Humu Trott

The Frida Cinema (in Santa Ana, CA) presents Walt Disney’s “Swiss Family Robinson” on Sunday, Nov 1st at 5:30pm. Enjoy this classic adventure on the big screen, hosted by film historian Jeff Kurtti, with a special presentation by artist/author Kevin Kidney!🦓 Tickets on sale now: thefridacinema.org

I only yesterday learned that there’s a new season of Midnight Diner, and while I want desperately to drop everything and watch it RIGHT NOW, I can’t, but I can at least let you know: HEY, NEW SEASON OF MIDNIGHT DINER

The annual run down to Half Moon Bay to buy a bunch of ridiculous squash I don’t need is complete. I love this goofy tradition.

Search “boat” ya say? Stop right there. Say no more.

Busy day in the kitchen. Made a big batch of caramelized onions, which takes a loooooong time. While those were cooking, I made duxelles (fancy French mushroom paste stuff) and chimichurri. Also made tomatoes & burrata & olive oil & pesto for dinner, and zucchini bread with orange & dark chocolate.

I made an olive tapenade, like some kinda fancy person! Sorta winged it. Kalamata olives, capers, garlic, parsley, anchovy, pine nuts, red wine vinegar, Dijon, olive oil. We’ll have it alongside some homemade ciabatta and the last of the summer tomatoes.

We are excited to be releasing Puzzle #1 of the Boswords Fall Themeless League tomorrow night! Thanks to all who have joined so far, and there's still time to join the fun! For more info, a short video explaining the Fall League, and to register, go to boswords.org.

@tvaziri.com just in case you haven't seen this! archive.org/details/tipp... "I attended the [Phil Tippett Studios] liquidation sale, and discovered a giant folder of CD-ROMs and DVDs with media assets was part of the 'everything must go' sale."

I’d heard years ago that this is the stuff you want if you’re making pumpkin spice coffee drinks at home. Torani Pumpkin sauce (NOT the syrup). Searched high and low for years, and couldn’t find it, until this year! Found it at World Market. Gotta say, it does live up to the hype, it’s just right.

David Quammen's essay in The New York Times today closes with this paragraph. It's both a scientific falsehood, and an incredibly dangerous narrative. If you're willing to give me five minutes of your time, I'd like to explain why.

I got vaxxed! I made a same-day appointment and it took less than 10 minutes. The pharmacist told me it’s really going around right now. Stay safe friends! 😷💉

San Francisco has, at long last, revealed two potential successor names for Cesar Chavez St. Here they are: missionlocal.org/2026/09/san-...

A pair of small occlupanids who inhabit the rarified ecological habitat of gashapons and similar toy microclimates. Diagonalobus sasa has an especially unique palpular arrangement, with the lesser distal and proximal palps entirely absent. Specimens submitted by FORC occlupanologist D. Mendoza.

At the time—before a video could be streamed—I got the transcript for this and published it.

If I could live inside that Sherlock Holmes game, I’d be so very happy. It’s likely that game is partially to blame for my passion for warm-toned interiors and lights. So very brown! 🤎

r/crafts has banned all Harry Potter-related crafts due to JK Rowling’s anti-trans bigotry, after a 53-41 vote

As I get older and my understanding of life expands and deepens, I’m finding that any 5-second bit of anything David Byrne is doing will grip my heart and seize my soul. (Okay, this one sounds maybe a little sledgehammer-over-the-head, but honestly a sledgehammer is warranted.)

last night we had ed sheeran apologizing for saying what’s happening in palestine is bad and at the same time david byrne putting up a huge graphic that says MAKE AMERICA GAY AGAIN and showing footage of ICE brutality to a sold out crowd. you can actually be famous and successful AND give a shit.

For my birthday, I got to go to Omnivore Books, a sweet little bookstore in SF’s Noe Valley that is just for cookbooks. Picked up six books, six was a theme. Mostly books about using seasonal produce, plus some pasta books, and a baking book.

we're facing existential threats from inattentive or lazy work, as well as burnout, fatigue, low sleep — stuff that requires the kind of regulation of working conditions that the tech industry has been ambivalent on, because management was psychotic and workers were happy with the fancy cafeteria

1. The REAL danger of now having AI embedded in everything not that the program will become "super intelligent". The best analogy is Doge. The danger is the "Doging" of everything. The AI programs are too big to be understood and maintained properly and embedded in too many vital services (cont.)

rip bob mackie 😭🤍✨

Worried about the threat of AI to humanity? There's a simple solution. Engineers, Q/A workers, and scientists creating AI can UNIONIZE to take charge of how their research is being used. @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social explains it all for you. open.substack.com/pub/howthing...

new themed puzzle on the blog: blog.bewilderinglypuzzles.com/2026/09/puzz...

I DESPERATELY need your help with something, even if it’s just sharing this skeet: I’m working on a piec about the evolution of video games and the KEY to my story is a guy named Oscar Munoz who worked for Sega in the early 1990s I’ve tried everything to find him and social media is my last resort

Fall is coming ... and with it comes the Boswords 2026 Fall Themeless League! Registration is open at boswords.org. The brilliant constructors below have fun and vibrant puzzles for you! Come solve with us in October and November!

I don't really have any additional thoughts to add to this intellectually, I just want to have it in the sightline of everyone who claims to be an ally 24/7 for the next year or so.

seen at my son's high school

I tried to track down the 12 Black-owned public houses mentioned in 1854 San Francisco. Didn't get as far as I wanted but learned about The Anathaeum. alcademics.com/12-black-own...

I write for a living and I do everything I can to avoid using “lay / lie.” It’s just too much pressure.

Registration is now open for the Boswords 2026 Fall Themeless League! Go to boswords.org for details and to register. Also, a new practice puzzle is available to solve. We're excited to bring you puzzles from this fabulous group ... come solve with us this fall!

the new paper on bouba/kiki in chicks is utterly compelling canonical, elegant method from comparative cogsci & its partner in developmental science, ultra-simple design, ultra-clear effects, no need for fancy analyses, machine learning, or AI it appeared in an appropriately badass venue (Science)

Hey, it’s corn time again! Corn is really good and dirt cheap right now, and it’s probably easier than you think. Here’s last year’s thread o’ corn tips!

I swam laps yesterday! Like literally just two laps. Wasn’t even a full length pool. It was hard.

Panic issued automatic refunds of the tariff fees back to the end customers who bought a Playdate from them. Most things this presidential admin is effing up are unfixable or will take decades to fix, so I’m up for cheering when things *do* get fixed, and celebrating the fixers.

The Empire State Building went pink at exactly 9:25pm for Dolly Parton. Because of course they made it 9 to 5. That’s how you honor an icon. 🩷