Dan Sinker/blog

Unfinished Business,
a weblog

This is a place where I can think out loud, work through ideas, and talk about stuff that doesn't fit cleanly into the type of freelance writing I do. Some ideas will be fully formed, others, as the title implies, will be unfinished.

Merchandise Keeps Us in Line

Right now you're probably looking for gifts for others (and maybe yourself), so I thought I'd pull together a list of all the things that I've got for sale through my site, my pods, or elsewhere.

Published on December 8, 2024

Become the Media: Punk Planet, Year Seven

I went to write an essay looking back at the the seventh year of Punk Planet, but one of the issues we published that year felt too relevant to RIGHT NOW to keep the essay's focus on the past.

Published on November 30, 2024

Hope in the Rubble: a birthday request

Today is my birthday and the world is shit. I'm not really up for celebrating, but instead would like to tell you about the Gaza Skate Team and make a simple birthday request.

Published on November 14, 2024

A Song for Right Now

I'm still pretty numb from the election, but I have been finding a lot of solace in this song by John K Samson.

Published on November 8, 2024

A Picture Postcard. Punk Planet: Year Six

In Punk Planet's sixth year, we brought on a new design team and the look of the magazine really got incredible. I've assembled a gallery of some of the best spreads from that year.

Published on October 30, 2024

From The Vault: American Heel

Four years ago I was unsuccessful in selling American Heel, a podcast about Trump and pro wrestling. Because of *waves hands in all directions* I recently revisited the two rough cuts I made and they're definitely still relevant. So I'm putting them out, rough edges and all.

Published on October 27, 2024

Appreciate Everything Endlessly

I can't stop watching Cabel Sasser's talk from the XOXO conference this year.

Published on October 15, 2024

Weapons and Motives. Punk Planet: Year Five

In the latest installment of my series reflecting on Punk Planet's legacy, I focus on the magazine's fifth year, when it shifted significantly toward political issues, particularly anti-war coverage, culminating in the "Murder of Iraq" cover story.

Published on September 29, 2024

Here's the deal. I write about the mess we're in, how we're getting through it, and other things that make my head itch. But not lice. No cost, no spam, let's go.

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Want to read a few popular pieces? Here are a some of my most-read posts:

  • The Who Cares Era

    We're living through the Who Cares Era, where completely disposable things are shoddily produced for people to mostly ignore, while the government stomps its uncaring boot on our necks.

    Published on May 23, 2025

  • What Felt Impossible Became Possible

    A post about how the KKK in the 1920s felt unstoppable, about the people that fought against them anyway, and about how fascism always fails.

    Published on Feb 23, 2025

  • What I Need You To Understand, Notes from Chicago in Late October

    ICE has been cracking down on Chicago, and I wrote a little bit about what you need to understand about what it's like here in late October. Plus, I compiled some resources for alerts and whistles.

    Published on Oct 24, 2025

  • Whistle Up

    In Chicago, whistles proved to be a super effective alert system when ICE is near. With these goons spreading out across the country, I wanted to put together a resource guide for buying, printing, and distributing whistles. I wrote as full a brain dump as I could muster. Whistle up.

    Published on Nov 21, 2025

  • The Amazing Art of the Video Game Marquee

    During this long, hot, difficult summer I took a trip to a huge video game arcade and ended up completely in love with the art of the game marquee.

    Published on Aug 1, 2025