Letters (and Illustrations) from Edward Gorey

[Some envelopes must be dark and dreary.] Edward Gorey was a prolific artist who wrote over 100 books and provided illustrations for 100s of others. He also apparently took the time to illustrate mailing envelopes, as seen in a new book called “From Ted to Tom: The Illustrated En … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 23 hours ago

Self-Healing Roads

[It certainly sounds good. Would it also smell good?] Apparently, adding a bit of recycled cooking oil to roads could help asphalt last longer. Nice work, science. Link: https://www.thetimes.com/uk/transport/article/pothole-roads-cooking-oil-27vnf27bg | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 2 days ago

💧 There’s Good Meat on That Thing, Kid

[Am I lying to ya?] I recently paid another visit to the island nation of Aruba, where an assortment of lizards maintain permanent residence. This includes a lot of rather large iguanas. To my American experience, they’re reminiscent of squirrels, at least in terms of how common … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 2 days ago

Architecture Better Than Their Food

[This post is neither endorsed nor sponsored by McDonald's Corporation.] When I wrote about Googie last month, I linked to a New York Times article which included stunning shots of the McDonald’s in Downey, California. That location is the chain’s oldest operating location in the … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 4 days ago

💧 The Universe Answered

[What are the odds?] A week and a half ago, I posted about Siri’s Super Bowl failings. That piece got picked up pretty widely, which resulted in a fair amount of traffic and traction. It also seems to have prompted some emergency fixes from Apple: After my original post went up, … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 4 days ago

💧 Do Not Obey in Advance

[A week and a half in, I’m terribly sad for the world. It shouldn’t be like this.] Last month, I wrote about meat-axing my news consumption following the disastrous results of November’s presidential election. I remain broadly informed, but I’ve reduced the amount of US news I al … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 7 days ago

China’s Robot Half-Marathon

[A pace robot might be a useful idea, at least.] In April, more than 20 companies will bring robots to compete in a half-marathon in Beijing. Robots are coming for our jobs, sure, but do they have to come for our hobbies too? Previously in Beijing half-marathon weirdness: A Bad L … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 9 days ago

Too Many Americans Need a Car

[Car sharing, bike infrastructure improvements, and better land-use planning could all help.] America is extremely large, and its public transit is concentrated in cities. As Adele Peters discovered when she moved to a rural area, for folks in much of the country, it’s sadly not … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 10 days ago

Justice for Fuzai

[This is an outrage.] Apparently, China has a Corgi police dog. Fuzai joined the force last year, working on explosives detection. [Photo source] Alas, Fuzai unfairly had his year-end bonus stripped away, for preposterous reasons. Who among us hasn’t urinated in their own food bo … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 11 days ago

Perhaps the Rich Should Be Taxed More

[I hope there’s a sizeable fund set aside for Talmage’s therapy bills.] Earlier this month, I was slightly amused by the headline “Longevity-Obsessed Tech Millionaire Discontinues De-Aging Drug Out of Concerns That It Aged Him”. That’s a real petard hoisting for Bryan Johnson, wh … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 11 days ago

Semi Spikes

[“Sometimes spikes just look cool.”] Have you ever noticed spikes on the wheels of semis? They look pretty fierce. But what are they for? Jalopnik has the answer: Semi-truck wheel spikes are just simple corrosion inhibitors, meant to keep salt and grime from gunking up the thread … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 14 days ago

💧 Not So Super, Apple

[Frankly, “Use ChatGPT” is the best answer Siri has offered.] Yesterday, for reasons worth explaining only in a footnote1, I asked Siri who won Super Bowl XIII. It vomited out this hot mess: We’ll set aside that it transcribed my spoken “thirteen” as “13”, rather than the Roman n … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 16 days ago

The Most Mario Colors

[The color “Globe” appears once.] If you were looking for an incredibly deep dive on the color sequences used by Nintendo for Mario game logos, you will be delighted by Louie Mantia’s extremely ridiculous post determining “the most Mario colors”. Most Mario games with polygonal l … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 16 days ago

I Certainly Don’t Feel Like Celebrating

[The bastards learned to swim.] You just can’t drown your sorrows in champagne, and that’s bad news for makers of sparkling wine. Link: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/20/food/champagne-sales-2024/index.html | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 18 days ago

Science Fiction Didn’t Predict This

[We cannot skip world events.] Like Rebecca Shaw, I too was unprepared for the men wielding such power to be so damned pathetic. Link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/16/i-knew-one-day-id-have-to-watch-powerful-men-burn-the-world-down-i-just-didnt-expect-them-t … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 18 days ago

💧 I Wish My Monthly Expenses Were −$11,247.34

[As far as I can tell, not a single aspect of this is correct.] I recently spotted this in my bank app, and I’m concerned: I know math can be hard, but computers are sort of supposed to be good at it. It’s kind of their thing. | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 21 days ago

The Fight to Save Googie

[Optimism would be nice.] I’ve previously written briefly about Googie design, the space-age futuristic look from the middle of last century. Though its extremely car-centric, I still find the futurist style appealing. Googie is interesting, and it’s different, and it’s often fun … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 22 days ago

Car Bloat Is Killing Us

[The movement against car bloat is nascent, but it has righteousness on its side.] In recent decades, the size of cars in America has ballooned. These oversized cars increase risks for everyone else on the road, a negative externality similar to secondhand smoke. At Vox, David Zi … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 23 days ago

But Otherwise, It All Looks So Legitimate

[Is it really you, yuxingbeng.ziefen-1981mijingtan_cishikang@gmx.us?] Two days ago, I read an article about scammy text messages that request you reply to them. The very next day, I received the following: Can you guess why this text wants me to reply “Y”? It’s because the“Filte … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 24 days ago

Who Makes Steve Guttenberg a Valet?

[Exigent circumstances do.] For the past week, I’ve had a 20-year-old Bad Religion song running through my head, for reasons which are probably obvious: When the hills of Los Angeles are burnin’ Palm trees are candles in the murder wind So many lives are on the breeze Even the st … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 25 days ago

Robots Shod in Moose Shoes

[If you lose your job to AI, you can always apprentice as a robot farrier.] Estonian scientists recently published research on making robots more agile, by giving attaching moose-like hooves to their feet. The moose shoes could make robots more capable, by enabling them to: navig … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 28 days ago

Betrayed by the Failure of Others

[“They chose politics over what was best for the country.”] On January 6, 2021, Capitol Police officer Aquilino Gonell defended the lives of elected officials in the Capitol complex. Four years later, he rightly feels betrayed. Link: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/january-6th-four- … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 29 days ago

💧 Meta’s Dereliction

[This will inevitably lead to very bad things.] In Facebook’s earliest days, it enabled college students to connect with their classmates. Eventually, Facebook grew to become a way for friends, family, and acquaintances to keep in touch. Back then, your newsfeed contained updates … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Frolicking and Somersaulting

[Some days, it’s the little things.] Last fall, the National Zoo in DC welcomed two new pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao. They’re not receiving visitors just yet, but yesterday, they got to play in their first American snow. The video is a delight.1 I hope you can take a moment to app … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

💧 That Jolt Slogan

[It also makes me think of ululating, and that’s weird too.] Last week, I expressed my long-time desire to understand this slogan: [Photo credit: xxxxxCanManxxxxx at The Can Museum] But second and more importantly, I’m writing about this in the hopes of solving a decades-old myst … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Better Make Some More Door Desks

[You’d think Amazon would be better at logistics.] During the height of the COVID pandemic, huge swaths of people worked from home, and workers came to appreciate the fact that they didn’t need to spend hours of their lives commuting. More recently, however, many companies have a … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Extreme Ultraviolet Light

[It sounds pretty bad-ass.] The headline on this is misleading, as there are a few hundred of these machines, and even more techs for them. Still, it’s a fascinating look at some foundational technology that’s incredibly hard to comprehend. Link: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/asml- … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Big Penny, the Truck-Munching Bridge

[“The Society for Totally Useless Pranks and Immature Dumbassery” has my current favorite acronym of 2025.] Friend-of-the-site Colin T. knows of my love of both truck-eating bridges and googly eyes. So naturally, he swiftly alerted me to the existence of Lansing, Michigan’s Big P … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

💧 The Resurrection of Jolt Cola

[Dennis Nedry would be pleased if he weren’t fictional and dead.] As a young lad in the ’90s, I consumed soft drinks which now seem quite vile to me. I suppose that even at the time, I knew they were gross. Have you ever really looked at Mountain Dew? As slightly vulgar teenage b … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Tiny VR Goggles for Mice

[Startling mice, virtually] Scientists at Cornell have created technology to enable mice to better experience VR in the lab. I give you “MouseGoggles”! I ran some numbers, and it appears that MouseGoggles actually have almost as many daily users as Apple Vision Pro. Link: https:/ … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Oh, No, No Need to Return That

[Let me know when they pay you to take.] Hertz is moving away from EVs in their rental fleet, and they’re apparently trying to offload their existing inventory onto customers who currently have them in their possession. Despite Hertz’s statement that they’re expanding customer ch … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

A Fun New Challenge

[Slalom!] Urban cyclists looking to change things up from just getting doored or right hooked should head to Newton, Massachusetts, where a fun new challenge awaits: The state has been working on improving this road via a redesign which includes a separated bike lane, but the uti … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

The NOAA Is Fun at Parties

[Just in case you need something to argue about today.] Did you know that the NOAA has an official definition for a “white Christmas”, and that it’s incredibly nitpicky? A white Christmas is officially defined as having at least 1 inch of snow on the ground at 7 am local time Chr … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

An Extremely Questionable “Therefore”

[“Most Unusual Winter City” would probably generate less buzz.] Boston was recently named the most beautiful winter city in the world. Initially, I was surprised. Eventually, I was just amused. Now, at present, the city is nicely covered with a blanket of snow. That’s certainly a … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

For-Profit Healthcare Is Fundamentally Flawed

[“From you, alright? We learned it by watching you.”] The public response to the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has frequently been callous, but there’s a reason for that. The hundreds of millions of citizens stuck dealing with America’s for-profit healthcare system have had a … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Not The Bear Shown

[Are we sure?] Down in Virginia, a man has died after the bear he was hunting fell out of a tree and landed on him. That’s a bad way to go, and I’m sorry for both the man’s family and the bear in question. However, I am again amused by the photo accompanying the article. Here’s t … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Faking Love for the Boss

[That’s just sad.] Friend-of-the-site Alex S. alerted me to the missteps of NJ Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who was got caught faking his Spotify Wrapped in an attempt to curry favor with constituents. Gottheimer’s list included such glaring mistakes as inconsistent font sizes, i … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Maybe We Should Just Pack It in

[This feels like quite a low for civilization.] Wikipedia describes OnlyFans as “an internet content subscription service…popular with sex workers who produce pornography”. Though the article goes on to state that OnlyFans “also has a market with other content creators—including … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

TCL Can Keep Their Slop

[It’s certainly not for me. I hope it’s not for anyone else either.] Because selling TVs is no longer profitable in and of itself, TV makers now also sell data and ads. Earlier this year, TV manufacturer TCL announced they would be making content for their own ad-supported stream … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Oh, No, No Need to Return That

[Let me know when they pay you to take.] Hertz is moving away from EVs in their rental fleet, and they’re apparently trying to offload their existing inventory onto customers who currently have them in their possession. Despite Hertz’s statement that they’re expanding customer ch … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Not as Exciting as a Calf-Roping Contest

[A single vote really can make a difference.] Speaking of saving taxpayer money, two candidates for the Galt City Council recently saved their town about $99,997. When Mathew Pratton and Bonnie Rodriguez wound up tied for a single council set, they opted to forgo a costly special … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Save Taxpayers’ Money

[How about “continue enhancing public art”?] Recently, the city of Bend, Oregon issued a call to stop damaging public art. The damage they referred to was a result of the foolish removal of enhancements which had been made to sculptures found in the city’s roundabouts: [Photo cre … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Plane-Looking-Ass Rocks

[He got at least three rocks, and that’s enough to make a pile.] When researchers spotted the shape of a plane on a sonar image, they thought they might have found Amelia Earhart’s final resting place. Instead, much like Charlie Brown, they got a pile of rocks. Link: https://www. … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Snarking for Safety

[Alas, they lasted just a day or so.] Frankly, this is good advice for all drivers: The profanity on some of the other sham signs is not ideal, but bringing awareness to the violence of automobiles in America is a worthwhile endeavor. Link: https://www.cpr.org/2024/11/21/boulder- … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

💧 Golden Artches

[Did they go on Etsy? Did they scour the web? Did they commission it?] I received quite a few emails after last week’s piece about hotel art, and several including delightful stories from fellow hotel art appreciators. I thought I’d share one such story today, courtesy of reader … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 1 month ago

Somewhere Along the Way, a Mistake Had Been Made

[That’s putting it mildly.] Back in 2019, two couples in California who had worked with an unnamed I.V.F. clinic discovered that they had given birth to each others’ babies. After they realized, they had an unbearable choice to make. When the two women pulled apart, Daphna said t … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 2 months ago

💧 An Emoji-Filled Saturday Update

[Stay in touch, and tell your friends about OFT too!] It’s once again time for weekend housekeeping. Here are some updates on how you can best keep up with America’s most beloved website, One Foot Tsunami. 💩 Social Media First up, I maintain three auto-posting accounts fo … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 2 months ago

💧 I Am a Hotel Art Appreciator

[I’m thinking of having business cards made up.] For many years, I’ve been an appreciator of hotel art. I don’t mean that I value or esteem the works found in hotel rooms, but simply that I make myself aware of it. I pay attention to it and attempt to consider it with a discernin … | Continue reading


@onefoottsunami.com | 2 months ago