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Yucking My Yum

My newest game involves pretending I am a researcher at the North Pole, in Antarctica, on the frozen surface of Mars. I am here to do field observations! (Today, Hideous White Stuff fell from the sky.) I am quite alone. I keep in close contact with a battalion of fellow scientists through phone & text, but I will continue to be isolated from all human contact until the thaw...

After all, this is the coldest December in many years. Or so we're being told.

###

RTT shared my sadness over Rob Reiner's death. "The Princess Bride was my favorite movie growing up!" he told me. Which I kinda don't think is true, but I appreciated the solidarity.

Ichabod, the implacable social justice warrior, was sniffier. I don’t want to yuck your yum, he texted, and it is sad…and I get that celebrities and rich people mean more to us as a culture than pretty much anybody else besides friends and family…but there’s just so much including death that feels sadder and more tragic to me right now.

(Yuck my yum??? I'm in ❤️LUV❤️)

I tried explaining it to him.

No, I'm not stanning. At least, I don't think I'm stanning.

I don't feel like I knew Rob Reiner. Though I do kinda feel like I stood next to him on an elevator once, and we exchanged pleasantries.

It's more like Reiner repped what I might call the consumate Boomer ethos. And I am a Boomer. His work spoke to me. It was a far less personal conversation than the one I might have with, say, Fellini (La Strada), or Joseph Losey (The Go Between), or Truffaut (Les quatre cents coups). Reiner didn't know anything about my soul. But he knew a lot about my circumstances.

Reiner was no auteur!

The only film of his that broke any kind of precedent was This Is Spinal Tap, which more-or-less invented the mockumentary genre.

He had no signature visual style. Cinematically, you could call him a Steven Spielberg wannabe.

His films were often humorous, but then, he directed scripts by funny screenwriters, William Goldman, Nora Ephron. (Though, reportedly, I'll have what she's having—the funniest line in When Harry Met Sally—was a Reiner ad lib.)

But his films—more craft than art, as I say—were kind of like a series of dioramas in some great museum of Boomer Life.

###

Take When Harry Met Sally..., which I watched last night.

I don't know whether Ichabod has ever seen When Harry Met Sally... but I'm certain he would dislike it. Its basic thesis—Discuss: Men & women cannot be friends!—would not strike him as mischievous or playful at all, but as abhorrent. He would sit patiently through the closing credits and then announce, Gender is an artificial concept. Which, of course, is true.

Attitudes change.

We are biased in favor of the attitudes that informed our youths (roughly defined as that time in our life when we first realized we could manifest our own opinions. For most people, that's the early 20s.)

But if personal growth is a goal, one realizes that the social/cultural matrix has evolved into a different thing than it was during our youth. And we change our attitudes.

Those early attitudes continue to survive, though—even thrive—in the music and movies we love.

Entry tags:

film,
hallmark

(no subject)

Oy to the World

I did not have high expectations for this year's Hallmark Hannukah movie and this about lived up to my expectations.

When Jake, Rabbi's son, and Nikki, Reverend's daughter, were teenagers, they were inseparable best friends, until high school academics made them rivals and brought out a dysregulated competitive streak in both that ruptured the friendship.

As grownups, they both seem to live stunted lives. Nicki appears to have zero adult friends and works at her father's small church as children's choir director. Jake has spent 20 years playing tiny NYC rock clubs and chasing a label signing (in 2025!) and refusing to visit his henpecking mother.

When the temple has a fire the week before Hannukah, the church invites their Jewish neighbors to make use of the church space to celebrate Hanukkah. This soon bizarrely evolves into a joint Chrismukkah with combined sermon ("Both Hanukkah and Christmas are about love," natch) and combined choir concert, as Jake and Nikki are guilted and manipulated into co-choir directing by their pandering parents.

The Chrismukkah merger is eerily frictionless. The movie is not at all interested in interrogating the reasons why Hanukkah and Christmas are distinct observances or exploring how Jewish people and Christian people are different and approach the world differently. Religion is represented as a sort of universal fiber, with the different versions no different than a comic book with variant covers.

This lack of friction extends to the film's romantic chemistry. Jake Epstein and Brooke D'Orsay are charming actors and it's clear that their characters like each other, but because all their seeming differences resolve so simply, we don't see their relationship really deepen. Everyone in both families is on board with intermarriage, nobody discusses what religion future children will be raised in, everything is just easy. At worst, Nikki is briefly confronted at dinner eith the fact that if she marries Jake, her mother in law will be the worst version of a stereotypical Jewish mother in law, but this is quickly papered over. Even the inevitable, overforeshadowed moment where Jake has to miss the concert to go back to New York and meet with a label is resolved without any argument, and doesn't actually force Jake to compromise. Surprise! Turns out he can make it to the concert after all, without missing his meeting.

Hallmark really fooled us with Round and Round. The past two years have been a reversion to the nonsense we used to get in Hallmark Hanukkah movies. I will continue to watch them, of course, but I am back to watching them with gritted teeth.

Current Mood: cold
Current Location: Rat te Kāinga

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Cold weather is not currently seasonable

All of my cold weather clothing is either military surplus or hand me downs from cousins in the oil fields.

I might need to figure this out. (This is JANUARY weather, not December!)

Christmas Movie Dress Advent Calendar Day 16: Loretta Young in THE BISHOP’S WIFE

Posted by Lorenzo Marquez

https://tomandlorenzo.com/2025/12/christmas-movie-dress-advent-calendar-day-16-loretta-young-in-the-bishops-wife/

https://tomandlorenzo.com/?p=481137

Yesterday, the perfect Christmas girlfriend! Today, the perfect holiday wife. You didn’t think we were just going to feature the remake, did you? In director Henry Koster’s The Bishop’s Wife, Loretta Young play’s Julia, the title character, who has become enamored of her husband’s (David Niven) angelic helper Dudley, played by Cary Grant. After providing aid and guidance to the bishop and various parishioners, Dudley decorates their Christmas tree and reveals to Julia that he’s developed feelings for her.

She is shocked by Dudley’s forwardness and rejects him outright, Dudley leaves and all memory of him goes with him. Julia and her husband reunite happily, all problems solved. The point of this dress, from the costume design team of Irene Sharaff and Adrian, is largely the same as the one worn by Whitney Houston in The Preacher’s Wife; it’s supposed to thread the needle on depicting her as a modest woman of faith while at the same time delivering the level of glamour expected of a leading lady in a mainstream film in 1947. It’s very flattering, if nearly featureless on camera, but that delicate lace collar adds just the right amount of conservative modesty while also providing some visual interest near her perpetually soft-focused face. The effect is akin to a glamourous, beautiful nun; a comparison the famously devout Catholic Young almost certainly would have enjoyed.

Next up: Another sad holiday frock!

[Photo/Still Credit: Samuel Goldwyn Productions]

The post Christmas Movie Dress Advent Calendar Day 16: Loretta Young in THE BISHOP’S WIFE appeared first on Tom + Lorenzo.

https://tomandlorenzo.com/2025/12/christmas-movie-dress-advent-calendar-day-16-loretta-young-in-the-bishops-wife/

https://tomandlorenzo.com/?p=481137

What People Are Getting Wrong This Week: These Common Christmas Myths

Posted by Stephen Johnson

https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/what-people-are-getting-wrong-this-week-christmas-myths?utm_medium=RSS

Season's greetings and all that. In honor of this most special time of the year, I'm taking a look at commonly held Christmas myths and misconceptions. I busted a ton of Jesus myths a couple weeks ago, then got secular and finally revealed the truth about Santa Claus, so this week I'm doing a round-up of seasonal misinformation, both religious and secular.

Religious Christmas myths

Jesus was born in a stable

The Gospels aren't specific about where where Jesus was born, other than "Bethlehem." Here's how Luke 2:4–7 is traditionally translated: "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." But that isn't entirely accurate, because it turns out Greek word καταλυμα (kataluma) doesn't mean "inn." It means something closer to "spare room," and since the holy family was in Bethlehem because it was where Joseph was from, it seems more likely that they were crashing at a friend or relative's place, all the bedrooms upstairs were taken, so they were sleeping downstairs, where people kept the animals—hence, the manger. The stable idea likely stuck because it’s visually simple and works well for nativity scenes, and it's in keeping with the point of the story: Jesus was born in humble circumstance.

Three wise men attended Jesus' birth

The Gospel of Matthew says King Herod told an unspecified number of "wise men" (or Magi) to go to Bethlehem, because a star appeared heralding the birth of the Messiah. So they went off to find him to bring him gifts. We don't know how many of said wise men went to Bethlehem or how long it took them to get there, but Matthew 2:11 says they visited a house. The Bible does say they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh, so at least that part is right.

Calling it "Xmas" is attempting to cross the "Christ" out of "Christmas"

This is a weird one, but a lot of Christians think the use of "Xmas" is part of the ongoing secular War on Christmas, but it isn't. In the Greek New Testament, the word for Christ is "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ." Using XP or X to indicate Christ dates back to early Christians writing in Greek, and it was used in English writing, too. Something like Xmas (Xp̄es mæsse) was written as early as 1100 a.d. to indicate "Christ's Mass" or Christmas. That was centuries before secular Christmas even existed.

Secular Christmas myths

"Jingle Bells" is a Christmas song

"Jingle Bells" is not a Christmas song—technically. Even though it's probably the song most widely associated with the holiday, there's no mention of Christmas in the lyrics. It's just a song about how much fun it is to go a'riding in a one-horse, open sleigh. (Another common misconception about "Jingle Bells" is that it was written for Thanksgiving. That's not true either.)

Like a lot of history, "Jingle Bells" is more troubling than you might think. It was written by James Pierpont and first performed at a minstrel show in 1857. Sleigh riding is a great subject for songs, so there was a whole subgenre of minstrel songs about it, some more racist than others, and "Jingle Bells" is the one that survived.

Other Christmas songs that don't mention the holiday include "Let It Snow," "Winter Wonderland," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Home for the Holidays," and "Frosty the Snowman." Technically, none of these are Christmas songs if you use the most strict definition of "Christmas song," but on the other hand, they're songs everyone sings around Christmas, and they're generally about winter fun and holidays and whatnot, so there's a strong argument that they actually are Christmas songs. It's the kind of thing you can decide for yourself.

Boxing Day is for boxing up gifts you're going to return

December 26 is called "Boxing Day," and a lot of people think it got the name because that's the day we box up presents we don't want and return them to the store. But the holiday originated in England and it was a day that rich people would give their servants the day off and a box of presents, and/or just give some presents or donations to local unfortunates.

Mrs. Claus' first name

We know Mr. Claus' first name is "Santa," but what about his wife? It turns out she doesn't have a first name. Santa's source material, St. Nicolas, was a Catholic bishop, so he didn't have a wife. The collective unconscious filled in the details of Santa Claus as a mythical figure (The North Pole home, the worker elves, etc.) but no one ever gave Mrs. Claus a name that stuck.

Here are a few attempts, though: in 1985 film Santa Claus: The Movie Mrs. Claus is named "Anya." She's called "Margaret" in the 2011 movie Arthur Christmas. She's named "Carol" in the Santa Clause movies (but in that mythology, she will be replaced when she dies). These are all one-offs, but there's one Mrs. Claus name that has a few data points backing it up: Jessica.

Reportedly, the creators of the 1970's stop-motion film Santa Claus is Comin' to Town called Mrs. Claus' character "Jessica," although she's not referred to as that in the movie. Ryan Reynolds called Mrs. Claus "Jessica" on Instagram. Most importantly, this random little girl in 1974 said Mrs. Claus' name is Jessica, so I'm going with that one.

https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/what-people-are-getting-wrong-this-week-christmas-myths?utm_medium=RSS

Entry tags:

fluffing,
international honor your influences week,
linkage,
litcrit,
music

“i just found this smile to think about you / you’re a saturday night far from the madding crowd”

A link for you, and a link for you, and, yes, a link for you, too. All three are for the anonymous gifter of a paid account -- thank you, whoever you are:

Drone videos of black sand beaches in Iceland.

There I Ruined It presents Santa Claus Is Coming to Town as sung by Radiohead, to the tune of “Creep.” (via)

A contemporary (1813) review of Pride and Prejudice. That Mr Collins was considered a recognizable type and not a caricature is interesting. (via lost)

---L.

Subject quote from On Grafton Street, Nanci Griffith.

T LOunge for December 16th 2025

Posted by Lorenzo Marquez

https://tomandlorenzo.com/2025/12/t-lounge-for-december-16th-2025/

https://tomandlorenzo.com/?p=481153

Gloria Osteria Restaurant – Paris, France

GRANDEUR, darlings! Pronounced Frenchily, bien sûr. Isn’t that what we all deserve this TUESDAY? The answer is yes. Join us.

Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ Unwraps Record-Breaking 20th Week at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
The carol makes history 31 years after its release.
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” achieves a record-breaking 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, rewriting the mark for the longest reign over the chart’s 67-year history.
The song, originally released in 1994, surpasses the No. 1 runs of two hits that led the Hot 100 over one release cycle each: Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” in 2024, and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, in 2019.
Carey claims the Hot 100’s No. 1 longevity record for a second time — In 1995-96, her and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” dominated for 16 weeks, a mark that stood on its own for more than 23 years, until it was tied by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, in 2017, and then passed by “Old Town Road.” (She, thus, breaks the record with a song released before “One Sweet Day.”)

The Final Season of Outlander Brings TV’s Hottest Time-Traveling Romance to a Fiery End
Caitríona Balfe and showrunner Matthew B. Roberts unveil an exclusive look at the emotional last chapter and talk landing the plane—not rocking the boat: “People have come to this show for a decade, let’s just give them something that they have come to expect.”
Perhaps the only thing harder than living happily ever after in reality is scripting it for the screen—after eight seasons of Outlander, the time-traveling, bodice-ripping romantic fantasy series will come to an end next spring. “It kept me up at night,” executive producer Matthew B. Roberts tells Vanity Fair. Riding off into the sunset has always been a tricky proposition for beloved TV characters like Caitríona Balfe’s Claire Beauchamp and Sam Heughan’s Jamie Fraser, whose love story electrified fans from its 2014 debut and became one of the most successful shows ever on Starz.
But Roberts, who assumed showrunning duties from fellow EP Ronald D. Moore at the conclusion of season two, stuck firmly to the show’s DNA for its final installment. “I said to everybody, let’s try not to do that Very Special Outlander season. It’s already special,” he says. “People have come to this show for a decade, let’s just do what we do, do it well, and give them something that they have come to expect.”

Hold Up, Your Favourite Tweakments May Not Be Vegetarian or Vegan
All your questions, answered
It was only when I was lying back on a treatment bed, face numbed, and a skin pen hovering just millimetres above my face that I had a realisation: I had no idea where the exosomes that were about to be stamped into my face came from. Now, this may sound incredibly beauty editor specific, but I’d wager that the majority of us don’t know what ingredients are being used in our treatments—right down to the fundamentals of whether they’re vegetarian or vegan.

Makeup That Outsmarts Bad Lighting: The Pro Tricks for the Worst-Lit Season
Because the best makeup doesn’t rely on good lighting
Most of us have turned a full circle trying to ‘find the light’ for a selfie. And almost every home has that mirror—the one that flatters and makes you feel momentarily polished and perfectly made up. However, like many of us, I’ve learned the hard way that good makeup can fall apart in the wrong lighting. You leave the house confident, then catch your reflection somewhere less forgiving and question everything.

Wearing the Right Makeup for Your Eye Shape Can Be Transformative—a Makeup Artist Explains How to Do It
Just in time for party season
As someone with hooded eyes, I learnt very early on that my lids require a specific type of makeup application to look their very best. So although I firmly believe there are no rules when it comes to makeup, there are several techniques and products that can enhance every eye shape with minimal effort.
With party season now upon us, you might be on the hunt for makeup for hooded eyes or the best mascara to make your lashes stand out for every occasion. But knowing exactly where to start, or the eye looks that will suit you, isn’t always easy.

Looking For a Way To Easily Update Your Everyday Winter Outfits? Just Add Statement Socks
Fun, affordable, and oh-so-chic
We’re all searching for ways to make our everyday outfits feel, well, a little less everyday. Yes, there’s something undeniably cool about pulling on the same jeans and a V-neck knit each morning, but after a while—and I say this as someone who has lived in exactly that outfit for the past few weeks—it starts to feel decidedly dull. Instead, we need quick, low-effort solutions that instantly lift our favourite looks. And this season, one styling trick reigns supreme: bring on the statement sock.

10 biggest pop culture moments of 2025
From Labubus to West End Girls.
If 2025 will be remembered for anything, it’ll be the sheer volume of content that we created. Whether it was Lady Gaga’s return, KPop Demon Hunters taking over our screens, Rachel Zegler singing Evita from a balcony in London, Cardi B’s trial, or Mamdani fever sweeping the world – this year was packed with the kind of viral events that united us on the internet. While there were many to choose from, we’ve picked out the top ten moments that we couldn’t stop talking about this year.

25 shoulder-length hairstyles that are far from boring
All the midi-cut inspo you could need.
Shoulder-length hairstyles or medium-length hairstyles are all the craze, perhaps because that is a hard stage of hair growth to style. If you’re umm-ing and ahh-ing over what to get for your next hair cut, there’s a surefire winner when it comes to hair length. A medium-length hairstyles chop will not only get rid of any split ends or heat damaged lengths, but it also looks great on absolutely everyone, helping to frame the face and highlight the collar bone for an ultra flattering finish.

From the $236 Million Klimt to the Louvre Heist, It Was a Wild Year in the Art World
There was Trump, there was Koons, and there were many, many gallery dinners. A spin through everything our art correspondent saw in 2025.
French Exit
The most shocking event on the art year calendar had to be the heist at the Louvre—a brazen crime at the world’s most famous museum hours before Art Basel kicked off the biggest cultural week of the year in Paris. The fair and all its satellite events happened as planned, and the Louvre even managed to reopen by Thursday…though if you were an Art Basel VVVIP, I reported that you could get a private tour of the museum even when it was closed to the public. Quelle fléx!

Plaid Nails Are the Classic Winter Manicure to Try ASAP
From cool matte to edgy holographic.
There’s no better time for a maximalist manicure than the holidays, and plaid nails are the must-try trend this year. The pattern is a winter classic for a reason, but there are so many ways to personalize it to your mani vibe.
While traditional red and green plaid nails are always on the table—and hey, the Ralph Lauren Christmas aesthetic is going viral this holiday season—this manicure trend has major range for the holidays and beyond. You can opt for a preppy, detailed look or a modern twist on the pattern by enlarging it and adding some accent gems. If you need a serotonin boost, try a glittery rainbow plaid—or lean into the winter blues with cozy, moody tones.

13 Holiday Bread Recipes From Challah to Panettone
From Italy, Germany, or the Philippines, these festive breads bring global traditions to your table.
Braided, spiced, studded, and banana leaf-wrapped breads have become holiday traditions across America with influences from around the world. Savor the moment with a baking project and celebrate the season with Italian panettone, German stollen, Filipino bibingka, and Jewish babka or challah. Serve warm loaves and slices at your holiday gatherings to break festive bread with your loved ones.

UNESCO Just Awarded Italian Cuisine One of the World’s Most Prestigious Cultural Honors
The designation highlights Italy’s long-standing communal foodways, from regional harvest traditions to daily cooking practices passed down through generations.
Rome’s Colosseum glowed with celebratory lights this week as Italy marked a historic milestone: Its cuisine was officially recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — the first time an entire national cuisine has received this honor.
“Italian cuisine has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” Erica Di Giovancarlo, trade commissioner and executive director for the U.S.A at the Italian Trade Agency, said in an emailed statement. “This honor pays tribute to our traditions and the passion we have long brought to the table. It is a recognition that highlights Italian cuisine as a profound expression of our nation’s identity and culture that is cherished and celebrated across the globe.”

11 Best Anime of 2025, From Gachiakuta to One Piece
The holiday break is a great chance to catch up on any new anime you missed!
It’s almost the end of the year, which means it’s time to look back and share our highlights, and is there a better way than by revisiting the best anime of 2025? For lovers of the medium, we don’t think so.
All in all, 2025 was an excellent year for anime. From new exciting titles to long-anticipated second parts and even decades-in-the-making conclusions, this year had it all. Of course, we can’t talk about anime in 2025 without giving an honorable mention to the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle, Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc — three films that congregated anime fans in theaters around the world while amassing great successes at the box office.

‘Frankenstein’ Production Designer Tamara Deverell Build Epic Lab and Ship Sets for Guillermo del Toro’s Gothic Tale
When Guillermo del Toro called on production designer Tamara Deverell to work on “Frankenstein,” one thing was clear: there would be no green screen. Everything would be handmade from scratch. “We had 20 sculptors at any given moment working,” Deverell says.
Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” traces young Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) as he comes to terms with his mother’s death. In doing so, he decides he’s going to find the answer to eternal life and spends his years building what becomes the Creature (Jacob Elordi).

3 Foods to Avoid Cooking in Your Cast-Iron Skillet, According to Experts
The good news is that most things are still on the table.
Technically, you can cook just about anything in a cast-iron skillet. It’s one of our favorite kitchen tools, and we use it for everything from Sunday morning pancakes and Dutch babies to seared steak and sautéed vegetables. Maintaining a well-seasoned cast-iron pan takes time and patience, but the coating only gets better and more protective with age and use. But there are three things you should avoid cooking in a cast-iron skillet if you’re not sure the pan has been properly seasoned and cared for. Ahead, we spoke to an iron cookware expert and food scientist to get their insights.

Why Winter Is the Right Time to Rotate Your Rugs, According to Carpet-Care Pros
The benefits of giving your rugs a seasonal reset.
If you’re like most, rotating your rugs probably occurs to you even less than rotating your mattress. But there are plenty of good reasons to rotate your rugs, especially in the winter months.
We went to carpet-cleaning experts to find out exactly why rotating rugs during this season is so essential and how to best establish it as part of your routine. Your rugs were likely an investment—and one that’s worth protecting—and rotating them in the winter is one regular precaution you can take.

10 Best Towns to Visit in Switzerland for Enchanting Castles, Majestic Mountain Views, and Gorgeous Alpine Lakes
Discover lakeside retreats, historic villages, and destinations tucked away in the Alps.
Switzerland’s beauty is legendary, and it comes in all forms—from snowcapped mountains and freshwater lakes to picturesque pastoral scenes and charming architecture. While the country’s larger cities are gorgeous in their own right, it’s in the small towns and tiny villages that you can fully immerse yourself in this Swiss splendor. Plus, with over 2,000 municipalities, Switzerland offers a seemingly endless number of day trips and pit stops.

[Photo Credit: gloria-osteria.com]

T LOunge

The post T LOunge for December 16th 2025 appeared first on Tom + Lorenzo.

https://tomandlorenzo.com/2025/12/t-lounge-for-december-16th-2025/

https://tomandlorenzo.com/?p=481153

Six Ways You Can Use an Old Chromecast (Beyond Streaming Movies and Shows)

Posted by David Nield

https://lifehacker.com/tech/everything-to-do-with-old-chromecast-beyond-stream-movies-and-shows?utm_medium=RSS

Chromecasts were one of the most useful little gadgets that Google ever made, so of course it decided to ditch the product line. The Google Cast functionality lives on in the Google TV Streamer and Google TV devices and televisions, but sadly we won't see another Chromecast go on sale.

If you've got an older Chromecast hanging around, it'll still work fine for now. However, you might soon be moving on to a newer streaming device—or perhaps you already have—and that's left you wondering what to do with your older hardware. In fact, these small dongles are more versatile than you might have realized.

While streaming content from the likes of Netflix and Apple TV is going to be the primary use for these devices for most people, you can do plenty more with them—thanks to the casting support that Google and other developers have built into their apps.

Keep an eye on your property

If you've got a Chromecast-compatible security camera (including Google's Nest Cams), you can see a live feed on your Chromecast, making it easy to set up a mini security monitoring center if you have a smaller monitor or television somewhere to spare.

Getting the feed up on screen is as easy as saying "hey Google, show my..." followed by the camera name (as listed in the Google Home app). On the Chromecast with Google TV, you can also open the Google Home widget that appears on the main Settings pane.

Set up a second screen wirelessly

You can cast anything from a Chrome tab. Credit: Lifehacker

Something else you can throw to a Chromecast in seconds: any tab you happen to have open in Google Chrome on your laptop or desktop. Just click the three dots in the top right corner of the tab, then choose Cast, Save and Share > Cast.

This means you can use the monitor or TV that your Chromecast is hooked up to as a second screen, with no cables required—just a wifi network.

Stream music, podcasts, and audiobooks

When it comes to slinging content to your TV screen, you're going to think about movies and shows first and foremost, but the Google Cast standard works with audio apps as well—including the likes of Spotify, Pocket Casts, and Audible.

This is especially worth looking into if you've got a soundbar or a high-end speaker system connected to your television, because it means you can enjoy your audio streams at a much higher volume and a much higher level of quality, compared to your phone.

Play some simple games

This one needs a Chromecast with local storage installed, so I'm primarily talking about the Chromecast with Google TV. That device supports local apps, which means it also lets you set up games to play with the remote or a connected Bluetooth controller.

See what you can find by browsing the Google Play Store, but Super Macro 64 showcases 25 different titles you can play easily, while the folks at XDA Developers have put together a full guide to creating a retro game emulator with the help of RetroArch.

Display photos and wallpapers

Your Chromecast can display photos and even artwork. Credit: Lifehacker

Chromecasts work great as a way to add some ambience to a room when you're not actually watching something on a TV or monitor. You can show your own personal pictures, or a selection of nature shots, or pretty much anything you want.

Either cast via Google Photos (open an album, tap the three dots in the top right corner, then Cast), or set up a screensaver through the Google Home app. Select your Chromecast, tap the gear icon (top right), then choose Ambient mode.

Keep in touch

Trying to hold video calls—whether with family over the holidays or colleagues during a meeting—isn't always easy on a phone screen or even a laptop screen, so why not take advantage of a larger monitor or TV with a Chromecast plugged into it?

For this to work you need to be using Google Meet in a web browser on a computer. You can either choose the "cast this meeting" option before it starts, or click the three dots during the meeting (Google has full instructions online).

https://lifehacker.com/tech/everything-to-do-with-old-chromecast-beyond-stream-movies-and-shows?utm_medium=RSS

Entry tags:

advent 2025

Advent calendar 16

Rose made Phebe promise that she would bring her stocking into the 'Bower' as she called her pretty room, on Christmas morning, because that first delicious rummage loses half its charm if two little night-caps at least do not meet over the treasures, and two happy voices Oh and Ah together.

So when Rose opened her eyes that day they fell upon faithful Phebe, rolled up in a shawl, sitting on the rug before a blazing fire, with her untouched stocking laid beside her.

"Merry Christmas!" cried the little mistress, smiling gayly.

"Merry Christmas!" answered the little maid, so heartily that it did one good to hear her.

Entry tags:

Books and Media

1. ( Reread: Georgette Heyer mysteries )

2.( Reread: almost all my DWJ books )

3.( Reread: Agatha Christie Parker Pyne short stories )

4. ( Wake Up Dead Man, the new Benoit Blanc movie )

5. ( Heated Rivalry )

This LG Curved Gaming Monitor Is Over $500 Off Right Now

Posted by Pradershika Sharma

https://lifehacker.com/tech/lg-45gx950a-b-ultragear-oled-monitor-sale-december-2025?utm_medium=RSS

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At just under $1,460 on Amazon right now (down from $1,999.99), the LG 45GX950A-B Ultragear OLED is still a major investment, but a serious one for anyone who cares about pixel density, immersion, and future-proof display tech.

LG 45GX950A-B Ultragear OLED Monitor

$1,459.93 at Amazon

$1,999.99 Save $540.06

LG 45GX950A-B 45-inch Ultragear 5K2K WUHD (5120 x 2160) OLED Curved Gaming Monitor, Dual-Mode, 165Hz, 0.03ms, NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, HDR True Black 400, USB Type-C 90W, DP2.1, Black

$1,459.93 at Amazon

$1,999.99 Save $540.06

You’re looking at a 45-inch ultrawide curved OLED screen with a resolution of 5120 x 2160, which puts it in rare territory. It doesn’t just look good; it’s one of the only displays of this size and shape that offers this much clarity, according to PCMag’s “excellent” review. Compared to more extreme 32:9 panels, its 21:9 aspect ratio feels a little more natural for everyday use and offers more usable vertical space. Whether you’re gaming or multitasking, that extra resolution pays off in clean text, sharper details, and more visible screen real estate.

The curved 800R OLED panel of the 45GX950A-B is paired with a 165Hz refresh rate at full resolution and can go up to 330Hz if you drop the resolution down to 1080p. Add in DisplayPort 2.1, two HDMI 2.1 ports, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync compatibility, and this thing is clearly built for performance. Input lag numbers back it up, with sub-10ms results in most tested modes. The monitor also supports multiple display modes depending on your use case, like a 4K 16:9 mode at 37 inches if you're watching movies or need tighter framing. The stand is solid, adjustable, and surprisingly desk-friendly for a monitor this large, and the USB-C port with 90W power delivery is a nice touch for anyone using it with a laptop setup.

Still, it’s not a monitor for everyone. The rated brightness is only 275 nits, which means it won’t pop in sunlit rooms the way some Mini LED or IPS panels do. And while it does have internal speakers with a bit of bass, they’re not loud enough to carry a room—headphones are still the way to go. But if you’ve got the desk space, GPU power, and budget, the 45GX950A-B might be the best way to go big without going full TV.

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https://lifehacker.com/tech/lg-45gx950a-b-ultragear-oled-monitor-sale-december-2025?utm_medium=RSS

Tackle Your Biggest Projects With a Daily 'Power Hour'

Posted by Lindsey Ellefson

https://lifehacker.com/work/increase-productivity-with-power-hour?utm_medium=RSS

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When you think of “power hour,” you might think of a drinking game, but what we’re about to discuss is kind of the opposite of that—sorry! "Power Hour" is also a specific productivity hack. It comes from Adrienne Herbert’s book, Power Hour: How to Focus on Your Goals and Create a Life You Love and asks you to devote an hour a day to working hard on your biggest task—or the thing you care about the most. I'm skeptical of self-help and productivity books in general, but I do recommend this one because its insights are valuable and novel. Don't have time to read it right now? No big deal. The need-to-know concepts are below.

What is a "Power Hour"?

At its core, the Power Hour is about reclaiming part of your daily time and devoting it to something intentional. The author uses flowery language here, saying you should do this in the first hour of your day “before the rest of the world needs your love, attention, and energy,” and suggests using the Power Hour for a task that is meaningful to you. You can adapt it, however, to be for productivity, even on tasks that are more necessary and boring than your passion projects. I am not a particularly saccharine person, so I don't relate to all this stuff about the world needing my "love," but I have found that since I started devoting the first hour of my day to something that matters to me—namely, a strictly scheduled Pilates class that benefits my personal fitness and lifestyle goals, undertaken before my friends are even awake—I have become more productive and, generally, happier. In my experience, this idea works.

Herbert suggests using the first hour of the day for this, but you can also use a time of day that makes most sense for you. Everyone is different and has different “peaks” of productivity, largely determined by the time of day and something called the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which shows that you’re likely to be most productive when you have a little stress (like a deadline) but not too much (like a deadline that’s in 15 minutes). Use time tracking software and a daily journal to figure out when you generally have your most productive moments, then shape your Power Hour around those. For the most part, this is a habit you should try to build and stick to, so putting the Power Hour at a predetermined time every day is advisable; but if something like a big project crops up, you have some wiggle room to move it around to suit your needs.

To keep using myself as an example, my morning workout Power Hour works because I book my class two days in advance, so there is no question about whether or not I have to wake up at 5 a.m. that day; I simply do. But it can still be a little flexible as long as you are committed to getting the Power Hour in there somewhere on days your typical approach falls short. This weekend, something came up that forced me to cancel my morning class, but you better believe I was in there in the afternoon because I know this method works and I owed it to myself. That mindset will take you far with this.

How to use a Power Hour for productivity

Once you’ve decided where in your day the Power Hour should go, it’s time to get started. You’ll be engaging in deep work here, or uninterrupted work that is solely focused on one task. Your first step to getting there is to block the Power Hour off in a way that both holds you accountable and lets other people know you’re busy. Be sure to mark it in your calendar and stick to it, but also try to include it on public-facing calendars, whether they’re ones you use with your family or with your colleagues.

Next, you have to get into the deep work, which means focusing for a straight hour. A few things can help you do this:

Software that limits distractions, like Steppin, which blocks pre-determined apps at all times but unblocks them in exchange for banked time you earn by walking around in the real world, or Focus Pomo, which blocks all your apps when you're in a "focus session."
A Pomodoro-style timer to count down the hour so you aren’t watching the clock. (Just make sure it has a full 60-minute option; some of them don’t.)

Or, do what I do and engage in your chosen task in a way that makes it impossible to do anything else. When I am in my morning workout classes, I can't touch my phone or do anything but focus on what I'm being instructed to do; it's just one of the many reasons I've opted for group fitness over solo gym trips lately. If your Power Hour is dedicated to reading, put your devices in another room while you do it. Take meaningful steps to ensure you are only focused on your task, whatever that looks like for you.

Depending on how you usually work, a Power Hour could take some time to get used to, especially if you’re someone who usually multitasks or loses focus. Once you get the hang of it, though, you can use it to blast through all kinds of tasks, whether those include work-related activities, cleaning your house, budgeting, or anything else you lack the time and attention to pull off in a typical day. Communicating that you’re busy and sticking to the schedule are key, so make sure to plan for this before you try it.

https://lifehacker.com/work/increase-productivity-with-power-hour?utm_medium=RSS

Entry tags:

Archive News

My archive book list was running low, so I decided to spend some time poking around the archive catalogs again to see what else I might find. And to my shock, I discovered a book I somehow completely missed on my first go round: a hitherto unsuspected book by Edward Eager!

“Edward Eager wrote more books?” I gasped, for I’d always thought the famous seven were the only seven.

Yes, quoth Wikipedia, Edward Eager wrote three books beyond the famous seven. The other two I’ll get to in good time, but the one in the archive was Mouse Manor, which just so happens to be set at Christmas (although not a Christmas Book), so of course I had to read it right away.

Mouse Manor is a slim children’s novel about Miss Myrtilla Mouse, the sole inhabitant of Mouse Manor, who on Christmas Day decides impetuously to go up to London. (Mrs. Felina Thompson mentioned that she was on her way to London to look at the queen, you see, and Miss Myrtilla found herself saying she was on her way to London too.)

And so away she went! She hid in a hamper on the train, hitched a ride in Charles Dickens’ coat pocket, and met a dashing mouse in a checked suit who took her into the palace kitchens to try to nab a bit of sauce for the plum pudding that Miss Myrtilla had fortuitously brought… only the cooks caught sight of the two mice, and the dashing mouse distracted the cooks so Miss Myrtilla could flee, only to find herself in the throne room where the cats were taking their yearly Look at the Queen!

Just charming. I loved the illustrations by Beryl Bailey-Jones, too, especially Miss Myrtilla’s delicious candy-cane striped Christmas skirt, which swirls about her as she bustles about planning her trip to London. A cute quick read for any Edward Eager fan.

Entry tags:

Hard Landing by Algis Budrys

Starmen marooned in barbaric America!

Hard Landing by Algis Budrys

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misc tv,
tv talk

TV Talk: The Pitt & Tracker

9-1-1: On hiatus until Jan 8.

Matlock: Now there are two eps mom and I haven’t watched.

The Pitt: I have heard a lot of good things about this show and was excited when I found out that TNT was going to air the first season. I’ve watched the first three eps so far, and my comments have spoilers for all three eps. ( spoilers )

Tracker: Dang! I was right about the cliff-hanger, but wrong about who would be involved. ( spoilers )

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Rec-cember Day 16: A Song of Ice And Fire /Game of Thrones

Surely no one needs an explainer on this fandom, right? If you do, google is your friend, I reckon.

The tv show ended the way it did (the less said, the better), and we will never see the book series completed; having got these two elephants in the room out of the way, let's concentrate on what drew me to this fictional world: medieval-England-like politics, fantasy, lots of intrigue, a sprawling cast of characters with endless permutations of shipping possibilities... ASoIaF/GoT really had a lot going for it. And I think this is why it attracted so many talented authors.

I've read extensively in this fandom, and if you had the patience to trawl through the sheer mass of fic posted, you were simply bound to find something to your taste. When it comes to single out the stories I enjoyed the most, I think I'm going to have to take two different approaches: the ship way (my favourite was, unsurprisingly, Jamie/Brienne, but I've read pretty much any pairing under the sun, lol) or the astounding-author way.

Let's start with the latter. I'm just going to list who my favourite authors are and give you a couple of recs for each of them, sure in the knowledge that whatever work of theirs you will read is pretty much awesome. I'll keep the shippy recs for another day. One last warning: something I found particularly satisfying in this fandom is AUs of the canon divergence kind, because changing one single fact and seeing how the consequences span out is extremely interesting in an intricate and politically fraught world as Westeros. So most of the stories I'm going to rec here fall under this category. Last but not the least, for me, this fandom is all about the women.

arbitrarily. My top pick: the joinery. 14K words. Cersei/Ned, Cersei/Jaime. by what right does the wolf judge the lion -- ned stark takes the iron throne, and with it, a lannister for a wife.

lareinenoire. My top picks: 1)Reap the Whirlwind. 6K. The circumstances under which Cersei Lannister finds herself Princess of Dragonstone are not the ones she anticipated.; 2)False Sorrow's Eye 18K. Elia Martell/Lyanna Stark. Two women survive Robert's Rebellion and everything changes.

Net_girl_y2k. She writes mostly femslash and it's ALL excellent. My top picks: 1)Had A Dream I Was The Queen (woke up, still the queen). 7K words. Rhaegar marries Lyanna Stark, and runs away with Elia Martell; 2) The Sisters BlackNight gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no husband and bear no children. I shall wear no gowns and no jewels. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life's blood to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come. The Night's Watch is for women. Lyanna Stark survived and was forced to take the black. Arya decides to follow in her aunt's steps. Podfic available!

vixleonard. My top picks: 1) No Featherbed For me 154K. Arya Stark wanted to be a knight; she wanted to find glory and adventure with Needle in her hand. But that is not an appropriate life for a highborn lady, and that was all Arya of House Stark was allowed to be. This is the definitive Arya story. What an epic journey. 2) The Evening Star. 38K. Some day people will tell tale of Ashara Dayne, the tragic and beautiful sister of the great Ser Arthur Dayne, who flung herself from the Palestone Sword with a broken heart. They will whisper about the man who dishonored her at Harrenhal, the man who got a bastard on her. But they will never get the story right.

astolat. Keeping in mind I'll rec the shippy bits elsewhere, my top picks: 1)The Price of Bread and Salt 12K. “The girl asks for more deaths than she is owed. The Many-Faced God may grant it. But for this, there will be a price. And a man cannot say what the price will be. A girl must pay. A man must pay. A girl’s brother must pay, if he agrees.” Podfic available. 2)Royal Flush. Robb Stark had swept his entire hand of cards off the table, and Tyrion couldn’t see how to make a single play at all.

The Pitt

Compiling this rec list made me realize arbitrarily has written for The Pitt too and I didn't notice! So I went on a good ol' binge-reading and come offering this gem runner's high. 7K. Robby/McKay/Abbot threesome, woot. Jack joins a run club, Cassie’s raw-dogging a 10k, and Robby’s sweating. Can't believe I'd missed this.

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The Day in Spikedluv (Monday, Dec 15)

Today is Sister A’s b-day! She’s the baby; 10-years younger than me.

I hit Walmart, Dollar Tree and Agway while I was downtown. Dollar Tree was for cards; Agway was for a gift card because I forgot Pip’s dad’s b-day! I was reminded at the Bear’s Dinner and I was like o_O I couldn’t believe I had forgotten it.

I visited mom, hand-washed dishes, cut up chicken for the dogs' meals, scooped kitty litter, and showered. I also mailed more cards at the post office, returned a book to the library, and hit the bank drive-thru. AND I shoveled the sidewalk again.

I watched Tracker and an HGTV program. Dr. Pol was my evening background tv.

Temps started out at 8.8(F) and reached 25.3. I’m not loving this cold.

Mom Update:

Mom was not doing great. ( more back here )

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Some new covers for DC K.O.

( Covers under the cut… )

Entry tags:

Batman/Superman #22 (2021)

Emperor Joker is out. Emperor Calendar Man is in!

( Read more... )

Walters: Some Newsom detractors make up stuff, but there’s fodder for legitimate criticism

Posted by Dan Walters

https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/12/16/walters-some-newsom-detractors-make-up-stuff-but-theres-fodder-for-legitimate-criticism/

https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=12365911

As Gavin Newsom ramps up his almost certain campaign for president, and polls put him in contention for the Democratic Party’s nomination in 2028, he has become a favorite target of right-leaning commentators on network television and in YouTube videos and social media.

While some criticism is grounded in fact and reasonable differences, there’s also a substrata of highly exaggerated, even fictional, output. Talking heads present him not as an ambitious politician who poses as a selfless public servant — something they all do, including the current president — but as a crooked charlatan.

There’s plenty of material in Newsom’s nearly three decades-long political career for legitimate criticism. And he tends toward over-the-top braggadocio about his accomplishments and amnesia about his failures.

However, his most virulent critics take nuggets of fact — including those having nothing to do with Newsom — and pump them up to depict him as an agent of corruption and incompetence.

One much-repeated trope is that Newsom, in concert with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, purposely or incompetently failed to protect residents of the city and suburban neighborhoods from devastating wildfires early this year.

President Donald Trump fed that narrative by accusing Newsom of not sending enough water to Southern California, thus leading to shortages that impeded firefighting. It’s just not true, but it’s repeated, with embellishments, on a regular basis.

Another oft-aired criticism of Newsom misuses a column I wrote when he was inaugurated in 2019. It depicted the fascinating interconnections between his family and the Getty, Brown and Pelosi clans, stretching back more than eight decades.

Videos that frequently pop up on YouTube quote from the column verbatim, without attribution, and show the chart of family connections that accompanied the article. Then they tack on fact-free addendums suggesting connections to organized crime or some other nefarious activities.

Another line of criticism cites some left-wing legislative or ballot measure proposal, treats it like it’s already in law, portrays its supposedly devastating effect on the innocent public and lays it at Newsom’s feet. The proposed wealth tax, which could appear on the 2026 ballot, is one favorite topic, even though Newsom has repeatedly rejected it.

Many of Newsom’s critics who breathlessly report on his evil plans (that the left-wing mainstream media supposedly cover up) are just nobodies who feign authority and are obviously fronting for right-wing organizations. But some are recognizable California figures.

Two frequent YouTube critics are Carl DeMaio, a longtime Republican politician in San Diego who won a seat in the state Assembly last year, and Victor Davis Hanson, an historian connected to Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

DeMaio’s shtick is that he has discovered some horrible thing that Newsom and other Democrats have cooked up to damage honest, hard-working Californians, but that mainstream media have ignored. It’s usually accompanied by a pitch for donations to his organization.

Hanson is a widely recognized, erudite authority on military history, particularly World War II. He also fancies himself a political commentator with a particular bead on Newsom, but his critiques are often factually deficient.

One of Hanson’s favorite assertions is that Newsom diverted bond funds meant to construct new water projects into financing the demolition of four dams on the Klamath River. However the commitment for that project dates back to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s governorship, and the bond issue specifically contained the appropriation for it.

Distorted criticism of Newsom is more off-putting than even his own tendency to bend historic fact. It also undercuts legitimate questioning of Newsom’s record, because he can, and does, depict any negative depictions as baseless propaganda.

The anti-Newsom drumbeat is likely to get louder as he moves ever closer to a declaration of presidential candidacy. Viewer beware.

Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/12/16/walters-some-newsom-detractors-make-up-stuff-but-theres-fodder-for-legitimate-criticism/

https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=12365911