phone free adelphi vol. 21 - June 10th, 2026
I feel honored to be part of a nascent & growing off-tech movement here in NYC (if you want to get involved, let me know!). There are just so many kind, thoughtful, creative, and fun fellow organizers around who I find endlessly inspiring. Perhaps my favorite thing about this new group of peers, however, is the vibrant new community of techno-critical friends I've managed to make.
Case in point – this past Wednesday was a small yet mighty crowd at phone free adelphi. The reasons were twofold: it was a gorgeous spring night AND the Knicks were playing in Game 4. Yes, that 29 point comeback game that made NBA playoff history. The energy in the house was palpable. I didn't even try to keep the library like silence I normally do because it was uselss.
Then halfway through the evening, a group of fellow organizers (who I guess were just out and about being off their phones?) rang the doorbell and came in to join in on the fun. Normally, I am quite strict about start time and end times and making people stay for the whole evening and not coming halfway. But there was a certain Knicks je ne sais quoi in the air and I didn't want to fight the flow.
hi, Nick! i now see him every day without even trying.
Flow is incredible for things like creative work and reading, but one should not forget there is also a social flow. Who am I to try and fight against it? Fuckin' nobody, that's who.
Many attendees stayed after phones were handed back at the close of the evening and watched the game outside my house near the adelphi free store. When the Knicks were down by 29, I pulled out my trumpet to get a rally going. Now, I'm not saying the Knicks started to comeback at that same moment BECAUSE of my rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, but I have no proof of the contrary. By the way, what else is "spangled"? Reply to this email and let me know.
let's just say the crowd for game 5 was WAY freakin' BIGGER
Let Us Go Knicks™.
Love,
A somewhat fair-weather fan & native New Yorker who had to stop watching sports in order to keep his sanity (Mets, Jets, Knicks) named Dan