April 3
Hooters Air
On the occasion of Hooters' bankruptcy, a look back: "How Hooters Air went from a successful airline to a $40 million failure in three years" [more inside]
The Torrents of Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is set to release over 80 new songs this summer with his newly announced “Tracks II: The Lost Albums” collection. Planned for release on June 27, the seven full-length albums will include songs by The Boss that have never been heard. The songs span Springsteen’s decades-long career and were written between 1983 and 2018. First single is: Rain in the River
These are very... useable clues
Wigglewood is a series of humorous D&D-styled short Youtube animations styled like cutscenes from an old DOS adventure game. A couple of inept adventures are on the trail of Wormdahl the depressed wizard. The longest is just 2 ½ minutes. Currently the episodes are: The Wizard's Gummy, Magician's Brick, The Dark Summoning, The Magic Lamp, The Cursed Throne, Elven Riddles and Shifting Sorcery.
All right meatsacks... let's get to work.
"You would like us to rebuild the deranged robot in order to catch another one?" M3GAN 2.0 (YT Trailer) goes full Terminator 2: Judgment Day, with the killer child robot returning, this time to defend Cady against a new robot. The film is a sequel to 2023's M3GAN (FF link), which was, btw, 93% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Liberating Americans from their wallets
After months of bluster, spin, and head fakes, President Trump finally committed to punishing global tariffs during a high-profile "Liberation Day" event at the White House yesterday. The policy invokes emergency authority to impose a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, a 25% fee on imported cars, and dubious "reciprocal tariffs" on everywhere from China and the EU to key strategic suppliers to remote uninhabited penguin reserves (not Russia, though 🤔). Trump’s tariff obsession dates back decades and cites William McKinley’s Gilded Age protectionist policies as an inspiration. Economists warn these measures will disrupt global trade, spike inflation, and destabilize the dollar’s reserve currency status. Markets fell sharply this morning, as DOGE-driven cuts are projected to cause over 275,000 layoffs. Meanwhile, nationwide "Hands Off!" protests against executive overreach are planned for this Saturday, April 5th. [more inside]
Black Sites
Trump Is Asking the Supreme Court To Let Him Have Black Sites (Slate)
In a court filing, the government acknowledged that it had deported at least one migrant to El Salvador due to an “administrative error”—but argued that the individual had no right to contest his imprisonment because he is in the custody of a “foreign sovereign.” This argument confirms what’s been clear for weeks: The government intends to treat the prison as a black site where migrants have no constitutional rights whatsoever and may be subject to any treatment whatsoever—including indefinite detention, forced labor, torture, or death. [more inside]
In a court filing, the government acknowledged that it had deported at least one migrant to El Salvador due to an “administrative error”—but argued that the individual had no right to contest his imprisonment because he is in the custody of a “foreign sovereign.” This argument confirms what’s been clear for weeks: The government intends to treat the prison as a black site where migrants have no constitutional rights whatsoever and may be subject to any treatment whatsoever—including indefinite detention, forced labor, torture, or death. [more inside]
New York City subway maps
"The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday revealed a revamped map of the city’s subway system that takes its cues from a 1970s throwback that was cheered by design connoisseurs and reviled by many traditionalists. It is the first major overhaul of the subway map to be introduced by the authority in almost 50 years." [more inside]
Sometimes the NIMBYS don't win
Sometimes the NIMBYS don't win: Brisbane home owners fail to stop church building affordable houses.
A bid to build affordable units on church land in Brisbane's east has been approved despite protests from home owners who claimed it was inappropriate. Most of the 44 units in the New Cleveland Road, Wakerley project will be capped at 74.9 per cent of market rent. The home owners can't challenge the approval because the project is a high priority State Facilitated Development.
A fascist, yes, but not simply, only, or irreducibly one
Malaparte “had less to be forgiven for than many of his colleagues, who were generally more capable of reinventing themselves after the war.” The question of Malaparte’s “credentials” is dispensed with at the outset, leaving the reader with the even more troubling suggestion of authentic principle behind what looks at first glance to have been a lifetime of craven opportunism. from Revenge of the Courtier [The Baffler; ungated]
April 2
AO3, data, and changes in fandom
Article by Allegra Rosenberg about AO3 statistics and what they show about changes on the site: "The data collected by statistically minded fans is hugely helpful in visualizing the shifts brought about by successive fan generations". Via Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.
Locas Heroes
Jaime Hernandez: A Master Cartoonist Ages Alongside His Heroine. A colorful tribute to Love and Rockets, a long-runnng ground-breaking comic that began in 1982. ungated [more inside]
Scoreboard Pressure
Scoreboard Pressure is a blog dedicated to both kinds of scoreboards, Australian Rules Football and cricket. Adelaide Oval. Warramiyunga Oval, Bathurst Island. Henson Park, Marrickville. West Wyalong vs. Lake Cargelligo. Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Donnybrook, WA.
Start Spreading the Cheese
Cheese is one of those food markers that demonstrates the power of processing to preserve and transform a vulnerable food source. The amount of cheese, cheese products, cheese dishes and cheese culture (even sport) is incalculable. Today - we're here not to cut through the world's cheeses, but instead to spread the love of the cheese spread [more inside]
One has diamonds in his pockets / This one wants to buy you rockets
The president remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative, but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role, according to three Trump insiders who were granted anonymity to describe the evolving relationship. from Trump Tells Inner Circle That Musk Will Leave Soon [Politico]
Work Like the Nineties
Why You Should Work Like It's the Nineties (archive.org link) looks at how work/life boundaries have shifted in the SmartPhone era, and recommends a shift back.
NaNoWriMo NoMo
On Monday night, NaNoWriMo—the organization behind the annual National Novel Writing Month, which takes place each November—sent an email to its community that began, “We come to you today with sad news. After six years of struggling to sustain itself financially, NaNoWriMo (the nonprofit) will begin the process of shutting down.” (h/t jenfullmoon) [more inside]
The art of the protest sign
The art of the deal protest sign. You want to make a protest sign but you’ve hit a brick wall for ideas. That’s okay! Inspiration is as easy as a google image search. But if you want to get into it a little bit more, Iranian-born Canadian artist Guity Novin can help you out. So can Reuters. If you need more, take a look at An Emergency Guide to Writing Protest Signs. Maybe invent your own font. Here’s a handy pdf that talks about design elements. For some final thoughts, Vice has some advice.
Mario Kart + Moo Moo Cow
With the Nintendo Switch 2 launching on June 5th 2025, one of the day one titles is Mario Kart World, where you can play as a cow. There's also an Elden Ring game, some GameCube ports e.g. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (and the GameCube controller), a 3D Donkey Kong, a wheelchair basketball game, and a bundle of other titles, new and refreshed and ported. There's no word on the price, or a price adjustment for the original Switch for which new games include Tomodachi Life (the last 20 seconds is intriguing) in 2026.
"The ice is not freezing as it should."
In the time of climate change, the fragile ice roads that link Northern communities are under threat. (slTheGuardian) [more inside]
That's some strong cheddar
Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin Supreme Court election by a decisive margin, defeating Elon Musk-backed candidate Brad Schimel. [more inside]
ssa_final2_reallyfinal_v03_final.py
The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is starting to put together a team to migrate the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) computer systems entirely off one of its oldest programming languages in a matter of months, potentially putting the integrity of the system—and the benefits on which tens of millions of Americans rely—at risk. DOGE would likely need to employ some form of generative artificial intelligence to help translate the millions of lines of code. (Wired, archive) [more inside]
The Black Panther cubs
Tended to be studied only as the background condition of other phenomena
“Yes!” Ward said, banging her hand on a desk. “Because this shit happens over and over and over, with every generation. Every generation of women has their epiphanic moment where they realize this shit is not worth it. Every generation of women has the icon who burns all the man’s stuff. And so part of the tragedy is we don’t learn.” from If Hetero Relationships Are So Bad, Why Do Women Go Back for More? [The Cut; ungated]
April 1
John Green: Everything Is Tuberculosis
He's Best Known for The Fault in Our Stars. That His Latest Book Is About the World's Deadliest Disease Actually Makes Perfect Sense. [ungated] - "'People should understand that tuberculosis is not just a disease of the past,' [Henry] Reider told me. 'It is still affecting millions of people today, but it is preventable, treatable, and also curable.'" [more inside]
Feeding wild cassowaries leads to aggressive behaviour
Warnings after backyard cassowary attack puts senior in hospital. Experts are urging caution after a cassowary exhibiting bold behaviour slashed a man's leg in a backyard confrontation. A Queensland Ambulance Service crew took the man to Tully Hospital for treatment to a wound several centimetres long on the back of a thigh. Cairns Hospital and Hinterland Health Service say the man was discharged that evening. [more inside]
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Iceman
Movie actor and star Val Kilmer, known for his roles in films such as Top Gun, Willow, and Heat, among others in an eclectic career, has passed away at 65. (SLNYT)
United we stand, divided we fall
Victoria Uber Workers Could Be First in Canada to Unionize. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has held a certification vote ordered by the BC Labour Relations Board after Uber disputed whether 500 drivers signing union cards represented more than 55% of the workforce. UFCW estimates Uber in Victoria has ~600 drivers. In BC certification is automatically granted if 55% of workers sign with a union. This follows on UFCW's previous agreement with Uber to represent over 100,000 working for the ride hailing service. [more inside]
The women who translated the Quran
How Three American Women Translated One of the World’s Most Popular Qurans (inspired by chavenet's recent post) [more inside]
"The biggest deepest iceberg of gaming history I've gone down so far"
Super Bunnyhop (03/28/2025), "Kriegsspiel! How Napoleon Accidentally Invented Strategy Games": "Napoleon's contribution to game history means getting into gaming's ideological history ... Strategy games are the most immediately obvious example of how games are political." Related: Play Ludus Latrunculorum online. Browse the International Kriegsspiel Society's collection of rules, videos, Tabletop Simulator modules, inclusiveness info, and Discord info. Consider other meanings of miniatures games in Tristram Shandy [PDF]. Discern "The Invisible Men and Women behind H.G. Wells' Little Wars and Floor Games," e.g. novelists Jerome K. Jerome and George Gissing or short story author Catherine Wells. Or try "Getting Started with Original Dungeons & Dragons."
It Could Be Much, Much Worse
Last month was the 15-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law. Which means that anyone born this century probably has no idea what life was like for anyone with a body before the ACA. So let me tell you!
You'd be a Fool not to share those links
LinkMe, April '25: Come across an interesting link recently that you'd like to share, but don't want to work it up into a full post? Share it here for our perusal, nbd. And if you'd like to post something but need some inspiration, check out the links here to see what other members have found interesting and would like to read more about! Just tag the resulting post "LinkMe" and include a nod back to the original suggestion. No self-linking and usual site rules apply, but otherwise feel free to post whatever you like! Look inside for a round-up from last month. [more inside]
"It is not down on any map: true places never are"
The annual 'Great Lakes Whale Migration 2025 Begins on the Old Mission Peninsula' has begun. [more inside]
Without further ado, let’s enter the Stathamverse
A Working Man left me thinking: Where would Statham single-handedly taking down a human trafficking operation fall on the list of his greatest accomplishments? Obviously, the only way to get to the bottom of this mystery is to blog through it. Join me for a thought exercise that has plagued scientists since the aughts: What is the most impressive thing Jason Statham has ever done? A Quantitative Analysis.
18 Hours And Counting
They might even be Dr. Spock’s backup band!
"I feel like any job, any creative enterprise, that’s the thing you do after the "chore”—you know there’s the thing that’s paying the rent and there’s the thing that just for kicks —those kinds of jobs always have a spirit to them that’s ineffable. It’s just a great, spirited way to work, and you’re just having fun. You can sense it."
John Flansburgh and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants discuss highlights of their discography from "small town wierdo music" (part 1) to the Mickey Mouse Club and beyond (part 2) in an AV Club Set List interview. [more inside]
John Flansburgh and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants discuss highlights of their discography from "small town wierdo music" (part 1) to the Mickey Mouse Club and beyond (part 2) in an AV Club Set List interview. [more inside]
Welcome to the worst day on the Internet!
"brands and a holiday dedicated to hoaxes are rarely a winning combo." Starting a post to collect "real or not real," well done prank websites, and possible confirmation of what's actually really happening today (sigh). [more inside]
Netherlands Bach Society
This beautiful filming of a performance of Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007 would be worth watching even with the sound off. But it also features superlative playing by Lucia Swarts of the Netherlands Bach Society. [more inside]
Détournement de fonds, farewell
Marine Le Pen, populist leader of France's National Rally (RN, formerly the National Front or FN), was found guilty on Monday of embezzlement of EU funds and barred from standing for office pending appeal, making it unlikely that she will be able to run for president in 2027. Le Pen was sentenced to a €100,000 fine and four years in prison, with two suspended and two in an electronic bracelet. [more inside]
“Best purchase I’ve made in my life.”
The King’s English
Following the Executive Order of 1 March, President Trump announced today that the English language is to be officially renamed “American”.
“America is a very popular country,” the President said, “when people understand that this is our language, I think you’re going to find a lot more of them are going to want to speak it. A lot.” [more inside]
March 31
"The largest analysis of kidney health in spaceflight so far"
Eric Ralls (3/30/2025) on "Space missions and human kidneys": "These important organs could face more trouble than previously assumed, including a higher risk of stones and lasting damage." Keith Siew et al. (6/11/2024), "Cosmic kidney disease": "spaceflight associated changes in urinary biochemistry favour kidney stone formation" (also, "the kidney is an exquisitely radiation sensitive organ"). Citations. Wikipedia's list of notable stone passers, e.g. Montaigne, cites older work on prevention and possible causes of stone formation in space. Info for the Earth-bound: Calyani Ganesan (7/02/2024), "This Too Shall Pass," on "the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of kidney stones." Brief study guide. Chattier intro. r/KidneyStones. Previously: Life on Mars; and Scientist carbon dates his own kidney stone. Via File770.
Frozen penguin among millions of specimens moved to new home at CSIRO
Frozen penguin among millions of specimens moved to new home at CSIRO's National Collections Building. The collections include 99 per cent of Australia's native birds as well as exotic bird species, skeletons, mammals, reptiles stored in ethanol, eggs and frozen tissue. (The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications.)
I would prefer not to... write with anything else!
Two $%$# homeruns by %^@# Steve Jeltz!
One of the best baseball videos our friends Jon Bois and Alex Rubenstein (of Secret Base) ever made is "How to Score 10 Runs in the First Inning and Lose". It explores what happens when a team gets blown out in the first inning but pulls out a commanding win via their (arguably) worst player having the game of his life. [more inside]
Damn the Yankee Torpedoes!
The bats look funny. And they definitely look weird. In fact, some players didn't even think that they were real, at least on first glance.
"So... You are a musican?"
When Patrick Stewart met Sting (SLYT) This is short. Happy Monday, everyone!
"I always hated 'realistic' fiction."
Anton Solomonik (LitHub, 03/21/2025), "Realistic Fiction": "What I mean is slice-of-life type writing in which it's just people's feelings and observations and no one does anything, there's no plot, no conflict ... My father was a scientist ... he liked to read police and spy novels." And in the Evergreen Review (Spring / Summer 2025), "The Most Dangerous Game": "Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game with attractive, fantasy-themed cards and a complex, evolving framework of rules." Solomonik is also co-host of "a panel discussion and open mic for trans writers" with past presentations on Twitch and more info at t4t.club.
Quantum Idealist? Historical Catastrophist? Pragmatic Instrumentalist?
What are your beliefs about the nature of reality? Take this quiz to find out (It's a Substack post, so not the greatest format, but a good survey of possibilities)