ilzolende | Reading

theunfairfolk:
in elementary school i figured out how to customize the classroom desktop’s autocorrect to make Word change whole sentences. this made it appear almost like the computer was responding to you. you could, for example, type in “where did i put my keys”, hit enter, and watch it switch to “you put them under the couch”. this was before chatbots, and we were all 9 so i considered it closer to a magic trick than a tech one.
i immediately scripted out a dialogue exchange between me and a girl who had died by the swings (classic). i invited another student over and told them i had found a ghost, then proceeded to type out the pre-scripted exchange. i was immediately pulled into the counselors office. the kicker was that none of the adults could figure out how i did it. i had to show them the menu and everything.
important detail i forgot to add: the swing ghost wanted blood sacrifices from the students. in my defense it was “only a few drops”.

https://michaelblume.tumblr.com/post/814094520628183041

smittenkitchen_feed

Posted by deb

https://smittenkitchen.com/2026/04/braised-leeks-and-lentils-with-arugula-and-yogurt/

https://smittenkitchen.com/?p=95953

I’ve been pining for a springy way to combine leeks and lentils in an unfussy, one-pot, weeknight-friendly way but would get stuck on one thing: how annoying leeks are — and I say this from a place of adoration! I think leeks are one of the most stunning vegetables, an ombre of chromatic ringlets from buttery yellow to pea green and back to a pale shade of lima. They look exactly like spring (even though it’s climatically July outside but will be March again next week), and taste even better: Oniony but not harsh and silky, wonderful, and a little sweet when braised. They should be everywhere, but first we need to address the fact that if you go to the store or market for a bundle of leeks right now, you have no idea how much leek you’re getting.

braised leeks and lentils-04
braised leeks and lentils-05

https://smittenkitchen.com/2026/04/braised-leeks-and-lentils-with-arugula-and-yogurt/

https://smittenkitchen.com/?p=95953

mattlevine_bloomberg_feed

Posted by Matt Levine

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/newsletters/2026-04-16/tax-alpha-needs-some-real-alpha

Tax-aware funds, World Liberty tokens, Exxon proxies, Cybertruck buyers and NewBird AI.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/newsletters/2026-04-16/tax-alpha-needs-some-real-alpha

feotakahari

Part of my problem with “magical girls are empowered as part of a selfish scheme by other-dimensional beings” is how gendered it is. Nobody’s doing “superheroes are empowered as part of a selfish scheme by other-dimensional beings” . . .

Oh, right. Worm.

runaway_stars_feed

Posted by Jay Eaton

https://www.runawaytothestars.com/comic/rtts-page-266/

https://www.runawaytothestars.com/?post_type=comic&p=1904

https://www.runawaytothestars.com/comic/rtts-page-266/

https://www.runawaytothestars.com/?post_type=comic&p=1904

smbc_comics_feed

Posted by Zach Weinersmith

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/forbidden

Click here to go see the bonus panel!

Hovertext:
Later it turns out the duck was getting with a porcupine and had a litter of Echidnas.

Today's News:

https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/forbidden

butajape_feed

Posted by James S

https://www.butajape.com/comic/2008/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2008

https://www.butajape.com/?post_type=webcomic1&p=3265

“OK, but what about billionaire Bruce Wayne, from the upcoming film The Dark Knight Rises, releasing in theaters 2012? Or billionaire Tony Stark, from the upcoming film The Avengers, also coming out in theaters that same year?”

– a powerful counter to the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011

Now, I want to make it absolutely clear, I really like Batman and Iron Man! And while I don’t actually believe that Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy or the propelling of former B-list superhero Iron Man to household name status were psy-op campaigns for building public trust and sympathy towards the growing billionaire tech-oligarch class, they certainly didn’t hurt that class’ image, at least.

I feel like ever since Bill Gates became the world’s richest man off of being “good at computers,” the conflation of wealth with intelligence has only grown stronger. Tech was now the quickest path to riches and all those tech guys were the biggest nerds around, ergo, “nerd=smart=rich!” And our fiction follows suit – it’s not enough that Batman is very smart and very wealthy, he must be the smartest, and therefore, the wealthiest! Cue the same for the likes of Tony Stark, Lex Luthor, etc.

And I know the nerds like to espouse, “we can tell the difference between fiction and reality!” but I just feel like if that was the case, Elon Musk would not have so easily convinced every nerd that he was the “REAL Tony Stark!” And maybe, if our pop culture wasn’t inundated with tales of heroic billionaires using their overwhelming wealth, power, and futurist ideals to save the world, we wouldn’t have been so primed to look towards these oligarchs to be our salvation.

– James

The post 2008 first appeared on But a Jape.

https://www.butajape.com/comic/2008/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2008

https://www.butajape.com/?post_type=webcomic1&p=3265