PBS "Passport" - a novel way to subscribe
Adding a streaming service, and supporting PBS and my local affiliate? Sign me the fuck up for that.
Latest
Lazy Scammers: Text Phishing
I miss the days of the Nigerian prince scams. At least they were entertaining. Alas, GenAI and some skeevy operators are making it trivial to attempt to scam people. Stay alert!
AYFKM? AI and 1% Commitment
AI is going to fuck up the workforce. Sal Khan (of the Khan Academy) is not offering a serious response to this tectonic shift.
One Week In, and What I'm Reading
The insanity doesn't take holidays off. Read to the end for a pleasant musical coda.
Early Internet Gold
Some maintenance of my dustiest archives uncovered some early internet video gems. I had to share the wealth with you at Christmas!
Favorite Christmas Movies
Enough politics insanity, what are my favorite Christmas movies? Here are my top list, ones I watch every year.
TFG: Jake Paul, Youtuber, punching bag.
I fucking hate youtube influencers, especially those tho scam their audiences, so when Jake Paul, an especially scammy fuck gets his arse kicked, it is a time to celebrate!
What I'm Reading 12/20
Life's been crazy, but I still find time to keep up with my voracious reading across many domains from business to politics. Somehow, this is soothing.
Music: Deborah Coleman
It really sucks to discover an amazing talent to learn that they have already left us. Deborah Coleman had the blues running through her veins, and she was outstanding.
Music: The Band Geeks
Covid era collabs were wierd, but wonderful. Here the Band Geeks do an outstanding rendition of Yes' "Roundabout". 9 minutes of joy for your eardrums.
What the ... Travel
The WaPo is trash, and the writing for the Travel section is really abysmal. I have about 3 weeks left until my subscription is fully expired. Good riddance. This article is typical of the clickbait trash.
Music: UtA - Green & Glass (and AI)
A killer track, but the accompanying video was made using AI, but instead of being slop, they licensed from the artist. That is bad-ass! \m/
Music
Music: Diablo Swing Orchestra
AI has me gun shy. When I discover something new that I like, it seems that too often it is AI generated music from Suno or similar. This time, I am happy to report that I was able to verify that the Diablo Swing Orchestra is not AI.
Music
Three Months with the Strandberg
Living with a Strandberg, 3 months on. It is delivering the goods
Newsletter
Odds 'n Ends - December 6, 2025
Some miscellaneous thoughts. Read to the end to find a good Substacker to subscribe to!
Tech
That sucked...
Free time, a nagging error, and almost catastrophic results. How not to spend a day off.
Politics
What Happens Next?
A trilogy of chilling newsletters and articles hit my inbox today, causing me to think about what happens when Trump loses power or dies. It is not going to be a fun transition, and no, MAGA will not die with Trump.
Music
Music: Simone Simons
A killer duo collaborating on a killer track, and an Epic video. Enjoy Alissa White-Gluz guesting on Simone's album Vermillion. \m/
Tech
Musk's AI has gone full glaze
Musk once again puts his paw on the scale and dails it up to full on ridiculous.
Music
Music: Nori Bucci
The fact that Nori Bucci is almost unknown is criminal. Her talent and skills are off the charts.
Politics
Twitter outs the MAGA-fluencers
Last weekend Twitter did an intentional oops, created an unholy mess, and now the mask is unveiled. The MAGA verse isn't fed by nefarious state actors, but is instead stoked by ordinary people farming for influence to improve their lot in life. Delish!
Politics
TFG: David fucking Brooks
I fucking hate writing about Epstein, but goddamn it, David Brooks does one of his "high and mighty" snooty opinions, and I just can't let it lie...
Politics
The casual-izing of misogyny
The premise of Q-anon, that there's a cabal of elites that are boorish, exploitative, and that prey on young women (and men) turns out to be true. Sophie GIlbert does an outstanding job in her latest on The Atlantic.
Newsletter
What fresh hell ... (LinkedIn)
LinkedIn has long been on my shit list. And it is getting even more shitty as they try to swim with all the other enshittified social media bits.