Culture Archives - Page 3 of 32 - Postcards from The Pug Bus

Postcards from The Pug Bus

Lifting a satirical leg on popular culture

Persons in the Ether

Question of the Week

Texting or calling?

Marlene Bishop, 67, retired church potluck seating consultant

Allegedly deciding at 104 Courtesy Court, Paducah, KY

Calling. If someone cares enough to hear my voice, I can spare five minutes. Besides, half the arguments I have witnessed began because somebody interpreted a period at the end of a text as emotional warfare.

Gordon Tully, 43, professional instruction manual translator

Allegedly replying from 8 Read Receipt Lane, Missoula, MT

Texting. Telephones assume I am prepared for conversation at any random moment. I object to that level of optimism.

Rita Hollis, 52, neighborhood rumor verification officer

Allegedly confirming details at 55 Busy Signal Drive, Wilmington, NC

Calling. You can learn more from six seconds of hesitation than six paragraphs of carefully edited texting. Human beings leak the truth through awkward silences.

Couple on couch using mediation app overlay

They finally resolved everything, including the part where they stopped talking to each other.

Culture

Couples Outsourcing Their Arguments to Third Party Arbitrators

philmaggitti cultural commentary 3 months

Third Party Arbitrators are changing the way couples argue. Previously, couples argued poorly, at inconvenient hours, and with a level of emotional imprecision that ensured… Read More

Older man stands in bright hotel lobby beside poster of his life’s ending, comparing himself to curated version, theme: deciding how a life ends

One if by land, two if by sea.

Culture

Focus Groups Now Deciding How a Life Ends

philmaggitti cultural commentary 3 months

Because few decisions carry more finality than deciding how a life ends, it has become difficult to justify leaving that decision to fate. A case… Read More

A ghost of a dead lifestyle influencer sits on her marble tomb, glowing as she scrolls her phone. A sunlit glass of water and magnesium chews rest on a nearby pedestal.

Staying hydrated is vital even when you are just a shimmering cloud of data.

Culture

A Dead Lifestyle Influencer Keeps on Posting

philmaggitti cultural commentary 4 months

Death, like most things, has become a scheduling issue. When dead lifestyle influencer Lila Fenwick, then 34, died last month following an undisclosed medical event,… Read More

Rock star dentist smashes guitar in exam room as terrified patient recoils in chair, blending dental routine with chaotic concert energy in absurd scene

Routine cleaning, now with encore.

Culture

Everyone’s a Rock Star, Baby

philmaggitti cultural commentary 4 months

Being a rock star used to involve leather, volume, and a willingness to disappoint your parents in public. Now it requires a LinkedIn profile and… Read More

A true crime podcast delivered from a Subaru with a Blue Yeti microphone and ring light, aimed toward a suburban cul-de-sac with complete seriousness.

Kelsey Dunbar in her studio. Tuesday, Overland Park.

Culture

Portrait of a True Crime Podcast

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 4 months

On a Tuesday afternoon in Overland Park, Kansas, Kelsey Dunbar, who publishes a true crime podcast, climbs into her 2021 Subaru Forester. She adjusts the… Read More

Minimalist lineup of seven people with subtle style differences, illustrating how small choices reflect personality and identity in Choose Your Default Font

Everyone is unaware that their default setting reveals personality.

Culture

Choose a Default Font Wisely, Your Personality Is on Display

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 4 months

The personality you spend years and hundreds of Google searches developing is revealed when you choose a default font. Therapy, travel, guilty pleasures, minor betrayals.… Read More

Wellness influencer meditates serenely in a Sedona yurt while her boyfriend kneels beside her, holding a reflector and filming on his phone.

"Day three of her digital detox."

Culture

Wellness Influencer Goes Full In on Detox Retreat

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 4 months

Brinley Marsh, an intentional living and wellness influencer from Scottsdale, Arizona, spent five days at the Crimson Mesa Digital Detox Sanctuary outside Sedona in March.… Read More

Four ABBA members in 1976 wear bright IKEA T‑shirts under warm stage lights, smiling with cheerful precision that echoes IKEA Desk Assembly Instructions.

BBA demonstrates the power of a band that can sing, sparkle, and still look fully qualified to explain IKEA Desk Assembly Instructions.

Culture Music

ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” Played Backward Contains IKEA Desk Assembly Instructions

T.J. Eckleburg cultural commentary 4 months

The Bureau of International Audio Standards (BIAS) has confirmed that the 1976 ABBA hit “Dancing Queen,” when played backward, contains a complete set of IKEA… Read More