Rob Pegoraro
@robpegoraro.com
D.C.-based freelance technology journalist covering, and often vexed by, computers, gadgets, and other things that beep. May or may not be notable. He/him. Read: PCMag, Fast Company, etc. Write: rob@robpegoraro.com
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Rob Pegoraro
@robpegoraro.com
· Jan 16
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🔎 disclosures: robpegoraro.com/disclosures
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🔎 disclosures: robpegoraro.com/disclosures
📷 photos: flickr.com/robpegoraro
🤳 less-edited photos: instagram.com/robpegoraro
🧾 resume: linkedin.com/in/robpegoraro
➕ B-sides, outtakes, other extras: patreon.com/robpegoraro
Mike Benz's stupidity would be funnier if he hadn't been one of the loudest voices lying about USAID--lies that Elon Musk bought and then brought into the Trump administration, and which have since led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
Elon’s white knight “cyber” simp Mike Benz/Frame Game tries to defend Russia, is loudly and stupidly wrong. A play in 3 acts.
December 27, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Mike Benz's stupidity would be funnier if he hadn't been one of the loudest voices lying about USAID--lies that Elon Musk bought and then brought into the Trump administration, and which have since led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.
New diss track just dropped by my youngest niece: "You double-sided dork!"
Might be worth using on Zuckerberg or Altman or the other AI/crypto bros...
Might be worth using on Zuckerberg or Altman or the other AI/crypto bros...
December 26, 2025 at 7:40 PM
New diss track just dropped by my youngest niece: "You double-sided dork!"
Might be worth using on Zuckerberg or Altman or the other AI/crypto bros...
Might be worth using on Zuckerberg or Altman or the other AI/crypto bros...
A damp bread dough left to rise 18 hours (as per Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman's "no-work bread" recipe) will develop so many bubbles from the rising and fermenting yeast that it can look like the surface of an alien planet. A particularly delicious planet.
December 25, 2025 at 7:09 PM
A damp bread dough left to rise 18 hours (as per Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman's "no-work bread" recipe) will develop so many bubbles from the rising and fermenting yeast that it can look like the surface of an alien planet. A particularly delicious planet.
Extended family present-unwrapping report: multiple gifts unlabeled or mislabeled, an unfortunate outcome of the elves handing off so much of their logistics to AI this year.
December 25, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Extended family present-unwrapping report: multiple gifts unlabeled or mislabeled, an unfortunate outcome of the elves handing off so much of their logistics to AI this year.
Even by private-equity standards, engaging in circular, self-dealing, and unsustainable transactions that screw over outside investors and lead Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund to sue one--it seems you should root for the petrostate here--looks like exceptionally villainous behavior.
(gift link)
(gift link)
Investors Warn of ‘Rot in Private Equity’ as Funds Strike Circular Deals
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Even by private-equity standards, engaging in circular, self-dealing, and unsustainable transactions that screw over outside investors and lead Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund to sue one--it seems you should root for the petrostate here--looks like exceptionally villainous behavior.
(gift link)
(gift link)
*Weissand Effect intensifies*
LOL at Cory Booker putting the 60 Minutes story up on his YouTube channel. Paramount won't dare take it down
youtu.be/jiehEMlNiCI?...
youtu.be/jiehEMlNiCI?...
The 60 Minutes Story The Trump Administration Doesn't Want You To See
YouTube video by Cory Booker
youtu.be
December 24, 2025 at 2:47 AM
*Weissand Effect intensifies*
I imagine that many of y'all will be setting up computers that don't run the same operating system over the next several days. At PCMag, I explain why installing the free, open-source file-transfer app LocalSend should be among those setup chores.
This Free App Makes Transferring Files Between Devices Ridiculously Easy
LocalSend is an open-source app that provides device-to-device transfers between Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux. Here's how it can help you send holiday snaps, work files, and more.
www.pcmag.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM
I imagine that many of y'all will be setting up computers that don't run the same operating system over the next several days. At PCMag, I explain why installing the free, open-source file-transfer app LocalSend should be among those setup chores.
Streisand Effect, eh?
December 22, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Streisand Effect, eh?
There is no way the DOD didn't long ago fully vet any possible effects of Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind on Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world. Now would be a great time for Gov. Youngkin to do something useful and ask his pal Trump to knock it off... but don't bet on that.
Interior Dept. tries a new tactic to halt five offshore wind projects
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said he was pausing the leases of the wind projects off the East Coast.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:14 PM
There is no way the DOD didn't long ago fully vet any possible effects of Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind on Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world. Now would be a great time for Gov. Youngkin to do something useful and ask his pal Trump to knock it off... but don't bet on that.
Finally, a major airline has set up a real account here--using its domain name for its handle, with a complete profile. (Southwest has a blank account.) Welcome aboard, @united.com!
FYI, no need to DM United on X; the chat function in UA's app has worked well enough in my experience.
FYI, no need to DM United on X; the chat function in UA's app has worked well enough in my experience.
December 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Finally, a major airline has set up a real account here--using its domain name for its handle, with a complete profile. (Southwest has a blank account.) Welcome aboard, @united.com!
FYI, no need to DM United on X; the chat function in UA's app has worked well enough in my experience.
FYI, no need to DM United on X; the chat function in UA's app has worked well enough in my experience.
Today's tech-support adventure: Mother-in-law's TV is stuck in SD off the Comcast box even though it was set to HD output. Samsung's site didn't recognize the model number I typed in, then I noticed the manufacture date listed on the back: June 2006, which must mean its HDMI input is way too old.
December 22, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Today's tech-support adventure: Mother-in-law's TV is stuck in SD off the Comcast box even though it was set to HD output. Samsung's site didn't recognize the model number I typed in, then I noticed the manufacture date listed on the back: June 2006, which must mean its HDMI input is way too old.
It should be obvious that Andrew Tate is a vile, stupid, jail-worthy creep without the "proof" of fake screengrabs of things even he wasn't dumb enough to tweet. But so many of y'all keep doing that, enough that I now instantly assume that an unlinked image of something he said on X is phony.
December 22, 2025 at 5:58 PM
It should be obvious that Andrew Tate is a vile, stupid, jail-worthy creep without the "proof" of fake screengrabs of things even he wasn't dumb enough to tweet. But so many of y'all keep doing that, enough that I now instantly assume that an unlinked image of something he said on X is phony.
"D.C. construction laws prohibit work on major projects at night and on Sundays, meaning the work will have to take place during the day": Since the Long Bridge itself is no closer than half a mile to residential or hotel beds in D.C., did nobody try to get a variance for that part of the project?
Amtrak cuts two morning routes to D.C. in response to Long Bridge construction
Morning commuters will need to rise extra early to catch the train.
www.richmonder.org
December 22, 2025 at 4:30 PM
"D.C. construction laws prohibit work on major projects at night and on Sundays, meaning the work will have to take place during the day": Since the Long Bridge itself is no closer than half a mile to residential or hotel beds in D.C., did nobody try to get a variance for that part of the project?
That’s “most journalists know” as in “this is stuff a high school journalism teacher should have taught them.”
Whoever winds up playing Weiss in a future remake of The Insider will need some exceptional acting skills to convey fully this level of blithe incompetence.
Whoever winds up playing Weiss in a future remake of The Insider will need some exceptional acting skills to convey fully this level of blithe incompetence.
Bari Weiss this morning on the 60 Minutes segment: "We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera."
Of course, most journalists know that oftentimes people who are the subject of negative reporting don't want to speak on camera or on the record.
Of course, most journalists know that oftentimes people who are the subject of negative reporting don't want to speak on camera or on the record.
December 22, 2025 at 4:04 PM
That’s “most journalists know” as in “this is stuff a high school journalism teacher should have taught them.”
Whoever winds up playing Weiss in a future remake of The Insider will need some exceptional acting skills to convey fully this level of blithe incompetence.
Whoever winds up playing Weiss in a future remake of The Insider will need some exceptional acting skills to convey fully this level of blithe incompetence.
Bari Weiss, Regime Lackey: "One of Ms. Weiss’s suggestions was to include an interview with Stephen Miller."
(gift link)
(gift link)
‘60 Minutes’ Pulled a Segment. A Correspondent Calls It ‘Political.’
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Bari Weiss, Regime Lackey: "One of Ms. Weiss’s suggestions was to include an interview with Stephen Miller."
(gift link)
(gift link)
Amazingly enough, this judge’s scathing sanctions order (“There’s a difference between a seasoned, good lawyer and somebody who uses AI to look like one”) doesn’t even address the horrible taste required to look at the wide array of LLMs available and then choose MechaHitler.
An attorney couldn't stop using Grok (?!) to help draft filings, producing "a flood of tainted filings" & apparently triggering the implosion of a law firm & 3 lawyers' careers 🤖😵 The court called her misconduct "particularly egregious & prolific"
cases.justia.com/federal/dist...
cases.justia.com/federal/dist...
cases.justia.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Amazingly enough, this judge’s scathing sanctions order (“There’s a difference between a seasoned, good lawyer and somebody who uses AI to look like one”) doesn’t even address the horrible taste required to look at the wide array of LLMs available and then choose MechaHitler.
Once again witnessed this weird and dysfunctional interaction between Firefox for Android and Gboard: Nothing happens when I try entering text on a site in that browser, then the keyboard doesn't surface in other apps, then I force-stop Gboard and the problem goes away.
December 21, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Once again witnessed this weird and dysfunctional interaction between Firefox for Android and Gboard: Nothing happens when I try entering text on a site in that browser, then the keyboard doesn't surface in other apps, then I force-stop Gboard and the problem goes away.
Would you trust somebody this bad at research with investing large amounts of money?
(Likely Silicon Valley answer: Of course you would! It's a meritocracy here!)
(Likely Silicon Valley answer: Of course you would! It's a meritocracy here!)
In the wake of the tragedy at Brown, online conspiracists rushed to pin the horrific mass murder on an innocent Palestinian student. One of them was Shaun Maguire, a partner at leading VC firm Sequoia Capital.
www.fastcompany.com/91463942/seq...
www.fastcompany.com/91463942/seq...
Sequoia's Shaun Maguire accused an innocent Palestinian of being the Brown shooter. Then he doubled down
Online sleuthing is not, it turns out, among the noted VC's talents.
www.fastcompany.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Would you trust somebody this bad at research with investing large amounts of money?
(Likely Silicon Valley answer: Of course you would! It's a meritocracy here!)
(Likely Silicon Valley answer: Of course you would! It's a meritocracy here!)
Travel lesson re-learned: If only one of your party's checked bags makes it on the plane, it will be the smallest and least-filled one. (The others are now on the next flight; United's app made it pretty easy to request delivery, aside from that UX including the one bag that flew with us.)
December 20, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Travel lesson re-learned: If only one of your party's checked bags makes it on the plane, it will be the smallest and least-filled one. (The others are now on the next flight; United's app made it pretty easy to request delivery, aside from that UX including the one bag that flew with us.)
The real-time boarding count in United's updated app is very much my data jam.
December 20, 2025 at 1:06 PM
The real-time boarding count in United's updated app is very much my data jam.
Crazy lines to check bags at United at IAD; TSA Pre line not as bad. This is not the day to practice just-in-time airport logistics!
December 20, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Crazy lines to check bags at United at IAD; TSA Pre line not as bad. This is not the day to practice just-in-time airport logistics!
Still more of this North Korean shit. Every tradesperson working on this vanity project should be embarrassed to have to use their skills this way.
NEWS: They're adding Trump's name to the Kennedy Center building right now. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Kennedy Center adds Trump’s name to building
The signage change follows a vote by the board of trustees to rename the performing arts complex the Trump Kennedy Center.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 19, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Still more of this North Korean shit. Every tradesperson working on this vanity project should be embarrassed to have to use their skills this way.
A little leaf-blower progress: Not only are the people working on the yard two houses away with much quieter electric leaf blowers, their company's truck advertises that it doesn't have gas-powered equipment inside.
December 19, 2025 at 4:47 PM
A little leaf-blower progress: Not only are the people working on the yard two houses away with much quieter electric leaf blowers, their company's truck advertises that it doesn't have gas-powered equipment inside.
I can't be the only writing nerd to have read Susan Orlean's memoir Joyride, paused at her descriptions of using hundreds of index cards to organize her thoughts, and wondered "what if she'd tried HyperCard?"
(Overall: Loved it. Immensely relatable through the first half, less so in the second.)
(Overall: Loved it. Immensely relatable through the first half, less so in the second.)
December 19, 2025 at 4:37 AM
I can't be the only writing nerd to have read Susan Orlean's memoir Joyride, paused at her descriptions of using hundreds of index cards to organize her thoughts, and wondered "what if she'd tried HyperCard?"
(Overall: Loved it. Immensely relatable through the first half, less so in the second.)
(Overall: Loved it. Immensely relatable through the first half, less so in the second.)
One thing I re-learned this week: Name blindness gets 2x as bad when you go to an IRL meetup of an online forum in which almost everybody uses a handle with no connection to their legal moniker.
December 19, 2025 at 1:19 AM
One thing I re-learned this week: Name blindness gets 2x as bad when you go to an IRL meetup of an online forum in which almost everybody uses a handle with no connection to their legal moniker.