Freddy Tran Nager
banner
professorfreddy.bsky.social
Freddy Tran Nager
@professorfreddy.bsky.social
Marketing & Media Professor @USC | Creative Strategy Consultant | Writer | Raging Moderate | Los Angeleno | Cat Herder

Site: https://www.AtomicTango.com
LinkedIn: https://www.FreddyNager.com
USC: https://annenberg.usc.edu/faculty/freddy-tran-nager
Pinned
My 19-year-old cat Scooter is now so hard of hearing that I nicknamed him Def Tiny Leppard. But even if he could hear me, he wouldn't respond, because he doesn't get 80s pop-culture references. #cats #Caturday
Can I just bury myself in #books for at least the next two years?

(image source: www.goodreads.com/quotes/7682-...)
January 29, 2026 at 5:14 PM
The word du jour is a new one for me: agnotology

The second definition ("the deliberate production or cultivation of ignorance or doubt") is clearly a key strategy of the Trump despotocracy.

wordsmith.org/words/agnoto...
agnotology
noun: The study of ignorance or the investigation of the unknowable.
wordsmith.org
January 28, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
Kristi Noem, a desperate shrew who has the moral capacity of 3 day old vomit on a shag rug, needs a career adjustment preferably cleaning the anal cavities of diseased howler monkeys.
January 27, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Word Du Jour: what marketers did to the word "authentic"

wordsmith.org/words/verbic...
verbicide
noun: 1. The deliberate distortion or destruction of the meaning of a word. 2. A person who deliberately distorts the meaning of a word.
wordsmith.org
January 27, 2026 at 4:58 PM
The word of the day seems appropriate:

"DESPOTOCRACY"

wordsmith.org/words/despot...
despotocracy
noun: Government by a despot.
wordsmith.org
January 27, 2026 at 3:37 AM
Found this in a "free" pile in my neighborhood. I usually respect all #books, even ones I dislike. But as the sign says, "Make waste history." And this seemed destined for recycling into something similar but more useful, like toilet paper for warthogs.
January 27, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
Chinese-English translations of "stand closer to pee" signage are a bottomless well of poetic innovation
January 26, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Watched "One Battle After Another" last night. Filmed in early 2024, when a story of racist immigration gestapo might have seemed over-the-top, it's scarily prescient today. Might be too upsetting for some viewers. Worth watching for Sean Penn's performance alone.

youtu.be/hg8AGTyYMBA #Movies #Film
One Battle After Another | Official Trailer
YouTube video by Leonardo DiCaprio
youtu.be
January 26, 2026 at 1:34 AM
I was just asked to recommend some #books on entrepreneurship, and nothing good came to mind. What I did recommend is "Selling The Wheel" about sales types and techniques, which every entrepreneur should know. Plus, it's a comedic work of #business fiction set in ancient Egypt.

amzn.to/3YTWbQW
Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers
Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers [Cox, Jeff, Stevens, Howard] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers
amzn.to
January 25, 2026 at 3:41 AM
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
Hi there, if you're in law enforcement, a legal observer, a government worker, or a tech worker and you're in MN/or have any info about what's happening now with ICE and law enforcement operations, you can reach me at Vittoria89.82.

We can speak anonymously.
January 24, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Oh well, it was fun being a Steelers fan for over 40 years. Now that they've decided to reunite the 2010 Green Bay Packers, I'd rather watch continents drift.

#NFL
It's not that McCarthy is a joke. But it's a team whose identity has been "Just good enough without ever threatening to be great" hiring the coach who fits that exact bill.
Can someone explain to me why Mike McCarthy is thought of as such a joke? Do you guys all like Dak Prescott that much?
January 24, 2026 at 8:28 PM
May your Caturday find you in a cozy spot with the sun on your belly.

#cats
January 24, 2026 at 5:48 PM
What happened to "The Bear"?

Season 1 presented passionate professionals striving to launch a gourmet restaurant.

Season 4 devolved into individual hangups, most outside the restaurant, with endless scenes of yelling, crying, and hugging.

Dare I say unbearable?

#TV #streaming
a man with a beard is making a funny face while sitting in a restaurant .
ALT: a man with a beard is making a funny face while sitting in a restaurant .
media.tenor.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Smart glasses sound interesting but not ready for prime time (or my time). Love the idea of live transcriptions + translations, but everything seems clunky & limited. Plus, Meta (ew). I'll wait for Apple's version — and maybe the third generation of that.

www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r... #technology
Meta’s New Smart Glasses Sounded Cool at First. But I Was Unimpressed.
Meta’s latest smart glasses have a built-in screen and camera. But they can’t replace your smartphone.
www.nytimes.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:37 AM
I just love watching the leaves change color...

cc #BookSky
January 23, 2026 at 12:55 AM
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
“Safety experts and tech critics have long condemned the Ring devices for security risks and privacy violations, not to mention their role in building the largest civilian surveillance network in US history.”
Fury as Amazon Ring Cameras Are Hooked Up to ICE System
Online activists are telling owners of Ring Doorbell cameras that it's time to get rid of their devices, which can be used by ICE.
futurism.com
January 21, 2026 at 7:28 PM
1994 is the same year I worked on my first website (Launch: MCA Records Online). I had no idea what #SEO was back then, so hats off to egomaniacal band managers (redundant, yes) for getting the ball rolling.

www.nuancecollaborative.com/a-history-of...
The Evolution of SEO: Excite, Yahoo and Jefferson Starship
The discipline of SEO has come a long way since its early "black hat" days in the mid-90s. In this article, we cover the development of the first search engines and explain how rock band Jefferson Sta...
www.nuancecollaborative.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:38 AM
Overdue Book Review: The literary version of doomscrolling, Vonnegut’s “Hocus Pocus” packs everything dire about the world into one book. Sure, it features his trademark wit + cleverness, but it’s no joy to read (at least not during these times).

bookshop.org/a/115667/978... #Books #BookSky
Hocus Pocus
Check out Hocus Pocus - <b>From the <i>New York Times</i>&#160;bestselling author of <i>Slaughterhouse-Five </i>comes an&#160;irresistible novel that&#160;combines&#160;&ldquo;clever wit with keen soc...
bookshop.org
January 17, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
Dear Battery Industry, I've got you a new slogan 😜🔋
January 16, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
Numerous Teams Express Interest In Aaron Rodgers Playing Elsewhere
Numerous Teams Express Interest In Aaron Rodgers Playing Elsewhere
NEW YORK—Leaping at the opportunity to make their intentions clear, numerous NFL front offices expressed interest this week in quarterback Aaron Rodgers playing elsewhere, sources confirmed Tuesday. “...
theonion.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:28 AM
If you want a good, brief summary of what's happening in #Iran, read this article by @yarotrof.bsky.social...

www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Weakened by War, Iran’s Regime Faces Its Toughest Challenge Yet
Iranian leaders’ last claim to legitimacy was shattered in the war with Israel.
www.wsj.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Beautiful essay about JRR Tolkien's "Lord Of The Rings," and why it's ideal reading in times of sorrow.

Last year at this time, as L.A. burned and Trump howled, I re-read LOTR for the first time in 40 years. Best decision I could have made.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o... #Books #BookSky
Opinion | Why I Keep Returning to Middle-Earth
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 11:58 PM
After waking me at 6am to feed him, Scooter immediately attends to his post-prandial duties.

"Sleeping In": just a theory for us cat herders.

#Caturday #Cats
January 10, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Reposted by Freddy Tran Nager
January 8, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Damn you, capitalism. Just when I'm convinced I don't need anymore stuff, you come up with mouthwatering products like this camera: uncrate.com/fujifilm-ins...

(NOT a paid endorsement.)
Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo Cinema Camera
Fujifilm's Instax line of cameras evokes the spontaneous fun of Polaroids, but with modern conveniences. The latest addition to the line is the Instax Mini Evo Cinema, which is the first to offer vide...
uncrate.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:40 PM