A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
Happy WorldElephantDay! I found two videos for today that illustrate a point I make about elephants, that they are ecosystem engineers, foundation species that not only maintain an ecosystem, like keystone species such as sea otters, but can re-establish ecosystems. Watch World Elephant Day 2026 from American Humane Society.
Take elephants out of Africa, and the landscape itself begins to change. Their absence would be felt far beyond the herd, in the forests they help renew, the water sources they uncover and the habitats their movement creates for countless other species. Elephants are not simply part of Africa’s biodiversity; they are one of the forces that help sustain it. This World Elephant Day, help us protect these extraordinary animals and the living landscapes shaped by their presence.
India is home to more than 60% of the world’s Asian elephants—a distinction that comes with a deep responsibility.
From 33 Elephant Reserves and more than 150 identified elephant corridors to science-led monitoring and mitigation measures across 77 critical railway stretches, India continues to strengthen efforts for elephant conservation.
Technology, scientific research, frontline forest teams and local communities are all playing an important role in creating safer landscapes for elephants and people.
On World Elephant Day 2026, we celebrate India’s elephants and reaffirm our commitment to conserving the habitats and landscapes they call home.
John Oliver discusses how the Department of Justice has changed since Trump took office for his second term, how the DOJ seems to be acting on his behalf instead of on behalf of the people, and why we need barbers who use scissors instead of their teeth. You’d think that goes without saying, but we’re afraid it might not.
I've been following the protestsagainstICE and the follies around the ReflectingPool, so I'm familiar with DOJ's legal failures involving them. I also read Marcy "Emptywheel" Wheeler, who has a Weaponized DOJ category on her blog, so I've also read about the cases investigating serious crimes that were dropped to concentrate on immigration and Pervert Hoover's political enemies. While I've encountered Harmeet Dhillon's name and office there, I had no idea she and Pervert Hoover had ended the agreement about septic systems in Alabama because of environmental justice and DEI. As an environmentalist who thinks diversity is a strength, I'm offended. Just the same, thanks to Last Week Tonight's researchers for finding the story.
That's a wrap for today's holiday. Tomorrow is WorldElephantDay, so stay tuned to see if I blog about it.
Time to salute the kings, um, queens, of the savanna! On this episode of National Day Spotlight (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/), Marlo Anderson (https://marloanderson.com/) and co-host Alice Anderson are looking toward global conservation for World Lion Day (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/celebrations/world-lion-day-august-10). They’ll highlight the majesty, family dynamics, and urgent habitat protections needed to keep this apex pride thriving in the wild. Tune in for a powerful look at nature's nobility!
It was both about time National Day Calendar made a video for World Lion Day and that I used one.
In celebration of National Lazy Day, the TODAY anchors, as well as some fans plucked from the crowd, kick back and relax on the plaza on some cozy La-Z-Boy recliners! (Sponsored by La-Z-Boy)
Yes, this is a glorified commercial and publicity stunt, but it's still funny. It also justifies my lazy treatment of today's post.
As Gold Derby predicted in January, the Puerto Rican superstar — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — scored a nomination Wednesday for Best Variety Special (Live) for his sizzling, much-scrutinized halftime show at Sunday's Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. The special was one of the most-nominated programs, receiving nine total bids, including Production Design for a Variety Special, Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming, Directing for a Variety Special, Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program, Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special, Music Direction, Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special, and Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special. That marks a record for a halftime show.
People listed Bad Bunny's competitors for Best Variety Special (Live).
The milestone comes after the performance drew a staggering 128.2 million viewers, making it the fourth-most-watched Super Bowl halftime show in history. The show is also nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), where it will compete against four major awards ceremonies: the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, the Oscars and the 78th Annual Tony Awards.
I'm not going to handicap this category today; Gold Derby has its prediction page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards up, but no one seems to have made a prediction in this category. When enough predictions have been tallied, I'll return to this category. On the other hand, the Super Bowl Halftime Show is leading the odds for Variety Special Directing and Music Direction; Gold Derby is not making predictions in the craft categories. I'll look at those when I examine Gold Derby's prediction for Variety Special (Live).
Every expert and editor along with 94.7% of users have chosen The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny, to use its official name, to win. The Oscars follow with 2.6% of users, then the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards and 78th Annual Tony Awards tie at 1.3%; no one is picking the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny – Hamish Hamilton (NBC)
Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... – Rikki Hughes (Netflix)
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: The Final Show – Glenn Weiss (Disney+)
78th Annual Tony Awards – Glenn Weiss (CBS)
Wanda Sykes: Legacy – Julie Dash (Netflix)
Once again, every expert and editor plus 94.3% of users have Hamish Hamilton taking home the statuette. Glenn Weiss for both Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: The Final Show and 78th Annual Tony Awards ties himself at 2.9% each, so he has a combined 6.8% chance, while no one thinks Rikki Hughes for Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... and Julie Dash for Wanda Sykes: Legacy have a chance.
Outstanding Music Direction
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny – Miguel Gandelman (NBC)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Series Finale" – Louis Cato (CBS)
The Oscars – Michael Bearden (ABC)
Saturday Night Live: "Host: Jack Black" – Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Eli Brueggemann, and Maddie Rice (NBC)
Wicked: One Wonderful Night – Stephen Oremus (NBC)
For the third and final time, every expert and editor along with 90.1% of users think The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny will win, giving Miguel Gandelman an Emmy. Wicked: One Wonderful Night notched 9.1% of users, The Oscars 0.8%, and the rest of the field earned no votes at all.
“OBSESSION,” “PROJECT HAIL MARY,” “SUPERMAN,” AND “THE FURIOUS” TOP FILM WINNERS WITH TWO WINS EACH
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“Obsession,” “Project Hail Mary,” “Superman,” and “The Furious” led this year’s film winners, earning two wins each. “Obsession” was named Best Horror Movie, with Inde Navarrette honored as Best Actress in a Horror Movie. “Project Hail Mary” took home Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie, with its star Ryan Gosling winning Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie. “Superman” was named Best Superhero Movie, and David Corenswet won Best Actor in a Superhero Movie. In the Action categories, “The Furious” won Best Action Movie, and Xie Miao received Best Actor in an Action Movie.
The Critics Choice Super Awards is also presenting a special honor recognizing a certain outstanding performance in a horror film. This year, Indy, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and four-legged star of IFC’s thriller “Good Boy,” will receive the Best Good Boy in a Horror Movie award for his scene-stealing performance.
Although I voted for Weapons, I think Obsession is more likely to win Best Wide-Release Movie at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. On the other hand, I think Weapons is more likely to win this category here. Once again, welcome to the critics vs. the fans.
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Out of this field, I would vote for Amy Madigan, Weapons, as did one of the members of PVD Horror. The other voted for Inde Navarrette. Given that it's the critics, I think Madigan has the advantage.
I read the room wrong; Obsession and Inde Navarette beat Weapons and Amy Madigan. That written, I'm neither surprised nor disappointed. Besides, I did call Madigan winning Best Villain in a Movie. I also anticipated the winner of Best Actor in a Horror Movie, writing "I think it's between Ejiofor and Fiennes with Adam Scott in Hokum as a spoiler." Fiennes won. Given the strong nominees from 2026, I expect horror will have another good year at the next Oscars.
I'm picking Project Hail Mary, and not just because it has the most nominations. My wife and I paid money to stream it, which we almost never do, and thought it was worth every penny. That the Astra Awards crowned it the best movie of the first half of the year just cements my choice.
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I think this category will go to Ryan Gosling, earning Project Hail Mary its second trophy here.
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Oona Chaplin earned one of her two nominations for Avatar: Fire and Ash in this category, but I think she'll walk away empty-handed. Instead, it's between Emma Stone and Emily Blunt, whose performance in Disclosure Day was probably the best part of the film.
I expect both Blunt and Gosling to earn lots of nominations for their performances.
I'm rooting for David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent...
Milly Alcock and to a lesser extent Vanessa Kirby are the only title characters nominated, which might count for something. That written, I'm rooting for two Emmy winners, Rachel Brosnahan and Julia Garner.
Being a title character did count for something as Millie Alcock won, her first award for a single role. May this award help protect Alcock from a Razzie nomination. Supergirl itself may not be so lucky avoiding a Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel nomination.
The Furious leads with three nominations; the rest of the field is tied at two apiece. I'll go with The Furious based on its three nominations here and its Astra Midseason Movie Award for Best Stunts...
Miao Xie may be in the best movie, but he's splitting The Furious vote with Joe Taslim and they're both up against stiff competition. Matt Damon is an Oscar winner, albeit for his writing, and the biggest star, Taron Edgerton is an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee and an underrated actor, and Bob Odenkirk is a two-time Emmy winner for his writing and a Critics Choice Award winner for his acting. I'd bet on Damon.
Miao Xie's performance overcame star power, which I didn't expect.
Charlize Theron is my choice to win this award based on her Oscar and Critics Choice Award wins; in fact, she won this category for Mad Max: Fury Road when it was part of the main Critics Choice Awards ten years ago.
As I expected, Theron won. Congratulations to her and all the rest of the winners!
That's a wrap for today and this year's Critics Choice Super Awards. Stay tuned for more awards coverage in tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature.
Previous posts about the 2026 Critics Choice Super Awards
“THE BOYS” AND “WIDOW’S BAY” LEAD TELEVISION WINNERS WITH THREE WINS EACH
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“The Boys” and “Widow’s Bay” were the standouts among this year’s television winners, each taking home three trophies. “The Boys” earned three wins from its five nominations, including Best Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. Antony Starr won Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie, as well as Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. “Widow’s Bay” swept all three categories in which it was nominated, with wins for Best Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie; Matthew Rhys for Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie; and Kate O’Flynn for Best Actress in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie.
I called most of these. In 'The Boys' leads TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards, I wrote "This is a three-way contest among The Boys, Fallout, and Spider-Noir" — The Boys and Spider-Noir tied — and "I think Starr has the best shot at winning [Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie], as he's the only nominee here who is also nominated for a Best Actor in a genre TV show category" — he won, again. I also called Danielle Brooks winning Best Actress in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie for her role in Peacemaker. On the other hand, I thought Best Actor in a Superhero Series was "between Cage and Abdul-Mateen," but Starr won. I'm O.K. with that, as he's won this award before.
I also called the wins for Widow's Bay. I wrote "Dexter: Resurrection and Widow's Bay are the favorites, which I'm resolving in favor of Widow's Bay... Matthew Rhys...[is] going to win here, [and] I can see Kate O’Flynn winning this award as part of a Widow's Bay sweep..." Widow's Bay swept!
Follow over the jump for the TV winners not mentioned in the lead paragraphs of the press release.
Celebrity Family Feud, Jeopardy!, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire co-lead with two nominations, while The Price Is Right and Wheel of Fortune have only this one. Jeopardy!is the defending winner, so it's my default choice to win. The Gold Derby oddsmakers agree, as every expert and editor plus 97.6% of users think it will repeat. The rest of the users split between Celebrity Family Feud with 1.5% and Wheel of Fortune with 1.0%. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and The Price Is Right have no votes. That's overwhelming!
Outstanding Host for a Game Show
Steve Harvey – Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)
Ken Jennings – Jeopardy! (ABC / Syndicated)
Colin Jost – Pop Culture Jeopardy! (Netflix)
Jimmy Kimmel – Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ABC)
Martin Short – Match Game (ABC)
On the other hand, Gold Derby does not think Jimmy Kimmel will repeat. Instead, every expert, 83.3% of editors, and 89.7% of users expect Martin Short will win. The editors and users split on the runner up. The remaining 16.7% of editors plus 3.3% of users think Ken Jennings will finally walk off the podium with an Emmy, while 4.7% of users pick Jimmy Kimmel to repeat. Steve Harvey, who regularly won this award when it was part of the Daytime Emmy Award, has user support of 1.4%. Electorates matter. Colin Jost sits last with 0.9% of users.
That's a wrap for today. I plan on continuing awards show coverage tomorrow, but not the Emmys. Instead, the CriticsChoiceSuperAwards winners will be announced later today, so I'm going to shift focus to those this weekend. Stay tuned.
Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards
I told my readers to "Stay tuned for the nominees in Structured Reality Program" at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for today's post, so here they are.
Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)
Love Is Blind (Netflix)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
Shark Tank (ABC)
These are the only nominations for these shows, so I can't use their other nominations to handicap them. While Queer Eyewon last year, the Gold Derby odds doubt it will repeat. Instead, 71.4% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 75.4% of users expect Antiques Roadshow will win. The remaining experts are split with 14.3% each forecasting Queer Eye and Love Is Blind. The users break that tie with 14.8% backing Queer Eye and 6.6% loving Love Is Blind. 33.3% of editors and 3.3% of users selected Shark Tank. No one thinks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives will win. Always a nominee, never a winner.
That's a wrap for today's installment. Stay tuned to see if I continue tomorrow with the reality competition category.
Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards
I'm stepping over the fine line between nonfiction and reality for today's awards show coverage by examining nominations for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Love on the Spectrum leads with five nominations, followed by Welcome to Wrexham with four, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked tied at two, and Summer House with just this one. That's close to how the Gold Derby odds rank their odds. Every expert, 83.3% of editors, and 87.6% of users picked Love on the Spectrum to repeat. The editors and users split on which shows could upset the leader. America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is the choice of the remaining 16.7% of editors but no users, while 7.5% regard RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked as the runner-up with Welcome to Wrexham at 4.3% and new nominee Summer House as the selection of the final 0.5%.
I'm glad to see America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersrepeat its nomination and Summer House replace The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The latter was trashy fun, but it struck me as exploition of exploitation.
Follow over the jump for the rest of these shows' nominations.
Evolving from a robotics company working in government contracts and toy contract work, iRobot eventually released a consumer product of their own, the Roomba, that would define not only their entire corporate future, but the industry that they essentially created. However, just 4 years after their all time peak in revenue and popularity, the company had declared bankruptcy. Join me in this video as we find out what happened to iRobot and their flagship product line, the Roomba robot vacuum.
It seems no tale of the Retail Apocalypse is complete without either private equity or Amazon, and this story has both, although in potentially helpful roles, not competitors or bad managers. Also, this is another example of a company that florished during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were at home, then got into trouble when they returned to work, although that wasn't the primary issue; competition and weak innovation were.
The company that popularized the robot vacuum has been struggling. This video outlines some of the main reasons behind those struggles.
Company Man Mike made a list of the reasons for iRobot's decline.
As I wrote above, competition and weak innovation were the main reasons for iRobot's decline. Using cameras instead of LIDAR is, as Company Man Mike pointed out, one of the reasons why Tesla's self-driving technology is inferior to Waymo's. I hadn't even considered the privacy issues with cameras instead of LIDAR, but they're valid. As for relying on vacuum sales over other applications and markets, iRobot made the decision to sell their military products early on and it made sense at the time. As for other consumer products, it wasn't for lack of trying. iRobot tried, but failed.
That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more awards show coverage.
