All articles from Kottke.org
"The Trump administration's vision for the United States is one of a...
“The Trump administration’s vision for the United States is one of a white Christian nation. And the path to accomplish it is through the exclusion and removal of all who do not fit that vision — in o
A roundup of the words/phrases of the year for 2025, including "rage...
A roundup of the words/phrases of the year for 2025, including “rage bait”, “vibe coding”, “Mar-a-Lago face”, “chaos”, “performative male”, and “Kavanaugh stop”. 💬 Join
Born Poor
Born Poor (PBS/Frontline) is a documentary filmed across 14 years about three kids in the US as they grow into young adults while “dealing with an economy where they face more obstacles than opportuni
America Is an Unserious Country Filled With Unserious People. "We'll tolerate this...
America Is an Unserious Country Filled With Unserious People. “We’ll tolerate this just like we tolerate everything else. Because this is who we are, collectively, as a country.”
'No Way To Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens....
‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.
Alan Sepinwall wrote a lovely remembrance of Rob Reiner and his career....
Alan Sepinwall wrote a lovely remembrance of Rob Reiner and his career. “A legend. No doubt about it.” Reiner and his wife Michele Singer were found dead at their home in LA yesterday. Which Reiner mo
The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life by Ian...
The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life by Ian Bogost. “How modern conveniences not only fail to deliver on their promises but also rob us of small, satisfying tasks and moments that keep
How does lake ice do this? Incredible! (Mirror Lake, New Hampshire)...
How does lake ice do this? Incredible! (Mirror Lake, New Hampshire) 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
"Eating the right foods in the proper quantities, 16th-century Britons believed, balanced...
“Eating the right foods in the proper quantities, 16th-century Britons believed, balanced mind and soul. So in Shakespeare’s plays, roasts, ales, and pies are not props, but clues to characters’ souls
This Is Why Everyone Is a DJ Now
I guess this is as good an explanation of contemporary culture as anything. Hungover from a world that told us we could be anything, we decided to be DJs. We don’t create our own music. We curate play
The Flow State podcast recently celebrated their 300th episode with a 2h41m...
The Flow State podcast recently celebrated their 300th episode with a 2h41m mix of instrumental music sourced from a group of “musicians, curators, label heads, music fans”. They even let me pick a so
X-Ray Visions
I first posted about Nick Veasey’s work back in 2005 and thought it was worth another look. Veasey uses x-ray photography to get inside views of familiar objects, sometimes on a large scale. And
Oilwell is a (fake) wellness app "to help you embrace climate chaos"...
Oilwell is a (fake) wellness app “to help you embrace climate chaos” that includes features like “Drowning Mindfully”, “Lo-Fi Beats to Frack To”, and “12 Hour Wildfire Relaxation”.
I just updated the 2025 Kottke Gift Guide with some new suggestions,...
I just updated the 2025 Kottke Gift Guide with some new suggestions, including inflatable tube men (for your front yard; your neighbors will love!), some of the year’s best cookbooks, ramen kits from
The US Downgraded in Civic Freedoms Rating
Civicus monitors the health of civic societies and their freedoms around the world. In their annual assessment on civic freedoms for 2025, they downgraded the United States from “narrowed” to “obstruc
Post-Japan Depression. "People feel it after coming home from a trip that...
Post-Japan Depression. “People feel it after coming home from a trip that feels magical, safe, clean, punctual, aesthetic, peaceful… and suddenly — boom — back to reality.” (Not sure if this person is
What is happening? Orcas started wearing dead salmon as hats again and...
What is happening? Orcas started wearing dead salmon as hats again and chimps are once again putting grass in their ears. “We were even more shocked that they were doing their own spin on this by als
How Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Are Made
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are probably my favorite big brand candy (perhaps only bested by Reese’s Pieces), so it was a real treat (groan) to see how the company makes them cups. But did you know Ree
MacKenzie Scott announces that she's donated almost $7.2 billion of her personal...
MacKenzie Scott announces that she’s donated almost $7.2 billion of her personal fortune to organizations worldwide this year. That brings her total giving up to more than $26 billion.
Shop Around Globally for Better Deals on Streaming Services
A streaming services savings tip from the Nomadico newsletter that I was not aware of: I’m going to add Apple TV at home after watching only part of Severance on a United flight, but I’ll likely subsc
Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Wisdom for Inspiration and Healing from the...
Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Wisdom for Inspiration and Healing from the Heart of Japan. “Hiroko awakens readers to the idea of a traditional spiritual flexibility that seamlessly coexists with th
Liam Neeson Narrates Anti-Vax, Pro-RFK Documentary. In the narration, he calls the...
Liam Neeson Narrates Anti-Vax, Pro-RFK Documentary. In the narration, he calls the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines “dangerous experiments”. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Photographing the Andromeda Galaxy for 10 Seconds vs 10 Hours
This video by Ian Lauer is an excellent accessible explanation of the basics of astrophotography as he runs through the process of how he captures a long-exposure image of the Andromeda galaxy. This p
Funniest McSweeney's piece I've read in awhile: The Mastermind Box Cover: What...
Funniest McSweeney’s piece I’ve read in awhile: The Mastermind Box Cover: What the Hell Were They Thinking? “Warmth is for Sorry! This is not a hug. This is a chess clock in a stranger’s living room t
90 Minutes of Knitting ASMR
From the V&A Museum, here’s a 90-minute video of someone knitting a pair of gloves using a knitting pattern from the 1940s from the museum’s archive. Featuring soft-spoken moments, natural yarn sounds
Aging Out of Fucks: The Neuroscience of Why You Suddenly Can't Pretend...
Aging Out of Fucks: The Neuroscience of Why You Suddenly Can’t Pretend Anymore. “…that point in midlife when your capacity to pretend, perform, and please others starts shorting out like an electrical
Thread: What was typography like in the Soviet Union? "They did not...
Thread: What was typography like in the Soviet Union? “They did not just have 1 font everyone had to use. As a matter of fact, there were 39.” 💬 Join the discussion on
New evidence suggests that Neanderthals were making fire in the UK 400,000...
New evidence suggests that Neanderthals were making fire in the UK 400,000 years ago. The previous earliest date of human fire-making was a mere 50,000 years ago. 💬 Joi
Victorian-Era Mourning Objects From the V&A's Collection
From the archives of London’s V&A Museum, a selection of items that were used by Victorian-era mourners to remember and pay tribute to loved ones who had died, including jewelry with human hair, black
The trailer for It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley, a documentary film about...
The trailer for It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, a documentary film about the late singer/songwriter. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Timothy Snyder: "What comes next? For the Nazis, the deportation and the...
Timothy Snyder: “What comes next? For the Nazis, the deportation and the pogrom of autumn 1938 were steps towards creating a centralised national police agency. In the US, something similar is unfoldi
Size of Life, a visual comparison of living things from DNA to...
Size of Life, a visual comparison of living things from DNA to a quaking aspen clone. Lovely illustrations. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
I hate how good this is: Radiohead sings Santa Claus Is Coming...
I hate how good this is: Radiohead sings Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (There I Ruined It). 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
2000 Words for Japanese Rain
From artist Miya Ando, Water of the Sky, A Dictionary of 2,000 Japanese Rain Words. Through a collection of 2,000 Japanese words, their English interpretations, and 100 drawings, Ando describes the b
The loose flap of skin around the elbow is called the what...
The loose flap of skin around the elbow is called the what now?? 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
A Charlie Brown Christmas, Live
Listen to jazz trio The Commercialists play Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas live in a small club called The Estate in Milwaukee. That’s this afternoon’s chill work music sorted then. If you
We Asked Critics From Authoritarian Regimes What They Wish They'd Known Sooner....
We Asked Critics From Authoritarian Regimes What They Wish They’d Known Sooner. “You cannot make authoritarian leaders the center of your narrative. You have to make the people the center of your narr
A "particularly inventive" Rube Goldberg marble run maze. Lots of elements doing...
A “particularly inventive” Rube Goldberg marble run maze. Lots of elements doing double duty. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The 2025 Kottke Holiday Gift Guide
Since 2013, I’ve done a holiday gift guide that’s basically a curated roundup of stuff from the best gift guides I can find. I always do it a little bit differently from year to year, and last year I
Colin Furze built a full-suspension bike using powerful magnets instead of shocks...
Colin Furze built a full-suspension bike using powerful magnets instead of shocks or springs. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Looks Like the Supreme Court Will Continue to Overturn the 20th Century....
Looks Like the Supreme Court Will Continue to Overturn the 20th Century. But: “It’s amazing how many of our problems today could be solved by a Congress that was willing and able to legislate in respo
Jiggle Cat
This is a pretty good optical illusion. If you’re not on your phone, it also works if you shake your head a little. (thx, caroline) Tags: optical illusions 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
A guide on how (and why) to quit Spotify. "I am extremely...
A guide on how (and why) to quit Spotify. “I am extremely glad I [switched away from Spotify]; it’s been a minute since I’ve felt something approaching genuine delight in discovering a new tech servic
Huge Collection of Laptop Sticker Art
Stickertop.art is a massive collection of the tops of laptop computers adorned with stickers. Laptop stickers are more than decoration, they’re a form of self-expression. Each one is a snapshot of a m
Why We Have Two Nostrils Instead of One Big Hole. (Great title!)...
Why We Have Two Nostrils Instead of One Big Hole. (Great title!) “The nostrils alternate airflow from one side to the other. This may allow one side of the nose to rest.”
I'm working on the 2025 gift guide right now, but I wanted...
I’m working on the 2025 gift guide right now, but I wanted to separately shout-out my favorite gift recommendation of the year: Kelli Anderson’s incredible popup book about typography & the alphabet,
A video featuring Magnus Carlsen trying to beat a very novice player...
A video featuring Magnus Carlsen trying to beat a very novice player at chess with increasingly unfair rules (opponent gets two moves per turn, opponent starts with 23 queens, Magnus starts with 1 kin
From Nature, a list of 10 people who helped shape science in...
From Nature, a list of 10 people who helped shape science in 2025. “A fired public-health official, a mosquito breeder and a baby with a smile seen around the world. These are just a few of the remark
The all-out AI race. "They are tearing towards a technology that could,...
The all-out AI race. “They are tearing towards a technology that could, in theory, sweep away millions of white-collar jobs and pose serious risks in bioweapons and cybersecurity. Or it could usher in
Beautiful Drone Videos of Iceland's Black Sand Beaches
From photographer and videographer Jan Erik Waider, a trio of videos that features the black sand beaches of Iceland from a drone’s vantage point. Captured on Iceland’s south coast where a glacial riv
Narrative String Theory is collection all known instances in film & TV...
Narrative String Theory is collection all known instances in film & TV of bulletin boards covered with investigatory items, “walls and floors littered with paperwork by obsessives”, and so on.
Weird Al Yankovic Covers Killing In The Name by Rage Against the Machine
At a recent Portugal. The Man concert in NYC, Weird Al joined the band on stage for a pair of songs, including a cover of Killing In The Name, Rage Against the Machine’s anthem against police brutalit
This rabona assist from Rayan Cherki is ridiculous (complimentary)....
This rabona assist from Rayan Cherki is ridiculous (complimentary). 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
For its 50th anniversary, the original theatrical cut of Star Wars will...
For its 50th anniversary, the original theatrical cut of Star Wars will be released in theaters in Feb 2027 (maybe even IMAX). Han shoots first, no weirdly svelte Jabba.
French electronic duo Air performs a Tiny Desk Concert. Setlist: Le Voyage...
French electronic duo Air performs a Tiny Desk Concert. Setlist: Le Voyage de Pénélope, Cherry Blossom Girl, Highschool Lover, and Dirty Trip. 💬 Join the discussion on
Fran Sans is a font based on the display type of SF's...
Fran Sans is a font based on the display type of SF’s MUNI light rail trains. The N-Judah was my train when I lived there, so I’m very familiar with that display typeface. (Great name too.)
The Land of Giants, a conceptual proposal to build power line towers...
The Land of Giants, a conceptual proposal to build power line towers so that they look like people. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
The Fascinating Map of Fungi
From Domain of Science, the Fascinating Map of Fungi. The zombie ant fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, infects ants by piercing the exoskeleton with enzymes and spreads fungal cells throughout the
Bloomberg's Jealousy List for 2025, a collection of journalism admired by the...
Bloomberg’s Jealousy List for 2025, a collection of journalism admired by the magazine’s writers and editors. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
I'm actually surprised how well Santa answers these difficult questions in the...
I’m actually surprised how well Santa answers these difficult questions in the face of a full on press from the New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner.
Where Did These Famous Hip Hop Screeches Come From?
Two of the most famous screeches in music history are from House of Pain’s Jump Around and Cypress Hill’s Insane in the Brain — you likely heard both of them in your mind just reading the names of the
Dollar stores are overcharging their customers at checkout. "Red Baron frozen pizzas,...
Dollar stores are overcharging their customers at checkout. “Red Baron frozen pizzas, listed on the shelf at $5, rang up at $7.65. Bounty paper towels, shelf price $10.99, rang up at $15.50.”
Is Gen X Actually the Greatest Generation? "When you consider all the...
Is Gen X Actually the Greatest Generation? “When you consider all the impressive work Generation X has made, it’s funny that one of the most persistent stereotypes about them is that they’re slackers.
Gemini and Mercury Remastered is "a collection of hundreds of newly-restored images...
Gemini and Mercury Remastered is “a collection of hundreds of newly-restored images and untold stories from the NASA archives” about the early manned space programs by the person who did the excellent
Really interesting take on Wake Up Dead Man and the other Knives...
Really interesting take on Wake Up Dead Man and the other Knives Out films. Benoit Blanc’s primary motivation is not solving the murder but protecting the innocent from the rich and powerful.
Pantone choosing a shade of white for its color of the year...
Pantone choosing a shade of white for its color of the year is a little too on the nose, especially when you consider they chose a color called Mocha Mousse last year.
Fritolaysia Cuts Off Chiplomatic Relations With Snakistan. "Relations between the two countries...
Fritolaysia Cuts Off Chiplomatic Relations With Snakistan. “Relations between the two countries grew stale in 1994, when Fritolaysian rufflelutionaries crossed zestablished borders and forced Snakista
"Change starts with smaller actions, with going against the odds. And the...
“Change starts with smaller actions, with going against the odds. And the strangest possibilities can sometimes lead to the biggest gains. So open every door you can to the future that you want to see
"The breakneck speed of New England's transformation makes it the fastest-heating area...
“The breakneck speed of New England’s transformation makes it the fastest-heating area of the US, bar the Alaskan Arctic, and the pace of its temperature rise has apparently increased in the past five
What '67' Reveals About Childhood Creativity. "Through these quaint ready-made formulas the...
What ‘67’ Reveals About Childhood Creativity. “Through these quaint ready-made formulas the ridiculousness of life is underlined, the absurdity of the adult world and their teachers proclaimed…and the
How Ferrari's F1 Team Improved Medical Care for Children
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) in London improved their surgery-to-ICU handoff process by observing how Ferrari’s F1 team handled pit stops. GOSH doctors visited and observed the pit
Really interesting post about Hammersmith Bridge, which has been closed since 2019,...
Really interesting post about Hammersmith Bridge, which has been closed since 2019, a presumed “loss” of 25,000 daily car trips. “The local economy has adapted, air quality has improved, and overall t
To Grow, We Must Forget… but Now AI Remembers Everything. "What if...
To Grow, We Must Forget… but Now AI Remembers Everything. “What if human forgetting is not a bug, but a feature? And what happens when we build machines that don’t forget, but are now helping shape th
Sound Designing a Life
This is a charming short film on how a Foley artist would sound design a day in an ordinary life. Running hands through spaghetti noodles stands in for hair washing, a spray bottle sounds like rustlin
Matthew Rhys & Netflix are plotting an adaptation of Robert Caro's The...
Matthew Rhys & Netflix are plotting an adaptation of Robert Caro’s The Power Broker. The consensus is that The Power Broker is unadaptable. But, the consensus also was that a 50-billion-page book abou
How MacKenzie Scott is giving away her billions. "Once you begin to...
How MacKenzie Scott is giving away her billions. “Once you begin to see Scott as [Toni] Morrison’s mentee — rather than as a certain Amazon founder’s ex-wife — you can’t unsee it. She gives more like
An irresistible video title: Army of Crabs Protect Spy Robot From Stingray....
An irresistible video title: Army of Crabs Protect Spy Robot From Stingray. “A 4-meter stingray can eat 50 crabs a day.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Sweats & Swots
“Ugh, this kid is so sweaty!” my son exclaimed as he came under attack in some game he was playing. This was a few years ago; my ears perked up and I asked him what he meant. He explained that “sweaty
How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life. "It's like Zen. There...
How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life. “It’s like Zen. There are times when it is just very relaxing to be standing in front of the machine and slowly cleaning it, tweaking the adjustment so visually
An Online Collection of Found Cassette Tapes
Intertapes is a collection of found cassette tapes — some contain music and others voice memos. Each entry includes images of the tape, a description/track listing, and the actual audio (on Soundcloud
"If new proposals detailed in an FDA memo are put into place,...
“If new proposals detailed in an FDA memo are put into place, experts told me it would mean the end of annual flu shots. And end of most vaccines for pregnant people. And maybe the end of updates to p
I love the remix of Radiohead's Everything In Its Right Place in...
I love the remix of Radiohead’s Everything In Its Right Place in the midst of Kelly Lee Owens’ Boiler Room set (~33:50 mark). Had me chair dancing this AM! 💬 Join the d
Janet Sobel, a Forgotten Pioneer of Abstract Art
The painting above was made in 1945 by self-taught artist Janet Sobel; it’s called Milky Way. Sobel was a Ukrainian-born artist who was a pioneer in abstract expressionist art and in drip painting; he
The best telescopes for astrophotography. Boy, if I needed an expensive new...
The best telescopes for astrophotography. Boy, if I needed an expensive new hobby, this might be the one at the top of the list. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
What's the best way to lift people out of poverty? "Cash giving...
What’s the best way to lift people out of poverty? “Cash giving programs believe the people experiencing poverty best understand what they need to escape it.”
A much-touted 4K remaster of Mad Men recently premiered on HBO Max...
A much-touted 4K remaster of Mad Men recently premiered on HBO Max and they forgot to apply digital effects to scenes in some of the episodes so you can see crew in the background, etc.