A real nugget of *actual* Internet gold

The Internet churns with such desperate, perpetual, exhausting insistence that it's easy to feel jaded about the whole clattering machine. But every once in a while, amidst all the memes and viral videos and listicles and smart takes and other disparate forms of "CONTENT," you find a real nugget of *actual* Internet gold. "Four-year-old reviews" is one such gem. I can't express my love of it fully, so I guess I'll just stop there. Onward!

1. Painted nails. Martini glasses. Newspapers and party hats. We love emoji because they depict the habits of daily life. But if you really want to get in the sociocultural muck on this one, it would appear that emoji only depict, i.e. normalize, certain types of habits. And that, taken with their history and homogeniety, would seem to suggest a certain fascinating conservatism in the way we :) now.

2. Even if it's on Twitter, collective grief is real. Historically, we always mourned in public. Maybe the rise of social media and celebrity culture shouldn't change all that.

3. A short history of Internet metaphors. Remember "the information superhighway"? Lol, '90s.

Cat on a Roomba! This baby is not impressed.

Pocketable: "How black parents prepare their young sons for life in America," OR the most powerful short essay you'll read this year. (1017 words/4 minutes)

Postscripts: "Fat Jew." Hobbit beer. Google (?) roadkill. Why Oregon Trail still matters and which apps drain your phone. Motss.com was the web's gayest space. Hervé This is the world's weirdest chef. Do dog lovers really look like their pets?! (The answer, per Viral Nova: yes.)

Until tomorrow!
@caitlindewey

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