A newsletter about yesterday, tomorrow, and all the crises in between.

Heat Death is an irregular newsletter from Asher and Saul Elbein, journalists, wanderers, and space-time archeologists.

It's an archeology of worn-out narratives—of ecological NGOs and capitalist finance, big entertainment companies and technological marketplaces. It's about the long, old roots of the world that’s coming. It's about cultures of ecology, and the ecologies of culture. It's about extinction, evolution, and the collision between the exotic and the native. It's about how comics media took over the world, and Star Wars reflects the long decline of American empire. It's juxtaposition. It's remix. It's us fucking around.

It's Heat Death. Join us.

Chill Subs Latest! October 2026

Heat Death

We here at Heat Death are always interested in commissioning guest essays and pieces that fit with our primary ethos – weird deep dives into history, ecology, culture, and the unexpected intersections between them. We like esoteric juxtapositions of topics, and are interested in essays that work like mashups, that explore how one idea casts light on others.<div><br></div><div>We want essays with a strong voice, well-developed ideas, and a wide-ranging interest in the subject matter – a willingness to go down a rabbit hole and end up somewhere interesting and related to the topic at hand. Think how it feels to chat with someone interesting and knowledgeable about a range of idiosyncratic topics: that's the vibe we're trying to cultivate here.</div><div><br></div><div>The sweet spot on finished pieces is about 2-4k words, though we've commissioned longer when the idea calls for it.</div>

Heat Death

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