Category: Essays & Bad Ideas

• 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.

• Lana Del Rey Obtains Marriage License Amid Jeremy Dufrene Romance
  ❝ Lana Del Rey is trading in “Summertime Sadness” for “Fiancé Fall” … as the singer looks set to marry her boyfriend, Jeremy Dufrene.
• Your Consciousness Can Connect With the Whole Universe, Groundbreaking New Research Suggests
  ❝ This latest clue about the architecture of consciousness supports a Nobel-Prize winner’s theory about how quantum physics works in your brain.
• Social media’s financial advice can hurt your wallet, new study finds
  ❝ Financial advice on social media comes with hidden costs.
  💬 Holy shit, really?!?!
• OpenAI as we knew it is dead
  ❝ The maker of ChatGPT promised to share its profits with the public. But Sam Altman just sold you out.
  💬 Yet another shocker.
• 1 Simple Trick to Stop Panic Attacks Instantly
  ❝ You probably have one simple item in your kitchen right now that can provide quick relief.
  💬 I’m going to try this one out some time. Hopefully not anytime soon.

• Minnesota-based company Yelloh, once better known as Schwan’s, announces November closure
  ❝ Once the operator of the largest fleet of freezer trucks in the U.S., Yelloh announced Monday it will wrap up operations in November. Until recently it was known as Schwan’s Home Delivery, famed for its iconic yellow trucks.
  💬 Ouch. I used to love Schwan’s stuff… their frozen oatmeal raisin dough made the best cookies this side of homemade, and I remember enjoying their bratwurst too.
• The biggest news from Meta Connect 2024
  ❝ Meta revealed its Quest 3S VR headset and updated styles for the Ran-Ban smart glasses. Meta AI gets updated voices, and the new Orion AR glasses preview the future.
  💬 The Quest 3S is a great alternative to a Quest 2, but I’d probably recommend that anyone with $600 buy a full Quest 3 instead.

• Furnace is a multi-platform chiptune tracker
  ❝ We’ve come a long way since Soundtracker on the Commodore Amiga! Furnace is a new tracker—a highly-technical music-making app remiscent of player piano rolls sliding through The Matrix…
  💬 Back in my late teens and early 20s, I spent many hours collecting music to play inside any number of weird-looking, hopelessly complicated tracker apps. Despite that —and despite owning an Atari ST with built-in MIDI ports— I didn’t try my hand at actually creating music until I scored a free copy of ACID on Windows.
• Rapper Fatman Scoop died of heart disease, medical examiner says
  ❝ The Connecticut state medical examiner’s office has determined that hip-hop artist Fatman Scoop died of heart disease
  💬 When “fat” is part of your brand, “died of heart disease” is something approaching an inevitability.
• Brad Pitt Imposters Arrested for Scamming Women Out of Money
  ❝ Five people in Spain have been arrested for posing as Brad Pitt online and scamming two women out of $350,000.
• Satellite images suggest test of Russian “super weapon” failed spectacularly
  ❝ All that’s left of the Russian missile silo is a big hole in the ground.
  💬 Americans truly have no idea how much our government achieves because of the vast wealth at its disposal and the “overbearing” regulations we apply… but all you have to do is look at Russia’s long history of techno-mishaps and engineering failures to see that trying to save a buck while not giving a shit about consequences will usually lead to failure or utter disaster.

• An archive of RadioShack Catalogs (1939-2011)
  ❝ Flip-through every RadioShack electronics & computer catalog. These catalogs include vintage electronics, stereos, speakers, CB radios, tube radios, computers, communication equipment, electronic test equipment, gadgets, technology & more!
• Kyle Chandler will shine his light as Hal Jordan
  ❝ It’s been reported that Emmy-winning actor Kyle Chandler has been cast as Hal Jordan in Lanterns live-action series.
  💬 This is… not bad. Although I’m not excited to hear the show described as something like “True Detective with space cops”.
• Apple’s 80% Charging Limit for iPhone: How Much Did It Help After a Year? – MacRumors
  ❝ With the iPhone 15 models that came out last year, Apple added an opt-in battery setting that limits maximum charge to 80 percent.
  💬 TL;DR: Don’t waste your time. Just charge the damned thing as you like, and save up some cash for a battery replacement in a few years.
• How to use Disk Jockey for retro emulation on your Mac
  ❝ Disk Jockey is an app that allows you to create disk image files for a variety of retro computers and emulators. Here’s how to use it.

• Classic video game an effective treatment for PTSD
  ❝ A new study from Uppsala University in Sweden has validated a different kind of therapy – video games — specifically, Tetris.
• Arrests after Sarco ‘suicide pod’ used in Switzerland
  ❝ Swiss police arrest several people after the controversial pod is used for the first time.
• HBO’s ‘Ren Faire’: Behind the Scenes of How the Docuseries Was Made
  ❝ Director Lance Oppenheim put ‘Vanderpump Rules’ and ‘There Will Be Blood’ in a blender to create something unique.

• Book Club: Kelly Bishop’s memoir gives us plenty to chew on (politely, with our mouths closed)
  ❝ Book Club: Kelly Bishop’s memoir gives us plenty to chew on (politely, with our mouths closed)
• Sad-sounding Keegan-Michael Key confirms he really misses Jordan Peele
  ❝ Sad-sounding Keegan-Michael Key confirms he really misses Jordan Peele

• Tupperware, pioneer of food storage and sales parties, files for bankruptcy
  ❝ Tupperware Brands, the company that revolutionized food storage decades ago and saw exponential growth with Tupperware parties, has filed for bankruptcy after years of financial woes and slumping sales due to cheap online competition.
  💬 I grew up in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, so I saw more than my fair share of Tupperware parties. Like most of her peers, my mom threw them just to score free Tupperware… she seldom bought anything at other moms’ parties. Interestingly, I think the same fate has recently befallen Avon, another recurring feature of my childhood.
• JD Souther, who helped write ‘New Kid in Town,’ ‘Heartache Tonight’ and other Eagles hits, has died
  ❝ John David “JD” Souther, a prolific songwriter and musician who helped shape the country-rock sound that took root in Southern California in the 1970s with his collaborations with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, has died at the age of 78.
• The wheels have fallen off REO Speedwagon
  ❝ They can’t fight this feeling anymore. Per the band’s website, REO Speedwagon is breaking up. The Speedwagon will be decommissioned effective January 1, 2025
  💬 Heard it from a friend who, heard it from a friend who, heard it from another you’ve been messin’ around…
  
• Florence Pugh Recalls Criticism Over Zach Braff Age Gap
  ❝ “It’s not nice knowing that people are saying the worst things I’ve ever read about someone that I love.”
  💬 Hot, brave, and protective of her man, even at the end. I love you, Flo.
• James Gunn Superman Film Apparently Stars Krypto the Superdog – IGN
  ❝ The DCU Superman film from DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn will feature Krypto the Superdog according to comic book writer Mark Waid.
  💬 If this is done well, it will be a huge coup. If it’s done poorly —or just for a single, 30 second scene— it’ll be a massive disappointment.
  
• How to Hide or Lock Apps With iOS 18
  ❝ Protect your apps from prying eyes with Apple’s latest security feature.
  💬 You can now put any app behind a Face/TouchID lock, and you can “hide” apps in a special “Hidden” folder in your App Library, which is locked with Face/TouchID.
• 1950s time capsule discovered in high school locker gap: a student’s belongings preserved for decades
  ❝ In 2019, this red purse was found in a narrow gap between a set of lockers and the wall at a highschool in Ohio. When the purse was opened, an amazingly preserved time capsule was found. The purse contained the belongings of a student named Patti Rumfola who had attended the same school in the 1950’s.
  
• Mattel Reveals Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn Barbie Dolls for Batman Day – IGN
  ❝ Barbie is headed to Gotham City, as Mattel reveals new Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn dolls just in time for Batman Day.
• Voyager 1 Just Fired Up Thrusters It Hasn’t Used in Decades
  ❝ Engineers at NASA have successfully fired up a set of thrusters Voyager 1 hasn’t used in decades to solve an issue that could keep the 47-year-old spacecraft from communicating with Earth from billions of miles away.

• ‘Chimp Crazy’ Swings Big Donations for Tonka’s Sanctuary
  ❝ The craze surrounding HBO’s docuseries “Chimp Crazy” has become quite profitable for the sanctuary now housing the show’s star, Tonka the Chimp.
• Singer Tito Jackson, member of the Jackson 5, dead at 70
  ❝ The Jackson 5 included brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The family group, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, produced several No. 1 hits in the 1970s, including “ABC,” “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There.”
• The Mystery of Hezbollah’s Deadly Exploding Pagers
  💬 This is absolutely ridiculous. A non-conventional act of war that is 100% guaranteed to harm civilians due to inherently imprecise targeting, in the form of a surprise attack with incomplete situational awareness? I can find very little that distinguishes this from the Hamas-led terrorist strike that started this latest round of hostilities.
  
• Comic book artist John Cassaday passes away at 52 • AIPT
  ❝ The Eisner-award winning artist was known for his work on ‘Astonishing X-Men,’ ‘Planetary,’ and more.
  💬 This one hits me really, really hard. I quit reading comics in the early 90s, and was happy to let the hobby go… until Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men drew me back. Whedon’s writing on the series started strong, fell off a lot, got better, and kind of rallied at the end… but the art of John Cassaday was beautiful from start to finish. And from that gateway drug, I discovered Planetary by Warren Ellis & Cassaday, which turned into one of my favorite series of all time. I can’t believe he’s gone already… farewell, John. You were a helluva artist.
• Runaway penguin home after 18-mile ocean adventure
  ❝ Pen-chan is a six-year-old Cape penguin that escaped from Aichi Prefecture, Japan and entered the sea during an event on August 25th.
• Music industry’s 1990s hard drives, like all HDDs, are dying
  ❝ The music industry traded tape for hard drives and got a hard-earned lesson.
  
• GAMEBABY | Phone Armor with Retro Gaming Superpowers
  ❝ GAMEBABY is a phone case with built-in physical buttons that transforms your device into a retro gaming handheld. Carry it as a regular case, then flip the lower part to play. GAMEBABY lets you fully immerse yourself in the joy of retro gaming.
  💬 This is a fascinating —if limited— product. First, it’s a normal iPhone case with some weird Gameboy controls on the back. Until you slide the bottom half off, then flip it around, and it becomes a real Gameboy-like control surface. Better yet —and unlike most controller options for the iPhone— this one doesn’t require Bluetooth or a battery. The limit is that it’s optimized to work with Delta, the best Gameboy emulator for the iPhone… for anything else, it probably won’t work.

• New multispectral analysis of Voynich manuscript reveals hidden details
  ❝ Handwriting suggests Prague doctor named Johannes Marcus Marci tried to decode in 1640.
• Pathogenic microbes blown vast distances by winds, scientists discover
  ❝ Living microbes that cause disease in humans and host antibiotic-resistance genes carried 1,200 miles
• Judge Orders Guardianship Firm to Return Thousands It Took From an Elderly Woman for Services It Never Provided
  ❝ New York Guardianship Services had billed Judith Zbiegniewicz $450 a month for court-ordered care, but a judge found the company provided “minimal services, if any” for years, including at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Queen guitarist Brian May says he had a ‘minor stroke’ but can still play
  ❝ Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that he had a “minor stroke” last week
• Gordon Ramsay Details Bloody, Painful Aftermath of Bike Crash
  ❝ Gordon Ramsay is sharing the hell he went through following his catastrophic cycling accident this summer … and revealing what exactly caused the incident.
  
• R.I.P. James Earl Jones, EGOT-awarded actor and unmistakable voice of Darth Vader
  💭 A massive loss of an enormous talent. JEJ was part of my cultural consciousness since Roots first aired, and that voice will live forever in my mind. Rest well, sir.
• Walmart Still Has the Best Nintendo Switch Lite Deal (It’s Hard to Beat) – IGN
  ❝ Get a Switch Lite and Animal Crossing for only $159
• Cult Of The Lamb’s Corrupted Relics And Tarot Cards Explained
  ❝ Embrace the chaos with the recently added Corrupted items
• French Man Accused of Inviting Strangers to Rape Drugged Wife, Trial Begins
  ❝ A shocking case in France has just gone to trial … and it centers around a 71-year-old man who is accused of inviting dozens of strangers to rape his wife in their home.
• Babygirl brilliantly captures the feeling of falling in lust
  ❝ Babygirl is a feature-length homage to the early rush of attraction from filmmaker Halina Reijn, full of radically charged encounters.
  
• Margaret Qualley Filmed ‘The Substance’ ‘Until I Had a Panic Attack’
  ❝ Margaret Qualley explained how she kept filming ‘The Substance’ even when getting a panic attack.
• Elon Musk’s X / Twitter has a new TV app dedicated to watching videos
  ❝ Musk’s social media company has tried to pivot to video over the past year.

• Titanic: Striking images reveal depths of ship’s slow decay
  ❝ A new expedition finds that a large part of the railing at the ship’s front has fallen away.
• Ok, but why do certain languages spoken with American intonations sound exactly like Simlish?
  ❝ TikTok creators are accidentally recreating Similsh by speaking languages such as Japanese and French with American valley girl and frat bro accents.
• Adele promises “I will not see you for an incredibly long time” after residency
  ❝ Adele promises “I will not see you for an incredibly long time” after residency
• Boeing’s Starliner started making a repeating ‘pulsing’ sound yesterday
  ❝ NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore contacted NASA to ask for help identifying a strange “pulsing” noise emanating from a speaker in the Boeing Starliner on Saturday.
• Nintendo gets dark with detective game Emio
  ❝ Nintendo continues the Famicom Detective Club series on the Switch with Emio — The Smiling Man, which launches on August 30th.
  
  
  
• A career-best Ralph Fiennes leads a gripping search for the next pope in Conclave
  ❝ Edward Berger follows All Quiet On The Western Front with a thriller free from cinematic sin: the Ralph Fiennes-led Conclave.
• The 8 best games from Nintendo’s blockbuster Switch sale
  ❝ Just in time for Labor Day! Save up to 75% on several dozen titles from Nintendo’s online store.
• ‘One Tree Hill’ Sequel Series in Development at Netflix
  ❝ A sequel series of “One Tree Hill” is currently in the works at Netflix, Variety has learned from sources.
• Vast ‘doughnut’ discovered in molten metal of Earth’s core
  ❝ Australian scientists hail finding as a step in unlocking secrets of planet’s protective magnetic field

• Modern text parser game The Crimson Diamond rewards precision
  ❝ Julia Minamata’s first game, The Crimson Diamond, is a text parser using EGA-style art.
• Woman found dead in her cubicle 4 days after last clocking in
  ❝ The deceased worker was identified as Denise Prudhomme, 60.
• ‘Seeking Mavis Beacon’ Filmmakers on Limits of Representation
  ❝ ‘Seeking Mavis Beacon’ filmmakers Jazmin Jones and Olivia McKayla Ross tell IndieWire about their search for the famous typing avatar.
• Report: Amazon’s new $5/month Alexa to use Anthropic’s tech, in-house AI failed
  ❝ Amazon is eyeing an October launch for its new, paid Alexa AI service. The premium Alexa reportedly won’t use Amazon’s own tech though.
• ‘One to One: John and Yoko’ Review: Compelling Archival Doc
  ❝ ‘One to One: John and Yoko’ Review out of Venice Film Festival. John Lennon and Yoko Ono star in compelling archival documentary.
  
• ‘Babygirl’ Review: Nicole Kidman Dominates a Sexy Erotic Dramedy
  ❝ Venice: Nicole Kidman is all raw nerve in Halina Reijn’s sexy ‘Babygirl,’ starring Harris Dickinson as the intern who seduces her.
• AnandTech Is Closing Down
  ❝ Awful news. There was no publication like AnandTech before it was founded, and there’s been no publication like it since. To say that it will be sorely missed is a profound understatement
• Remember Steam Machines? EmuDeck founder revisits Valve’s TV console idea
  ❝ The founder of EmuDeck is crowdfunding EmuDeck Machines, a pair of Linux-based PC game consoles on top of Bazzite, a SteamOS fork that works a lot like the Steam Deck.
• Comedian Doug Stanhope’s IG Live Stream Arrest Explained
  ❝ Comedian Doug Stanhope had fans on edge, thinking he’d been arrested on a live stream — but TMZ has learned it’s all just a false alarm … and a little bit of role-playing.
• Lana Del Rey’s Rumored Alligator Tour Guide BF Kisses Massive Gator in Wild Video
  ❝ Lana Del Rey’s rumored new flame, Jeremy Dufrene, ain’t just charming the singer — he’s also got a taste for gator smooches … as seen in a video from his day job, obtained by TMZ.
  
• Winona Ryder: Gen Z Co-Stars Should Be ‘Interested in Movies’
  ❝ Winona Ryder explained why she is disappointed in some of her younger co-stars from ‘Stranger Things.’
• ‘Riefenstahl’ Review: Documentary About Nazi Propagandist Chills
  ❝ Documentary about the Nazi propagandist chills with its portrayal of her unwillingness to confront her own past.

 • ‘¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!’ Trailer: ‘South Park’ Creators Save Restaurant
❝ ‘South Park’ creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone save a restaurant in documentary ‘¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!.’

 • Barry Keoghan Joins Cast of Netflix’s Peaky Blinders Movie – IGN
❝ Oscar-nominee Barry Keoghan is the latest actor to join the cast of Netflix’s Peaky Blinders movie.

 • Like just about every other Ridley Scott movie, ‘Napoleon’ is getting a director’s cut
❝ The Ridley Scott epic “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” is now available to stream on Apple TV+, with the online version 48 minutes longer than the theatrical release.

 • Bluesky adds ‘anti-toxicity’ options to limit dogpiling and hostile quote posts
❝ Bluesky has introduced a bunch of new “anti-toxicity” features that aim to help users protect themselves against harassment and general dogpiling.

 • Pharrell Williams, Michel Gondry’s ‘Atlantis’ Lands May 2025 Release
❝ Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry’s star-studded musical film now has its title and release date. Universal will release “Atlantis” on May 9, 2025.

 • iPadOS 18’s Smart Script: A Promising Start But Don’t Toss Out Your Keyboard Yet
❝ The carefully controlled demos of Smart Script at WWDC reminded me of every time Apple shows off the Photos app, where each picture is a perfectly composed, beautiful image of smiling models. In contrast, my photo library is full of screenshots and random images like the blurry one I took the other day to capture

 • Tumblr will move all of its blogs to WordPress — and you won’t even notice a difference
❝ Tumblr is moving all of its blogs to WordPress. Automattic, the parent company of Tumblr and WordPress, says the move will make it easier to ship features across both platforms.

 • ‘Vanderpump’ Alum Brittany Cartwright Files for Divorce from Jax Taylor
❝ Brittany Cartwright is dropping the curtain on her marriage … she just filed to divorce Jax Taylor.

 • Liam and Noel Gallagher are getting the band back together
❝ Liam and Noel Gallagher are getting the band back together