Chris Colin

Am certified serious grownup, need proper headshot. Otherwise unreserved about sharing this interview I did with the swell @jimrutt.bsky.social, who among other things let me curse on his show.

Just passed a distressed-seeming person walking east out onto the Bay Bridge, on the skinny shoulder. Watched three cops pass. Tried to flag one down, he drove right past. (Then tried flashing lights behind him, nothing.) Got thru to highway patrol and they took down the info. I have questions!

Really good, and really important.

I’m so sorry! you can find my email at chriscolin.com

Probably the hottest convo about administrative friction and average handle times you'll hear all day.

Ken! Been TWO minutes! Thank you so much and hope you're well!

thank you!

FEMA Didn’t Answer Thousands of Calls From Flood Survivors, Documents Show

Sometimes sludge is an explicit policy, sometimes it’s just a handy confluence of decisions and agenda. When FEMA fires call center workers, people lose faith in the federal government, which is always Trump’s play.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/c...

Call in! You’ll get through — no sludge!

omg yes

Thanks Clara! According to my research the hold music makes you 37% crazier.

I'm still gathering sludge stories! Wanna talk about your time working at a call center? Or a memorable battle you waged with some sludgy entity? Perhaps there’s a sludge-like phenomenon adjacent to sludge, which I should know about?? Get in touch!

The Republican budget is a climate horror Not content to ignore climate change, they decided to make it even worse.

"The bill includes the most aggressive assault on climate action of any legislation in history. In fact, it represents a profound shift in policy. Trump and Republicans are not just ignoring climate change — they’re actually trying to make it worse." — @paulwaldman.bsky.social

I’m sorry!

(Thank you!)

We must keep these poor claims departments in our hearts -- it seems many of them can't afford telephones!

Thank you! Hi!

Don't know you but rooting for you, and reserving a disappointed tone for them!

Dehumanizing is exactly what it is. And fretting about a car is a supreme luxury compared to worrying about vital med supplies. I'm sorry! (And yeah, the NOT never again list seems to keep shrinking...)

Thank you! Amazing! Will make some calls today!

I can't decide whether I'm pro- or anti-Fuck It here. Keep us posted!

Lordy! (I do hear a lot of stories about the cable industry for some reason...)

Also, special shout-out to the excellent @pamherd.bsky.social and @donmoyn.bsky.social, who kindly let me interview them *while driving* and *while on spring break.*

Yes, as I say in the piece, Ford gave me a fair price! But the story isn't about the repurchase price -- it's about how long it took to get there, how many hours on the phone, etc. I had the time to stick it out, family that would loan us a car, etc. Not true for many.

OMFG REALLY??

That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose. Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”

I wrote about my car, our collective sanity and the state of Fuck It. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Remember all the gun humpers who vociferously attacked any hint of a gun registry? Awfully quiet about a registry with *all* your data.

CONGRATS MOJO!!!

Our flight just landed in Hawaii so shockingly hard that a big piece of plastic broke off over seats, but everyone was so good-natured and relieved to be ok that they just clapped and set about trying to fix the plastic thing.

My child just asked if “in” is short for “inside.” Not gonna google it, just gonna enjoy it.