Thanks to friend-of-the-site Gus M., I was able to enjoy the absurd story of a criminal in the Netherlands stealing the police car that had been chasing him. Now you can too.
Previously in bad days at the office for cops: A Short Tale
For Your Mutha ∞
People from Athol are of course known as “Atholes”.
Thursday, January 15th, 2026
Many years ago, a commercial for the state lottery taught me that Massachusetts is made up of 351 cities and towns.1 It didn’t convince me to buy lottery tickets, but somehow that “351 cities and towns” lodged itself in my brain. Tuesday night, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jimmy Fallon spent five minutes reciting every single one of them.1 Boston.com’s Peter Chianca described it as “excruciating”. I don’t agree with that, but it was certainly something.
Footnotes:
Becoming the Government and Also a Praying Mantis ∞
Together, it’s doable.
Wednesday, January 14th, 2026
Alexandra Petri tried to be the government all by herself. It did not go well. It’s almost as though governments exist to improve society for everyone, in ways no individual possibly could on their own.
Mid-Playoff Transfers Probably Shouldn’t Be Allowed ∞
The NIL era of college sports has some real problems.
Tuesday, January 13th, 2026
In recent years, it’s become easier and easier for college athletes to change schools, via the not-as-cool-as-it-sounds transfer portal. Just ahead of this year’s college football national championship game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Indiana Hoosiers, tight end Brock Schott transferred from Miami to Indiana. Yikes.
You Have the Right To Record ICE ∞
I’m unsure why the headline of this piece was changed.
Monday, January 12th, 2026
It is legal to film ICE. The EFF has more.
Recording government agents is one of the few tools citizens have to hold state power accountable. Any attempt to redefine observation as “violence” is not only unconstitutional—it’s authoritarian gaslighting. When a government fears cameras more than crimes, it isn’t protecting the rule of law. It’s protecting itself.
Without the citizen recordings of the killing of Renee Good, the administration’s outright lies would likely be all that we heard about this horrible incident. Recording the authorities is essential.
The CES Worst in Show ∞
The world could probably use more anti-awards.
Friday, January 9th, 2026
The CES trade show wraps up today, and the 2026 Worst in Show awards are out. If an AI companion advertised as “your always-on 3D soulmate” isn’t the most dystopian thing you read this week, please don’t tell me what is.
Get Out
The succinct sign language interpretation of “Get the fuck out” is perfect.
Thursday, January 8th, 2026
Thirteen years ago, in response to the terrorist attack on the Boston Marathon, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz dropped an incredibly necessary F-bomb on live television.
Yesterday, in response to the despicable killing of Renee Good by a masked ICE agent, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey used an even more justified profanity. His statement is angry, it is powerful, and it is worth watching.1 I’ll quote part of it here:
They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly, that is bullshit. This was an agent recklessly using power that resulted in somebody dying, getting killed.
…
I do have a message for our community, for our city, and I have a message for ICE. To ICE: Get the fuck out of Minneapolis.
We do not want you here. Your stated reason for being in this city is to create some kind of safety, and you are doing exactly the opposite. People are being hurt. Families are being ripped apart. Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy are being terrorized, and now, somebody is dead. That’s on you.
Let’s go one further. ICE should get the fuck out of existence.
Footnotes:
The full video is archived here. ↩︎
He Got Better ∞
“Generate, but edit” should perhaps be the new ”Trust, but verify”.
Tuesday, January 6th, 2026
Recently, a Utah police officer was turned into a frog by some imperfect A.I. report-writing software. It may or may not be wise for the police to use artificial intelligence to generate their reports. As with pretty much everything related to A.I., though, it is definitely wise to review the output. In fact, it ought to be mandatory.
Way to Go, Apple Maps
Fun with maps!
Monday, January 5th, 2026
Last week, I received a notification from Apple that my map edit had been approved. I don’t send in many corrections to Apple, so I was pretty sure this meant Maranville Street could now be found on Apple Maps. I eagerly opened up the app to see.
There it is! A search for “Maranville Street, Boston, MA” no longer stupidly sends me to North Carolina. Instead, the map zooms in to Chestnut Hill, where the road is correctly labeled. Maranville Street is real, according to Apple Maps, and that’s delightful.
Alas, since my previous post, Google Maps has removed Maranville Street. The bus stops remain, though, which means a search still takes you to the correct location and shows this incongruous result:
Naturally, I’m working to correct the issue:
Fingers crossed!
