There once was a boy tasked to sit on the hillside, watching over his village for mythical holiday characters. — There once was a boy tasked to sit on the hillside, watching over his village for mythical holiday characters. As the uneventful months passed, he came to resent the holidays entirely. The people danced and drank in late December as he watched for little Baby New Year until long after…

It was the end of the 1990s. The Tamagotchi had taken over the world, but sales were slowing for the first time. The conditions were… — It was the end of the 1990s. The Tamagotchi had taken over the world, but sales were slowing for the first time. The conditions were perfect for the kids in our lower-middle-class area to grab one at a discount for the first time. Soon, I was 13 years old and…

Everybody hold on — the comics for Christ just played the science card. — Everybody hold on — the comics for Christ just played the science card. By now, you’ve probably seen the headlines: The Babylon Bee, widely thought of as the Christian alternative to The Onion, earned itself a locked Twitter account for promoting its article naming Rachel Levine, a transitioned woman serving…

The number 1 game in the 21st century is the waiting game. — A version of this story appears at my industry shop talk site, CodeWritePlay. The number 1 game in the 21st century is the waiting game. …

I was wandering around the kitchen one Saturday morning doing dad shit — making oatmeal for a 6-year-old and making messes I would later… — I was wandering around the kitchen one Saturday morning doing dad shit — making oatmeal for a 6-year-old and making messes I would later loudly complain about — when my hungry kid ran to the window. “Look at the balloons!” he demanded. Leaving the banana to mash itself, I took…

Music rights enforcement in content creation is impossibly broken — I like to cook. At least, I’m starting to enjoy it as my pitiful skills improve. I was helpless in the kitchen for a long time, but the fantastic modern meal kit services have let me play tee-ball at the stove long enough to believe I can actually feed myself…

Someone check on PlayCraft — Someone check on PlayCraft Christmas is almost upon us, and our kiddo has been mentioning how much he enjoyed the couple of times we went to a nearby arcade and played some air hockey. And who doesn’t? …

The whole millennial thing should have tipped me off — Today I realized almost every age-related social media post I’ve seen recently has been stupid. I think I mentally started a file on this when I noticed odd articles about adults earning a variety of perfectly plausible salaries as if each story was big news. “This 25-year-old earns $100,000!” “This…

Did Halloween creep up on you unexpectedly this year? Are you feeling guilty that you accidentally put up the same Target “I (pumpkin)… — Did Halloween creep up on you unexpectedly this year? Are you feeling guilty that you accidentally put up the same Target “I (pumpkin) fall” banner on your door as three other houses in your subdivision? Did your homemade costumes underperform on TikTok? …