David Rotenstein
@davidrotenstein.bsky.social
Writer. Folklorist. Historian. https://blog.historian4hire.net/about/ | My pro-democracy sign is my byline. Also @steelcityvice.com.
Timely message seen 12 years ago in Atlanta.
November 11, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Timely message seen 12 years ago in Atlanta.
I’m reading Cory Doctorow’s terrific new book, “Enshittification.” It struck me that this toolkit I bought in 1994 to do minor computer repairs/upgrades is an artifact of the pre-Enshitocene era. I only use the screwdrivers now — for furniture assembly, etc. in my office.
November 9, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I’m reading Cory Doctorow’s terrific new book, “Enshittification.” It struck me that this toolkit I bought in 1994 to do minor computer repairs/upgrades is an artifact of the pre-Enshitocene era. I only use the screwdrivers now — for furniture assembly, etc. in my office.
Too bad Decatur's Reporterish only does journalism lite. The Oakhurst dog park story is a lot deeper than his little brain can absorb. Too bad for the people of #DecaturGa.
November 7, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Too bad Decatur's Reporterish only does journalism lite. The Oakhurst dog park story is a lot deeper than his little brain can absorb. Too bad for the people of #DecaturGa.
Last month I inadvertently interviewed a man who grew up in the Northern Ky. house we bought last summer. He dropped by today for another interview & he brought family photos from the 1950s. I dusted off my vernacular architecture fieldwork skills & dug right in. 🗃️ 1/2
November 7, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Last month I inadvertently interviewed a man who grew up in the Northern Ky. house we bought last summer. He dropped by today for another interview & he brought family photos from the 1950s. I dusted off my vernacular architecture fieldwork skills & dug right in. 🗃️ 1/2
There’s an affordable housing org here called Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky (acronym: HONK). My brain is so polluted that during an interview this afternoon, I kept flashing on the Peaches & Daddy saga. www.pghcitypaper.com/arts-enterta...
November 6, 2025 at 10:06 PM
There’s an affordable housing org here called Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky (acronym: HONK). My brain is so polluted that during an interview this afternoon, I kept flashing on the Peaches & Daddy saga. www.pghcitypaper.com/arts-enterta...
Yep Donnie, gas prices really are trending toward $2/gallon. That IV that's been bruising your hand must have some good shit flowing through it.
November 4, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Yep Donnie, gas prices really are trending toward $2/gallon. That IV that's been bruising your hand must have some good shit flowing through it.
This 1950 gem is quickly becoming my favorite new-old book!
October 29, 2025 at 10:54 AM
This 1950 gem is quickly becoming my favorite new-old book!
It's a race to the bottom to see which foreign leader can plant their nose so far up DJT's ass that they can breathe through his mouth.
October 29, 2025 at 10:13 AM
It's a race to the bottom to see which foreign leader can plant their nose so far up DJT's ass that they can breathe through his mouth.
Did my first NKY mob history talk (4 mini-talks, really) in yesterday's "Rolling the Rackets" bike ride organized by Ride the Cov. We raced the sunset to stop at former casinos and sexwork sites in Newport and Covington to talk about the region's significant organized crime history.
October 23, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Did my first NKY mob history talk (4 mini-talks, really) in yesterday's "Rolling the Rackets" bike ride organized by Ride the Cov. We raced the sunset to stop at former casinos and sexwork sites in Newport and Covington to talk about the region's significant organized crime history.
Did the NPR cuts also include copy editors or is "eye-ware" a new app to protect players' eyes?
October 20, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Did the NPR cuts also include copy editors or is "eye-ware" a new app to protect players' eyes?
Bonded, in less than 6 hours.
October 19, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Bonded, in less than 6 hours.
Banjo’s introductions went well. Everyone is now worn out.
October 19, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Banjo’s introductions went well. Everyone is now worn out.
Blocked both of them. That was easy & somewhat cathartic.
October 17, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Blocked both of them. That was easy & somewhat cathartic.
Covington, Kentucky.
October 17, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Covington, Kentucky.
The Silver Spring Historical Society is again telling its story of Norman Lane. A few years ago I wrote about a different take on the man once dubbed "The Mayor of Silver Spring." blog.historian4hire.net/2020/06/03/n...
October 13, 2025 at 12:24 PM
The Silver Spring Historical Society is again telling its story of Norman Lane. A few years ago I wrote about a different take on the man once dubbed "The Mayor of Silver Spring." blog.historian4hire.net/2020/06/03/n...
It's Columbus Day in the US. Last summer I wrote a story about Pittsburgh's Little Italys & somehow a reader found a way to twist it into a Columbus apologia. www.pghcitypaper.com/news-2/befor...
October 13, 2025 at 11:50 AM
It's Columbus Day in the US. Last summer I wrote a story about Pittsburgh's Little Italys & somehow a reader found a way to twist it into a Columbus apologia. www.pghcitypaper.com/news-2/befor...
My dentist had a Trump Christmas tree in his treatment room. It was August 2024. Patients were forced to look at it while in the chair. We got a new dentist.
October 12, 2025 at 8:21 PM
My dentist had a Trump Christmas tree in his treatment room. It was August 2024. Patients were forced to look at it while in the chair. We got a new dentist.
The market owner told me to “Eat a bag of Dicks” so I did.
October 12, 2025 at 5:49 PM
The market owner told me to “Eat a bag of Dicks” so I did.
Showboat road trip!
October 11, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Showboat road trip!
I don’t know how one of her posts ended up on my screen but I quickly remedied the problem.
October 10, 2025 at 7:22 PM
I don’t know how one of her posts ended up on my screen but I quickly remedied the problem.
The Brass Ass strip club is one of only two businesses from Newport's heyday as one of America's best known sin cities. I'll have lots to say about the club & vice history on a special Halloween-themed Ride the Cov "rackets ride" 10/22. Find out where the bodies are buried in Covington and Newport!
October 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
The Brass Ass strip club is one of only two businesses from Newport's heyday as one of America's best known sin cities. I'll have lots to say about the club & vice history on a special Halloween-themed Ride the Cov "rackets ride" 10/22. Find out where the bodies are buried in Covington and Newport!
The"Ride" entry in a 1982 guide to English idioms is pretty funny, in a dark sort of way. Source: Kirkpatrick, E. M., and C. M. Schwarz. Chambers Idioms. Chambers, 1982, p. 298.
October 10, 2025 at 12:50 PM
The"Ride" entry in a 1982 guide to English idioms is pretty funny, in a dark sort of way. Source: Kirkpatrick, E. M., and C. M. Schwarz. Chambers Idioms. Chambers, 1982, p. 298.