Unlike most people, this year I have two actual and totally legit birthdays. There's my usual one, which happens next month, and then there's my birthday determined by the orbit of the asteroid named for me, which is... today! Happy Space Potato Birthday to me!
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/04/04/today-i-am-ten-or-the-miracle-of-scalziyears/
Today I Am Ten, or, the Miracle of ScalziYears
And you say to yourself, what? Scalzi, you are not ten years old today! You are just barely a month away from being 57! The only juvenile you are is juvenile elderly! Stop being a faker, you faker!…
I don't know, Microsoft, asking me to install one of your recent Windows 11 updates on April Fool's Day feels a little on the nose to me
The New York Times drops freelance journalist who used AI to write book review
Writer and author Alex Preston said he “made a serious mistake” after a reader spotted similarities between his review and one that appeared in the Guardian
Just a couple days left to nominate for the 2026 Hugo Awards if you're eligible and you've not already done so. Vote for the work you loved in 2025! For those of you who need a refresher on what I have that's eligible (two novels, two TV episodes, and a novelette), here's the whole list.
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/01/02/what-i-have-available-for-award-consideration-2026-edition/
What I Have Available for Award Consideration, 2026 Edition
If you’re the sort of person who nominates stuff for awards, this year I have a number of works available for your consideration. For the sake of convenience I’m using the Hugo Award ca…
BuzzFeed debuts AI slop apps in bid for new revenue | TechCrunch
BuzzFeed unveiled new AI-powered social apps at SXSW, but its demos drew muted reactions.
It annoys me how good Apple's marketing is, it makes me want to get a Mac Neo when I have absolutely no fucking use case for one, and even already have a M4 Mac Air. Get out of my head, Apple
I get asked to show up to book clubs, online and offline. Here is why from now on the answer is always "no." If you think this might have something to do with "AI" ruining yet another thing for everyone, you're absolutely 100% correct.
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2026/03/03/indefinite-book-club-hiatus/
Indefinite Book Club Hiatus
Today in “Things that ‘AI’ has ruined”: No, I won’t be able to show up to your book club’s online/offline gathering, and the reason for this is simple: I, and li…
Krissy has been using her iPod Nano when she exercises for fifteen years at least, I'm vaguely surprised it still holds a charge. The music on it has not been updated since 2010 at least. She does not mind.
"Bring On Defunct: The iPod Enthralls Young Music Listeners"
(gift link)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/technology/apple-ipod-music-comeback.html?unlocked_article_code=1.QFA.gq_d.S-ci8J9oWCnc&smid=url-share
Bring On Defunct: The iPod Enthralls Young Music Listeners
It’s not exactly going analog, but people looking to move away from streaming say Apple’s old device is a small step away from constantly being online.
Been away, sorry. Here are some cat pictures to make up for it. Very old cats, mind you
