visit.
Gentle Spades
"I'm a veteran"
Gentle Spades
"I'm a veteran"
February 6, 2026 at 8:23 AM
The Wright Museums Instagram page is HILARIOUS. Think The Office but it's the staff at a Museum for Black History. Better believe this is on my list of places to visit.
Gentle Spades
"I'm a veteran"
Gentle Spades
"I'm a veteran"
this should be disqualifying
Another batch of Trump's judicial nominees refused in their confirmation hearings today to publicly acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, which annoyed Sen. Richard Blumenthal enough for him to call them "monkeys" and "puppets"
February 6, 2026 at 2:09 PM
this should be disqualifying
hmmm kind of sounds like the penny and look how that ended up
“According to Coindesk, the average cost to mine one Bitcoin is currently around $87,000 — far higher than its current going rate, making it an extremely unprofitable proposition.”
The current price of Bitcoin is $64,000. Up slightly from the price cited in the article.
The current price of Bitcoin is $64,000. Up slightly from the price cited in the article.
Bitcoin Is Crashing So Hard That Miners Are Unplugging Their Equipment
Bitcoin's plunge has made it far less economical to mine the digital token. Some companies are starting to unplug their equipment.
futurism.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:14 AM
hmmm kind of sounds like the penny and look how that ended up
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
This is extraordinary. I will miss Colbert so much, but he is going out blazing.
Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.
February 6, 2026 at 12:24 AM
This is extraordinary. I will miss Colbert so much, but he is going out blazing.
rough to be outperformed by fartcoin
There are drawdowns. And then there’s Melania Coin.
February 6, 2026 at 12:39 AM
rough to be outperformed by fartcoin
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
"Billie Eilish's theory of property." OK guys!
It’s time to put Billie Eilish’s theory of property out to pasture, Richard Epstein and Max Raskin write.
"Americans are not thieves who built on stolen land." https://wapo.st/4rDYzrn
"Americans are not thieves who built on stolen land." https://wapo.st/4rDYzrn
February 5, 2026 at 8:52 PM
"Billie Eilish's theory of property." OK guys!
"It is DIY or die."
Great post on the (exciting, terrifying) future of literature in a world increasingly barren of mainstream book coverage
Great post on the (exciting, terrifying) future of literature in a world increasingly barren of mainstream book coverage
Quick and dirty post on this countercraft.substack.com/p/why-litera...
February 5, 2026 at 9:08 PM
"It is DIY or die."
Great post on the (exciting, terrifying) future of literature in a world increasingly barren of mainstream book coverage
Great post on the (exciting, terrifying) future of literature in a world increasingly barren of mainstream book coverage
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
they can just put it back as an artwork www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/w...
The Louvre Thieves Dropped This Priceless Crown. Now It Looks Like This.
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:36 PM
they can just put it back as an artwork www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/w...
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
A blessing on those who read pieces in literary journals and send kind words to their authors.
February 5, 2026 at 7:29 PM
A blessing on those who read pieces in literary journals and send kind words to their authors.
tfw when your movie contains lingering takes of "suggestive textures"
February 5, 2026 at 3:28 PM
tfw when your movie contains lingering takes of "suggestive textures"
this looks like a concept drawing for a lost coen bros movie
going through some old photos and found this from years ago that i took in richmond. what a building!
February 5, 2026 at 2:37 AM
this looks like a concept drawing for a lost coen bros movie
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
A+ ad placement on ESPN’s trade tracker
February 4, 2026 at 9:50 PM
A+ ad placement on ESPN’s trade tracker
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
Our founders, though deeply flawed, understood that democracy requires an informed citizenry and a government accountable to it people. That’s why the press is the only profession protected by the Constitution. It’s also why autocrats and oligarchs seek to control and destroy it.
February 4, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Our founders, though deeply flawed, understood that democracy requires an informed citizenry and a government accountable to it people. That’s why the press is the only profession protected by the Constitution. It’s also why autocrats and oligarchs seek to control and destroy it.
Reposted by Adam Sternbergh
For those looking for freelance work in the wake of WaPo layoffs: I'm an editor at large overseeing Ideas & Culture at Bloomberg, including our Books coverage. Find me at [email protected]
February 4, 2026 at 5:10 PM
For those looking for freelance work in the wake of WaPo layoffs: I'm an editor at large overseeing Ideas & Culture at Bloomberg, including our Books coverage. Find me at [email protected]