🧸 Bears fire embattled OC Waldron amid struggles /// ESPN

I’m not surprised, but I also don’t think this will actually do anything. Trubiski had two head coaches in his first year, as did Fields. Starting to feel like Williams will too. And I just don’t think that’s helpful. Same deal here with the OC. Offenses with rookie QBs don’t excel. Period. There’s no HC or OC to blame for that. Even if the staff is trash.

👾 overkill.wtf

I wish I cared about handheld video games, because this new-ish site / newsletter looks killer.

🎹 Jon Batiste Hears Green Day for the First Time /// Pianote

I feel like I’m beating a dead horse always talking about “real drums” being important (critical, even), but this is a great example of why real instruments and musicians are far superior to anything a producer can do on their computer. Batiste is magical and magnetic playing the piano to Holiday. Another check in the box for why funding music and arts education in our schools is instrumental.

via

🤪 The Onion Now Owns Infowars, Because Reality’s Ridiculousness Finally Outpaced Satire /// TPA

In a twist that’s almost too perfect, satire has literally swallowed the very absurdities it once parodied, creating a loop of irony that could short-circuit reality itself.

🪖 Here’s Why I Decided To Buy ‘InfoWars’ /// The Onion

With a shrewd mix of delusional paranoia and dubious anti-aging nutrition hacks, they strive to make life both scarier and longer for everyone, a commendable goal. They are a true unicorn, capable of simultaneously inspiring public support for billionaires and stoking outrage at an inept federal state that can assassinate JFK but can’t even put a man on the Moon.

Some more goodness worth reading on The Onion and Infowars.

🎙️ It Will Get a Little Sticky—Debating New Songs by Tyler, the Creator and More /// Waste or Taste

New podcast from the folks at Hearing Things. Really enjoyed this first episode—fun way to tackle new music.

🛤️ Tracking Trump’s Cabinet picks /// Politico

Related to the previous link. Can’t actually recommend this for anyone who wants to stay sane, but it’s a helpful look at the current Cabinet picks. Part of me has hope the Republicans in the Senate will bring some sanity and prevent some of these goofballs, but… I know that optimism is only going to let me down.

🤡 Matt Gaetz is the law now /// Indignity

Day one of these announcements I thought “wow I hate this, but I get it.” Day two with this clown, Gabbard, and the Fox News nut, is making me feel like I’m truly losing my mind.

🧅 Not Satire: The Onion acquires Infowars /// Status

Even though it says “Not Satire,” I still wasn’t sure. Wild. What an Onion thing to do. Can’t wait to see what they do with it.

🩻 ribo.zone

A stunningly cool personal site.

via the majestical Maya

🎬 Hiro Murai Set To Direct A24 Samurai Film ‘Bushido’ /// World of Reel

This is typically the type of thing I would’ve reserved for foofaraw review of links, but since that’s on a short hiatus, I couldn’t resist linking it here. Murai is an amazing director as anyone who’s ever watched anything Donald Glover has been in can attest to. The fact his first feature film is going to be a samurai film from A24 is incredible.

🧑‍⚖️ Exit Jack Smith /// TPM

At issue, per NBC, is the long-standing DOJ policy we became so familiar with in Donald Trump’s first term: that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted.

It’s a little fucked up that a) we elected a convicted felon who is on trial for other things and b) we shouldn’t be able to vote for him at all. On the otherhand, he’s “being exonerated by his peers.” Point a still stands, but maybe not b. But the obvious problem with that is the American people actually haven’t heard the cases against Trump—even through the media. I’m rambling at this point, we all knew he’d never face any real consequences, but this just makes it all that more real.

🏛️ Tell Congress: Protect Journalists, Pass the PRESS Act /// ACLU

Takes two seconds. Who knows if it will help, but it won’t hurt.

🎤 Grammy Nominations 2025 /// Billboard

So you’re telling my Kendrick racked up seven nominations without releasing an album? Purely based on a single diss track single? Legendary. I hope he performs it at the Grammys.

🎺 Quincy Jones Was Greater Than Any One Era /// Defector

He orchestrated Count Basie’s band when they played for Frank Sinatra. He composed the theme for Sanford and Son, and scored films like In The Heat of the Night, The Italian Job, and The Color Purple. He produced The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, co-founded Vibe magazine, brought jazz and hip-hop together for his Back On The Block album. Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad—there is not one medium, genre, or business within entertainment that did not have Jones’s hand in it.

There was never going to be another Quincy Jones. The streets are paved with people who have tried and come up short; today’s playing field cannot foster it. Hollywood is in a slump as more studios are controlled by private equity firms that believe in the worst approaches to creativity and originality. The music industry is a mess, forever consolidating and forcing artists to prioritize their image and branding over their actual work. That’s not what Jones believed in. He believed in music as a spiritual process

Yes, yes, I’m super late to this, but I still think it’s important to recognize him for how he worked, his approach, his belief in the creative process, and obviously, all of the great music he helped put out into the world.

🍄 Shift-Drag to Snap to Grid — Kinopio

Hold Shift while dragging or resizing cards and boxes snaps them a grid. Helpful when you want to line things up perfectly — or make your own calendar

Last link for the night comes from the wonderful @kinopio, which now has the capabilities to snap cards and boxes to a grid in an easy and delightful way. Excited to dive into this more with my spaces.

💣 Are We Just Ignoring How Russia Openly Helped Trump on Election Night? /// The New Republic

The FBI released a statement Tuesday saying that it was “aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains.” While the FBI underscored that none of the threats had been found to be credible, their purpose was undoubtedly to sow chaos and fear as Americans attempted to cast their ballots.

The sheer number of threats received is actually pretty astounding. It’d be interesting if someone could analyze the average difference in the number over votes between 2020 and 2024 at polling stations that received a bomb threat vs those that didn’t. We already know voting was down overall, but how much can we estimate was contributed to these threats vs the sheer laziness of the American voter.

🏙️ Dem governor issues stark warning to President-elect Trump /// Fox News

Never thought I’d link to Fox News. And still don’t recommend clicking through because why let ad money go to them… but I saw this on Mastodon and loved JB’s attitude (as I always have).

💱 Kagi Translate

Still giving Kagi Search a go since I (unsuccessfully) interviewed there and have been enjoying it. Cool to see them come out with a translation product, and one that’s free to boot.

🥊 Elizabeth Warren: The Plan to Fight Back After 2024 Election /// TIME

But good economic policies do not erase painful underlying truths about our country. For my entire career, I’ve studied how the system is rigged against working-class families. On paper, the U.S. economy is the strongest in the world. But working families are struggling with big expenses like the cost of housing, health care, and childcare. Giant corporations get tax breaks and favorable rules while workers are gouged by higher prices. Billionaires pay paltry taxes on their wealth while families can’t afford to buy their first homes.

Scream it from the roof top Lizzy!

📝 Trump Bans Amazon Reporter Tara Palmeri From Mar-a-Lago Election Party Despite Jeff Bezos Kissing the Ring /// Daily Beast

Obviously not surprised by this, but I expect to see a lot more of this moving forward. Palmeri is solid for Puck too.

🎖️ There Is No Constitutional Mandate for Fascism /// The Atlantic

The Democrats’ reward for steering the economy out of the post-pandemic economic crisis will be watching their opponent claim credit for the prosperity that their work created—an economy unencumbered by inflation and the high interest rates once needed to tame it. If Trump seems popular now, he will likely be much more popular in a year.

I’m not going to say it’s always helpful to read Adam Sewer after things like this, but he’s always good and thoughtfully saying how things are, why they are, and what comes next.

💰 David Zaslav: Trump May Bring “Opportunity for Consolidation”/// THR

It’s wild to me that we have so many so-called “experts” and the only “strategy” they can come up with to “succeed” or “innovate” is buying their competitors. Is it a great customer experience to pay for a bunch of streaming services and hop around apps? No. But buying competitors and then, inevitably, cutting productions and charging more isn’t a “solution” or “strategy” either.

📑 What We’ll Be Covering in a Second Trump Administration /// ProPublica

Our job is to give readers an independent, verifiable account of what’s happening, even if the president is calling us enemies of the people or bloodsuckers.

📱 Today (Beta) /// Semantical

Did not see this beta invite landing in my inbox this morning. Don’t remember how I came across Semantical, but it was a few years ago. I believe some of the people spent time at Cultured Code—and just as I gave up Things for Reminders.