The Almost Happy Edition

Hello internet stranger,

The Weekly Click is a weekly (shocking, I know) updated list of interesting bits on the internet that I thought I’d share.

Happy clicking!

1. Travis Kelce Is the NFL’s Taylor Swift. Will Leitch accurately describes the ridiculousness of Aaron Rodgers and the Kelce-Swift “relationship.”

2. How a New York artist gave birth to James Bond’s 007 logo.

3. I have a strong affinity for desk setups and workspaces. Josh Gitner pointed out a cool site that specializes in desk setups called Maker Stations. So many cool ideas.

4. Scott Young wrote a blog post detailing the advice he would give his 18-year-old self. Lessons include cooking and traveling more, embracing one’s weirdness, and avoiding assholes. What a cool idea.

5. RIP Suzanne Somers, dead at 76 from breast cancer. Actress, entrepreneur, Thighmaster spokesperson. She will forever be known as Chrissy Snow and for her subsequent firing by ABC.

6. A new trailer for Ridley Scott’s upcoming historical epic Napoleon has arrived. Nice use of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”

7. I did not venture out to try and see the annular solar eclipse. I’m pretty sure the weather was not cooperating. However, Jason Kottke dug up some eclipse photos online so I have the next best thing.

8. How far you can drive on empty?

9. Rolling Stone lists The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. It’s hot garbage, of course. Sort of related: Spin’s ranking of every Rolling Stones Album.

10. Om Malik believes the Social Internet Is Dead. “The internet, as we have known it, has evolved from a quaint, quirky place to a social utopia, and then to an algorithmic reality. In this reality, the primary task of these platforms is not about idealism or even entertainment — it is about extracting as much revenue as possible from human vanity, avarice, and narcissism.”

11. How Disney’s Once Upon a Studio brought back Robin Williams’ Genie… without AI.

12. Josh Barnoff did a deep dive into how professional writers are using ChatGPT and other AI tools to improve their writing, brainstorm, and overall create a better final product. All of these use cases are collaborative.

13. Great Scott! A 1981 DeLorean was found in Wisconsin with less than 1,000 miles on it.

14. “Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau deserve plenty of praise as the primary architects of ‘Star Wars’ TV. As their responsibilities grow and the show quality dips with inconsistent seasons of ‘Ahsoka,’ ‘The Mandalorian,’ and ‘The Book of Boba Fett,’ however, it’s time for them to share the script load.” The Mandoverse Needs a Writers Room. Yes. A thousand times, yes.

15. Have you experienced Nomophobia? It’s the fear of being without your mobile phone.

16. X, formerly called Twitter, launched its “Not a Bot” beta this week, which charges new accounts a $1 annual fee to tweet and retweet. The initial test applies to new accounts created in New Zealand and the Philippines to allegedly “combat bots and scammers on X,” the company said on its Help Center page. Musk just wants to get their payment information on file. I can’t wait until he charges everyone to use Twitter.

17. Beacon 23 looks mysterious. Watch the trailer and see for yourself. I’m not quite sure how it will translate the book. This might be more like Foundation on AppleTV.

18. Burt Young—the Oscar-nominated actor known for playing tough guys in films like Chinatown, Once Upon A Time In America, and most notably, the Rocky franchise—has died. I had forgotten he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Paulie Pennino, best friend and brother-in-law to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa.

19. Kimberly Nelson shares in Chicago Magazine her forays into the movie extra gig along with the ups and downs, the challenges, the disappointments, and the moments of elation when you finally see yourself on the big screen.

20. Why Are Conservatives So Media Illiterate?

Thanks for reading. If you like this potpourri of internet mélange and want to support it, forward it to someone who might like it, buy my books, or at the very least, let me know what you think.

Be seeing you.