Bedtime Stories for Broken Girls

• REVIEW: The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic by Alan Moore & Co.
  ❝ The relationship between the world and our consciousness, between the mind and our bodies, has been speculated about since the dawn of consciousness itself and the beginnings of a philosophy that could problematize that relationship. It’s a tricky thing to thread the needle between the world and the world of the mind without getting lost in how exactly one necessitates the other. However, it is exactly these issues that Alan Moore, Steve Moore and their gallery of artistic collaborators are attempting to work through
  💬 I’ll definitely be getting this, in one format or another. I don’t share Moore’s political perspective, and I’m not even close to being all-in on his overall view of magic. But on a certain fundamental level —the connection between art, language, and mysticism— I find him highly persuasive.
• The True Story of “Kid Nation,” the Wildest Reality TV Show Ever Made – Esquire
  ❝ 40 KIDS, NO PARENTS, A GHOST TOWN. WHAT COULD GO WRONG? The weird true story of Kid Nation, the Bush-era reality-TV experiment that dropped a bunch of children in the desert—then let the cameras roll. Years later, all of a sudden, the Internet got obsessed. THE WHEELS ON the bus went round and round and round and round, driving in circles though the desert outside Santa Fe. It was April 1, 2007…
  💬 Wait. People are just now remembering that Kid Nation was a thing? It was simply a mildly diverting reality TV experiment, not some shocking event lost to time. We’re not talking about an artifact from 1807 here… it was 17 years ago, not pre-history.
• ‘Croissant’ App for Cross-Posting on Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon Coming to Mac and iPad
  ❝ Over the past few weeks, millions of people have signed up for Threads and Bluesky. With those platforms and Mastodon, there are now three prominent…
• Missouri teacher arrested for having sex with students in her home and car
  ❝ A Missouri substitute teacher was arrested on Tuesday for having sex with students at her home and in her car. Carissa Smith faces 19 charges after she allegedly paid some…
• If you can’t trust the voice of David Attenborough, what can you trust?
  ❝ The world’s best-loved naturalist has had his voice cloned – and misused – by AI. Soon, we won’t believe anything we hear unless we are in the same room as the speaker, writes Zoe Williams
  💬 Depressingly, this isn’t one of those “what if?” things… it’s coming, it’s going to happen, and there will be no true positive outcomes. Best case scenario, all the theoretical benefits of AI dramatically outweigh the damage done by generative pseudo-intelligences.

• Scientific American editor-in-chief out after posting anti-MAGA rant
  ❝ The next editor-in-chief of Scientific American would be well-advised to make sure their criticisms of MAGA supporters aren’t too spicy
  💬 Firing her was for the best. Unless someone is planning to put 40% of the population into reeducation camps, then engaging with them is the only way to right the ship of rationality on the rough seas of modern life. Like it or not, we’re stuck with these backward, blinkered fucks for a generation or three, and we can only save Us by first saving Them. As much as I sympathize with the urge to smack ‘em, we don’t need the editor of our respected publications driving them deeper into the cocoon of their own toxic stupidity. It’s time for the grown-ups to take charge.
• Why Pharrell Williams’ Lego biopic doesn’t reference Blurred Lines
  ❝ Williams was fined $5m in a plagiarism lawsuit, but a film about his life doesn’t touch on the issue.
• Sophie Turner in Talks to Play Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider’ Series
  ❝ Sophie Turner is in talks to play video game character Lara Croft in a new live-action ‘Tomb Raider’ series from Phoebe Waller-Bridge at Amazon MGM.
  💬 I didn’t like Angelina’s version, so Sophie’s couldn’t possibly be worse. And I will give Phoebe Waller-Bridge all the chances she needs to make it work.
• In Memoriam: Thomas E. Kurtz, 1928–2024
  ❝ CHM remembers the remarkable career and contributions of 2023 Fellow Thomas E. Kurtz, who passed away on November 12, 2024.
  💬 He was the co-creator of the BASIC programming language, one of the single most influential things to ever enter my life.
• FYI: People Don’t Like When You Abbreviate Texts
  ❝ It’s bc they indicate lack of effort.
  💬 Duh.

• The Onion Just Bought Infowars, Alex Jones’s Right-Wing Disinformation Site – Rolling Stone
  ❝ The satirical newspaper acquired the conspiracy theorist’s company after a judge ordered his assets be auctions off
  💬 Hopefully the sale actually goes through… I suspect Jones’ lawyers are going to make it as difficult as possible.
• In newly-uncovered phone call Charles Manson admitted to murders in Mexico years before the L.A. killing spree
  ❝ Charles Manson apparently murdered people in Mexico years before he moved to California, cultivated his “family,” and masterminded a horrible Hollywood killing spree in 1969.
• “Your body, my choice”: The misogynist MAGA attack, explained
  ❝ Rape threats and other sexist posts are going viral after the election. It’s part of a pattern.
  💬 That pattern is called “I’m a confused, aggrieved, petulant man-boy whose innate inadequacies have so emasculated me that I’m left lashing out at anything and anyone who reminds me just how deeply pathetic I am.”
• Ultimate guide on how to use an external SSD as a working drive on macOS Sequoia
  ❝ It is easily possible to double the cost of a new M4 Mac mini by buying Apple storage — but if you know what you’re doing, you can buy external drives, and save hundreds of dollars by working off those. Here’s how.
• What’s behind the global political divide between young men and women?
  ❝ Trump’s victory in the US shone a light on the growing political polarisation between young male and female voters happening all over the world
  💬 Remember what I just said about confused, aggrieved, petulant man-boys? Yeah… that.
• Human head discovered by beach worker raking sand in Florida
  ❝ A worker made a gruesome discovery while raking a South Florida beach yesterday: a human head was floating along the shoreline.
• Two Worcestershire women jailed for role in global monkey torture network
  ❝ Holly LeGresley, 37, and Adriana Orme, 56 uploaded content of monkeys being tortured to online chat groups
  💬 This… I mean.. what?! That’s… that’s a thing? That’s a thing that people pay money to see? Human beings never fail to shock the shit out of me. And monkeys, apparently.

• Xbox Boss Says No ‘Red Line’ With Exclusives, Including Even Halo
  ❝ Phil Spencer says the future of Xbox and its games includes more platforms
  💬 It’s not that Microsoft doesn’t make good consoles… the OG Xbox was better than the PS2, and the Xbox 360 was just as good as the PS3. But to the extent that it understands the games themselves, Microsoft only seems to “get” PC gaming… it has little-to-no corporate taste when it comes to console games. So when their hardware is underwhelming —the Xbox One— or too late to market —the Xbox Series X— they have little to keep them afloat.
  • Guy Who Taunted Nintendo About Streaming Pirated Switch Games Before Release Now Faces $7.5 Million Lawsuit
    ❝ He streamed Mario & Luigi: Brothership and other games using emulators ahead of release

• James Van Der Beek Reveals Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis
  ❝ ‘Dawson’s Creek’ actor James Van Der Beek has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
• Codeless, AI-generated video game is a terrible Minecraft clone
  ❝ It’s vaguely reminiscent of early art games like LSD Dream Simulator, but those actually had some degree of intentionality behind them.
• TIL that the dunk tank has extremely racist origins
  ❝ Unbelievable but also not.
  💬 I was blown away. But less-so as I thought about it, since so many sadistic public rituals seem ideally designed for a minority target.
• 23 Years of the iPod: How Elite Obsolete Electronics keeps the music playing
  ❝ Discover how the iPod stays alive 23 years later through Elite Obsolete Electronics, a community preserving and reviving this iconic music device’s legacy.
• Retro food horror: 1963 cookbook photo of bananas wrapped in pickled herring
  ❝ Discover this bizarre 1963 German cookbook recipe combining bananas with pickled herring. A vintage food creation that’s both fascinating and horrifying.

• Quincy Jones, producer of Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra, dies aged 91
  ❝ Jones was best known as the producer of three Michael Jackson albums – Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad.
• A new project is trying to preserve click-wheel iPod games
  ❝ Gaming on the iPod barely predates the iPhone’s arrival in 2007, but fans have launched a project to be sure they can still play the games into the future.
• We Might End Up Getting A Game Of Thrones Movie After All
  ❝ A possible theatrical adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s books is reportedly in very early development
• Google fined $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 by Russian court
  ❝ One of the unchallengeable rules of business is that it is impossible to abstain from doing it in foreign markets where local conditions require your company to compromise on its…
• Jimmy Pesto From Bob’s Burgers Sentenced To One Year In Prison For Storming Capitol On January 6
  ❝ The Hollywood actor previously dressed up as QAnon Shaman for Halloween

• Max Caulfield is a terrible detective – I wish her all the best
  ❝ Life Is Strange: Double Exposure sees the return of Max Caulfield. And the way she acts in the game is as messy as it is emotionally revealing.
• Jeff Bezos: ‘The Hard Truth: Americans Don’t Trust the News Media’
  ❝ Link to: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/28/jeff-bezos-washington-post-trust/
• TSA silent on CrowdStrike’s claim Delta skipped required security update
  ❝ CrowdStrike and Delta’s legal battle has begun. Will Microsoft be sued next?
• Pizza with a side of cocaine
  ❝ Police became curious about the best-selling but inordinately-expensive special pizza offered by a Düsseldorf restaurant, so they ordered a “number 40” for themselves.

• Teri Garr Dead: ‘Young Frankenstein,’ ‘Tootsie’ Actress Was 79
  ❝ Teri Garr dead at 79: ‘Young Frankenstein,’ ‘Tootsie’ actress was one of the funniest comic talents of her generation.
• Black plastic take-out containers may be toxic
  ❝ You may want to throw out your black plastic cooking utensils and swap your food out of that takeout container while you are at it.

• Bad day for letter “X” as study shows teens rejecting Twitter, sex in movies and TV
  ❝ Bad day for letter “X” as study shows teens rejecting Twitter, sex in movies and TV
  💬 Or —y’know, just maybe— young people who are hyper-aware of public perception are giving carefully considered, disingenuous answers to intrusive questions.
• Pandering news hosts called out
  ❝ Patience with mainstream media hosts telegraphing an unreality our eyes and ears tell us is untrue seems to be wearing thin.
• ‘Based on a True Story’ Season 2 Trailer: Kaley Cuoco Tracks a Killer
  ❝ Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina return to ‘Based on a True Story’ for Season 2.
• Law enforcement reports successful Tor deanonymizations in Germany
  ❝ User complacency and the complicity of internet service providers has enabled police to ID suspects in Germany.
  💬 It doesn’t seem like this was a matter of slicing through the obfuscated onion as much as social engineering and meatspace surveillance.
• We have Eva Longoria to thank for the existence of John Wick
  ❝ We have Eva Longoria to thank for the existence of John Wick

• 90 Day: The Last Resort Season 2 Cast Has Been Unveiled
  💬 The choices here aren’t as obvious as the ones they made for season 1, but still… I can’t wait to see a few of these relationships disintegrate, and I’ll be pleasantly surprised if one or two actually improve by going through the process.
• Iconic Gun-Makers Gave Sensitive Customer Information to Political Operatives
  ❝ At least 10 gun industry businesses, including Glock, Smith & Wesson, Remington and Mossberg, secretly handed over names, addresses and other data to lobbyists, who used the details to rally firearm owners to elect pro-gun politicians.
• Onions are likely source of deadly McDonald’s E Coli outbreak, USDA says
  ❝ Batches of the vegetable produced in Colorado, where many people fell ill after eating quarter pounders, were recalled
• Venice extends €5 tourist entry fee to 2025
  ❝ The fee, which only applies to daytrippers, will be in force on weekends and public holidays from April to July.
• Tiny device quickly detects dicky tickers
  ❝ A tiny gadget can detect biological signs of imminent heart failure within minutes, much more quickly than currently-used methods, and has potential as a personal diagnostic tool.

• Good Omens will wrap with a single 90-minute episode
  ❝ Creator Neil Gaiman has exited the series in the wake of sexual assault allegations.
  💬 Yikes. I guess it’s a good thing I never became invested in Good Omens. But this doesn’t bode well for the Gaiman property I do want to see continue under his direct stewardship: The Sandman.
• ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star Tom Sandoval Hints at Possible Pivot to ‘The Valley’
  ❝ Tom Sandoval is raising a glass to his rekindled friendship with former “Vanderpump Rules” costar Jax Taylor … and what it may mean for his future.
• Oh, WoW
  ❝ World of Warcraft made the world a little more like Warcraft — and made sure we’ll never game the same way again.
• Student was punished for using AI—then his parents sued teacher and administrators – Ars Technica
  ❝ Parents claim there was no rule banning AI, but school cites multiple policies.
• Twitter/X’s short-sighted block function update is almost here
  ❝ Twitter/X’s short-sighted block function update is almost here

• Atari ST Book laptop among the rarest treasures of the 16-bit era
  ❝ Few were made and, obviously, it didn’t help the company close the overwhelming lead taken by Windows PCs and Apple Macintoshes.
• Ozzy Osbourne’s Former Guitarist Jake E. Lee Shot in Las Vegas Walking His Dog
  ❝ Jake E. Lee, best known for being Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist, has been hospitalized following a shooting in Las Vegas … TMZ has learned.

• This new graphic adaptation of DRACULA is absolutely gorgeous
  ❝ JH Williams III is a comic book artist renowned for his elaborate layouts and luscious paints on works such as Batwoman, Promothea, and The Sandman: Overture.
  💬 Williams is one of my favorite living, active artists. He can do everything from Perez-ish cartoon-realism to Sienkiewicz-like otherworldly distortions.
• Argentina Police Raid Buenos Aires Hotel Where Liam Payne Died
  ❝ Police in Argentina are moving full steam ahead in the Liam Payne death investigation … raiding the hotel where the former One Direction singer plunged to his death.
• Tim Pool backs off podcasting to focus on non-existent family
  ❝ Professional beanie wearer Tim Pool was revealed to have been a useful idiot for a Russian influence campaign, and must now influence himself
  💬 The truly depressing thing about all of this is that morons like Pool are getting rich precisely because they are usefully stupid, and speak to an audience of similarly convenient dullards.
• Dropped iPhone leads to Australian woman being stuck upside down between boulders for hours
  ❝ What started as a hike in the New South Wales Hunter Valley led to a woman becoming wedged upside down between boulders for seven hours, after she tried to retrieve a dropped iPhone.
• Stuffies & Lovies That Have Been Loved Too Much
  ❝ Too Much Love is a project from Katja Kemnitz in which she photographs the beloved dolls & stuffed animals of young children
  💬 Y’all should see what grown-up girls do to their childhood stuffies… some of them are well past “stuffed animals” and well into the realm of sexy biohazards.

• Dodgers Legend Fernando Valenzuela Dies at 63, on the Cusp of the First Yankees-Dodgers World Series Since His Star Turn in 1981
  💬 There was precisely one time in my life when I gave a shit about baseball: the miraculous rise of Fernando Valenzuela. I watched him pitch every time I had a chance.
• Watch the Trailer for the First Chick-fil-A Original Series
  ❝ Chick-fil-A is launching a new streaming service, Chick-fil-A Play — watch the trailer for its first original series.
• Moldovans vote to join European Union
  ❝ Yes won by less than 1%. Russia reportedly spent vasts sums to thumb the scales and very nearly succeeded.
  💬 I fell for the first wave of disinformation, which sold the idea that joining the EU had been defeated in overwhelming fashion. It was pretty surprising, seeing that things went very differently in reality.
• Adobe shows off 3D rotation tool for flat drawings
  ❝ Project Turntable uses machine learning to craft posable 3D models from 2D vectors.
  💬 Now this I consider an appropriate application of generative AI. You feed it your own creation, and it extrapolates a targeted variation of your creation. It’s walking a fine line, yes, but since it doesn’t take an imaginative and individuated human out of the process, I think it’s more useful than destructive.
• Funeral home apologizes after corpse tumbles out of hearse into traffic
  ❝ The funeral home, in Stalowa Wola, Poland, issued an apology. A technical problem with the hearse was blamed
  💬 Uncle Harold’s posthumous road-rash was probably not appreciated.
• How to change the iPhone used with iPhone Mirroring
  ❝ The macOS 15 Sequoia software and iOS 18 updates make controlling your iPhone from your Mac possible — but it can be confusing on how to select from multiple iPhones. Here’s how to do it.

• Exonerated Central Park Five sue Donald Trump for ‘demonstrably false’ debate remarks
  ❝ The men formerly known as the Central Park Five before they were exonerated filed a defamation lawsuit against U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday.
  💬 I would love to see those guys in particular stick it to that orange piece of shit.
• Former WWE writers allege hostile, abusive workplace under Vince McMahon
  ❝ Former WWE writers allege hostile, abusive workplace under Vince McMahon
  💬 Wha— what? Surely there’s been some misunderstanding! Not such a sterling and stalwart man as McMahon! 🙄
• How the Malleus Maleficarum fueled the witch trial craze
  ❝ Invention of printing press, influence of nearby cities created perfect conditions for social contagion.
• Apple Passwords’ Generated Strong Password Format
  ❝ This post briefly summarizes part of a talk I gave in 2018. All information in this post has been accessible on YouTube since then. There is no new information or news in this post.
• ‘American Idol’ Exec Nigel Lythgoe Lists Hollywood Home for $4.6 Million
  ❝ Nigel Lythgoe’s giving another person the chance to go to Hollywood … no “American Idol” golden ticket this time though — someone just needs to pony up the cash for his house.
• YouTuber LGR felt ‘numbness at how powerless I was’ as his one-of-a-kind retro PC collection took a direct hit from hurricane Helene, but seeing most of the trove survive now has him eager to share…
  ❝ Retro PC YouTuber LGR was relieved to find much of his collection intact, but told me that “more than ever that there’s a need to redistribute a lotta this stuff” to ensure its preservation.
  💬 YIKES! This guy’s collection is truly a marvel, and it’s horrifying to see it damaged —even to a remarkably small extent— by the elements. I hope he can save some of the hardware, if not the boxes.
• Tinkerers Are Taking Old Redbox Kiosks Home and Reverse Engineering Them
  ❝ The Redbox operating system has been dumped, and people are repurposing the massive DVD kiosks they’ve saved from the scrap heap.
• New Easter Egg About Rihanna’s “SOS” Song
  ❝ How do you just casually drop this on us 18 years later???

• Revisiting the richest of the slasher franchises, A Nightmare On Elm Street
  ❝ We run the series on A Nightmare On Elm Street, a slasher franchise with more depth in one blade-finger than most of its peers.
  💬 I’m not sure it’s “the richest”, but it’s the only one of the major horror franchises of which I’ve seen more than half of the entries. I feel like that says something.
• People think they already know everything they need to make decisions – Ars Technica
  ❝ When given partial info, most people felt confident they knew all they needed to.
  💬 We need research to tell us fundamental facts about human nature that have been evident for thousands of years? Okay.
• Apple study exposes deep cracks in LLMs’ “reasoning” capabilities – Ars Technica
  ❝ Irrelevant red herrings lead to “catastrophic” failure of logical inference.

• Ward Christensen, BBS inventor and architect of our online age, dies at age 78
  ❝ Christensen kick-started online culture by inspiring thousands of hobbyist communities.
  💬 I only spent, I dunno… three years?… on bulletin board systems before I moved on to the more expensive —but also more rewarding— experiences on services like Compuserve. The free exchange of demos and music and photos and —usually pirated— apps over a landline was an amazing thing, but when I stop to think about it, I didn’t do much actual interacting on BBSs. I waited in line —the average BBS had no more than one or two phone lines attached, so you had to queue up and keep trying to connect— so I could download my goodies and then wander away… I didn’t talk to anyone while I was there.
• Apple Unveils New iPad Mini With A17 Pro Chip and Apple Intelligence – MacRumors
  ❝ Apple today announced a significant upgrade to the iPad mini, now featuring an A17 Pro chip and support for the company’s new Apple Intelligence…
  💬 The iPad mini remains one of those products that I would own if I had infinite resources, but for which I have no ongoing, meaningful use. It would be awesome to have an iPad small enough to slip into a shoulder bag on the way out the door, but a Pro Max phone is big enough 90% of the time, and I already have it with me.
• The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is back up after hack
  ❝ The Internet Archive suffered both a data breach and a DDoS attack
• ‘I, Robot’ Director Says Elon Musk and Tesla Ripped Off His Movie
  ❝ ‘I, Robot’ director Alex Proyas accused Elon Musk and Tesla of copying his designs for the film for the company’s recently unveiled prototypes.
  💬 Does it actually surprise anyone that the world’s richest dumbfuck would prey on someone else’s visual designs to bolster his meager imagination?
• ‘Taste the Revolution’ Trailer: Mahershala Ali’s Lost Film Debut
  ❝ Mahershala Ali led 2001 mockumentary film ‘Taste the Revolution’ which was never released after the events of 9/11.
• Check Your Mac’s Battery Cycle Count – MacRumors
  ❝ A key indicator of your MacBook’s battery health is its cycle count. Keep reading to learn what it means and how you can check it for yourself.

• Jenna Fischer reveals she had breast cancer but is now cancer-free
  ❝ Jenna Fischer reveals she had breast cancer but is now cancer-free
  💬 Good for you, Jenna. I’m glad things are looking up.
• Ukraine military recruiters raid bars, restaurants looking for men not registered for conscription
  ❝ Ukrainian military recruitment officers raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and detaining men who were not in compliance, media and witnesses reported Saturday.
  💬 So today I learned that draft-aged American men were required to keep their draft cards on their person throughout WWII and Vietnam… going out without one would leave one subject to arrest under the right circumstances. I see no evidence that it ever went as far as the sort of “draft raids” being performed in Ukraine, but I now understand a little more why protestors were making such a big deal of burning their cards.
• Head and hands found in Colorado freezer belong to 16-year-old girl last seen in 2005
  ❝ There is no record that Amanda Overstreet was reported missing, police said.
• Photos: Building Human Towers in Spain
  ❝ Images of these amazing structures, and the effort involved in forming them

• Future Halo Games Moving to Unreal Engine 5 as 343 Industries Rebrands, ‘Multiple Projects’ in Development – IGN
  ❝ Halo is undergoing a major shakeup, with 343 Industries rebranding to Halo Studios and announcing that all future game development will be shifting Unreal Engine. It’s a huge shakeup for Xbox’s flagship franchise, paving the way for “multiple new projects” confirmed to be in development.

• Time has run out for for That ’90s Show
  ❝ Time has run out for for That ’90s Show
  💬 …and that time was during development. I love Red and Kitty as much as anyone, but the rest of this thing was a complete shit-show.
• Garth Brooks responds to claims he raped, sexually assaulted former makeup artist
  ❝ The makeup artist claims Brooks raped her in May 2019.
  💬 Now we’re learning that her lawsuit is a response to his lawsuit, which he filed to stop her ongoing extortion attempts. Interesting to see where this one goes.
• Why does the alt-right love interracial adult content so much?
  ❝ Even fascists have kinks.
• Beverly Hills Cop Star John Ashton Dies Aged 76
  ❝ Actor John Ashton, best known for playing John Taggert in Beverly Hills Cop and its sequels, has died aged 76.
• Your iPhone is probably a satellite phone. Here’s how it could help you.
  ❝ Cell towers in space are more capable than ever of helping people on the ground.
  💬 Being lost and out of contact is one of my primary —and completely ludicrous— fears, so I’ve been lusting after this feature since the launch of the iPhone 14.
• R.I.P. Kris Kristofferson, singer, movie star, and icon of Americana
  💬 Other people almost always sang his songs better than he did, and he was never the best actor in any movie, but that kind of decades-long proximity to and influence over so many talented people speaks to the enormous extent of his capabilities.
• Babygirl trailer begs Nicole Kidman not to accept that intern’s cookies
  💬 I’m curious to see this, even if it turns out to be a turd.
• Eminem is going to be a grandpa, and fans are having an existential crisis
  ❝ Eminem, the prolific U.S. rapper known for hits like Lose Yourself, his former alter ego Slim Shady, and for being one of the most controversial yet best-selling artists of the early 2000s, has just revealed he’s going to be a grandpa.
  💬 …this… is not good. Yikes.