Extra Evil - Pagliacci.01

Omens

The execution doesn't have a sponsor yet.

Brazil braced.

Ukraine blew up your spam.

Undecided voters marveled at the sheer power in their hands.

ICE forgot to keep the murder indoors.

Placebo grandchildren are a hit in China.

Mirage

Announcements

I started the week with 28 teeth. The hits, minus the wisdom teeth. A little mainstream, but I prefer to defy form with purpose.

Now I'm in a more experimental era. With 24 teeth, I'm down to the essentials, and can explore what it really means to chew. It's exciting to embark on this new chapter. Or rather, thith new thapter.

Now and then, abandoned men say nothing's more painful than modern divorce. As a connoisseur of both paperwork and emergency rooms, my ass. I'd trade my old pinched nerve for three divorces. I've had landings on my feet that hurt more than divorce.

Enshittification isn't destiny. Some products hold on to their pride. Some brands put quality ahead of six cents of short-term profit. They're few and far between, and potentially imaginary. Either way, they deserve universal

For one, the American carabiner. The last part of us that remains Great. I endorse their density and power wholeheartedly. Carabiner 2026.

The straps holding the carabiners? Trash.

There is, for all my affected and real detachment, a visceral ache that comes from watching your culture take that extra step further into the abyss. I'm not a booster of Americana, for reasons written about at length and sold at fair prices. But I care, the way one cares about an alcoholic cousin or a friend discovering the joys of online gambling.

So when they announced the stream, I'm glad I could focus on my teeth.

It probably seems odd to get this email, given the circumstances. Any sane boss lets you off when your teeth quit. Unfortunately, I work for me.

Entertainment

Gurren Lagann (4-ish more episodes): Inimitable. (5/5)

Virgin Island, Season 2: Lord. (1/5)

JPEGMAGIA & Danny Brown - Scaring The Hoes: A clear mission statement will take you far. (4/5)

Kakakaka!: Loses a bit of steam skipping bits others would call "the point." (2.5/5)

Losing Your Teeth: Taught, efficient, evocative storytelling. (3/5)

Casino

Take the chance to read the perfect book. Or reread it, in paperback.

Learn what a distinct lack of painkillers does to an article.

Don't act your age.

Embrace immature laughter in mature forms.

Don't trust acrobats bearing gifts.

Nonsponsor

Ad agency's are full of people with job descriptions suits would love generative AI to replace. And delirious trend chasers. Here's an agency campaign built around generative AI.

Mekanism stitched together a disjointed, vaguely Halloween-flavored montage for Custom Ink. It's the premiere of their "AI Superstudio," which they correctly expect clients to jump all over. You may judge the prototype for yourself. I, for one, think it's the best procedural generated "Fur-ever Fabulous" t-shirt.

Actors ramble assorted holiday cliches over said montage. The setting's called "Undead Acres," a world viewers are invited to explore through more slop. I suspect they may abstain.

I get the impulse to cut costs. I understand wanting to spend four dollars instead of five. But you're paying an agency more to make something that people dislike more and looks worse. How closely do you have to chase trends to become blind to them?

Creativity: F- | Persuasion: F | Sanity: F

Gasleak

Contents may vary.

Overheard on a post-surgical train.

Standing: It's so strange. So strange. Don't get it.

Sitting: Mmm.

Standing: Like, camping's fun or whatever. I get a retreat.

Sitting: Yeah.

Standing: But no phones? Why?! I hate that.

Sitting: Oh. Oh man.

Standing: It's nuts! I can't go that long. What if...man, I can't go that long.

Sitting: Sorry.

Postcard

Be Evil.