Shorter than a blog post.
The State Newspaper in Columbia, SC shares a news story on Threads about a fatal car accident. The picture that is included is a photo of the author of the article… who was not in an accident and is very much alive. This is an ongoing problem with automated posting and vague clickbait headlines.
Day 2 of college orientation for my middle child. I’ve never been asked to scan more QR codes in my life.
I just backed Myke Hurley and Jason Snell’s new Apple history podcast Kickstarter. They’ve already more than doubled their funding goal in the first day and passed their first two stretch goals. I’m glad so many people are willing to support independent creators and media.
Just saw some placeholder text slip through into a final shipping app. Terms and conditions were literally “Lots of Rules.”
In Rock Hill, South Carolina for a lacrosse tournament and had dinner at BearWalrus. Weird name. Outstanding food. Highly recommend.
Lacrosse tournament for Ryan in Rock Hill this weekend. Some great saves today.
There was a random boom that occurred in Columbia, SC a little while ago. Earthquake? Sonic boom? Not sure, but personally, I’m thrilled that on both Bluesky and Threads, there were enough local people for me to know I didn’t hallucinate it. (I officially don’t miss Twitter for local content.)
I’m thinking about buying a Fujifilm X half. Anyone have one? Do you like it?
Former SC Governor David Beasley on redistricting in SC:
What is being proposed in our state is not reapportionment done in good faith. It is designed to game the system. To engineer an outcome that serves those in power rather than the citizens who put them there. That distinction matters enormously. The question is simple: are these lines being drawn to serve the people, or to entrench the powerful? The answer, in this case, is not hard to see.
Busy weekend so far for Team Wertz. Jill’s graduation + Ryan’s confirmation.
Beware the clever strategy call. Obviously, McLaren starting on the intermediate tires was the wrong call.
Got Ryan to try sushi for the first time tonight. Surprise: he likes it.
Mandolorian and Grogu was fun. I enjoyed it. 🍿
I’m looking for an email service for one of my domain names. New address… Not trying to import or transfer anything. Just a new account. Who has a provider they like that isn’t named Google?
If SC redistricts, the timing would be perfect for Cobert to register to run for Congress. He’d do well in some of these newly more competitive districts.
It looks like the button on the SC Legislature website to send a message to your representative isn’t visible on mobile. So if you want to send your SC Senator an email, use a desktop computer.
Our school district has a tradition where graduating seniors go back to their elementary school and walk through the halls. The kids make signs and cheer for them. Jill got to go through CES today. Such an incredible experience for the seniors and the elementary age kiddos.
Interesting read from Bloomberg Businessweek on OpenTable’s struggles. And really, an insight into how reservation services work. FYI: Link is to the Apple News story.
“When the Web was young, a common complaint was that it was full of junk.” This paper from 2002 is amazing: What Are The Alternatives To Peer Review? Quality Control in Scholarly Publishing on the Web. Everything he writes is still relevant today, plus screenshots from the early web.
SC State Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey on redistricting:
“Crushing the minority opposition is not a demonstration of strength,” Massey said. “It’s an admission of fear and a show of weakness, and I don’t think it’s successful in the long term.”
On August 12, 2026, a solar eclipse will appear over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. Many shady vendors will sell incredibly tacky shirts to commemorate the occasion. Instead, order something a little more classy. Available on Cotton Bureau.
Happy Mother’s Day, Lizzy.
Learned from my teenage son today that hacky sack has become popular again.
Three walk-off wins in a row for the Cubs. What a wild season so far… now if we can just keep our pitchers healthy.
Three sports videos I will stop and watch whenever they pop up: Javy Baez “stealing” first, Jadeveon Clowney’s hit against Michigan, and Kamilla Cardoso hitting a three in the SEC tournament at the buzzer to beat Tennessee.
I think this is a particularly insightful post… Emotional regulation is a dying art:
Phones reward a specific kind of nervous system, twitching first and thinking later. The dopamine architecture that hooks you on slot machines hooks you on outrage, and the platforms have figured out that a regulated person is a bad customer. The regulated close the app, but the dysregulated person scroll until four in the morning, bleeding cortisol and efficiently monetized.
Pluralistic: In praise of vultures:
Monopoly is to capitalism as gerrymandering is to democracy, a way to strip out any meaningful choice.
Do cell phone bans in schools work? The NY Times reports on a new study looking at school cell phone bans. Kids used their phones less, but no real shift in student engagement or test scores.
From Cal Newport’s blog: On Bottlenecks and Productivity. This is the second time recently that I’ve come across the “Theory of Constraints.” I like how Newport translates the concept to personal productivity.