# My latest project + a big move!

*Hello friends! You likely signed up for this after reading one of my
essays
on [Medium](https://medium.com/@seanblanda?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move) or
seeing something
on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SeanBlanda?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move). I
send this thing every few months, mostly a wrap-up of stuff I'm working
on, thinking about, and the best reading from around the web — all
ending with a sweet flag. See past
issues *[*here*](http://tinyletter.com/blanda/archive?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move)*.
Now, to the newsletter:*

 

![Philadelphia in all its glory](../images/7e0239cd5057.jpg)

*Above: Philadelphia, in all its glory.*

 \
This is a bit of a “mini-update” that will be shorter than previous
emails. But I promise plenty to read because….\
 \
I've launched three things since we’ve last spoke!\
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**Thing \#1 - [The
Discourse](http://thediscourse.email/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move)**.
Regular readers will know I write here often about how media, tech, and
politics intertwine and mess with our democratic norms. So, I decide to
spin all that off into a separate email newsletter. It’s called [The
Discourse](http://thediscourse.email/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move),
it already has 300-plus subscribers and I’m sending it every other
Thursday. The first issue was published last week and contains an essay
about the critical flaw in algorithms and 10 links with lots of analysis
to help you connect the dots of what’s going on in our crazy media
ecosystem ([read it
here](http://mailchi.mp/fafc97302166/the-algorithm-is-only-as-strong-as-its-weakest-link?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move)). \
 \
Into it? The next issue drops on 12/14 and if you like the
wonkier media/politics stuff I write about, [you should
subscribe](http://thediscourse.email/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move).\
 \
**Thing \#2 - [The Malcontents
Podcast](http://themalcontents.fm?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move)**.
If you think a lot about editorial, content, or publishing you’ll dig my
first-ever podcast. Hosted [with my friend Tom
Critchlow](http://tomcritchlow.com/2017/11/16/malcontents/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move),
we sum up the week’s publishing news with lots of analysis, debate, and
cheeky banter for 30-ish minutes on a weekly-ish basis. We hope it
feels like discussing content and editorial at a bar with your friends.
Which... is totally a thing my friends and I do. Subscribe now on
[iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-malcontents/id1314411665?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move). \
 \
**Thing \#3 - I moved to Philadelphia!** NYC was very good to me and
I’ll miss it dearly. But I’m excited to return to Philadelphia. If you
live here, reach out! I’d love to grab a coffee. (And I'll be back in
NYC often — the cities are an easy 80-minute train ride apart).\
 \
**Bonus yet-to-be-launched Thing \#4** – I’m putting together a thing
about long-term travel. Have you ever taken a long-term sabbatical from
working to recharge, work on a side project, or travel? Reply to this
email, I’d love to speak with you.\
 \
***Official newsletter flag (for now)***\
![Fiji Flag](../images/7b895d7e6078.png)\
Fiji! How do you start a new chapter while still paying homage to the
old? The Melanesian archipelago of Fiji gained independence in 1970, yet
still wanted to give a nod to its past as a British colony. After a
competition, it settled on what you see above: the country's coat of
arms with the Union Jack set against the pale blue to represent the sea.
In 2013, Fiji [flirted with changing from the Union Jack
edition](http://fijisun.com.fj/2015/02/03/pm-officially-announces-fiji-flag-will-be-changed/?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move) but
ultimately decided to [stick with its current
design](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/18/fiji-to-keep-union-jack-flag-british?utm_source=Blanda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=my-latest-project-a-big-move).
Sometimes, it’s hard to come to a consensus about how we should handle
the past.\
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I’d always stick with you, dear reader. Thanks for making space in your
crowded inbox.\
-Sean\