Ben Kuchera
@benkuchera.bsky.social
I'm pretty sure this isn't Twitter, but let's hang out anyway. I've spent 20 years reporting on games and pop culture for Ars Technica, Penny Arcade, and Polygon. I've set the internet on fire a few times, in fact! Don't worry though, I'm nowhere near done
"Don't let anyone catch you with this," is a real thing someone told me when they slid a physical copy of the retail release of Duke Nukem Forever into my bag on the literal fucking show floor of E3. I had to calmly walk it out to my hotel room. It was the most cyberpunk shit and felt amazing.
November 17, 2025 at 3:39 AM
"Don't let anyone catch you with this," is a real thing someone told me when they slid a physical copy of the retail release of Duke Nukem Forever into my bag on the literal fucking show floor of E3. I had to calmly walk it out to my hotel room. It was the most cyberpunk shit and felt amazing.
To be fair to Running Man, writing, creating, and protecting a good ending in Hollywood? Barely possible. By definition any "good" ending would be anti-Hollywood. So they were fucked from the jump to get the budget they needed for the action they wanted. It made the movie better but the art worse.
November 17, 2025 at 3:19 AM
To be fair to Running Man, writing, creating, and protecting a good ending in Hollywood? Barely possible. By definition any "good" ending would be anti-Hollywood. So they were fucked from the jump to get the budget they needed for the action they wanted. It made the movie better but the art worse.
If you're a stranger responding to me and we don't follow each other, you should always take the advice I give freely and in good faith.
November 17, 2025 at 2:52 AM
If you're a stranger responding to me and we don't follow each other, you should always take the advice I give freely and in good faith.
I covet this thing greatly. I want more devices to try different things and aim for something fun and different and useful.
Titan 2 - The Latest 5G QWERTY Physical Keyboard Smartphone
Discover the Unihertz Titan 2 QWERTY keyboard smartphone. The Titan 2 is the latest 5G Android 15 smartphone with a physical QWERTY keyboard for enhanced productivity. Featuring a 4.5" square screen, ...
www.unihertz.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:23 AM
I covet this thing greatly. I want more devices to try different things and aim for something fun and different and useful.
Also, between this and the Phoenician Scheme I'm weird out by how much I've been enjoying Michael Cera on screen lately. The guy seems like he's having a blast lately and he's been a lot of fun to watch.
The Running Man was great. Glen Powell shouldn't be that charismatic but every time he's on screen I can't take my eyes off him. Edgar Wright knows how to film action.
But holy shit the last 20 minutes ruined every ounce of good will I had. They wimped out in so many ways it killed the film. Yuck.
But holy shit the last 20 minutes ruined every ounce of good will I had. They wimped out in so many ways it killed the film. Yuck.
November 17, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Also, between this and the Phoenician Scheme I'm weird out by how much I've been enjoying Michael Cera on screen lately. The guy seems like he's having a blast lately and he's been a lot of fun to watch.
The Running Man was great. Glen Powell shouldn't be that charismatic but every time he's on screen I can't take my eyes off him. Edgar Wright knows how to film action.
But holy shit the last 20 minutes ruined every ounce of good will I had. They wimped out in so many ways it killed the film. Yuck.
But holy shit the last 20 minutes ruined every ounce of good will I had. They wimped out in so many ways it killed the film. Yuck.
November 17, 2025 at 12:59 AM
The Running Man was great. Glen Powell shouldn't be that charismatic but every time he's on screen I can't take my eyes off him. Edgar Wright knows how to film action.
But holy shit the last 20 minutes ruined every ounce of good will I had. They wimped out in so many ways it killed the film. Yuck.
But holy shit the last 20 minutes ruined every ounce of good will I had. They wimped out in so many ways it killed the film. Yuck.
This is the digital version of thinking everyone should work a service job for at least six months, and I couldn't agree more. You learn SO MUCH dealing with the general public, and you'll never look at the people doing the work the same way again.
I think we lost something when way fewer people online as a proportion of the whole started to have direct personal experience of moderating a forum or online community - though at least Reddit still exists
I can really tell you didn’t grow up on Internet forums if you’re shocked and indignant about “sometimes even human moderators make capricious and inscrutable decisions that you don’t like”
November 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
This is the digital version of thinking everyone should work a service job for at least six months, and I couldn't agree more. You learn SO MUCH dealing with the general public, and you'll never look at the people doing the work the same way again.
Our generation has "Bloody Mary" but Gen Z has "Jack Quaid." You wait until midnight, stare into the mirror, and chant "I'm working on a screenplay" six times and Jack Quaid's agent calls and says "so what do you have for our boy?!"
November 16, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Our generation has "Bloody Mary" but Gen Z has "Jack Quaid." You wait until midnight, stare into the mirror, and chant "I'm working on a screenplay" six times and Jack Quaid's agent calls and says "so what do you have for our boy?!"
I have a show to binge and a box of cheese sticks and a pile of cats and I'm going to give in and just admit I've become that bitch. I'm fine with it. My kids are happily snoozing in the house. I'll take it. Peace is a good goal these days.
November 16, 2025 at 4:01 AM
I have a show to binge and a box of cheese sticks and a pile of cats and I'm going to give in and just admit I've become that bitch. I'm fine with it. My kids are happily snoozing in the house. I'll take it. Peace is a good goal these days.
I started The Beast in Me with Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys and I'm not even an episode in and this is exactly the show I needed in my life. These two have amazing chemistry and the first episode goes hard.
November 16, 2025 at 2:43 AM
I started The Beast in Me with Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys and I'm not even an episode in and this is exactly the show I needed in my life. These two have amazing chemistry and the first episode goes hard.
I found the first image on reddit. The second image is from my time in Iran. I've also been to Egypt. It turns out everything doesn't have a yellow filter and there's a lot of beautiful things in the countries Hollywood decided are yellow.
November 15, 2025 at 10:32 PM
I found the first image on reddit. The second image is from my time in Iran. I've also been to Egypt. It turns out everything doesn't have a yellow filter and there's a lot of beautiful things in the countries Hollywood decided are yellow.
If you suddenly had two extra computer monitors what fun projects would you think up for them? What can you do with some random extra monitors that would be neat. Sky's the limit, no idea too weird.
November 15, 2025 at 8:58 PM
If you suddenly had two extra computer monitors what fun projects would you think up for them? What can you do with some random extra monitors that would be neat. Sky's the limit, no idea too weird.
I was working with a law enforcement officer who spoke perfect unaccented English and also perfect French and was playing with his kids and I told him I'd never guess he was a cop.
He said that if you can tell someone's a cop when they're not being a cop? They shouldn't be a cop.
He said that if you can tell someone's a cop when they're not being a cop? They shouldn't be a cop.
November 15, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I was working with a law enforcement officer who spoke perfect unaccented English and also perfect French and was playing with his kids and I told him I'd never guess he was a cop.
He said that if you can tell someone's a cop when they're not being a cop? They shouldn't be a cop.
He said that if you can tell someone's a cop when they're not being a cop? They shouldn't be a cop.
I'm having a work situation where a thing I was working towards and told was going to happen is no longer because management decided to fold this into that.
No worries, just a few months of my life wasted and a ton more stress for Christmas. It's great. Gonna be fine.
No worries, just a few months of my life wasted and a ton more stress for Christmas. It's great. Gonna be fine.
November 15, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I'm having a work situation where a thing I was working towards and told was going to happen is no longer because management decided to fold this into that.
No worries, just a few months of my life wasted and a ton more stress for Christmas. It's great. Gonna be fine.
No worries, just a few months of my life wasted and a ton more stress for Christmas. It's great. Gonna be fine.
Today was so weird. Like, so much stuff changed all at once. I feel like those didn't used to happen so often. I always assume the worst, but when the dice are being rolled a 20 is equally likely as a 1, right?
November 15, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Today was so weird. Like, so much stuff changed all at once. I feel like those didn't used to happen so often. I always assume the worst, but when the dice are being rolled a 20 is equally likely as a 1, right?
Listen, if your action movie has someone grabbing someone else's gun and then pulling it apart in a dramatic fashion instead of firing it, your movie is 15% cooler. I don't make the rules.
November 15, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Listen, if your action movie has someone grabbing someone else's gun and then pulling it apart in a dramatic fashion instead of firing it, your movie is 15% cooler. I don't make the rules.
"I have this disorder that makes uncertainty and fear of every possible future so intolerable that my brain will begin to just eat itself."
So you've picked a career with a steady path? Stability? I bet it's really easy to plan your life.
"What? I don't- why? I'm not sure what you're saying."
So you've picked a career with a steady path? Stability? I bet it's really easy to plan your life.
"What? I don't- why? I'm not sure what you're saying."
November 15, 2025 at 4:29 AM
"I have this disorder that makes uncertainty and fear of every possible future so intolerable that my brain will begin to just eat itself."
So you've picked a career with a steady path? Stability? I bet it's really easy to plan your life.
"What? I don't- why? I'm not sure what you're saying."
So you've picked a career with a steady path? Stability? I bet it's really easy to plan your life.
"What? I don't- why? I'm not sure what you're saying."
The idea of playing a game without a podcast also playing is incredibly intimidating. If I don't flood the zone with information, I can't relax, and sometimes you get the bad thoughts coming. Think of it like filling each frequency as you write a song, but the song is your moment-to-moment reality
lots of people i know listen to podcasts while playing games, even story-heavy single-player games, and i struggle so much to comprehend why anyone would want to do this
November 15, 2025 at 4:19 AM
The idea of playing a game without a podcast also playing is incredibly intimidating. If I don't flood the zone with information, I can't relax, and sometimes you get the bad thoughts coming. Think of it like filling each frequency as you write a song, but the song is your moment-to-moment reality
What happened to us.
This tv / Betamax combo was only affordable by drug dealers and disco executives when it came out. So when you look at expensive items from the past, just think about dudes with medallions and chest hair and nose bleeds watching Card Sharks on it or some shit
November 14, 2025 at 12:35 AM
What happened to us.
I love my Steam Deck so much. It's been an amazing investment; the idea of more Valve hardware is pretty exciting. They've been crushing it.
November 14, 2025 at 12:31 AM
I love my Steam Deck so much. It's been an amazing investment; the idea of more Valve hardware is pretty exciting. They've been crushing it.
Fuck your free time. Put this on your Steam Deck and never do anything else.
(that's hyperbole please go outside or at least stretch a little, you'll thank me)
store.steampowered.com/app/3631290/...
(that's hyperbole please go outside or at least stretch a little, you'll thank me)
store.steampowered.com/app/3631290/...
Slots & Daggers on Steam
A retro mini-roguelike inside a slot machine. Steady your blade - and spin!
store.steampowered.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Fuck your free time. Put this on your Steam Deck and never do anything else.
(that's hyperbole please go outside or at least stretch a little, you'll thank me)
store.steampowered.com/app/3631290/...
(that's hyperbole please go outside or at least stretch a little, you'll thank me)
store.steampowered.com/app/3631290/...
I thought I was done caring about Stranger Things but the new trailer is set to my favorite Queen song from the Highlander soundtrack?
You son of a bitch.
You son of a bitch.
two men are standing next to each other in a room .
ALT: two men are standing next to each other in a room .
media.tenor.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:57 PM
I thought I was done caring about Stranger Things but the new trailer is set to my favorite Queen song from the Highlander soundtrack?
You son of a bitch.
You son of a bitch.
Well in the book I follow it says through Him ALL things are possible so maybe feed that into your LLM
![✨️ AI Overview
Goofy, the Disney character, was not present at the historical or biblical Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The [cut off]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:n7w5fct63vpjlfc4mrfdedhh/bafkreihsy2hzavmfaki3puxee3ih7cxhhi5c4f3aphbstubqtxb7fwpvwa@jpeg)
November 13, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Well in the book I follow it says through Him ALL things are possible so maybe feed that into your LLM
I'm still sick but I have ramen and fritters so it's a lot more tolerable.
November 13, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I'm still sick but I have ramen and fritters so it's a lot more tolerable.
I'm not feeling great and I'm in today and I'm finally watching Lower Decks.
Why did not one tell me this was good. WTF, people.
Why did not one tell me this was good. WTF, people.
November 13, 2025 at 1:26 PM
I'm not feeling great and I'm in today and I'm finally watching Lower Decks.
Why did not one tell me this was good. WTF, people.
Why did not one tell me this was good. WTF, people.