Paul Williams
@defiantsloth.bsky.social
pairing fine dining with dive bars and ripping through pull tabs wherever
✱ defiantsloth.com
work: svp, solutions & growth strategy for publicis groupe
✱ defiantsloth.com
work: svp, solutions & growth strategy for publicis groupe
Fascinating interview with Helen DeWitt on the highly improbable methods and circumstances leading to her latest, 25-years-in-the-making novel, Your Name Here. Looking forward to cracking this open after The Rose Fie... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/11/05/fascinating-interview-with-helen-dewitt.html
November 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Fascinating interview with Helen DeWitt on the highly improbable methods and circumstances leading to her latest, 25-years-in-the-making novel, Your Name Here. Looking forward to cracking this open after The Rose Fie... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/11/05/fascinating-interview-with-helen-dewitt.html
As the autumn winds churn through the outside world, I’m increasingly excited to settle into warm evenings by a fire, voraciously reading through my stack of recently published books:
Philip Pullman’s The Rose Field
Helen DeWitt’s Your Name Here
Adam Johnson’s The Wayfinder
Philip Pullman’s The Rose Field
Helen DeWitt’s Your Name Here
Adam Johnson’s The Wayfinder
October 29, 2025 at 9:26 PM
As the autumn winds churn through the outside world, I’m increasingly excited to settle into warm evenings by a fire, voraciously reading through my stack of recently published books:
Philip Pullman’s The Rose Field
Helen DeWitt’s Your Name Here
Adam Johnson’s The Wayfinder
Philip Pullman’s The Rose Field
Helen DeWitt’s Your Name Here
Adam Johnson’s The Wayfinder
I do appreciate Tonx’s forthright reckoning with himself/the industry on how to operate an independent, honest DTC business without pre-established celebrity clout (I mean, outside of the coffee space, I suppose, but he is still roasting and seeking coffee).
September 26, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I do appreciate Tonx’s forthright reckoning with himself/the industry on how to operate an independent, honest DTC business without pre-established celebrity clout (I mean, outside of the coffee space, I suppose, but he is still roasting and seeking coffee).
Halfway through Ray Nayler’s Where the Axe is Buried. If you want near-future existential dread, this is the book for you. Masterclass in pulling in a reader through approachable but slightly foreign world building with an intriguing, politically relevant story.
September 22, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Halfway through Ray Nayler’s Where the Axe is Buried. If you want near-future existential dread, this is the book for you. Masterclass in pulling in a reader through approachable but slightly foreign world building with an intriguing, politically relevant story.
While I haven’t read it since it was released (back in 2013?), Brian K. Vaughan’s The Private Eye was particularly prescient. We’ve been heading towards its worldview for years and… have arrived, I’d say — even if every private detail about our lives hasn’t leaked, anonymity is impossible.
September 10, 2025 at 4:25 PM
While I haven’t read it since it was released (back in 2013?), Brian K. Vaughan’s The Private Eye was particularly prescient. We’ve been heading towards its worldview for years and… have arrived, I’d say — even if every private detail about our lives hasn’t leaked, anonymity is impossible.
Beautiful night at the Arboretum on Saturday. They hosted a walking event under the full Harvest Moon, and just a week into our newfound discovery of this place, we’ve been twice. We’re anticpating several more visits as the temps cool and leaves change.
September 8, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Beautiful night at the Arboretum on Saturday. They hosted a walking event under the full Harvest Moon, and just a week into our newfound discovery of this place, we’ve been twice. We’re anticpating several more visits as the temps cool and leaves change.
In Monocle’s Briefing newsletter today, they highlighted the modernist/brutalist architecture of Japan’s Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium from 1964 and its risk of being torn down. At a glance, it shares a design philosophy with Death Stranding’s entrances for its Knot Cities. Love the overlap.
September 3, 2025 at 3:14 PM
In Monocle’s Briefing newsletter today, they highlighted the modernist/brutalist architecture of Japan’s Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium from 1964 and its risk of being torn down. At a glance, it shares a design philosophy with Death Stranding’s entrances for its Knot Cities. Love the overlap.
Excellent piece by Heavy Table on the Midway Men’s Club at the Minnesota State Fair. My favorite stop (often multi-stop) when I go.
"But while it may be as old-school as it gets, the place is anything but dusty. It hums with... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/08/27/excellent-piece-by-heavy-table.html
"But while it may be as old-school as it gets, the place is anything but dusty. It hums with... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/08/27/excellent-piece-by-heavy-table.html
August 26, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Excellent piece by Heavy Table on the Midway Men’s Club at the Minnesota State Fair. My favorite stop (often multi-stop) when I go.
"But while it may be as old-school as it gets, the place is anything but dusty. It hums with... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/08/27/excellent-piece-by-heavy-table.html
"But while it may be as old-school as it gets, the place is anything but dusty. It hums with... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/08/27/excellent-piece-by-heavy-table.html
This was a once-in-a-lifetime-first-experience read: I Who Have Bever Known Men. Phenomenal novel by the late Jacqueline Hartman. It weaves a harrowing exploration of selfhood to the backdrop of a retracted, minimally expositioned nightmare. I suppose you could call it my poolside summer read.
August 19, 2025 at 11:37 PM
This was a once-in-a-lifetime-first-experience read: I Who Have Bever Known Men. Phenomenal novel by the late Jacqueline Hartman. It weaves a harrowing exploration of selfhood to the backdrop of a retracted, minimally expositioned nightmare. I suppose you could call it my poolside summer read.
Passed by this stack of fallen trees, sliced up by the city, on my morning run. We’ve been getting some wild weather this summer.
August 4, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Passed by this stack of fallen trees, sliced up by the city, on my morning run. We’ve been getting some wild weather this summer.
Brutal, but absolutely on point mixed media work by Thomas Doyle (nice aggregation by Colossal). This kind of tech takeover has been done over the years, but in the medium of faux-antiquated sculptures, it hits differently.
(image via of Colossal)
(image via of Colossal)
July 31, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Brutal, but absolutely on point mixed media work by Thomas Doyle (nice aggregation by Colossal). This kind of tech takeover has been done over the years, but in the medium of faux-antiquated sculptures, it hits differently.
(image via of Colossal)
(image via of Colossal)
Hyland Lake Park Reserve.
July 26, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Hyland Lake Park Reserve.
A rewatch of Laloux’s Fantastic Planet (1973) re-establishes — in my mind — its boundless inventiveness and vision, albeit encompassing a common tale. It also operates as an historic spiritual precursor to the Scavengers Reign series, which was unjustly cancelled by both HBO Max and Netflix.
July 21, 2025 at 7:55 PM
A rewatch of Laloux’s Fantastic Planet (1973) re-establishes — in my mind — its boundless inventiveness and vision, albeit encompassing a common tale. It also operates as an historic spiritual precursor to the Scavengers Reign series, which was unjustly cancelled by both HBO Max and Netflix.
Phenomenal retrospective on building Alien Isolation by the newly rebooted @gameinformer.com magazine (subscriber article, but worth it to support gaming journalism). Love the devs’ rule: “nothing can go into Isolation that couldn’t be made on [Ridley] Scott’s set.”
gameinformer.com/retrospectiv...
gameinformer.com/retrospectiv...
July 13, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Phenomenal retrospective on building Alien Isolation by the newly rebooted @gameinformer.com magazine (subscriber article, but worth it to support gaming journalism). Love the devs’ rule: “nothing can go into Isolation that couldn’t be made on [Ridley] Scott’s set.”
gameinformer.com/retrospectiv...
gameinformer.com/retrospectiv...
Just discovered this post-war architectural collective of “buildings inspired by pyramids and mastabas that rise above the sandy, green expanse of a former farm” just outside the French Mediterranean coastline.
A... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/07/04/just-discovered-this-postwar-architectural.html
A... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/07/04/just-discovered-this-postwar-architectural.html
July 4, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Just discovered this post-war architectural collective of “buildings inspired by pyramids and mastabas that rise above the sandy, green expanse of a former farm” just outside the French Mediterranean coastline.
A... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/07/04/just-discovered-this-postwar-architectural.html
A... https://defiantsloth.com/2025/07/04/just-discovered-this-postwar-architectural.html
Snapped through some fresh pull-tabs in a farewell tour of sorts to my area of St. Paul (Halftime Rec and Gabe’s, farewell for a while — I’ll be back).
Also: a fairly substantial update to the pull-tabs library.
Also: a fairly substantial update to the pull-tabs library.
June 22, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Snapped through some fresh pull-tabs in a farewell tour of sorts to my area of St. Paul (Halftime Rec and Gabe’s, farewell for a while — I’ll be back).
Also: a fairly substantial update to the pull-tabs library.
Also: a fairly substantial update to the pull-tabs library.
Crazy this side operation out of Coudal Partners has been going on for 20 years, but Field Notes branded notebooks are still as joyful as they’ve been when Aaron Draplin first ideated the concept. Quality stuff.
Funny enough, during my recent move I unearthed a treasure trove of these things.
Funny enough, during my recent move I unearthed a treasure trove of these things.
June 18, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Crazy this side operation out of Coudal Partners has been going on for 20 years, but Field Notes branded notebooks are still as joyful as they’ve been when Aaron Draplin first ideated the concept. Quality stuff.
Funny enough, during my recent move I unearthed a treasure trove of these things.
Funny enough, during my recent move I unearthed a treasure trove of these things.
The new nearby Mexican spot is high on vibes (you know, one of those places with every chair and booth painted with a scene), and so-so on execution, but it’ll do. El pastor tacos pair well enough with their habanero salsa.
June 16, 2025 at 3:37 PM
The new nearby Mexican spot is high on vibes (you know, one of those places with every chair and booth painted with a scene), and so-so on execution, but it’ll do. El pastor tacos pair well enough with their habanero salsa.
Big move coming up. I may be one of a small few who could be considered a moving enthusiast — I enjoy the opportunity to organize, pack, label, checklist, and place objects in optimal paths for trafficking this stuff out the house. Plus, a move exposes all the things to donate/pass on, too. Nice.
June 4, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Big move coming up. I may be one of a small few who could be considered a moving enthusiast — I enjoy the opportunity to organize, pack, label, checklist, and place objects in optimal paths for trafficking this stuff out the house. Plus, a move exposes all the things to donate/pass on, too. Nice.
Hydration two ways at Nico’s Tacos in St Anthony Park after a pitstop biking up and around Como Ave from Saint Paul. The bike lane all the way from the park is a joy to use.
May 13, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Hydration two ways at Nico’s Tacos in St Anthony Park after a pitstop biking up and around Como Ave from Saint Paul. The bike lane all the way from the park is a joy to use.
Nothing beats an impromptu decision to hit up Turf Club and find out you know the band playing the night-of. Papooz was whimsically entertaining and a near-perfect anecdote to another political hellscape of a week. We always sit at the bar — it’s a great view, and nearest proximity to the drinks.
May 3, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Nothing beats an impromptu decision to hit up Turf Club and find out you know the band playing the night-of. Papooz was whimsically entertaining and a near-perfect anecdote to another political hellscape of a week. We always sit at the bar — it’s a great view, and nearest proximity to the drinks.
Not sure exactly when this went live, but Monocle has a gorgeous new website layout — really pops in a desktop browser, echoing newspaper paradigms with a digital sheen that so many other publications swing and miss on.
April 26, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Not sure exactly when this went live, but Monocle has a gorgeous new website layout — really pops in a desktop browser, echoing newspaper paradigms with a digital sheen that so many other publications swing and miss on.
We did go crazy last night. Crowd was an elite tier of energy compared to most of the season. The Wolves win was inevitable.
April 26, 2025 at 2:10 PM
We did go crazy last night. Crowd was an elite tier of energy compared to most of the season. The Wolves win was inevitable.
George Packer in the latest Dispatches for The Atlantic:
"Ritualized humiliation is essential to an authoritarian regime."
"Ritualized humiliation is essential to an authoritarian regime."
April 13, 2025 at 3:06 AM
George Packer in the latest Dispatches for The Atlantic:
"Ritualized humiliation is essential to an authoritarian regime."
"Ritualized humiliation is essential to an authoritarian regime."
I may be late to the party on this, but Robin Sloan’s Moonbound is a terrific read. It’s like he took several shelves of adventurous genres at a bookstore and whisked them into a cauldron to brew a remixed elixir of everything we love about high-spirited, whimsical, fantastical fiction.
March 31, 2025 at 11:57 PM
I may be late to the party on this, but Robin Sloan’s Moonbound is a terrific read. It’s like he took several shelves of adventurous genres at a bookstore and whisked them into a cauldron to brew a remixed elixir of everything we love about high-spirited, whimsical, fantastical fiction.