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The Talk Show 2025

I attended The Talk Show Live From WWDC 205 in San Jose last week. It was the first time I ever attended a taping, and it happened to coincide with the first time in the last 10 years where there wasn’t an Apple executive on the panel. It was still a good show, slightly over 2 hours long, covering Apple’s announcements the day prior. The (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqwPUHTFEkg)[full video] is on YouTube.

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A Break From Social Norms

About a week ago, I deactivated all of my social media accounts—TikTok, Instagram, BlueSky, Threads, and even Facebook (though, let’s be honest, I barely use Facebook anymore). No big announcement. No dramatic “see you later.” Just gone. Quietly.

Sometimes the need to disconnect comes slow. Other times, it hits all at once.

Lately, I’ve felt spread too thin—skimming through feeds, double-tapping photos I won’t remember, saving videos I’ll never go back to. Social media, for all its good, can feel like a low hum that never turns off. I wanted silence. Or at least, something closer to it.

So I signed out.

Now, I’m giving my attention back to this blog—the place that’s always been mine, even when I’ve neglected it. It’s dusty. A bit uneven. But it feels like home. There’s something grounding about writing in a space that doesn’t exist to chase algorithms or ride trends. Just me, my thoughts, and the occasional photo.

Speaking of photos…

For my birthday this year, I received a Fujifilm X100VI. I’ve been a Sony A7III shooter for years—still love it—but man, that thing is heavy. Beautiful sensor, serious performance, but not exactly casual. More of a “strap it on and commit” kind of camera. When I wasn’t using it, I defaulted to my iPhone. Which, honestly, is great in the moment but never feels like I’m photographing, just… snapping.

The X100VI hits differently.

It’s compact enough to bring everywhere, but still makes me think about the frame. It slows me down, in a good way. Makes me see again. I’m relearning the feel of shooting with intention. And more than anything, I’m reminding myself to just take more photos. Not for likes, not for a curated feed—just because I enjoy it.

The plan, if you can call it that, is to post here more often. Short entries, maybe a photo or two. Nothing big. But something real.

For now, I’m enjoying the quiet. Social media will still be there when I’m ready to return. Maybe in a week. Maybe longer. But for now, I’m making space—for photos, for writing, for something a little less frantic.

And that feels like a break worth taking.

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Photo taken at the previously mentioned Billie Eilish concert at SAP with my iPhone 16 Pro Max from section 213.

Not too bad for a camera photo.

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The wife and I took the kids to see her at her second show at SAP Arena. She talked and engaged with the crowd who loved every moment of it.

Great performance.

BILLIE EILISH for NPR Music's ‘Tiny Desk Concert’

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I just deactivated my Twitter account. I’ve had it since 2007, but it hasn’t been of any use for several years.

Time to move on.

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A Second “Doomday Fish” Washes Ashore

"The rare, slender oarfish has often been called a “doomsday fish” in popular culture, particularly in Japan where historically it have been viewed as a deep sea messenger of disaster or doom. Across Asia, anecdotal accounts of oarfish deaths have preceded earthquakes and other natural disasters."

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I wonder how my colleagues feel?

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buzz aldrin looks like he’s about to tie trump to a rocket and launch him off into space

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3D-printed Joy-Con grip that holds your games ⊟

I’m back on Thingiverse again, and I found this really cool project by asbeg, which combines a Joy-Con grip with 3D printed cartridge cases. They slide right into the grip! This is objectively better than the official one.

THE NEW CLUB TINY IS HERE  Support Tiny Cartridge!

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://verbal.blog turned 10 today!

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A "Live Photo" in front of the visitors center at Natural Bridges.

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Yes!

Street Artist JerkFace Creates Ren and Stimpy Mural in Brooklyn

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One of my wife's favorite songs.

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David Ayer has tweeted the first full cast picture of the Suicide Squad. Will Smith also revealed the full Deadshot costume on his Facebook page.

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And yet another way to tell the story of Frozen.

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Verbal's Tumblr turned 8 today!

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The Multiversity Guidebook is out and we get to see almost all of the 52 Earths in the DC multiverse (curse you 7 unknown universes!). So I was thinking which Earth would you want to read more from? I asked my fellow contributors and this is what they had to say.

Bryan: Earth-12.

Scott: Earth-32. I’m interested in seeing how these amalgam heroes work and who the amalgam villains are.

Mark: Earth-11. Because I like to see more bad ass women kicking ass!

Anthony: Earth-3. Sorry, I just love villainy, world domination and Owlman.

Agustin: Earth-30. Not sure if there are any more stories to tell, but I would love more.

Emma: Earth-21.