Rob Pegoraro
@robpegoraro.com
D.C.-based freelance technology journalist covering, and often vexed by, computers, gadgets, and other things that beep. May or may not be notable. He/him. Read: PCMag, Fast Company, etc. Write: [email protected]
Pinned
Rob Pegoraro
@robpegoraro.com
· Jan 16
Get more from Rob Pegoraro on Patreon
creating technology journalism for the curious and the skeptical
patreon.com
Would you like to know more?
🔎 disclosures: robpegoraro.com/disclosures
📷 photos: flickr.com/robpegoraro
🤳 less-edited photos: instagram.com/robpegoraro
🧾 resume: linkedin.com/in/robpegoraro
➕ B-sides, outtakes, other extras: patreon.com/robpegoraro
🔎 disclosures: robpegoraro.com/disclosures
📷 photos: flickr.com/robpegoraro
🤳 less-edited photos: instagram.com/robpegoraro
🧾 resume: linkedin.com/in/robpegoraro
➕ B-sides, outtakes, other extras: patreon.com/robpegoraro
One of America's next generation of transportation nerds, excited about the IAD people mover hauling arriving pax from the D gates to the main terminal: "It *is* a monster truck!"
November 29, 2025 at 9:29 PM
One of America's next generation of transportation nerds, excited about the IAD people mover hauling arriving pax from the D gates to the main terminal: "It *is* a monster truck!"
From this story, West Virginia National Guard Spec. Sarah Beckstrom represented some of the more stand-up parts of the American character. I cannot say the same of the men who sent her and her still-surviving comrade, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, to D.C. to serve as political props.
National Guard member killed in D.C. shooting remembered for 'heart of gold'
The slain soldier’s former boyfriend recalled her empathy and generosity. “She doesn’t even have to know you and she’ll do anything for you,” he said.
www.nbcnews.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:35 PM
From this story, West Virginia National Guard Spec. Sarah Beckstrom represented some of the more stand-up parts of the American character. I cannot say the same of the men who sent her and her still-surviving comrade, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, to D.C. to serve as political props.
After a lovely Thanksgiving with family, it's now the one day of the year when I most regret looking at my Gmail.
November 28, 2025 at 3:15 PM
After a lovely Thanksgiving with family, it's now the one day of the year when I most regret looking at my Gmail.
My brother suggested a particularly horrifying fusion of social-media sites: NextGlassDoor.
November 27, 2025 at 12:51 AM
My brother suggested a particularly horrifying fusion of social-media sites: NextGlassDoor.
This may be the most egregious PR incompetence that I have ever read about--not just lying to the press, but doing so in a way that means you first lied to the SEC in a merger filing. Truly next-level stuff.
Tech firm’s new CTO gets indicted; company then claims he was never CTO
Corvex named Brian Raymond as CTO days before indictment for illegal chip exports.
arstechnica.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:28 PM
This may be the most egregious PR incompetence that I have ever read about--not just lying to the press, but doing so in a way that means you first lied to the SEC in a merger filing. Truly next-level stuff.
Only an 18-minute waitlist for the Capital One lounge at DCA ... which did not work out so well because we cleared the list before we got to security, and of course the container of frozen pumpkin puree in my luggage needed a look from TSA, so we got there after the 10 minutes we had to check in.
November 26, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Only an 18-minute waitlist for the Capital One lounge at DCA ... which did not work out so well because we cleared the list before we got to security, and of course the container of frozen pumpkin puree in my luggage needed a look from TSA, so we got there after the 10 minutes we had to check in.
D.C.-specific avgeek question: What's up with the departures from National this evening that took a sharp left turn to fly over Arlington National Cemetery and then the middle of the county instead of heading north up the Potomac like usual?
November 25, 2025 at 11:24 PM
D.C.-specific avgeek question: What's up with the departures from National this evening that took a sharp left turn to fly over Arlington National Cemetery and then the middle of the county instead of heading north up the Potomac like usual?
Yet another story in which content creators say their traffic has plunged since Google started serving up AI Overview answers summarizing their work--in the case of recipes, often wildly incorrectly. (Of course Facebook is also part of this AI-slop problem.)
NEW: AI “recipe slop” is overrunning search and social. Food creators say Google’s AI Overviews and glossy fake food pics are drowning out real, tested recipes — collapsing traffic and setting home cooks up for disaster, especially this Thanksgiving.
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet -- And Thanksgiving Dinner
Food bloggers see traffic dip as home cooks turn to AI, inspired by impossible pictures
www.bloomberg.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Yet another story in which content creators say their traffic has plunged since Google started serving up AI Overview answers summarizing their work--in the case of recipes, often wildly incorrectly. (Of course Facebook is also part of this AI-slop problem.)
Reposted by Rob Pegoraro
Democracy dies in dampness
At this point, the Washpost edit page is just trolling its readers.
This is today's actual house editorial.
This is today's actual house editorial.
November 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Democracy dies in dampness
Randall Munroe created a beautiful thing today, and now I'm writing this with tears in my eyes. Thanks, @xkcd.com.
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Randall Munroe created a beautiful thing today, and now I'm writing this with tears in my eyes. Thanks, @xkcd.com.
The contention from "critics" that ranked-choice voting "would increase waiting times at the polls" does not square with my experience working four elections with RCV for county board races. We do have to ask voters if they understand the concept, but that conversation rarely exceeds 30 seconds.
Scoop: Democrats eye ranked-choice voting for 2028 primaries
It's a tool that drew national attention when it propelled New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to a decisive primary win.
www.axios.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:33 PM
The contention from "critics" that ranked-choice voting "would increase waiting times at the polls" does not square with my experience working four elections with RCV for county board races. We do have to ask voters if they understand the concept, but that conversation rarely exceeds 30 seconds.
"Artificial intelligence, meet artificial accounting": Mark Zuckerberg's newfound obsession with "superintelligence" does not extend to owning the financial risk of building out a giant, polluting data center in Louisiana.
(gift link)
(gift link)
AI Meets Aggressive Accounting at Meta’s Gigantic New Data Center
Favorable treatment off the balance sheet hinges on some convenient assumptions.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:52 PM
"Artificial intelligence, meet artificial accounting": Mark Zuckerberg's newfound obsession with "superintelligence" does not extend to owning the financial risk of building out a giant, polluting data center in Louisiana.
(gift link)
(gift link)
Reposted by Rob Pegoraro
This is *amazing*. This goes straight to Deceptive Design Hall of Shame.
They made a "take a break" nudge that has no obvious "ok, I'll take a break" affordance. Its three affordances are:
1) Keep chatting (default, highlighted)
2) x out — keeps chatting
3) "This was helpful" — what is this?
🧵
They made a "take a break" nudge that has no obvious "ok, I'll take a break" affordance. Its three affordances are:
1) Keep chatting (default, highlighted)
2) x out — keeps chatting
3) "This was helpful" — what is this?
🧵
One of the changes that OpenAI has made to make ChatGPT safer is a "take a break" nudge. There's something quite interesting about the design here. Which thing does it make you want to click?
November 24, 2025 at 2:17 PM
This is *amazing*. This goes straight to Deceptive Design Hall of Shame.
They made a "take a break" nudge that has no obvious "ok, I'll take a break" affordance. Its three affordances are:
1) Keep chatting (default, highlighted)
2) x out — keeps chatting
3) "This was helpful" — what is this?
🧵
They made a "take a break" nudge that has no obvious "ok, I'll take a break" affordance. Its three affordances are:
1) Keep chatting (default, highlighted)
2) x out — keeps chatting
3) "This was helpful" — what is this?
🧵
Pumpkin pie--from scratch--is all set for Friendsgiving.
November 23, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Pumpkin pie--from scratch--is all set for Friendsgiving.
Stone and Sky!
Rix Road, the season finale of Andor Season 1, was released three years ago today.
F the Empire. All of them.
F the Empire. All of them.
Andor | Maarva Andor’s Monologue | Disney+
YouTube video by Star Wars
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Stone and Sky!
November 23, 2025 at 3:21 AM
D.C. Costco has Laphroaig 10-year on sale for $36. You're welcome.
November 22, 2025 at 2:42 PM
D.C. Costco has Laphroaig 10-year on sale for $36. You're welcome.
A new low in unwise #CES PR pitches:
"Are you planning to go to CES this year, and if so, are you open to meetings? LMK!"
(Hint: If you work at a PR firm, as opposed to doing in-house comms for a company, it would be helpful to name the clients of your firm who will be at CES in January.)
"Are you planning to go to CES this year, and if so, are you open to meetings? LMK!"
(Hint: If you work at a PR firm, as opposed to doing in-house comms for a company, it would be helpful to name the clients of your firm who will be at CES in January.)
November 21, 2025 at 7:55 PM
A new low in unwise #CES PR pitches:
"Are you planning to go to CES this year, and if so, are you open to meetings? LMK!"
(Hint: If you work at a PR firm, as opposed to doing in-house comms for a company, it would be helpful to name the clients of your firm who will be at CES in January.)
"Are you planning to go to CES this year, and if so, are you open to meetings? LMK!"
(Hint: If you work at a PR firm, as opposed to doing in-house comms for a company, it would be helpful to name the clients of your firm who will be at CES in January.)
Some astute marketing by SPJ.
🐷💰For a limited time, take $15 off an SPJ Pro membership with code: PIGGY
Seek Truth🔎. Report It📰. Never Be Quiet📢.
🔗Join or renew today. Let’s get louder – together: bit.ly/3KfoqWs
Seek Truth🔎. Report It📰. Never Be Quiet📢.
🔗Join or renew today. Let’s get louder – together: bit.ly/3KfoqWs
November 21, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Some astute marketing by SPJ.
Mike Johnson holds his political manhood cheap.
Mike Johnson on Trump calling for Democrats to be executed: "Attorneys have to parse the language and determine all that."
November 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Mike Johnson holds his political manhood cheap.
It's a little weird how much attention the White House's photographers paid to Tim Cook at Tuesday's Trump + MBS dinner. Did Apple's CEO realize he'd show up in so many published photos? Did he feel even a tiny bit of shame at that moment?
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a dinner for Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Explore this photo album by The White House on Flickr!
www.flickr.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:25 PM
It's a little weird how much attention the White House's photographers paid to Tim Cook at Tuesday's Trump + MBS dinner. Did Apple's CEO realize he'd show up in so many published photos? Did he feel even a tiny bit of shame at that moment?
It has been 0️⃣ days since I've had to disconnect and reconnect this Mac's "Magic" Bluetooth keyboard after spending a few minutes getting increasingly angry over the inability of multiple apps to register any keystrokes.
November 20, 2025 at 4:07 PM
It has been 0️⃣ days since I've had to disconnect and reconnect this Mac's "Magic" Bluetooth keyboard after spending a few minutes getting increasingly angry over the inability of multiple apps to register any keystrokes.
New stats on U.S. social-media use from @pewresearch.org show Reddit ascending while X stagnates. As for this platform: 4% of Americans say they've ever used Bluesky, half of the 8% who say they've ever used Threads... contrast that with Threads citing 400m monthly active users, 10x Bluesky's 40m.
Americans’ Social Media Use 2025
YouTube remains the most popular, but adults are increasingly using Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Reddit. Use of some platforms varies by age, gender, and race and ethnicity.
www.pewresearch.org
November 20, 2025 at 3:22 PM
New stats on U.S. social-media use from @pewresearch.org show Reddit ascending while X stagnates. As for this platform: 4% of Americans say they've ever used Bluesky, half of the 8% who say they've ever used Threads... contrast that with Threads citing 400m monthly active users, 10x Bluesky's 40m.
CW: transportation-nerd trap
Updated for 2025: timeline maps of every metro system in the world transit-timelines.github.io
Rapid Transit Timelines and Scale Comparison
Maps every 5 years, 1840-2025
transit-timelines.github.io
November 20, 2025 at 2:39 PM
CW: transportation-nerd trap
I had not had the chance to hear Nate Soares, author of the we-must-stop-AI book “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies,” speak on a panel until now. Reader, it was not an illuminating talk and not just because this discussion about the global risk of AI somehow did not feature the word "China."
November 19, 2025 at 10:59 PM
I had not had the chance to hear Nate Soares, author of the we-must-stop-AI book “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies,” speak on a panel until now. Reader, it was not an illuminating talk and not just because this discussion about the global risk of AI somehow did not feature the word "China."