The world is an episode of Black Mirror this week. Netflix recently released a new season of the anthology show, and its in-universe streaming service looks eerily familiar. Speaking of dark, alternative futures, Marvel’s Secret Invasion came out this week too, but all anyone can talk about is the fact that the opening title sequence created by artificial intelligence. And then there’s the weird intersection of the Titanic submersible tragedy and the early 2000s punk pop group Blink-182.
What is Streamberry?
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A new five-episode season of Netflix’s sci-fi horror anthology Black Mirror dropped this week, and its most memorable recurring character is “Streamberry,” a dystopian streaming network that exists within the fictional Black Mirror universe. As revealed in the season’s stand-out episode “Joan is Awful,” Streamberry shares its logo design, sound effects and user-interface with Black Mirror’s parent company Netflix. But unlike Netflix, Streamberry is “an infinite content creator capable of willing entire multiverses into existence.”
The content listed on Streamberry is 100% easter eggs—all the shows and movies on the fictional streamer are based on other Black Mirror episodes, including episodes that come later in the fifth season.
If you are into clever entertainment marketing and you are also awful (and let’s face it, you are awful) check out youareawful.com and let Streamberry make a show that presents the worst side of you. Just remember to read the terms and conditions first, or you may soon find yourself shitting in a church. (Spoiler alert!)
Artificial Intelligence angers internet with the opening of Marvel’s ‘Secret Invasion’
I was replaced with artificial intelligence years ago and no one noticed, but Marvel fans are not happy with the fact that AI art was used to create the opening credits for the new Disney+ show Secret Invasion. The work is credited to Method Studios, which used artificial intelligence to craft the art used throughout the sequence, prompting angry reactions from fans and industry insiders alike. Storyboard artist Jon Lam tweeted, “this is salt in the wounds of all Artists and Writers in the WGA strike.” Jeff Simpson, who says he worked on the show for six months, agreed. He tweeted, “I’m devastated, I believe AI to be unethical, dangerous and designed solely to eliminate artists careers.” Ethical concerns aside, the intro just looks crappy, but I’m happy that Marvel fans can finally agree on something.
(In response to the blowback, Method Studios released a statement saying, “”no artists’ jobs were replaced by incorporating these new tools.” But what about the artists who would have made the art for the intro? Weren’t their jobs essentially replaced?)
The Titanic Submersible disaster launches an internet villain
I’m not one of those ghouls who finds poetic justice or humor in the deaths of the five passengers aboard the Titan submersible, but I’m fascinated with the weird side story Brian Szasz, the step-son of deceased Titan passenger and billionaire Hamish Harding. Szasz has become internet infamous this week for his weirdly tone-deaf social media posts during the ordeal.
First he posted a pic of himself outside of a Blink-182 concert and tweeted, “My stepdad Hamish is on this submarine lost at sea. I’m devastated but coming to the San Diego show tonight so you guys can give me hope and cheer me up.” Rapper Cardi B. spoke for everyone when she responded, “You’re supposed to be at the house, sad…Isn’t that sad that you are a whole fucking billionaire, and nobody gives a fuck about you? Like you missing, and motherfuckers are ready to shake dicks at concerts.” Szasz replied, “Cardi B, grow up. Get some class. You’re tasteless,” and used the N-word with another poster before deleting his social media accounts completely.
Even in Twitter meltdown terms, it was pretty dramatic. As tweeter Mike Beauvais pointed out: “Nobody has ever done a Twitter Main Character speedrun like the Blink-182 Submarine Stepson.”
Meet TikTok’s “Sexy” Chefs
There’s a new trend on TikTok: men celebrating their cooking skills. That’s cool, but they’re trying to be “sexy” while they do it, and that’s…confusing. Admittedly I’m not the target-demo for dudes sensually kneading dough, dancing around the kitchen flashing cheesy grins, and going full “blue steel” while working the grill, so I can’t judge, but it seems to be drawing a mixed reaction generally.
On the positive side, thirsty commenters are leaving notes like “brooooo, they way you use your hands…..and the eyes contact” and “I literally just cheated on my bf.” On the negative side, there are reactions like,“Sir why are you flicking your tongue like that?” and “i really don’t feel comfortable with the way this man sexualizes food like bro ur weird.”
There’s nothing new or jarring about women being portrayed as sexy while they cook (or do anything, really), so maybe it just feels strange to see the script being flipped so directly.
Viral video of the week: “I Was Hunted by a Bloodhound”
Like everyone else, I spend most of my free time imagining how I would evade the bloodhounds should I ever escape from this accursed workhouse, but I could never come up with methods of dog-deception as clever as the ones Mark Rober invented for “I Was Hunted by a Bloodhound,” this week’s viral video of the week.
Rober, known for his booby-trapped packages and the Squirrel Olympics, wanted to test his technical ingenuity against the supernatural schnozzola of a tracking dog, so he invented seven devices designed to keep the hound off his scent and ran an experiment to see if they would trip up the professional search dog. His elaborate-but-practical inventions include smell-distributing drones, industrial fans blowing 95 mph winds, mechanical squirrel distractions, and much more. I won’t spoil the ending of the epic man v. dog matchup, but I will say that dogs are very good at sniffing things, and harder to trick than people who steal packages off your porch.