Nancy Friedman
@fritinancy.bsky.social
Name developer, writer, lapsed journalist, bay swimmer. Born in Los Angeles, semi-rooted in Oakland, California. “Queen of retail rabbit holes.” https://fritinancy.substack.com/
Pinned
Nancy Friedman
@fritinancy.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous. – Georgia O’Keeffe
TIL that Super Bowl LX, on February 8, is going to be in the Bay Area.
I live in the Bay Area.
I had no idea.
I live in the Bay Area.
I had no idea.
December 30, 2025 at 2:39 AM
TIL that Super Bowl LX, on February 8, is going to be in the Bay Area.
I live in the Bay Area.
I had no idea.
I live in the Bay Area.
I had no idea.
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
This is really interesting.
The MAGAfication of Norman Rockwell
Trump uses the artist’s work—like other cultural icons—to promote Gestapo tactics and nativist ideas.
open.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:04 PM
This is really interesting.
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
The largest generation in U.S. history is in their 70s now. And Stephen Miller’s podcaster wife thinks it’s suspicious that there’s a huge surge in home health aides.
December 29, 2025 at 3:06 AM
The largest generation in U.S. history is in their 70s now. And Stephen Miller’s podcaster wife thinks it’s suspicious that there’s a huge surge in home health aides.
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
per wikipedia, Hatebeak made its second record with Caninus, a band whose lead singers were two dogs.
Hatebeak's goal is to "raise the bar for extreme music"
Hatebeak's goal is to "raise the bar for extreme music"
TIL there's a death metal band called Hatebeak which has a gray parrot as the vocalist. Per wiki, "They never tour so as to not distress Waldo" the parrot.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatebeak
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatebeak
December 29, 2025 at 3:48 PM
per wikipedia, Hatebeak made its second record with Caninus, a band whose lead singers were two dogs.
Hatebeak's goal is to "raise the bar for extreme music"
Hatebeak's goal is to "raise the bar for extreme music"
I opt out of everything that requires my presence on video.
will also add - yes, this is my personal crusade - that turning podcasts into videos implicitly asks women to once again make more effort than men, as the bar for "camera-ready" for one gender is obviously higher than for the other
‘Painful to hear!’ How podcasts’ rush to video is turning them into dreadful listens
December 29, 2025 at 1:23 AM
I opt out of everything that requires my presence on video.
From the "We Give Up" school of corporate naming.
Just thought y’all should know that Hyatt Place refers to their food serving establishment as The PLACERY
December 29, 2025 at 1:22 AM
From the "We Give Up" school of corporate naming.
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
🎆Welcome to the Round of 16 of the 2025 Headline of the Year Contest!🎆
Voting will be open in 4 locations for each round for about a day.
16 headlines.
Only 1 winner.
A reminder of the nominees:
bsky.app/profile/paul...
Voting will be open in 4 locations for each round for about a day.
16 headlines.
Only 1 winner.
A reminder of the nominees:
bsky.app/profile/paul...
The 2025 Headline of the Year Nominees
🧵
🧵
December 27, 2025 at 9:37 PM
🎆Welcome to the Round of 16 of the 2025 Headline of the Year Contest!🎆
Voting will be open in 4 locations for each round for about a day.
16 headlines.
Only 1 winner.
A reminder of the nominees:
bsky.app/profile/paul...
Voting will be open in 4 locations for each round for about a day.
16 headlines.
Only 1 winner.
A reminder of the nominees:
bsky.app/profile/paul...
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
Wild!
"Indian walking sticks reproduce mainly asexually (parthenogenetically), with females haphazardly dropping eggs while they feed or rest. Males are known but are rare; nothing is known regarding the conditions required to produce them."
ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-lan...
"Indian walking sticks reproduce mainly asexually (parthenogenetically), with females haphazardly dropping eggs while they feed or rest. Males are known but are rare; nothing is known regarding the conditions required to produce them."
ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-lan...
Indian Walking Stick / Home and Landscape / UC Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM)
Walking stick insects, order Phasmatodea, are mostly tropical insects that are considered an entomological curiosity because of their remarkable mimicry of twigs and leaves. Several species are popula...
ipm.ucanr.edu
December 27, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Wild!
"Indian walking sticks reproduce mainly asexually (parthenogenetically), with females haphazardly dropping eggs while they feed or rest. Males are known but are rare; nothing is known regarding the conditions required to produce them."
ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-lan...
"Indian walking sticks reproduce mainly asexually (parthenogenetically), with females haphazardly dropping eggs while they feed or rest. Males are known but are rare; nothing is known regarding the conditions required to produce them."
ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-lan...
Canadian linguists rise up against the letter "S." Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/w... via @languagehat.com.web.brid.gy
Canadian Linguists Rise Up Against the Letter ‘S’
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Canadian linguists rise up against the letter "S." Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/w... via @languagehat.com.web.brid.gy
What an unexpected treat this film is. Charles Laughton as a bum! Marilyn Monroe as a Gilded Age streetwalker!
If you don't have TCM, you can find versions of somewhat lesser quality on YouTube (free).
If you don't have TCM, you can find versions of somewhat lesser quality on YouTube (free).
O. HENRY'S FULL HOUSE (1952) — 1:45 am ET — 1h 57m
(TCM Classic Christmas Marathon)
Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain; directed by Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King, Henry Koster, Jean Negulesco
Five stories reveal O. Henry's gift for the surprise ending.
#TCM #TCMParty
(TCM Classic Christmas Marathon)
Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain; directed by Henry Hathaway, Howard Hawks, Henry King, Henry Koster, Jean Negulesco
Five stories reveal O. Henry's gift for the surprise ending.
#TCM #TCMParty
O. Henry's Full House (1952)
www.tcm.com
December 26, 2025 at 5:51 PM
What an unexpected treat this film is. Charles Laughton as a bum! Marilyn Monroe as a Gilded Age streetwalker!
If you don't have TCM, you can find versions of somewhat lesser quality on YouTube (free).
If you don't have TCM, you can find versions of somewhat lesser quality on YouTube (free).
Slang-of-the-year quiz. I somehow managed nine correct answers. (Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/s...
Quiz: Do You Speak 2025?
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Slang-of-the-year quiz. I somehow managed nine correct answers. (Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/s...
My final -- and absolute worst -- #tistheseason for this season:
December 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
My final -- and absolute worst -- #tistheseason for this season:
My final link roundup of 2025, feat. @helenzaltzman.bsky.social, @aintweinpain.bsky.social, @lilashroff.bsky.social, and more.
fritinancy.substack.com/p/december-l...
fritinancy.substack.com/p/december-l...
December linkstack
AI writing, AI resistance, the F-word, and more.
fritinancy.substack.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:39 PM
My final link roundup of 2025, feat. @helenzaltzman.bsky.social, @aintweinpain.bsky.social, @lilashroff.bsky.social, and more.
fritinancy.substack.com/p/december-l...
fritinancy.substack.com/p/december-l...
Most of the dialogue in "Marty Supreme" is indecipherable thanks to VERY LOUD MUSIC and the usual mushy rendering of all speech in movies these days, but I did manage to note with displeasure "It's in your DNA," which no one would've said in 1952 because DNA was discovered in 1953.
December 26, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Most of the dialogue in "Marty Supreme" is indecipherable thanks to VERY LOUD MUSIC and the usual mushy rendering of all speech in movies these days, but I did manage to note with displeasure "It's in your DNA," which no one would've said in 1952 because DNA was discovered in 1953.
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
As a Jew, it’s fun watching the administration post Christian nationalist messages while also saying they are doing everything they can to curb antisemitism.
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
December 25, 2025 at 3:37 PM
As a Jew, it’s fun watching the administration post Christian nationalist messages while also saying they are doing everything they can to curb antisemitism.
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
merry christmas
December 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM
merry christmas
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
December 25, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
“Pray tell, the Baron, what sort of gentleman is he?”
“Well…”
“Well…”
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
“Pray tell, the Baron, what sort of gentleman is he?”
“Well…”
“Well…”
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
This is an almost shockingly wise essay. I'm glad I've finally read it.
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
open.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:34 AM
This is an almost shockingly wise essay. I'm glad I've finally read it.
I hadn't known till yesterday that Robert Altman had made a 1993 film of the B'way musical "Black and Blue." It's streaming on Kanopy, and it's a treat: Ruth Brown! Linda Hopkins! And the great tappers Jimmy Slyde and Bunny Briggs, both in their sixties when the show was filmed.
December 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
I hadn't known till yesterday that Robert Altman had made a 1993 film of the B'way musical "Black and Blue." It's streaming on Kanopy, and it's a treat: Ruth Brown! Linda Hopkins! And the great tappers Jimmy Slyde and Bunny Briggs, both in their sixties when the show was filmed.
It's Festivus, when we engage in Feats of Strength.
And so . . .
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/n...
And so . . .
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/n...
Need a Quick Boost in Physical Strength? Try Blurting Out Some Curse Words, a Study Suggests
When repeating four-letter words, participants held a challenging physical task for longer than when they said neutral words. Cursing seemed to help them feel more focused, more confident and less dis...
www.smithsonianmag.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:18 PM
It's Festivus, when we engage in Feats of Strength.
And so . . .
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/n...
And so . . .
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/n...
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
My new newsletter contains more than FIFTY Words of the Year from around the world.
Those won't be the final hashtag#WotY2025, but it is the final newsletter of the year!
lynneguist.substack.com/p/2025-words...
Those won't be the final hashtag#WotY2025, but it is the final newsletter of the year!
lynneguist.substack.com/p/2025-words...
2025 Words...so far
This time: Words of the Year and Links of the Month
lynneguist.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:52 PM
My new newsletter contains more than FIFTY Words of the Year from around the world.
Those won't be the final hashtag#WotY2025, but it is the final newsletter of the year!
lynneguist.substack.com/p/2025-words...
Those won't be the final hashtag#WotY2025, but it is the final newsletter of the year!
lynneguist.substack.com/p/2025-words...
"The practice of acronyming and nicknaming is now widespread, part of a general speeding up of speech: 'def,' 'rando,' 'preggers,' 'fomo,' 'homes,' 'GOAT.' Are these words? They function as words." - Louis Menand
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Is the Dictionary Done For?
The print edition of Merriam-Webster was once a touchstone of authority and stability. Then the internet brought about a revolution.
www.newyorker.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:07 PM
"The practice of acronyming and nicknaming is now widespread, part of a general speeding up of speech: 'def,' 'rando,' 'preggers,' 'fomo,' 'homes,' 'GOAT.' Are these words? They function as words." - Louis Menand
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Nancy Friedman
Holy %$##*%^&. A @newyorker.com essay by Louis Menand about my book
Is the Dictionary Done For?
The print edition of Merriam-Webster was once a touchstone of authority and stability. Then the internet brought about a revolution.
www.newyorker.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Holy %$##*%^&. A @newyorker.com essay by Louis Menand about my book
Hahaha!
Yes, I published something about "heritage Americans' today.
Yes, I published something about "heritage Americans' today.
I’m sorry but ‘heritage American’ makes you sound like a tomato
December 22, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Hahaha!
Yes, I published something about "heritage Americans' today.
Yes, I published something about "heritage Americans' today.