Sam END ICE Machkovech
@samred.com
This feed is 1/3 dog, 1/3 arts+tech, 1/3 something something. Recently: Digital Foundry, NYT, Polygon, The Stranger, Game Developer, Games Radar. Previously: Ars, American Airlines, The Atlantic. He/him, from Seattle.
Pinned
Sam END ICE Machkovech
@samred.com
· Nov 10
After the Triumph of Tetris, an Unsolved Puzzle
Alexey Pajitnov, who created the ubiquitous game in 1984, opens up about his failed projects and his desire to design another hit.
www.nytimes.com
I've dreamed my entire career of writing an article like this. New in today's @nytimes.com: My profile of Tetris creator (and Seattle-area resident) Alexey Pajitnov, on the games, attempts, and failures he's worked on in the 40-year shadow of his most famous game. (Upshot: He's still designing.)
if you follow me, there's a 20% chance the sight of this puts a very old theme song in your head
(I cannot believe this site went far enough to secure a book deal. Oh, the aughts.)
(I cannot believe this site went far enough to secure a book deal. Oh, the aughts.)
February 14, 2026 at 12:47 AM
if you follow me, there's a 20% chance the sight of this puts a very old theme song in your head
(I cannot believe this site went far enough to secure a book deal. Oh, the aughts.)
(I cannot believe this site went far enough to secure a book deal. Oh, the aughts.)
gonna go out on a limb and apply process of elimination: probably not Mike Pence
Jeffrey Epstein to Bill Gates in December 2016:
“come to visit the island. new adminstration people visiting”
(www.justice.gov/epstein/file...)
“come to visit the island. new adminstration people visiting”
(www.justice.gov/epstein/file...)
February 13, 2026 at 5:36 AM
gonna go out on a limb and apply process of elimination: probably not Mike Pence
I try not to do the whole "liveblog a game reveal event" thing anymore, but this one got me. Looks like a 1990s Virgin Games treatment of God of War--fluid, high-res pixel-art animation all over--so I'm instantly in.
God of War Sons of Sparta from Mega Cat Studios/Sony Santa Monica announced, out today
February 12, 2026 at 11:15 PM
I try not to do the whole "liveblog a game reveal event" thing anymore, but this one got me. Looks like a 1990s Virgin Games treatment of God of War--fluid, high-res pixel-art animation all over--so I'm instantly in.
Barely two weeks ago, this game came out w/ high player counts, and it included an industry-standard "battle pass," only it was free. Which suggested HG wasn't in a rush to generate revenue.
16 days later, the whole thing comes tumbling down? Was the whole studio bankrolled by Bitcoin? Wild story.
16 days later, the whole thing comes tumbling down? Was the whole studio bankrolled by Bitcoin? Wild story.
February 11, 2026 at 11:28 PM
Barely two weeks ago, this game came out w/ high player counts, and it included an industry-standard "battle pass," only it was free. Which suggested HG wasn't in a rush to generate revenue.
16 days later, the whole thing comes tumbling down? Was the whole studio bankrolled by Bitcoin? Wild story.
16 days later, the whole thing comes tumbling down? Was the whole studio bankrolled by Bitcoin? Wild story.
this store page descriptor is coincidentally the direction I feel 2026 is going:
February 11, 2026 at 10:41 PM
this store page descriptor is coincidentally the direction I feel 2026 is going:
Reposted by Sam END ICE Machkovech
She spent the whole morning performatively screaming at Congressmen, but this image of Bondi saying nothing and refusing to turn around will be the only real takeaway from her testimony today.
Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground
February 11, 2026 at 6:31 PM
She spent the whole morning performatively screaming at Congressmen, but this image of Bondi saying nothing and refusing to turn around will be the only real takeaway from her testimony today.
Reposted by Sam END ICE Machkovech
Reminds me of that time three years ago when
February 10, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Reminds me of that time three years ago when
lol "share more clarity" does not mean "say something completely different" and that alone makes me want to dump Discord because of how insulting it is
"SHARE MORE CLARITY" IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR "WE ARE CHANGING OUR MINDS" cc every ****ing company in the world these days
"SHARE MORE CLARITY" IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR "WE ARE CHANGING OUR MINDS" cc every ****ing company in the world these days
Discord has posted updated clarification:
-Discord is not requiring everyone to complete a face scan or upload an ID to use Discord
-The vast majority of people can continue using Discord exactly as they do today, without ever being asked to confirm their age
discord.com/press-releas...
-Discord is not requiring everyone to complete a face scan or upload an ID to use Discord
-The vast majority of people can continue using Discord exactly as they do today, without ever being asked to confirm their age
discord.com/press-releas...
February 10, 2026 at 10:41 PM
lol "share more clarity" does not mean "say something completely different" and that alone makes me want to dump Discord because of how insulting it is
"SHARE MORE CLARITY" IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR "WE ARE CHANGING OUR MINDS" cc every ****ing company in the world these days
"SHARE MORE CLARITY" IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR "WE ARE CHANGING OUR MINDS" cc every ****ing company in the world these days
hey Senators and Reps, pls start practicing this mantra now:
"It's inappropriate to consider a new Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election season. For the sake of national unity, we must wait until the conclusion of the 2026 midterms to begin hearings for [INSERT NEOCON NOMINEE HERE]."
"It's inappropriate to consider a new Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election season. For the sake of national unity, we must wait until the conclusion of the 2026 midterms to begin hearings for [INSERT NEOCON NOMINEE HERE]."
February 10, 2026 at 8:52 PM
hey Senators and Reps, pls start practicing this mantra now:
"It's inappropriate to consider a new Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election season. For the sake of national unity, we must wait until the conclusion of the 2026 midterms to begin hearings for [INSERT NEOCON NOMINEE HERE]."
"It's inappropriate to consider a new Supreme Court nominee in the middle of an election season. For the sake of national unity, we must wait until the conclusion of the 2026 midterms to begin hearings for [INSERT NEOCON NOMINEE HERE]."
advice for my friends in the writing/comms/promo biz:
don't let AI write your stuff. or, hire people (hi 👋🏻) whose results look better than "this looks like AI wrote it." however you do it, bad writing and generated slop look and feel the same. below are 1,000+ words of sanded-edges nothing.
don't let AI write your stuff. or, hire people (hi 👋🏻) whose results look better than "this looks like AI wrote it." however you do it, bad writing and generated slop look and feel the same. below are 1,000+ words of sanded-edges nothing.
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle™ Developers Discuss The Order of Giants as DLC Comes to Amazon Luna
To go beyond a simple game description, we sat down with some of MachineGames’ Lead Designers to ask them more about the game, the DLC and the journey to adventure.
www.amazongamestudios.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:59 PM
advice for my friends in the writing/comms/promo biz:
don't let AI write your stuff. or, hire people (hi 👋🏻) whose results look better than "this looks like AI wrote it." however you do it, bad writing and generated slop look and feel the same. below are 1,000+ words of sanded-edges nothing.
don't let AI write your stuff. or, hire people (hi 👋🏻) whose results look better than "this looks like AI wrote it." however you do it, bad writing and generated slop look and feel the same. below are 1,000+ words of sanded-edges nothing.
this is a literal Nintendo video game with Big Pharma as the villain and Luigi as a selectable hero, I think we can turn off Bluesky for the rest of the day
Also, the very next beat is “…and Wario and Waluigi have a scheme to turn this into profit.”
February 10, 2026 at 7:11 PM
this is a literal Nintendo video game with Big Pharma as the villain and Luigi as a selectable hero, I think we can turn off Bluesky for the rest of the day
PC question: anybody in Seattle wanna, I dunno, trade me a compatible motherboard and RAM so I can upgrade my primary PC? I hate that a nicely discounted CPU like this is moot when RAMaggeddon prices out the rest of the equation. (I'm still rocking a 5800X mobo w/ dated CPU slot, womp womp.)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12-Core Unlocked CPU - $239.99 - Free shipping for Prime members
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12-Core Unlocked CPU
computers.woot.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:02 PM
PC question: anybody in Seattle wanna, I dunno, trade me a compatible motherboard and RAM so I can upgrade my primary PC? I hate that a nicely discounted CPU like this is moot when RAMaggeddon prices out the rest of the equation. (I'm still rocking a 5800X mobo w/ dated CPU slot, womp womp.)
I was about to pitch a story about Riot Games' broadening success with both this game and the new TCG Riftbound. Now? Welp, it sure doesn't inspire confidence in EITHER product category. Why should I believe your pricey new card game won't get the same out-of-nowhere yoink treatment?!
Riot Games lays off roughly 80 employees from 2XKO team
Riot Games lays off roughly 80 employees from 2XKO team
'Overall momentum hasn’t reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term.'
www.gamedeveloper.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:29 PM
I was about to pitch a story about Riot Games' broadening success with both this game and the new TCG Riftbound. Now? Welp, it sure doesn't inspire confidence in EITHER product category. Why should I believe your pricey new card game won't get the same out-of-nowhere yoink treatment?!
restrict my access all the way to the uninstall button at this point.
Discord will soon require face scans or ID for all users, or restrict access
Discord will soon require face scans or ID for all users, or restrict access
Discord has announced a major change coming to the service as part of its aim to improve teen safety features. Starting in March, all users globally will be required to submit age verification via a face scan or submitted ID, or be given teen-level access restrictions.
more…
9to5mac.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:54 PM
restrict my access all the way to the uninstall button at this point.
boy that is a lot of Seattle sports fans on our local tv broadcast screaming "BELT TO ASS!!" rn and it mostly makes me want to take to the streets and chant the same thing whenever Trump is eventually punted out of office
February 9, 2026 at 4:09 AM
boy that is a lot of Seattle sports fans on our local tv broadcast screaming "BELT TO ASS!!" rn and it mostly makes me want to take to the streets and chant the same thing whenever Trump is eventually punted out of office
Super Bowl victory party at the CHOP, see you there, fellow Seattle Antifans
February 9, 2026 at 2:50 AM
Super Bowl victory party at the CHOP, see you there, fellow Seattle Antifans
Reposted by Sam END ICE Machkovech
No Kings includes Draft Kings
February 8, 2026 at 11:49 PM
No Kings includes Draft Kings
Reposted by Sam END ICE Machkovech
trump accounts ad followed by a draft kings ad is fantastic comedy
February 8, 2026 at 11:32 PM
trump accounts ad followed by a draft kings ad is fantastic comedy
Reposted by Sam END ICE Machkovech
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
February 8, 2026 at 5:06 AM
A desperate plea sent to me by a Minneapolis resident who's been on the front lines since the beginning of the ICE occupation:
she dreams of squirrels
February 7, 2026 at 6:50 PM
she dreams of squirrels
Reposted by Sam END ICE Machkovech
It is super weird whenever someone sets up a new Substack and I can't say I have regrets about ditching the platform at all
Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters
Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:50 PM
It is super weird whenever someone sets up a new Substack and I can't say I have regrets about ditching the platform at all
Reposted by Sam END ICE Machkovech
free them all
February 6, 2026 at 4:39 AM
free them all
overpass in Seattle rn. LED lighting ftw
February 6, 2026 at 1:53 AM
overpass in Seattle rn. LED lighting ftw
I dropped everything else I was doing today after seeing this Seattle Mayoral survey go live. Renting in Seattle is a DRAG, and I wrote a lottttt in my response. Please join me in documenting the nonsense you've faced as a Seattle renter!
As we work to make housing more affordable, renters across the city need to keep speaking out. That’s why today we’re launching our Mayoral Renter’s Survey. forms.office.com/g/B1K37QsKtf
www.instagram.com/reel/DUY32i7...
www.instagram.com/reel/DUY32i7...
mayorofseattle on Instagram: "I told you that we’d have to keep organizing after I got elected, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. As we work to make hou…"
I told you that we’d have to keep organizing after I got elected, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. As we work to make housing more affordable, renters across the city need to keep organizing and speaking out. That’s why today we’re launching our Mayoral Renter’s Survey. Survey at 🔗 in bio.
www.instagram.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:01 PM
I dropped everything else I was doing today after seeing this Seattle Mayoral survey go live. Renting in Seattle is a DRAG, and I wrote a lottttt in my response. Please join me in documenting the nonsense you've faced as a Seattle renter!