top ten lists Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Postcards from The Pug Bus

Satirical illustration of the Internet of Things gone feral, featuring angry smart home devices with anthropomorphic expressions—frustrated refrigerator, ad-blocking car, rating-demanding toaster, judgmental lamp, and hostile robot vacuum—depicted in cartoon style against a neutral background.

Your smart home has unionized, and it hates you.

The Internet of Things Has Gone Feral

It was bound to happen, the internet of things (IoT) has slipped the surly bounds of domesticity and gone feral. The IoT is a network… Read More

A young woman, pretty and mildly confused-looking, reacts to dating app red flags on her phone screen.

"Sure you are."

Top Ten Lists

Dating App Red Flags: A Catfishing Guide

philmaggitti top ten lists 3 months

In Dating App Red Flags, we identify warning signs that declare, “the person on your screen bears no resemblance to the person who will show… Read More

A perfect visual representation of the chaos predicted in our satirical predictions for 2026. The image--a solitary, polished chrome tuning fork--stands upright against a stark, minimalist gray background. It is positioned directly in front of a high-end, vintage-style studio condenser microphone, suggesting an intimate recording session.

Behold the ultimate evolution of the recording artist: a being of pure resonance that never misses a note, never demands a larger trailer, and never gets caught in a scandalous hotel room meltdown with a reality star.

Top Ten Lists

A Dozen Satirical Predictions for 2026

philmaggitti top ten lists 3 months

Before we unveil the dirty dozen satirical predictions for 2026, we should reveal how bad we are at this kind of enterprise. Our success rate… Read More

Illustration of Ernest Hemingway appearing distressed as he rises from a vintage copy of The Sun Also Rises, representing literary classics entering the 2026 public domain and their uncertain modern fate.

"Immortality sounded better before everyone was invited."

Top Ten Lists

Works Entering the 2026 Public Domain and Regretting It Immediately

philmaggitti top ten lists 3 months

The 2026 Public Domain class has been announced. Public domain is the legal moment when a creative work, having outlived its author, its author’s heirs,… Read More

Ten 2026 New Year's Resolutions guaranteed not to last until February, featuring an image of a man sitting in his underwear on a bare hardwood floor eating a slice of pizza and watching a large screen TV.

I will throw away every object in my house that does not spark joy.

Blog

Ten 2026 New Year’s Resolutions Guaranteed Not to Last Until February

philmaggitti blog, top ten lists 3 months

We stand in the kitchen on New Year’s Eve, smelling like cheap champagne and regret, promising the universe that we will suddenly stop being the disasters… Read More

Most unusual AI requests depicted in a chaotic digital workshop with robots, multiverse weddings, and sentient spreadsheets.

Forget your average "How do I boil an egg?" queries. We are out here in the digital trenches trying to figure out if a raindrop has a soul and how to tax a business on Mars.

Top Ten Lists

Ten Most Unusual AI Requests

philmaggitti top ten lists 4 months

AI assistants, much like plumbers, deal with strange requests—except ours involve ideas, not pipes or drains or housewives’ desires. People’s most unusual AI requests make… Read More

Illustration of returning Christmas presents: a pile of unwanted gifts including sweaters, books, and a candle with price tags still attached and return receipts sticking up like white flags of surrender.

Opened me last,

Top Ten Lists

Ten Lame Excuses for Returning Christmas Presents

philmaggitti top ten lists 4 months

Returning Christmas presents is a time-honored tradition. Legend has it that the very first returned gift was frankincense, deemed “too fragrant” by the recipient who… Read More

Top Ten Lists

🛡️ A Conversational Self-defense Manual: Ten Unimpeachable Gambits

philmaggitti top ten lists 4 months

It is an inescapable truth of polite society that one’s time is often held hostage by the unchecked enthusiasm of the excessively verbose. This self-defense… Read More