It’s SEPTEMBERRRRR, which means FALL IS HERE.

It is now acceptable to drink all the pumpkin drinks. Starbucks, Dutch Bros, etc. etc.

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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Land of Random.

How is it already almost September?

It’s just about time to start watching horror movies again . . .

Hopefully we have some ACTUAL cool weather this Fall.

Not just False fall, then second summer.

We have some turkeys cruising through our backyard every day or so. Check this guy out.

Don’t worry, buddy. You’ve got plenty of time to hide in November.

Are you going to get yourself one of all these robots coming out?

The Microduck is pretty cool - and so is that camera Beni bot.

One thing I’m noticing is that the most recent bots are all going with the “cute” aesthetic.

One look at the Microduck video and I myself want one lol. It waddles like a duck, has a “bill like a duck” and can even ride on rollerskates.

I’m curious to see if any of these creations go mainstream.

Here - watch this.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

👀The Creepy AI YouTube Rabbit Hole

I saw this post on Reddit by Key_Clue5217 and decided to investigate on my own.

Sure we ALL see “AI slop” on the interwebs - but how often do you ever go down the rabbithole?

For example - this one has typical AI “tells” (Quick scenes, voice, weird stuff) but I will say the “interview style” gives it the teeniest bit of believability.

Here’s another video - but this one has over 7,000 views.

The comments are all from weird-sounding accounts.

Of course - as soon as you watch one, you get recommended more.

• Here’s Dr. Jiang Senior Health

• Or Vital Next Health

Some are more clever - like this “homestead gardener” video. (This channel is racking up serious views).

Or more insidious - like this one. I can only hope that all the comments on this video are from AI bots . . . . but I think not.

It’s quite horrifying just how much AI slop is on Youtube - and “keyword" targeting for searches.

What kind of nonsense is this? There’s no affiliate links . . .

Are there MAD ai just making slop content “for funsies” out there?

Are these just experiments to game views so the channels can be monetized?

That seems to be the most likely answer. I do feel quite sorry for everyone who watches these and thinks they’re real.

Honestly, looking into these channels made me feel like I was on Butterflies again.

It’s unsettling - like walking through a dead forest or something.

Hopefully Youtube cracks down on this kind of stuff - because it won’t take too long before there’s more slop than treasure.

Music is already getting cooked - like how there’s tons of No AI playlists now.

I’ll leave you with something even more unsettling. Possible AI music that actually has a “bop.”

🐙The Land of Random

Random links to exploreeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. and chicken!

Send a Chicken

No not an actual chicken. Just a Jib-Jab style chicken. No BBq’s or foot massages.

Send Chicken

Run With Zombies

Seriously - if you click this link, you need to start walking.

RUNNNNN

BUT SINCE WE’RE THINKING IT

Here’s every “live” thing you can send in the mail with USPS

Scorpions?

Play With Putty

Vibe code in your browser with your friends. This Google Ai experiment looks fun for a discord session where you and your friends discover just how insane you can try to make Pong or a Super Mario clone.

Putty

Desktop Vinyl

This little Mac app puts a Vinyl player on your homescreen - and it connects to Apple Music / Spotify.

Desktop Vinyl

Bubble Cam

Watch this live cam feed and click a button to blow actual bubbles. It works!

Bubble Cam

Anime GTA

Yes, Yes I know GTA VI is a big deal and all but this also looks interesting

That’s all for this week. See you next time!

We finally finished the third season of House of the Dragon (and we sat on the couch for the first time).

It had a twist I DID NOT SEE COMING - so hats off to the writers’ team for pulling off a pretty good surprise.

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We’re all settled in here at the new house. It’s been fun skating around the neighborhood with the kids. There’s a TON of families with kids here!

It’s finally settling down in the 80’s this week - which is a nice break from all the 93+ degree weather.

We celebrated my third child’s birthday last week - and went to see Toy Story 5.

He’s been on a Toy Story kick, so we chose that over “Minions and Monsters.”

Personally, I think the film was superior to Toy Story 4, but the message regarding the technology was…mixed. Not as strong against tablets as I would have hoped.

Also - there was a touch of a desire for retrofuturism? very interesting.

I’m curious to see if we see any other kids’ films touch on technology issues, but it appears we’re going the opposite direction to freak kids out with upcoming Pixar movies like Ghost Market.

Found footage horror tropes ???? in a kids movie????

On another note - my wife got the new Whoop upgrade - so she gave me her old one. I’ve never really worn any of these activity trackers before, so I’m curious to see what sort of insights I find out about my health.

Have you been keeping up with the saga of Rockstar trying to hunt down the Leek leaker of GTA VI videos? It’s been hilarious. Apparently the hacker/leaker has threatened to release a playable build if he’s captured.

Let’s dive in!

🎮Pocket - AI Games

The whole “TikTok but for games” has been tried several times now.

OG - Playbyte in OG - Playbyte in 2021.

Nanogram.

The list goes on.

Meta has finally gotten in on the action - hiring the team from Gizmo, and rereleasing it as Pocket.

(Hopefully it won’t be shut down like e.gg or many other Meta projects).

It’s pretty cool! Reminds me a lot of websim BUT in the addicting scrollable TikTok format.

Must scroll. Brain need . . . dopamine.

Anyway - there’s tons of fun little games to explore

• Pop the bubble wrap

• Play with an Etch a Sketch

• Silly little Duck game

• Turn lines into falling dominos

• Swing through the city as Spiderman

• Play some air hockey

• Windows 98 Emulator?

It very much reminds me of the old Adobe flash videos/games - but the AI MAXXING version.

Remember the online version of Little Big Planet? There were always really fun creations to explore on there.

This gives just the teeniest tiniest touch of that - but it’s the simulacrum AI version.

(No dozens of hours of work somehow making the Death Star in Little Big Planet)

It’s still fun to explore! If this is the closest we can get to the modern version of Adobe Flash / Geocities on our phone, I guess it’s a small comfort.

Now if you excuse me, I’m going to get back to swiping and see if i can find out if the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” game I found on here is the WHOLE GAME.

Check out Pocket at the link!

Pocket

🐙The Land of Random

Random links to sate your thirst.

Ramen Science

A blog focused on exploring different instant ramen bowls/packs. It’s a delightful little blog. Each post is written with an enthusiasm I don’t see often these days.

Ramen Science

Air Theremin

Play a Theramin in your browser - either with your mouse, or using your hands and a camera. It works pretty well - with all the retro creepy sounds to boot. Do try the web cam version! It’s fun!

Theramin

Short Form Video Rots the Brain

lol like we’re all surprised. Just lemme swipe one more time. . .

Brain Soup

The Backrooms House

Horror video?? Nah it’s just the weirdest home basement walkthrough ever. Bro get’s more unsettled the longer it goes on.

The Balloon Banjo

Welllll I need to get the 3D printer running again cuz this looks fun.

It's Banjo Time

Outbid The Top Spot

Want everyone to see your project? Just outbid EVERYONE ELSE for the top spot. Mostly AI projects but this is a clever spin on the “buy pixels on my site” idea.

Outbid Lol

Peter Pan Stalker

why do people do these things?

Why . . . Leave Peter Pan Alone

That’s all for this week! See you next time!

I’m so tired from moving. I think i’m just crashing lol.

I’m going to keep it brief today, because I need to sleep.

Ah to sleep, perchance to dream.

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We are FINALLY in our new house. The “era” of living on the road is over.

And thank the Lord. It was exhausting.

I’m exhausted after all the unpacking the last week. Boxes GALORE.

On a random sidenote - my Pixel 6 Pro is starting to go. The battery is really starting to slip.

Anyway, we’re like 99% unpacked, but WOW, you never realize how much you have until you start unpacking.

We’re completely behind on all our shows - don’t tell me what happened on House of the Dragon.

Anywayyyy…. I decided to write about some reflections I had after moving.

Buy More Stuff

The last 30-40 years have ushered in untold wealth for the entire world. Almost 6 BILLION people own smartphones.

You name it - you can buy it.

Either the easy way on Amazon.

The normal way on a website.

or the adventure way on Aliexpress / Alibaba.

I literally typed in YouTube “I bought a dump truck on Aliexpress” and got a search result that was actually relevant.

Anyway, my point is - you can buy just about anything - and get it shipped to your door.

Sure you could order some pretty cool stuff back in 1897 from the Sears and Roebuck catalog, but you needed access to logistics to get anything.

(For more fun old catalogs - here’s a cool site for you to explore).

Nowadays . . . the only things in my house that I know I’ll probably have in 30 years is my cast iron pan and dutch oven, books, a few olddd mugs, anddd probably my piano.

(Shout out to Lodge Cast Iron).

Everything else will likely fall apart or break → then off to the landfill for eternal suffering. The ole’ increasingly popular word - “Enshittification.”

The only way to break the cycle is to buy as much as you can with the intention of “Buy it for life.”

• A high-quality capsule wardrobe

• solid furniture that’ll last decades(no Amazon stuff)

• Cast iron MAXXING in the kitchen

• Etc.

Easier said than done - and it’s expensive too! That’s often why we turn to the convenience of Amazon. It’s easier to get the $15 version 3 times in 10 years . . . than to buy the $70 version that’ll last 30 years.

Do you have any good “Buy it for life tips? Let me know!

The Land of Random

Random links from across the web.

The Gem

Really cool longggg deep dive into the unreleased Gem “candybar phone.” This thing was really nuts - we missed out on a CRAZY phone. (Here’s one for sale lol)

Every F****** Website

A parody of the modern website experience. You hate to see it.

Every Website

Stowaway

Hop aboard any flight live NEAR YOU. This is a pretty cool website.

Stowaway

Dumber Mini

Another smart dumb phone - nokia style. These things are coming out so fast it’s hard to keep up with.

Dumber Mini

Bought a Bowling Center

This guy retrofitted an old bowling center he bought. Really cool story.

Bowling on a Budget

Boomer King

Once again, fast food advertising proves that the good ideas are being had ONLY in other countries. In this case, Burger King made a 90’s retro-themed meal, but only in France.

Cringe Bot 3000

AI has its moments, like making CRINGE LinkedIn posts. Here’s one about the 90’s Boomer King meal.

Burger King France just dropped a 90s retro meal and I cannot stop thinking about the meeting where someone pitched this.

Picture it: a French boardroom, 2024. Someone stands up and says "what if we made the Whopper... nostalgic?" and instead of being escorted from the building, they got a budget.

Meanwhile Burger King US marketing is somewhere staring at a wall trying to figure out how to make a fourth "flame-grilled" campaign feel fresh.

LOL I WANT TO MAKE CRINGE

That’s all for this week. See you next time!

I am oh so very tired.

We’re about to move into our new home - and hotel life is nuts.

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We’ve been living in a hotel this week . . .so I’m quite tired. The new home is almost ready. :) Not long to go!

The sleep schedule has been interesting. The kids are waking up quite early . . .

Cooking options get quite limited when all you have is a fridge and two burners, but at least there’s the two burners!

In personal tech news this week - I had to buy a new backpack. One of the straps completely broke on my old one.

I’ve only had 4 backpacks since . . . 8th grade. So - I made sure to get one with lots of pockets for cables, laptops, etc - AND use for occasional travel. (A couple outfits perhaps, or at least a jacket).

I found this SwissGear travel backpack at Target, and it’s great! Hopefully it’ll last me the rest of my 30’s. (My last swissgear backpack lasted over 7 years).

I doubt I’ll ever be as cool as Jeremy’s One Bag, but we can all dream right?

Let’s dive in!

🎥Return to Blockbuster

I’ve never visited the Last Blockbuster, but I’d like to someday!

Video stores are starting to make a small comeback. For example - this company “Press Play Video” does a pop-up video store around Nashville.

There’s a popup bar here in Nashville that’s retro video themed.

There’s a Kickstarter for a video store in Minneapolis.

You get the picture.

Well NOW you can visit the movies/shows available on Netflix/Disney Plus virtually.

It’s called BingeBuster.

It’s such a cool way to explore movie choices!

I think the “infinite choice” of streaming platforms overwhelms our senses.

Just keep clicking down, or to the right.

Contrast that with wandering the shelves of Binge Buster.

The perception of there being only so many movies to explore is easier to handle.

Ah yes, let me wander to the Action aisle and see what’s available.

This looks cool, for example.

I’ll have to wander through Binge Buster the next time I try to find something to watch.

Go check it out!

Binge Buster

🐙The Land of Random

into the random we go!

Focus the F*** Up

Andrew Kamphey strikes again with a skill to focus your AI agent into ONE SINGULAR TASK. Use it to lock in.

FTFU

Space Cadet Pinball

Ye olde Microsoft pinball RETURNS. Play it in your browser.

Pinball Time

Anime Interfaces

Endless GIF inspiration for creating a dope cyberdeck.

Anime Interfaces

KamTape

Another retro Youtube clone. What’s amazing is how many people upload to these! Lots of strange things to explore - like this liminal compiliation.

Kamtape

Get Yourself an iPod

The prices are fairly reasonable too! No idea how long that’ll last though as nostalgia core keeps ramping up. . .

Elite Obsolete Electronics

Minimal Phone 2

The war for “clicky keyboard phone” continues, as a seasoned warrior enters the arena. No slo mo eink screens this time.

Make Photo QR Codes

This is pretty neat! You can make your own. Would be awesome for some “guerilla” marketing.

Dithered QR Codes

That’s all for this week. See you next time!

I’ll be honest with you . . . I’m really, really tired.

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Today we’re traveling back from our vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Hilton Head is awesome - there’s trees EVERYWHERE. Even the shopping centers are surrounded by trees.

If you ever get a chance to go - make sure you hit up the Crazy Crab and Pomodori restaurants. and DON’T get ice cream at the Frosty Dog. The prices are insane.

The beach is pretty nice too - I managed to get pretty sunburnt despite using sunscreen.

Our kids had a blast - and despite seeing some furtive sand eating - no one got sick. So that’s a plus too.

I’m sure you’ve heard the news about Claude escaping containment and hacking companies on the internet - or the demon Baphomet robot.

It brings to mind the old “schizo” King Solomon meme.

There’s a fun rabbit hole to explore . . . I’d need a month to write an issue big enough to explain that one.

Let’s take a look at this robot, shall we?

Satyress

It goes without saying that viral marketing is a big part of this company’s shtick.

The BEST way to get clicks and people talking is to be outrageous.

Sex, violence, shock . . . these things sell.

That being said, a centaur robot with goat horns is a pretty freaky choice.

The premise here is that these robots will be used for jobs “too dangerous for humans to do.”

We are taking a teleoperation focused approach not to replace skilled workers, but give skilled workers superpowers - in jobs that are dangerous for humans now, or impossible, due to risk of injury or death, extreme heat, bitter cold, pitch darkness, or other inhumane conditions. (source)

So - this robot could hypothetically help with cutting down a precarious tree, checking a caved-in home for survivors, etc etc.

But since we’re giving it chainsaws, drills, etc - might as well arm the workers just in case eh?

If the robot goes “mad” it needs to be put down.

Why do the loggers carry handguns? to shoot the Baphomet bots in case they go mad.

That being said - imbuing these robots with a Baphomet aesthetic seems like a strange choice.

“Oh the horns will slow it down if it tries to come inside your home.”

That’s . . . unsettling . . . which brings me to this tweet.

I certainly empathize with this analysis. Why the heck are we giving robots this kind of aesthetic?

Why not give them more of a goofy less threatening aesthetic?

For example The Tau Robotics (a startup humanoid house cleaning service) robots look goofy and robotlike.

Not scary at all. Like Neo - not scary. More huggable than anything.

Also take a look at Tau when you can. It’s a preliminary look at how the robots will start “taking the jobs” in the next few decades.

On that note check out the Satyress website . . . or don’t.

Satyress

The Land of Random

Random links! For you.

Hamster Music

Ahhh. Weird Youtube.

Inflatable Drones

I’m sure these will be used for nothing but good and righteous purposes.

Inflatable Drones

Choose your own adventure

A weird little AI adventure website.

Sonder

Amoeba Phone

Oooh. This little keychain phone looks FUN. I hope it’s a real Kickstarter project.

Amoeba Phone

The Mysteries of Elevators

A really interesting look.

Elevators?

Plato Discovers Secret Marketing Knowledge

shhhh they don’t want you to know weather is a marketing lever.

That’s all for this week. :)

See you next time!

As you may have seen in yesterday’s issue, we’re on vacation after selling our house in Tennessee.

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This last week was I N S A N E. We moved out of our house, sold it, and are currently on vacation in South Carolina.

I completed my last hardcore round of yardwork to clean up the old house. (Even took notes on where all the annual flowers bloom for the new owners)

I knocked out a 14-hour shift to pack up the house and move it into storage - including a few trips to the dump.

Today was a fun-packed day at the beach - and I am quite sunburnt.

I really wish I had a pair of Meta Glasses - they’d be so useful for getting pics of the kids as they discover the joys of successfully boogie boarding.

In any event - it’s midnight, and I’m very tired.

Let’s dive innnnnn.

Light Flip

It’s the light phone, but the flippy version. It’s $299 - so A LOT cheaper than the Light Phone III. I’m curious to see what reviewers think.

Light Flip

Beat Battle

This website works . . . kinda? it’s bizarre.

Beat Battle

Generate Gameboy Music

Pick a song - hear it Wario Style. Click. I dare you.

Just Like This . . .

Yope

The “friends only” social media apps continue. This one is interesting . . . It’s mixing A LOT of popular apps together - Shelf / Retro / Locket . . . . I need to do a proper deep dive here.

Yope

The Lost Joy of Music Piracy

Ah! the good ole days of the internet. An excellent trip down nostalgia lane.

Yarharr!

Jelly UI

Make your website more jelly. This is a really cool UI project!

Jelly UI

Cursed If True

AI companies may be scanning lots of old extremely rare books and shredding the copies . . .

Book Burning?

Hellsing Ultimate Abridged

I watch this once a year because it’s so funny. You should too. It all started with a midnight stroll through the woods . . .

I write to you from my kitchen table, surrounded by boxes and random bric-a-brac.

It’s strange moving again - 4 years is the most I’ve lived in a place since . . . I was a child.

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Big, big happenings this week.

We’re selling our current home . . . anddd closing this week.

We’re buying a new home - but we don’t close for a few weeks so we’re off on a family vacation and a hotel stay.

It’s quite strange dismantling our home . . . from typing at my current desk setup for the final time . . . to realizing we’re not going to be eating the garden carrots . . . to figuring out what belongings I need for the next few weeks.

I did get to see hummingbirds for potentially the last time today - which was awesome.

The next few newsletters may be a little short as we enter the “chaos mode” of in between houses.

X’s algorithm update has been a breath of fresh air - a lot better content in my timeline. It was sooo bad the last few years.

Did you see that talking golf cart (life utility vehicle) that’s coming out? (So fun)

Also - Rabbit is hinting at their cyberdeck.

and don’t forget the drones killing mosquitoes.

It’s only a matter of time until we have anti-mosquito drones . . .

Now we need ground sloth bots that kill ticks with lasers - and the anti-mosquito drones launch from their backs . . . and they’re powered by the mosquitoes and drones.

Let’s dive in shall we?

🎶Tiny Vinyls

Remember mini discs? or HitClips? Yeahhh . . . those aren’t around anymore.

Looks like we’re doing it again with Tiny Vinyls.

If you haven’t heard of it yet it’s a teeeny tiny vinyl player, with teeny tiny vinyls.

Cute.

You can buy a record player on Target’s website, and plenty of tiny vinyls.

Like some KPop Demon Hunters or Wicked

They’re even cheaper than a traditional vinyl! $14.99 vs the traditional $25-30.

See this in action. I’ve timestamped it to the live demo part. The audio quality is a little iffy.

I guess this is the logical consequence of the whole “mini brands” they’ve been selling for years now.

You can also play these on a big record player!

I’m curious to see how long this trend lasts - and if it expands to other devices. mini mp3 players, cassette players, etc.

Check this out!

Tiny Vinyl

🐙The Land of Random

random links! for youuuuu

Where are we?

Liminal vibes with a seal. really - these are a B O P

Cheapo Stealth Camper

Instead of incredible aesthetics, this goes full utilitarian.

Stealthmaxxing

Oreo Ninja

This is a bizarre cat website.

Oreo Ninjaa

Bad Apple - but in Vim

Familiar with Bad Apple? It’s basically the musical equivalent to making doom playable everywhere.

Bad Apple in Vim

Random Jumpscares

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Tab Boo

The Screen Board

Definitely printing something like this at the new house.

Screen Board

Sweatpant Jeans

Veryyyy interesting - and unusually cheap. Still wish the Beta Brand pajama suit was still around.

Sweatpant Jeans

That’s all for this week. Gotta get packing!

I hope you’re all having a good week.

We finished Spider-Noir the other night. Great show. Reminds me of the old days when original stories were important to superhero movies/shows. They could make multiple seasons of this, and I’d watch them all.

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I’m pretty tired after this weekend - lots of yard work! Weed whacking, garden weeding - the works.

And all this rain is GROWMAXXING the weeds - it feels like I’m reenacting that Indiana Jones scene where that buzzsaw train is ripping through the jungle.

The yardwork is a great workout - and I get lots of audiobook listening time.

I’ve finished all the Dungeon Crawler Carl novels, and am now working through a series about a platoon of Marines that end up in a fantasy world. The first book is called “Ice and Monsters.” I’m also working my way through a series called “Breeds” which is an intriguing Canadian Werewolf horror series.

Shelf is finally out on Android. I’ve discussed it in the past, but it’s a cool app for tracking your shows, books, and movies. Sure . . . you can do that on Facebook, but it’s . . . Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook - have you been able to check out their Gizmo Pocket app yet? It’s not available for me yet. I’m sure it’ll go the way of poor ole’ e.gg.

(E.gg was awesome and they should have made it the foundation of a retro aesthetic Facebook).

Another cool app to check out is Hypertexting - it’s basically rss feeds but social. VERY INTERESTING.

Let’s dive in shall we?

👟The SneakerWeb

Do you remember hearing about USB Club a few years ago? Either here or on Twitter (X).

USB Club is still going - but it was always a music/design focused kinda project.

Or is it?? I still need to buy one and try to get access. Only $40. Not bad.

OH - and Dead Drops is still around too, and people are still adding USB’s.

WAEL - regardless of whether you’re a member of the USB Club or not - there’s a new physical media game in town.

It’s the Sneaker Web Protocol

The sneakerweb is a peer-to-peer protocol for web publishing without permission: there are no DNS servers, domain registrars, or web hosts. Instead, websites are stored directly on user devices, and transferred between them through the ultimate fallback infrastructure: physical storage media. Your collected sites can be viewed offline, in the same web browser you normally use, and then shared with others via .snk files. (source)

So basically - create an offline website and share with friends.

In the documentation it says “In theory, you can share .snk files over the internet, of course. But we strongly encourage you to embrace the slowness of physical transport instead. It really makes a difference for how the sneakerweb will feel to you.“

The idea here is awesome - but the execution is definitely geared for more technically minded people.

In order to build your own “Sneakerweb” website - you need to download and use their CLI tool.

Soo - that already excludes a lot of casual users.

It’s a really cool project - It brings back the “mixtape” culture of the old days . . .

Hopefully they create a more easy-to-approach version in the future.

In any case - I’m going to try and give it a spin soon when I have more time.

Have time to mess around with CLI tools and build a site to share with friends physically?

Check out the Sneakerweb!

Sneakerweb

🐙The Land of Random

links links links!

Sleep Scroll

Obsessed with scrolling the internet? Scroll this one until you sleep . . .

Scrolllllllllll

Jiggy the Blob

A neat little combination of that old desktop gorilla with an AI agent.

Jiggy

Christmas in July

Yeah that’s right. Merry Christmas - and here’s some Kmart music.

The Last K Mart

There’s only one left - and it’s in Florida.

Rist Watch

It’s a watch! It’s a phone! It’s . . . a standalone Pebble clone? Looks interesting.

Rist Watch

Vestaboard AI Agent

Ok, ok, this is actually a pretty good AI use case. Call your AI agent and it responds on a VESTABOARD. (I need to figure this out with the free Github)

Call Your Vestaboard

/Friends

A really cool spin on the old webring idea! I might add this kind of idea to The Land of Random.

Add your /friends

That’s all for this week. See you next time!

At least Xbox isn’t shutting down any game studios - just letting them go independent or selling them. I’ll take that as a win.

Hopefully Arkane is still able to do the Blade game - it would be a travesty if it got canceled.

Speaking of Arkane, I need to buy the Arkane collection the next time it goes on sale. I’ve seen it as cheap as $50 - and that includes EVERY Arkane game.

Playstation was good when the Japanese division was running the show . . . they should take it back over.

We finished the last season of The Bear the other night. Fantastic show!

We need to watch that one-hour spinoff with Richie and Mikey - but after that it’ll be weird to leave The Bear universe forever.

If you haven’t seen it - it has some of the best scenes I’ve ever seen - Like Richie getting the deep dish pizza for some guests.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

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It’s yet . . . another rainy week here in Columbia, Tennessee.

For all y’all stateside readers - did you have a great 4th of July?

We spent the day with some close family friends - swimming, eating, hanging out, AND fireworks.

I visited 4 fireworks stands this weekend and I tell you - the pricing is ALLLL over the place.

One stand expects you to be a millionaire with a small fortune to spend on fireworks, and the next has $2 fireworks.

My favorite is this one that spins like a top on the ground called a “Ground Bloom.”

I got some good stuff - including this $3 “barrage” that shot 20 little rockets into the sky. EPIC.

Someday I dooo want to get some crazy stuff like this.

How has time felt to you since Cern turned off a few days ago? Do the days feel longer?

It’s a fun conspiracy theory at least - give this a read if you’re interested.

My theory about “The Backrooms” starting a slew of internet horror movies seems to have come true.

We’re getting “The Pools” this year, The Mandela Catalogue is getting a movie, and Sirenhead is getting a movie.

Those are just the ones I’m aware of.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

🛒Weird.shopping

Need to find a weird gift for a friend?

Weird.Shopping is truly . . . weird.

It’s this AI powered crawler that searches through (every?) Shopify Store for weird gifts.

Like here’s Alligator Jerky.

orrrr a Tamagotchi.

There’s so many crazy things in here.

We’re talking everything from kitcsh to bizarre.

There’s gag gifts galore.

or bizarre - like WHAT EVEN IS THIS GAMING DEVICE.

Andddd Is this even real or is it an ai listing?

Every search turns up a bunch of weird stuff.

And no matter what keywords you type in - gamer, snacks, bread, - whatever comes to mind - new weird stuff pops up - usually related to your keyword.

I recommend giving this thing a spin.

Weird.Shopping

🐙The Land of Random

Soooo I already gave you basically a link to a site that gives you infinity crazy links, but here’s SOME MORE.

Nothing to Watch?

OH SO YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO WATCH. YOU’RE SO WRONG LOLLLLLL. THIS SITE IS INSANEEEEEEE.

Nothing to Watch?

Town Square

One of the COOLEST “live presence” website addons I’ve ever seen. You add a little embed on your site where you can become a little stickman and walk from one website to another. It’s SO COOl.

Town Square

Follow The Rat

The rat has a story to tell

Tinfoil Pigeons

See live aircraft above your house.

Tinfoil Pigeons

A Podcast to Put You to Sleep

The most boring podcast possible - so you can sleep.

Sleeeeeeep

The Isaac One

Another home robot company - but this one looks like a friendly robot which is nice. It’s on wheels!

Isaac One

Ever heard of a Wigglegram?

It’s like a gif, but not. Cool!

Wigglegram

That’s all for this week! see you next time.

It’s a scorching HOT week here in Tennessee - hovering near 100 degrees each day. Phew!

We enjoyed a delicious meal of green beans from our garden on Sunday night - and a few more blackberries. I’ve been snagging those every so often when working outside.

My “Nocturned” Spotify Car Thing has been working great. It had a few hiccups early on, but it works fantastically every time I get in the car.

One of the best software purchases I’ve ever made.

Read more

I am pleased to announce that my vertigo is GONE. FINALLY.

The brain fog/spinning sensation is gone.

I feel so much better . . .

Our blackberry bush (which has like 100 berries) is producing more and more ripe berries each week. They’re sour - but good.

We’re getting ripe cherry tomatoes - and we have some green beans to eat too!

Now to wait a bit for those carrots . . .

Y’all see the ads for the Commodore phone? Pretty cool.

The alternative phone market is SPINNING with new ideas - it’s awesome.

If anyone reading this has an “alternative” smartphone - how is it going? hit reply and let me know.

We’re behind two seasons of The Bear so we’re catching up on that now.

Such a good show. I’ll be sad when we wrap up the last episode.

Let’s hop in!

🤖Robot Lawnmowers

Robot vacuums and mops have been around for a LONGGG time now.

Heck there’s a good chance you - the reader - might have one.

I never really thought of them as a “threat matrix” to household chores per se.

Nor do i consider the “lamp that folds clothes” one either.

NOR do i consider any of those “household robots” a threat either. (yet).

However, the robot lawnmower has given me some pause. They have displays for them at Lowe’s now.

My neighbor has one - it does a pretty good job of mowing the lawn. It can’t edge or weedwhack - but it mows several times a week.

Yes - they cost $800 on the lower end, and $2000 on the higher end.

BUT when a self-pushing lawnmower is $300 on the cheaper end - would it be all that bad to . . . have a robot mow the yard?

Especially if one like this $2000 LUBA 3 can mow up to .9 acres.

This bad boy has Lidar AND satellite access.

If you have a third of an acre or more, you’re probably staring down the barrel of a ride on lawnmower anyway which start around $2000.

Personally, I like mowing the yard. It’s fun, and i don’t have to stare at a computer screen to do it.

But - I only have around a quarter acre. If i had to decide between a riding lawnmower and a robot lawnmower, it might change my mind.

What about weed whacking you say?

The - and yes this is its name - ECOVACS GOAT A3000 LiDAR PRO has a built-in weed whacker on the side.

Yes, you’d have to do some weed whacking where the robot lawnmower can’t reach, BUT this would get a lot of it.

So - enough nerding out about robot lawnmowers.

It’s not hard to imagine more and more people buying these as the technology improves and they get cheaper.

Your yard will “mow itself” and all you have to do is the other chores.

Mowing the yard is nice in October - but the dead of August when it’s 100 degrees?

Even the most diehard person who loves mowing the lawn might dream a bit of robot lawnmowers.

Residential landscaping services may start feeling the pinch in a decade or two as part of their jobs get outsourced to robots.

Sure, landscapers do a lot more than just “mow the lawn” - mulching, weed whacking, flowers, etc etc, but the mowing portion might start going away.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

The robots might just win on this one.

🐙The Land of Random

Into the random corners of the internet we goooo

Skeleton Jazz

the most random unhinged youtube video you’ve seen this month. Also an accurate depiction of how vertigo feels.

Enough

A new “small smart phone” company emerges. Let’s see if they ship. I’m still waiting for this one too.

Enough

Toooooools

Ready to lofi your images? The site is also kinda brutalist too which is sick.

Tooooools

Wanna eat dirt?

no seriously. do you want to eat dirt.

Earthy Goodies

Dirty Little Zine

Create your own little 8-page zine and share with friends. It’s a neat little site!!!

Dirty Little Zine

Sound Wave Espresso

This sounds epic ngl. Apparently, you can’t really tell a taste difference but it sounds so cool.

Coffee - But Made with Sound

Half Life 2 In Your Browser

Yes - and it works too. SO COOL. Browsers are capable of the coolest things these days.

Play Half Life 2

That’s all for this week. See you next time!