A college sophomore at an Occupy rally could not have generated such a grotesque outsized caricature of US imperialism

Two years have passed since I dropped Google Analytics and switched to tinylytics.app, and I’ve never regretted doing so. Tinylytics is perfect for my sites’ needs, focused on user privacy, and very well-supported.

Specifically, a protest song about how the sons of the rich were able to avoid fighting, like fighting-age Donald Trump who got four deferments for being in college and another for bone spurs.

Vince Gilligan’s latest poses some interesting questions about individuality and identity, and it looks fantastic. (Part of me now wants to move to Albuquerque.) I just wish I cared even a little bit about the protagonist. My ★★½ review of #Pluribus, Season One (2025): opus.ing/diet/508773

Trump and his cronies can try to dress this up, but it is an illegal act of war to replace Maduro and grab Venezuela's oil for his billionaire buddies. Full statement below:

I bet FIFA feels pretty stupid right now.

There’s plenty to nitpick in this final season, but it still delivered those emotional touch points that have always been my favorite part of the series, secret government conspiracies and psychic warfare notwithstanding. My ★★★½ review of #StrangerThings, Season Five (2025): opus.ing/diet/502471

It's the annual ScreenAnarchy top 10 of the year! See what our critics thought of the plethora of amazing films of last year screenanarchy.com/2026/01/scre...

#Tolkien expressed no small amount of skepticism concerning technology and industrialization in his writings. Thus, it’s more than just a little ironic that tech bros and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have co-opted names like Anduril, Palantir, and even *Sauron* for their companies.

Still here.

AI companies are playing a game wherein these computer programs are presented to the public as autonomous individuals capable of issuing a meaningful apology. The machine is just a machine. Human beings owe the apology for building the machine irresponsibly and unleashing it on the world.

obviously not the biggest issue here, but an AI cannot feel regret or be sincere so this “apology” is utterly worthless

This continues to be my blogging mindset heading in 2026.

My favorite songs of 2025 included Japanese blackgaze, introspective balladry, post-punk elegance, Swedish alt-rock, eclectic hardcore, heartfelt indie-folk, and much, much more.

A new EP of wintry ambience from The Void Wanderer is an excellent way to end the year even if there’s no snow on the ground (as is the case here in #LNK).

This is true and I was the only one on set excited about it (and playing the song on my phone to blank stares)

Pizza and tacos are two of the most perfect foods on God’s green earth.

Me psyching myself up before heading into Costco.

I'll be real with you: as someone who never really thought about Bardot, the last few days were an eye-opener for me, too. Plus that great lack of context that we all love to live under. None of us has the energy to keep up outrage that People Don't Know Every Problem

January 1 isn’t just the start of a new year full of fresh starts. It also represents the expansion of our culture via #PublicDomainDay, when thousands of books, films, musical recordings, and other cultural artifacts enter the public domain, making them free for everyone to copy, share, and adapt.

“AI is brilliant at helping you discover what kinds of research might exist, what terminology researchers use, what debates are happening in a field. It’s terrible at accurately citing specific sources.” When it comes to AI, you can *never* be too skeptical of its results.

Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up. I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.

I think we need to wipe out describing watching films, reading books, listening to music etc as "consuming content" before any kind of healing can begin

naming my security company after the evil spirit who couldn’t even spot/stop the two heroes from entering his domain with his own evil ring and destroying him utterly

This is called "freedom" and it's pissing off the new Commissars who believe that artists must perform at the State's command

Again,

This was a normal commercial in 1996

Another day, another example of ICE thuggery.

The emotional roller coaster of hope and despair. The haunting expressions of pain and regret. Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.” Bear growls used in place of cuss words. This is the purest cinema of 2025.

Note what Trump is focused on instead of fixing healthcare or bringing down prices.

This is a metaphor for the tech industry overall circa 2025

Peter Jackson’s liberties occasionally threaten to undermine the film, but it contains far too many grace notes for that to happen. My ★★★★ review of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003): opus.ing/diet/507316

This time around, I was particularly struck by the interplay between Gollum, Frodo, and Sam as the two hobbits argue over how to treat the creature formerly known as Sméagol. My ★★★★ review of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002): opus.ing/diet/507314

Kansas City’s Redder Moon continues to deliver evocative #post-punk and #darkwave music, as evidenced by this darkly lush single.

I’ve been listening to Silk Daisys’ debut album for the last week or two, and “Kiss Me Like You Mean It” really hits that ’90s alt-rock/dream pop sweet spot for me.

So sad to hear about the death of @thecure.com’s guitarist/keyboardist Perry Bamonte, who rejoined the band in 2022 as a touring member. More: opus.ing/posts/cure-p...

A modern cinematic epic that verges on transcendent. My ★★★★★ review of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001): opus.ing/diet/507310

My 15yo decided to have a #LordOfTheRings marathon on Christmas Day, so naturally I joined them on the journey to Middle-earth. I wrote this after my last trilogy viewing, and it still rings true.

Best explanation of the liar's dividend that I've ever seen.

This is an *incredible* story. kfor.com/news/stubhub...

I’m excited to say that I will have a piece in the upcoming Friday the 13th art book coming in April from @printedinblood.bsky.social You can preorder your copy at printedinblood.com/product/frid...

This week marks the 30th anniversary of @projekt.bsky.social’s first “Excelsis” compilation, which features an array of goth and darkwave artists covering Christmas classics in fine fashion.

Hard to believe, but it’s already been 10 years since Rdio — my all-time favorite music streaming service — shut down after getting acquired by Pandora.

This weekend’s Opus newsletter features articles on “mystery box” TV shows like “Lost” and “True Detective,” Rob Reiner, “Wake Up Dead Man,” the band Air Supply, and more.

Thanks to @opus.ing for pointing me to this remarkable, thorough reflection on WAKE UP DEAD MAN by @leahschnelbach.bsky.social at @reactorsff.bsky.social. I'm already a huge fan of the film, but this showed me things I hadn't even begun to think about. reactormag.com/entirely-too...

I always enjoy reading @sethhahne.bsky.social’s takes on the comic medium.

been thinking a lot lately about how a decade plus of internet memes and late nite tv jokes about epstein have kind of numbed us all to the reality that he and people associated with him stand accused of some of the darkest, most horrifying crimes imaginable.

This deep dive into the film’s religious imagery and language is my favorite piece about Rian Johnson’s #WakeUpDeadMan to date.

A slog that beats you over the head with its supposedly satirical points until you decide to hate watch it simply so you can say you weren’t defeated by its inanity. My ★½ review of Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” (2025): opus.ing/diet/505114

2026 will feature new movies from some of Hollywood’s biggest directors… and some guy named Steven Spielberg.