Sam Machkovech
@samred.com
This feed is 1/3 dog, 1/3 arts+tech, 1/3 something something. Currently: Digital Foundry. Recently: NYT, Polygon, The Stranger, Game Developer, Games Radar. Previously: Ars, American Airlines, The Atlantic. He/him, from Seattle.
Pinned
Sam 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.)
I stopped at the Smoke Shop arcade in Ballard, and I saw a kid stare in wonder at the Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 cab. I asked his mom if I can suggest that he try MvC2, she obliged. He proceeded to lose his mind. As I leave, I told them it's playable on Switch. "I HAVE A SWITCH!" ❤️🥺😭
December 27, 2025 at 10:56 PM
I stopped at the Smoke Shop arcade in Ballard, and I saw a kid stare in wonder at the Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 cab. I asked his mom if I can suggest that he try MvC2, she obliged. He proceeded to lose his mind. As I leave, I told them it's playable on Switch. "I HAVE A SWITCH!" ❤️🥺😭
three weeks later, still no answers on Google's sites. anyone???
Why does this dumb banana AI prompt keep coming up in Android Messages? How do I disable it? I have Gemini disabled top to bottom but cannot figure out how to make this constant banana nudge go awaaaaaaay
December 26, 2025 at 11:50 PM
three weeks later, still no answers on Google's sites. anyone???
I missed her adoptaversary earlier this week, but a little over two years ago, I took this beast on a plane as adopted from a longtime friend, and she's been a helluva pal ever since. Happy late Seattle anniversary, Mabel!
December 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I missed her adoptaversary earlier this week, but a little over two years ago, I took this beast on a plane as adopted from a longtime friend, and she's been a helluva pal ever since. Happy late Seattle anniversary, Mabel!
EXPIRING BUNDLE ALERT! xmas reminder that a quazillion good Image comic books from the 2010s are available in an $18 bundle for the next, erm, 28 minutes. if you can tolerate reading comics on a screen / tablet, this is as good a deal as you're ever going to find. be your own santa.
Humble Comic Bundle: Image Comics in the '10s
Get a collection of 100+ badass Image Comics featuring SAGA, Paper Girls, and more. Pay what you want & support the BINC Foundation!
www.humblebundle.com
December 25, 2025 at 6:32 PM
EXPIRING BUNDLE ALERT! xmas reminder that a quazillion good Image comic books from the 2010s are available in an $18 bundle for the next, erm, 28 minutes. if you can tolerate reading comics on a screen / tablet, this is as good a deal as you're ever going to find. be your own santa.
Speaking of seeing a 2.5-hour movie..... this is Mabel's "why'd you leave me alone for 3 hours" face
December 25, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Speaking of seeing a 2.5-hour movie..... this is Mabel's "why'd you leave me alone for 3 hours" face
All I knew three hours ago about Marty Supreme was "table tennis starring Chalamet," and you should go into it just as blindly. Absolute cinema.
December 25, 2025 at 3:31 AM
All I knew three hours ago about Marty Supreme was "table tennis starring Chalamet," and you should go into it just as blindly. Absolute cinema.
when did YT add an "ask" button to every video? what is there to ask YT? how dumb is the average person using YT that they're going to ask, I dunno, how long a video is or what it's about? how much easier can content be than a YT video? how can I ever feel hope again?
brb asking YT all of these
brb asking YT all of these
December 24, 2025 at 4:52 AM
when did YT add an "ask" button to every video? what is there to ask YT? how dumb is the average person using YT that they're going to ask, I dunno, how long a video is or what it's about? how much easier can content be than a YT video? how can I ever feel hope again?
brb asking YT all of these
brb asking YT all of these
Reposted by Sam Machkovech
Re this 2-post thread: No journalists, including those at 60 Minutes, are obliged to include non-responsive quotes in pieces. Was the question to the White House "What should 60 Minutes cover?" If not, you do not have to grant them free airtime in a story in the name of "balance" or anything else.
As "60 Minutes" finalized its "Inside CECOT" report last Thursday, CBS sent the White House a request for comment. A WH spokesperson responded within a few hours. The quote was not included in the "60" report – so, judge for yourself whether it should have been included or not >>>
December 23, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Re this 2-post thread: No journalists, including those at 60 Minutes, are obliged to include non-responsive quotes in pieces. Was the question to the White House "What should 60 Minutes cover?" If not, you do not have to grant them free airtime in a story in the name of "balance" or anything else.
update I have fiiiiiinally gotten a full 100% perfect on Dragonsweeper, which is definitely in my top five favorite video games of 2025
December 23, 2025 at 5:41 AM
update I have fiiiiiinally gotten a full 100% perfect on Dragonsweeper, which is definitely in my top five favorite video games of 2025
All of the reporting is backed up by publicly available bragging from CECOT's publicity team. It almost feels like @60minutes.bsky.social team played by Weiss's cockamamie rules—a milquetoast recap of T***p and ICE Barbie's crimes against humanity—and STILL had their reporting squashed. Yeesh.
The censored 60 Minutes' segment, Inside CECOT, is now available.
Download from @ddosecrets.com: data.ddosecrets.com/Inside%20CEC...
Download/stream from @archive.org: archive.org/details/insi...
The original video was recorded by @jasonparis.bsky.social, and cleaned up by @emma.best
Download from @ddosecrets.com: data.ddosecrets.com/Inside%20CEC...
Download/stream from @archive.org: archive.org/details/insi...
The original video was recorded by @jasonparis.bsky.social, and cleaned up by @emma.best
December 23, 2025 at 12:29 AM
All of the reporting is backed up by publicly available bragging from CECOT's publicity team. It almost feels like @60minutes.bsky.social team played by Weiss's cockamamie rules—a milquetoast recap of T***p and ICE Barbie's crimes against humanity—and STILL had their reporting squashed. Yeesh.
Mabel timeline cleanse
December 22, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Mabel timeline cleanse
footage of said regulator-related meeting is already rolling in:
December 22, 2025 at 10:10 PM
footage of said regulator-related meeting is already rolling in:
FF roughly three months to where we discover the Nic Cage-level heist that ensued in these four lost microseconds
NIST reassures the world that despite atomic clock power outage time is not broken. www.cbsnews.com/colorado/new...
Power outage in Boulder area affects atomic clock, "Time is not broken" NIST says
Due to the power outage, time (very) briefly stood still at the NIST Internet Time Service facility in Boulder.
www.cbsnews.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
FF roughly three months to where we discover the Nic Cage-level heist that ensued in these four lost microseconds
I cannot stop thinking about this amazing NYT Kristen Stewart interview from two weeks ago. Espeeeeecially the Superman / Marlon Brando segment at 14:19, which I share here cuz the equivalent "short" cuts it down a bit too much. Powerful chat all around. Stewart rules.
Kristen Stewart Thinks Hollywood Is Stuck in ‘Capitalist Hell’ | The Interview
YouTube video by The Interview
youtu.be
December 21, 2025 at 1:53 AM
I cannot stop thinking about this amazing NYT Kristen Stewart interview from two weeks ago. Espeeeeecially the Superman / Marlon Brando segment at 14:19, which I share here cuz the equivalent "short" cuts it down a bit too much. Powerful chat all around. Stewart rules.
iykyk: ONLY TWO AWAY AAAAAHHGHGHGHH
December 20, 2025 at 9:50 PM
iykyk: ONLY TWO AWAY AAAAAHHGHGHGHH
I'm back in Seattle, and I think she missed me
December 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I'm back in Seattle, and I think she missed me
Reposted by Sam Machkovech
I posted this 1.5 years ago, before L***ey admitted he's an advocate for pod-mother natalist bullshit. Today's story that his next fake Game Boy will use parts from autonomous murder machines isn't news to me.... cuz he's ALWAYS done that. Literal, figurative, all the same thing. Murderwashing.
The ModRetro Chromatic is a Game Boy throwback... that just so happens to bump shoulders with autonomous military-grade drones and Trump fund-raising. I dive into its issues—and explore why other relevant journalists might opt not to, which should raise Musk-ian alarm bells.
The dark questions behind ModRetro's "irrational" game system
Oculus VR headset creator Palmer Luckey has chosen to loudly advertise and celebrate a new retro gaming venture this week--the same week that he's hosting a Donald Trump fundraiser, and years after his earliest public dalliances with right-wing controversy. I take the time to explore why that combination of creator, product, and history is dicey--and why other journalists might opt to avoid the topic altogether. This video cites the Southern Poverty Law Center's breakdown of the alt-right's connection to the "okay" hand signal, more on that here: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/09/18/ok-sign-white-power-symbol-or-just-right-wing-troll As ever, https://samred.com is a great place to keep up with my past, present, and future efforts, or comment below on what you'd like to see me cover or chase in the future. Thanks for watching.
youtu.be
December 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
I posted this 1.5 years ago, before L***ey admitted he's an advocate for pod-mother natalist bullshit. Today's story that his next fake Game Boy will use parts from autonomous murder machines isn't news to me.... cuz he's ALWAYS done that. Literal, figurative, all the same thing. Murderwashing.
In Switch 2 news, Bethesda updated Skyrim on that platform today to address its issues w/ input lag. Have they delivered a fix? Yes, but Bethesda has inadvertently added frame-pacing issues. The whole @digitalfoundry.bsky.social team scrambled today to get our impressions up post-haste:
Skyrim on Switch 2 Gets Input Lag Patch - But It's Problematic
Our measurements, both good and bad.
www.digitalfoundry.net
December 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM
In Switch 2 news, Bethesda updated Skyrim on that platform today to address its issues w/ input lag. Have they delivered a fix? Yes, but Bethesda has inadvertently added frame-pacing issues. The whole @digitalfoundry.bsky.social team scrambled today to get our impressions up post-haste:
that was one helluva sports
December 19, 2025 at 4:54 AM
that was one helluva sports
my mom's dog can tell I'm about to fly back to Seattle
December 18, 2025 at 8:55 PM
my mom's dog can tell I'm about to fly back to Seattle
From what I've been told by my Seattle neighbor @kelslewin.bsky.social, if you're looking for an entry-level job like this with a great team, Ben and co are *tops*.
🚨MinnMax is looking for a production assistant🚨
This is a paid, part-time, contract role for people experienced in editing video, Photoshop, social clips, etc. This is not going to be an on-camera role.
Please send a resume and examples of your work to job@minnmax.com
Help sharing is appreciated!
This is a paid, part-time, contract role for people experienced in editing video, Photoshop, social clips, etc. This is not going to be an on-camera role.
Please send a resume and examples of your work to job@minnmax.com
Help sharing is appreciated!
December 17, 2025 at 7:03 PM
From what I've been told by my Seattle neighbor @kelslewin.bsky.social, if you're looking for an entry-level job like this with a great team, Ben and co are *tops*.
an upstart gimmick-control Android game console at a super-low price, blowing up retail compared to pricier old dogs in a recession year?
amazing that we basically DID get an Intellivision Amico after all, albeit it's Nex Playground instead
amazing that we basically DID get an Intellivision Amico after all, albeit it's Nex Playground instead
?????????????????????????????????????
www.ign.com/articles/vid...
www.ign.com/articles/vid...
Video Game Physical Software and Hardware Sales Just Had the Worst November in the U.S. Since 1995 - IGN
Last month, November, was a shockingly terrible month for video game sales in the U.S. While we traditionally think of November as a huge sales month what with Black Friday and all, November 2025 was ...
www.ign.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:05 PM
an upstart gimmick-control Android game console at a super-low price, blowing up retail compared to pricier old dogs in a recession year?
amazing that we basically DID get an Intellivision Amico after all, albeit it's Nex Playground instead
amazing that we basically DID get an Intellivision Amico after all, albeit it's Nex Playground instead
Reposted by Sam Machkovech
Again I say: how fucking interesting that remote work technology is bad and not worth adopting despite all research pointing to productivity gains, but genAI which offers NOTHING is so important to adopt and force on people who have no use for it despite all the horrible things genAI does
December 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Again I say: how fucking interesting that remote work technology is bad and not worth adopting despite all research pointing to productivity gains, but genAI which offers NOTHING is so important to adopt and force on people who have no use for it despite all the horrible things genAI does