Everything Happens at the Margins

Marginally Compelling is a newsletter about data, curiosity, and grace. It’s an off-shoot of my twitter account @politicalmath. I’ve grown tired that twitter has become such a poor place for thoughtful conversation and complex topics, I’ve found that the newsletter is a much better place to think through things that need more than a few sentences or a snarky quip to understand.

I’m mostly covering data and investigation into COVID-19 topics. My goal is to dig through what things matter, when they matter, and how much they matter. I love to discover the stories of people working on the front lines of any industry, from medical professionals, researchers, data scientists, public health policy… anything that can help us make a little more sense of the crisis around us.

You can reach me at matthias.shapiro@outlook.com

What Does It Cost?

I originally intended this as nothing more than a place to escape twitter while still trying to think through the topics that matter to me. I put a marker in my mind that if I reached a certain number of paid subscriber with exactly zero promise of return then I would switch to a public-private model. Something deep in my caveman-protestant-work-ethic brain felt like that if you’re actually paying me for something, you should be getting something for that.

Welp, here we are! The subscription is $5 per month or $40 per year, but it comes with me buying you a beer or wine or seltzer when next we meet.

When Do I Get It?

The newsletter comes out Tuesdays, Fridays, and when I’m bored. Tuesdays are the free-for-all issue and Fridays are for paid subscribers only. Commenting will be available for paid subscribers only.

I try to keep things moving along and I dive deep into the nuts and bolts of the data issues and process and complexity of COVID-19. As a bonus, I end every issue with a discussion of a classic pre-1950’s Disney short. Watching all the early Disney shorts has been a long-time passion of mine and it’s a fun little something to remind us that not everything has to be so serious all the time.

Substack is Awesome

A huge thanks to the Substack team for this nice little corner of the internet. To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.