Greetings Webtaculators! Trying to return to normal takes time. I’m still trying to adjust to being relatively able to to participate in society in a “regular” way – it turns out many social norms and customs a person develops over their lifetime actually require practice to maintain. It also can be absolutely draining, even if it also makes you feel great. My advice is treat it like working out after an injury; ease back into things, and ramp up as you get stronger again. Of course, I don’t usually listen to my own advice, which is my way of pre-apologizing for the briefness of this issue. On to the news.

STORY OF THE WEEK (4 min. read)
What: The State Of Our Infrastructure
Why: The recent attack on the East Coast’s gasoline pipeline proves that our modern society remains way more vulnerable to malfeasance than ever before. In this case, Colonial Pipeline lost control of it’s billing system, so it couldn’t track transactions. The only course of action that made sense to a company that only exists to extract profit was to shut down gas delivery, even though the damage caused by this action most likely far outstripped what the company would have lost if it continued to deliver gas without tracking.

ECONOMIC THING OF THE WEEK (3 min. read)
What: We Quit
Why: Because businesses are failing to provide workers enough money to do their jobs. Weird how many businesses fail basic economic theory.

LAW THING OF THE WEEK (22 min. watch)
What: Signing Off
Why: Because over the pandemic, Judge Middleton’s courtroom and the broad access to his cases made minor celebrities of the judge, the lawyers, the plaintiffs, and the defendants who appeared before him. The court is advising that hearings no longer be distributed widely. This is the exact reason the Supreme Court doesn’t film itself – it turns out that having too much access can actually hinder a court’s ability to do its job.

TECH THING OF THE WEEK (5 min. read)
What: The Future Is Ford
Why: Because Ford decided to update its most sold model to an EV.

SPORTS THING OF THE WEEK (5 min. read)
What: Old White Dudes Can Still Be Winners!
Why: Because Phil Mickelson became the oldest winner of the PGA Championship at 50 years old.

MOVIE THING OF THE WEEK (3 min. read)
What: Spiraling
Why: Because the latest entry in the “Saw” series is apparently awful.

MUSIC THINGS OF THE WEEK (some read)
What: Billboards and Eurovisions
Why: Because both happened, I guess.

PHOTOGRAPHY THING OF THE WEEK (2 min. look)
What: Fake Plastic Trees
Why: Because my friend and I used to play a modified version of “Punch Buggie” where the goal was to be the first person to spot hidden cell towers on the way up to Tahoe.

LITERATURE THING OF THE WEEK (4 min. read)
What: Go Read Something Else
Why: Because there will always be more books.

VIDEO GAME THING OF THE WEEK (4 min. read)
What: Oregon Re-Trailed
Why: Because selling all of your supplies and buying nothing but bullets was the best strategy on the green and black version, but probably not the most historically accurate.

INTERNET THINGS OF THE WEEK (∞)
What: Second Thumb; Levitating Hot Dog; BTS’ World
Why: Because Internet.

THING YOU SHOULD GET BRIAN OF THE WEEK
What: F-150 Lightning
Why: Because Brian deserves it.

Webtacularly yours,
Brian
Managing Editor, Webtacular World
The Internet You Didn’t Know You Needed™