"Links" Weekend Edition: Excellent snow animals

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With a crushing blizzard expected to hit D.C. this weekend and many area schools and offices already closed, the District's meme-makers are frantically preparing for what one has called "the most virally exploitable weather event in recent memory." A local subreddit, r/washingtondc, has already lifted its long-standing ban on memes. And despite closures to the city's bus and metrorail lines on Friday, reporters at the Washington Post's world-renowned Internet culture desk still reported for duty.

"We know a lot of people will be bored on the Internet this weekend, and that's a need we take very seriously," said Post reporter Caitlin Dewey. "We have a responsibility to -- omg do you have ANY idea how many excellent animal snow GIFs there are on Giphy???!?!??!"

An excellent snow animal was not immediately available for comment.

Programming note: TinyLetter informs me that yesterday's edition never sent. Perhaps, like my local government, they are also possessed by blizzard panic and preemptively shutting down service. Fingers crossed that this one goes out and apologies if you get Thursday's newsletter over the weekend. In either case, the usual Friday round-up of #longreads follows, which you can, as always, click into below or download as ~an ebook.~

knew i shoulda worn a hat

From Pickup Artist to Pariah (NY mag)

What I Learned While Exposing Myself on LiveJournal (Narratively)

Rachel Bloom’s Twisted Comedy (NYT mag)

Revisiting the All-Girl Online ‘X-Files’ Community That Helped Me Survive High School (Flavorwire)

How Women on Twitter Brought Down a Music Publicist Accused of Sexual Assault (Jezebel)

What Happens to the Data Collected On Us While We Sleep (Vice)

Meet the adorable 90-year-old who has become a Reddit guru (WaPo)

Stay safe out there, D.C., and happy reading!
@caitlindewey

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