All posts tagged: Boring

How Andy Warhol Made Blow Jobs Boring

How Andy Warhol Made Blow Jobs Boring

Published by skeptic

Every party should have Warhol films projected. That’s my conclusion after revisiting some of them for hours at the tiny but warm New York Museum of Sex show “Looking at Andy Looking.” Everyone should fall asleep to Sleep (1964). Every film frame can, if hung over a bed, lull you. The filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami once said that he preferred movies that make you sleep—that are “kind enough to allow you a nice nap”—especially against those loud, violence-stuffed movies that take you “hostage.” Well, Warhol’s films are just as kind. In response to the endless, frightening sixties business of assassination, imperial war, and the money drive, Warhol films offered up nice naps. Related Articles Now, if you’re having sex, it probably wouldn’t be so nice to nap. There’s a time and place for everything, including sleep. Sleeping during sex, though! During such an act of busy thinking and unthinking, lost and gained positions? Enter Warhol. He saw, cagily and presciently, the flattening of bodies onto screens. Andy turned the camera on a sleeping lover—John Giorno—let him …

These transparent earbuds by Nothing made my AirPods look and sound boring

These transparent earbuds by Nothing made my AirPods look and sound boring

Published by skeptic

Nina Raemont/ZDNET ZDNET’s key takeaways  For $99, the new Nothing Ear (a) earbuds offer clear sound and a thoughtful design.  Their affordability, comfort, and long battery life make them a great option for budget-conscious shoppers. Unfortunately, its middling noise-canceling tech doesn’t protect you from external noises.  Most of the audio tech on the market right now errs on the side of aesthetic caution. I’ve tested plenty of earbuds this year, and something I’ve noticed is that many manufacturers sacrifice style for functionality, opting for blacks, grays, and enough matte finishes to fit inside a therapist’s office — much to my chagrin. In the words of the late, great Andre Leon Talley, “it’s a famine of beauty” over here.   Also: Why I ditched my AirPods Pro for Nothing’s new transparent earbuds (and don’t regret it) So when Nothing sent me its new earbuds, I was excited to finally see a cool, fresh, and exciting design, and they’re worthy of a callout. I’ve been testing the new Nothing Ear (a) earbuds since launch, taking them on a ten-mile …

Pushing Buttons: With creative developers shutting everywhere, the future of games looks bleaker and more boring | Games

Pushing Buttons: With creative developers shutting everywhere, the future of games looks bleaker and more boring | Games

Published by skeptic

Last month the games company Take-Two Interactive announced it would reduce its global staff by 5%, laying off 580 people to reduce costs. It was one of many such announcements in 2024, but this case is especially egregious because Take-Two ownsRockstar Games, which publishes Grand Theft Auto, AKA the most successful game in the history of the world, and is definitely not short of profits. Last week, Bloomberg (£) reported on internal documentation showing the likely victims of these cuts: studios Intercept Games in Seattle and Roll7 in London are set to close. Both are part of Private Division, the giant publisher’s indie game label. I spent some time with Intercept’s Kerbal Space Program 2 last year, when they were gearing up to launch. This exceptionally nerdy game about getting tiny green astronauts into space, which hews so closely to the real life physics of space flight that it inspired a generation of engineering students, has had a troubled time. It had been through a studio closure and a change of developer already, and its …

Max Halley’s sandwich recipes: Never have a boring lunch again

Max Halley’s sandwich recipes: Never have a boring lunch again

Published by Sam

Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Sandwich expert Max Halley thanks chef Carl Clarke for contributing the fried chicken element of this dish. “Much as I’d like to palm the chicken element of this sandwich off as my own, I can’t, because it’s not mine, it’s Carl’s and it’s THE BEST,” he says. “If you want to make this easier, make the easy bits, then buy some chicken Kyivs instead of frying the chicken and whack one of them (cooked, obvs) in instead. Watch out for that boiling butter though, and mind that T-shirt.” Coronation fried chicken sandwich Go all-in and fry the chicken yourself, or take the shortcut and chuck in a chicken Kyiv instead (Rob Billington/PA) Makes: 1 sandwich Ingredients: 1 brioche or burger bun, cut in half 3 generous tbsp Coronation Chicken Sauce (see below) Small handful of Bombay mix (finer London Mix is better if you can get it – the CoFresh brand is excellent) …

The ‘boring phone’: stressed-out gen Z ditch smartphones for dumbphones | Young people

The ‘boring phone’: stressed-out gen Z ditch smartphones for dumbphones | Young people

Published by skeptic

It’s almost enough to make you stop doomscrolling: dull devices are now cool. The Boring Phone is a new, featureless flip phone that is feeding the growing appetites of younger people who want to bin their smartphones in favour of a dumbphone. The latest model is a collaboration between Heineken beer and the fashion retailer Bodega, and caused a storm when it was unveiled this month at Milan design week, the place where trends are anointed by the world’s designers. The Boring Phone is part of a new dumbphone boom, built on the suspicion of gen Z towards the data- and attention-harvesting technologies they have grown up with. That suspicion has fuelled reinventions of retro cultural artefacts – a trend known as Newtro – and seen in the revival of vinyl records, cassettes, fanzines, 8-bit video games and old-fashioned mobile phones. “I’ve always hated being available to everyone,” said Rana Ali. The 29-year-old former finance worker, who is now a music producer and rapper recording as Surya Sen, added: “The idea that if you send …

This New Feature Is A Breath Of Fresh Air For Singles Tired Of Boring Bios On Hinge

This New Feature Is A Breath Of Fresh Air For Singles Tired Of Boring Bios On Hinge

Published by skeptic

While the dating world has many pitfalls (how many times can I read ‘roast dinner and a walk on a Sunday’ in a bio, I beg?!), the main concern surrounding it is harassment and unwanted contact. Research has found that online harassment has been on the rise across all digital spaces – particularly for vulnerable groups like women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ users. Now, finally, Hinge has announced that users can hide certain words from appearing in their ‘likes’ as the dating app can: “detour negative interactions before they start, creating a safer and more positive experience on the app.” What the Hidden Words setting on Hinge means for users When users go to the Hidden Words setting, the app states: “We’ll hide likes from people who use any of the words you add here”, giving users complete control in hiding everything from the inoffensive bugbears (hiking, anyone?) to offensive words that they would prefer not to see. Social media users took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their excitement. Some users are… a little fussier …

Biden campaign hits Trump on ‘boring’ football comments ahead of NFL draft

Biden campaign hits Trump on ‘boring’ football comments ahead of NFL draft

Published by skeptic

President Biden’s reelection campaign unveiled a digital ad ahead of Thursday night’s NFL draft, calling out former President Trump for saying football is “boring.” The 20-second video opens with Trump saying at a rally that “football is boring as hell” and a photograph of Biden with Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce during a visit to the White House after winning the Super Bowl last year. It also includes Trump saying “nobody cares about football because of it… it’s boring” and shots of Biden holding a football with players. “Make the right pick in November,” the ad concludes. The video dropped on X shortly before the first round of the NFL draft kicked off in Detroit. It aimed to highlight that “Biden is a proud football fan, cheering alongside the over 120 million Americans who watched this year’s Super Bowl,” according to the president’s campaign. “You just posted a video where Biden could barely hold up a football. Dumbasses,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote in a post on X. “Here’s what a real athlete …

The Download: American’s hydrogen train experiment, and why we need boring robots

The Download: American’s hydrogen train experiment, and why we need boring robots

Published by skeptic

Like a mirage speeding across the dusty desert outside Pueblo, Colorado, the first hydrogen-fuel-cell passenger train in the United States is getting warmed up on its test track. It will soon be shipped to Southern California, where it is slated to carry riders on San Bernardino County’s Arrow commuter rail service before the end of the year. The best way to decarbonize railroads is the subject of growing debate among regulators, industry, and activists. The debate is partly technological, revolving around whether hydrogen fuel cells, batteries, or overhead electric wires offer the best performance for different railroad situations. But it’s also political: a question of the extent to which decarbonization can, or should, usher in a broader transformation of rail transportation. In the insular world of railroading, this hydrogen-powered train is a Rorschach test. To some, it represents the future of rail transportation. To others, it looks like a big, shiny distraction. Read the full story. —Benjamin Schneider This story is for subscribers only, and is from the next magazine issue of MIT Technology Review, …

13 Men Reveal What Makes A Woman ‘Boring’

13 Men Reveal What Makes A Woman ‘Boring’

Published by skeptic

A relationship isn’t all about the intimacy; it’s also about companionship. And if your partner doesn’t know how not to be boring, that’s not going to work. We’ve all been there: you are on a date and there’s nothing to talk about. They’ll stare at their phone, the menu, their wine glass — anything but you. And when they do finally speak, they kind of say nothing at all. But a lot of men have a really strong feeling about what makes women boring, and if they sense it, they can’t proceed with her. For most men, it’s simply not having a life. Sure, they want you to be into them and their interests but have something going on in your own life. Care about your job, your hobby, your dog, and your friends. That way you have something interesting to bring to the table on your next date. Forget the traditional dating advice. Instead, here’s what makes women boring, according to men themselves. RELATED: There Are Only 2 Reasons Why Guys Don’t Text You Back Here 13 …

Why Do Some Readers Find Booker Prize Winners Boring?

Why Do Some Readers Find Booker Prize Winners Boring?

Published by skeptic

The Booker Prize looms large in the literary world, a beacon of artistic excellence that separates the truly great novels from the merely good. To have your book adorned with that gilded sticker is to join the ranks of literary titans. And yet, for all its vaunted prestige, the Booker has also earned a reputation in some quarters as a purveyor of the stuffy, the overly cerebral, the downright boring booker prize winners that are more likely to induce comas than captivate readers. It’s a strange dichotomy: how can the same prize that celebrates the pinnacle of fiction also be associated with novels that might as well be descended from concrete blocks? What cosmic joke is at play here? If you find yourself among the confused masses scratching their heads at this paradox, you’re not alone. The truth is, there are a multitude of factors that can conspire to make even masterfully written books feel like a bit of a slog. Ch-Ch-Ch-Challenges in Style If you’re looking for a light and fluffy beach read, you …