Lili Saintcrow

I write books.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"Beyond a handful of letters and a rather cryptic suicide note, little hard evidence remains of Fanny Imlay."

Out From the Shadows: On Rediscovering Mary Shelley’s Half-Sister, Fanny Imlay

It is an interesting challenge to write about someone who has been overlooked, who is overshadowed by more vibrant characters. If they are a

[lilithsaintcrow]

"Whether discussing opportunists, flatterers, fair-weather companions, or friendships based on self-interest, Boncompagno’s observations remain surprisingly recognizable more than eight centuries later."

10 Toxic Friends According to a Medieval Writer - Medievalists.net

Discover 10 types of toxic friends described by the medieval writer Boncompagno da Signa, from fair-weather companions to opportunists and f

[lilithsaintcrow]

"Old kitchenware advertisements reveal a time when sugar came in rock-hard loaves, raisins arrived packed with seeds, and whipping egg whites required muscle."

11 Forgotten Kitchen Gadgets (And Why Americans Stopped Using Them) - The official blog of Newspapers.com

Old newspapers capture a bustling world of kitchen technology that time forgot. Here are 11 kitchen gadgets that help tell that story.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"In one human interest story archived alongside monthly library reports and letters, librarians are referred to as “angels in disguise”; other testimonials reveal that many considered the Pack Horse Library the most beneficial program of the WPA."

Librarians on Horseback

[lilithsaintcrow]

"A democracy that requires a literate electorate is now training one fraction of that electorate out of literacy while marketing to the other a “deep work” lifestyle as a luxury good."

Opinion | My Students Can’t Read

The generational collapse in literacy is measurable, persistent, and likely to get worse.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"If it served the meter, Homer used it."

Hear the First Book of Homer’s Iliad Read Aloud in the Original Greek

You can, of course, learn the Greek language as it's spoken today. You can also learn Greek as it was spoken in antiquity — and as it was, u

[unhelpfultarot]

Two of Swords and The Magician

Even your loyal assistant doesn't know exactly how the trick works.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"The demand Ursa Ag has seen is part of the backlash to manufacturer repair monopolies and the injection of technology and internet-connected sensors and terms of use into even the most basic of gadgets."

Demand Is Booming for New No Tech, Repairable Tractor

"There is consumer pressure to back away from technology that is unnecessary to perform everyday tasks."

[lilithsaintcrow]

Dandelion Endures | Lili Saintcrow

Have not yet reached the stage of burnout recovery involving deep annoyance, but I’m certain it can’t be far away. At least the sleep debt a

In which recovery proceeds, the coffee is good, and I wish you rest.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"The ritualized stockpiling and organizing of goods, the oversized scale and format of the shelves and bins—this is a space where the performance of logistics is as important as the performance of domesticity."

Merchandizing the Void

Kelly Pendergrast on Khloé Kardashian’s massive stage set of a home pantry, grids, spreadsheets, and the wife as home manager.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"What is notable is that the explicit goal of the people developing the product is to addict its users."

Microsoft Wants to 'Make People Addicted' to its New AI Assistant, Internal Documents Reveal

Planning documents for "Scout" say the plan is to "make people addicted" to the tool before adding new features.

(I'd add that this wouldn't be necessary if the "technology" worked, or was any good...)

[lilithsaintcrow]

"The reason nobody can show you the ROI from AI is that AI does not have a return on investment."

AI Doesn't Have ROI

If you liked this piece, you should subscribe to my premium newsletter. It’s $70 a year, or $7 a month, and in return you get a weekly newsl

[unhelpfultarot]

Five of Cups and Four of Cups

It went wrong again, and you're losing your motivation to keep trying.

[lilithsaintcrow]

today’s mood

[lilithsaintcrow]

Settle the Whirring | Lili Saintcrow

Recovery proceeds; I hesitate to use the term “apace”. I’m trying a gentle shakeout run this morning to see what the hell. Hopefully it won’

In which a gentle shakeout is contemplated, Boxnoggin fulfills (self-chosen) responsibilities, and the scale veers.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"By this point, the ghost of Isambard Brunel was undoubtedly weeping."

“Deserved A Better Fate”: The Misadventures of the “Great Eastern"

Brunel Standing Before the Launching Chains of the Great Eastern, by Robert Howlett It would not be overly hyperbolic to describe Isambard K

[lilithsaintcrow]

"The practices that define social media in 2026 look extraordinarily different than the practices we were trying to document 20 years earlier. The “social” in “social media” has slowly become a misnomer."

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"In 1894, he commissioned the first pushball: a leather-covered wooden frame, six feet three inches in diameter, which weighed around 70 pounds (32 kilograms)."

“Plaything of the Gods”: Photographs of Pushball (early 1900s)

Photographs and films of a forgotten pastime.