Boing Boing, December 15, 2025
Meta's Chinese ad scam millions and measles surge amid RFK Jr.'s vaccine skepticism
Happy Monday! Here’s today’s stories: Former Governor Cuomo’s legal defense bills have cost New York taxpayers over $21 million, with the meter still running as harassment cases drag on. Meanwhile, Meta knowingly profited $3 billion from Chinese scammers pushing illegal gambling and fraud—until Mark Zuckerberg disbanded the team fighting it. As RFK Jr. undermines vaccine confidence from his HHS perch, South Carolina’s measles outbreak has exploded to 126 cases just as holiday travel begins. And speaking of government fumbles, FBI Director Kash Patel botched another high-profile shooting investigation by arresting the wrong suspect. In lighter news, a drunk raccoon turned repeat offender has become a folk hero after multiple liquor store break-ins, while Denny’s is launching $195 syrup-filled sneakers.
NY taxpayers fund Cuomo’s $21M legal bill
Ellsworth Toohey / 11:10 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
By New York National Guard
New Yorkers have shelled out another $1.3 million since late May to defend former Governor Andrew Cuomo against sexual harassment allegations, according to The City. The total tab for taxpayer-funded legal defense across all his harassment cases now exceeds $21 million.
The bulk of the money—$10.5 million—has gone toward defending Cuomo and state police in a lawsuit filed by a trooper on his security detail, identified in court documents as “Trooper 1.” The discovery phase alone has dragged on for three and a half years and included 26 depositions, more than double the typical limit in federal civil cases.
State law entitles public employees to “reasonable litigation expenses” when accused of wrongdoing during their service. But these Cuomo cases aren’t typical. They represent roughly one-third of all fees paid under this law across 249 cases since January 2020. One disgraced ex-governor is eating up a third of the entire fund.
The legal bills continued to mount even as Cuomo ran his failed 2025 mayoral campaign. Former aide Lindsey Boylan, named in the trooper’s complaint, put it bluntly: “The only reason that he’s able to continue to harass me is because New Yorkers are paying for it.”
A recent court hearing saw more squabbling over medical records and access to witnesses. The judge denied additional depositions but reopened discovery in limited fashion. The meter keeps running.
MAGA’s vow to never mock opponents’ deaths broken at first opportunity
Ellsworth Toohey / 11:01 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
Just weeks ago, MAGA figures vowed after Charlie Kirk’s assassination that they would never celebrate or mock the death of a political opponent. That commitment lasted until Monday morning, when President Trump posted that Rob Reiner died from “a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead in their Los Angeles home over the weekend in what police are investigating as a homicide. Their 32-year-old son Nick has been arrested. It’s a family tragedy involving addiction and mental health — not politics.
Even Trump’s staunchest allies couldn’t stomach it. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, rarely one to criticize the president, pushed back directly: “Rob Reiner and his wife were tragically killed at the hands of their own son, who reportedly had drug addiction and other issues, and their remaining children are left in serious mourning and heartbreak. This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies.”
The contrast with the immediate aftermath was stark. Sunday night and early Monday, MAGA figures largely expressed sympathy. “RIP, Rob Reiner,” posted Alex Bruesewitz, a top Trump ally, along with praying hands. Then Trump weighed in, and the moral high ground they’d claimed after Kirk’s death evaporated.
As RFK Jr undermines vaccine safety, South Carolina’s measles epidemic grows
Jason Weisberger / 9:13 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
As the Secretary of Health and Human Services tells the American public that the measles vaccine causes deaths every year, and to try Vitamin A, South Carolina’s measles epidemic is surging right before holiday travel is set to kick off. Yay team?
Measles cases are continuing to rise, something South Carolina could see worsen drastically as residents start to travel for the holidays.
South Carolina health officials confirmed 42 new measles cases in one week, bringing the total outbreak to 126 cases as the holiday travel season begins.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health reported new cases Friday. The outbreak has led to exposures at additional schools and placed 303 South Carolina residents in quarantine and 13 in isolation.
Measles, the once‑nearly‑eliminated viral menace that science eliminated decades ago, has come roaring back from the brink, all thanks to the reality‑optional vibes of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In his first year on the job, childhood vaccination rates nosedived as RFK Jr. flooded the public square with his signature blend of vitamin cures, YouTube science, and tortured skepticism of anything with a needle. Now, public schools are Petri dishes, pediatric ICUs are full, and counties are scrambling to contain outbreaks we thought were relics of rotary phones and leaded gasoline. It turns out that if you give a man with a decades-long grudge against the MMR vaccine the keys to the nation’s health policy, he’ll drive it straight into a wall.
Kash Patel bungles another high-profile shooting case
Jason Weisberger / 9:01 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
Cosplaying FBI Director, the bug-eyed Kash Patel has fumbled yet another major shooting investigation, this time misidentifying a suspect in the Brown University shooting that killed two and injured nine. After publicly announcing the arrest and praising his agency’s work, the suspect was quickly and quietly released. Local police confirmed the FBI acted without sufficient evidence and basically grabbed the wrong guy.
The Providence, Rhode Island, chief of police went on to blame the FBI for the embarrassing screwup.
“It was actually picked up by the FBI … and they ended up coming and located this individual of interest,” Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr. said during a press conference, adding that after detaining the person they, “didn’t have enough, obviously, to be able to prosecute anybody.”
This is the second major shooting investigation that Patel has botched.
It is the second time in his short tenure that Patel has rushed to claim victory in a high-stakes investigation, only to embarrass the agency he leads. At this point, the FBI under Patel looks less like federal law enforcement and more like a clown car. But hey, top priority in law enforcement is updating the social media feeds.
A sparrow died for knocking over 23,000 dominoes
Ellsworth Toohey / 9:00 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
In November 2005, the Netherlands was preparing for Domino Day, an annual television event where millions of dominoes are arranged in elaborate patterns and toppled for a live audience. Four days before the broadcast, a house sparrow flew into the Frisian Expo Centre in Leeuwarden, landed on the wrong tile, and triggered a cascade that toppled 23,000 dominoes.
The organizers called Duke Faunabeheer, a pest control company, to remove the bird. After failed attempts with nets and sticks, they shot it.
The Netherlands did not take this well. Animal rights groups were outraged. The sparrow became a cause célèbre, with over 3,000 complaints filed. Someone created a website memorializing the bird. A minute of silence was proposed. The shooter received death threats so severe that he went into hiding.
The situation had legal dimensions too. House sparrows are protected under Dutch and European law, and killing one without proper authorization carries fines. The company was eventually prosecuted and fined €200, though some felt this was inadequate justice for what had become the most famous sparrow death in Dutch history.
Domino Day went ahead as scheduled. The remaining dominoes fell as planned. But the broadcast included a moment acknowledging the sparrow, and the incident became more memorable than whatever record they were trying to set that year. The bird was later stuffed and displayed at the Natural History Museum Rotterdam, forever commemorating the day a sparrow became an enemy of the state.
Denny’s sneakers have translucent syrup-filled chambers
Rob Beschizza / 8:59 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
Named “Sticky Kicks” and encasing real syrup, Denny’s branded sneakers drop December 17 and will cost $195. You could get a lot of bacon and eggs for that, even in Trump’s economy! Here’s Ellie Doty, senior vice president and chief brand officer at Denny:
“Sticky Kicks are impractical, unnecessary, and completely over the top, which is exactly why we love them. At Denny’s, syrup isn’t just something we serve. It’s part of who we are. It’s our golden thread. So, it only makes sense we’d be the first to turn it into fashion.”
The over-the-top kicks were created in collaboration with footwear artist Dan Gamache, better known as Mache, and are designed to be a fun tribute to the topping that’s been fueling Denny’s Grand Slams for decades.
The drop will be at Diner Drip, Denny’s merch site. Adds Mache, the artist: “Sticky Kicks was just the right mix of over-the-top theming and maintaining the high standards of materials and fabrications that our sneakers are known for.”
I don’t want this, but on reflection I find I would like Denny’s keycaps. Ellie, if you’re reading this, here’s some inspo.
Oh, right, an important disclaimer: “The syrup in the shoe is not edible. Denny’s strongly advises against puncturing the shoes or trying to get a taste.” So definitely don’t do that, traffic- and syrup-hungry YouTubers.
Republican solution to affordability crisis announced: Americans should “earn more”
Jason Weisberger / 8:48 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
Following along with real estate fraud and grifter nonpariel, Donald Trump’s “affordability is a hoax,”
Ohio Senator Jon Husted took to national TV to explain the GOP’s plan to solve the affordability crisis: when prices go up, Americans should earn more. That’s it: the magic wand of modern conservative governance. Oh, don’t forget these are the same folks holding the minimum wage down below Scrooge-like levels.
“Look, there are three ways to make things more affordable: Earn more, keep more of what you earn, and drive down prices,” Husted said, “and that’s exactly what we’re doing in Congress.”
The comments came after Husted cast a vote to block the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies for the ninth time in the U.S. Senate. The expiration of those subsidies as part of Trump’s budget bill will result in insurance premiums increasing for Americans by 100%-150%. ACA subsidies help 583,000 Ohioans afford health insurance.
“After casting the deciding vote to deliver the largest billionaire tax break in the history of our country, Jon Husted’s suggestion to Ohioans who are struggling to get by is to earn more money,” said former Ohio Senator and Democratic candidate, Sherrod Brown.
On Fox Business, Husted offered up three ways to beat high costs: earn more, keep more of what you earn, and somehow also drive down prices, a trifecta of wishful thinking that only serves to raise eyebrows and lower credibility. Meanwhile, Husted has repeatedly voted against expanding health care subsidies that actually do help people afford health care in the real world.
The MAGA civil war over Charlie Kirk’s death gets weirder
Ellsworth Toohey / 8:37 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
The MAGA movement’s talent for self-destruction is on full display as Candace Owens wages a bizarre campaign of conspiracy theories against Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in September. According to Salon, Owens has accused Kirk of involvement in her husband’s murder and defrauding TPUSA donors, while also implicating the governments of Israel, Egypt, and France for good measure.
The feud has fractured right-wing media along predictable fault lines. Tucker Carlson sided with Owens, suggesting the FBI is lying about the shooter’s identity. Tim Pool attacked Owens with harsh language. Nick Fuentes claimed he wants to “expose” her. Milo Yiannopoulos is attacking everyone, calling Kirk “sinister” while lobbing personal insults at various MAGA personalities.
Erika Kirk, who took over TPUSA leadership after her husband’s death, went on CBS News with Bari Weiss to directly tell Owens to stop. A private meeting between the two is reportedly scheduled for today.
But as commentator Amanda Marcotte notes, the real story here is what this reveals about MAGA’s fundamental weakness: it’s dominated by hustlers more interested in growing their brands than advancing any political project. Owens has significantly boosted her YouTube numbers by milking this tragedy for content.
Trump’s Epstein Memorial Ballroom and Buffet hits a bump in the road
Jason Weisberger / 8:33 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
In a demonstration that he never intends to leave the White House, at least not alive, Donald Trump bulldozed a piece of White House history to make room for what he claims will be “the best ballroom in the country.” Unfortunately for him, the National Trust for Historic Preservation decided to sue him for breaking the law and destroying an essential part of the People’s House.
The group said it was “compelled” to go to court after the White House ignored concerns it raised in October.
In the lawsuit, the group argues that the White House broke the law by beginning construction without filing plans with the National Capital Planning Commission, by not seeking an environmental assessment of the project, and by declining to seek authorisation from Congress.
It also alleges Trump is violating the US Constitution, “which reserves to Congress the right to dispose of and make all rules regarding property belonging to the United States”.
The nonprofit literally tasked by Congress with protecting national landmarks is suing the Trump White House for illegally tearing down the East Wing and beginning ballroom construction without proper review, permits, or, you know, telling anyone. Because apparently, when you’re the Orange Menace, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Constitution are just merely suggestions.
Another shoe has washed up in Washington but this time it seems to have been worn by a bear
Jason Weisberger / 8:25 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
In a scene straight out of the Pacific Northwest’s weirdest recurring event, a lone white Puma sneaker washed ashore near Port Williams Beach in Sequim, Washington. As has happened disturbingly often, it looked like it contained a human foot. This time, however, the twist: it wasn’t human. It was a bear.
Two days after reporting that a shoe was found on Port Williams Beach in Sequim and believed to have human remains inside it, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office reports that the remains actually belong to a bear.
The Sheriff’s Office stated in a Dec. 11 press release that the Clallam County Coroner’s Office sent the remains to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office which determined that the bone and tissue material inside the shoe was of bear origin, and no human biological matter was present.
It is unknown how bear bone and tissue came to be located inside the shoe that washed ashore, Chief Criminal Deputy Amy Bundy wrote in a press release.
No additional related items were located in the area, Bundy wrote.
Authorities initially treated it like a potential crime scene, as a human foot in a shoe usually sets off a few alarms. But after forensics experts got involved, they discovered the remains inside were from a bear. Why a bear was apparently rocking Pumas remains unsolved, but at least no one needs to notify next of kin.
Miller slashes refugees to 7,500, reserves most slots for white Europeans
Ellsworth Toohey / 7:54 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
Stephen Miller isn’t just cracking down on undocumented immigrants. According to the New Republic, he’s also targeting the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act that ended ethnic quotas and established race-neutral admission policies.
Under Miller, annual refugee admissions have been slashed from 125,000 to 7,500, with the majority of remaining slots reserved for white South Africans and European far-right political figures. State Department officials confirm that proper vetting procedures were bypassed to make this happen. Immigration denials have increased by roughly 50,000 cases since late 2024, and all asylum applications from 19 countries were suspended following a single incident.
On deportations, Miller is demanding 3,000 daily arrests — about a million per year — triple the current rate. To hit those numbers, ICE has shifted from prioritizing dangerous criminals to arresting anyone they can find, redirecting resources away from child trafficking and drug enforcement. Massive detention warehouse networks are in the planning stages.
The ideological through-line draws from Pat Buchanan and Samuel Huntington, treating immigration from the Global South as an existential threat to Western civilization. It’s rhetoric that was once used against Miller’s own ancestors — his great-great-grandfather escaped Russian pogroms in 1903. As his cousin put it: “He’s trying to take away the exact thing that his own family benefited from.”
Meta knew Chinese ads were scams, kept money
Ellsworth Toohey / 7:46 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
Meta made over $3 billion last year from Chinese advertisers pushing scams, illegal gambling, and pornography—and when an internal team started making progress against the fraud, Mark Zuckerberg had them disbanded.
According to Reuters, Meta’s Chinese ad revenue more than doubled between 2022 and 2024, from $7.4 billion to $18.4 billion. By last year, nearly one in five of those dollars came from banned content. An anti-fraud team managed to cut the rate of problematic ads for a while, but after Zuckerberg intervened, the group was dissolved. Fraud rates promptly climbed back to 16% of China revenue by mid-2025.
China is so central to Meta’s scam problem that the company tracks Chinese national holidays to predict global fraud levels — when hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens travel during Golden Week, scam rates drop worldwide. An outside consultancy found Meta’s enforcement “inconsistent” compared to competitors, noting that even TikTok maintains stricter standards.
Reuters tested the system by placing ads touting investments with unrealistic returns. They ran unimpeded and attracted dozens of interested users. The FBI, meanwhile, seized $214 million in March from just one Chinese stock scam that used Facebook and Instagram ads to lure victims.
Man charged with sexually assaulting chickens
Rob Beschizza / 5:05 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
A man from Wood Village, Oregon was charged Tuesday with three counts of sexually assaulting animals and two of encouraging sexual assault on an animal. According to the indictment, he abused chickens and has pleaded not guilty on all accounts.
Named as Iosif Blashishen, 56, he was already accused of child sexual abuse and faces more than 140 charges related to those alleged crimes.
Local news offers few details on the case and neglects to provide the indictment. Here’s a police press release on the earlier case. KATU has some context.
Prosecutors … filed a memorandum for preventative detention. In it, they noted that Portland Police investigated claims of sex abuse in 2011 when Blashishen’s wife ran a daycare out of their home. A 4-year-old girl at the daycare claimed he abused her, but he was not charged in that case, according to court records. Prosecutors granted the motion for preventative detention at the October 30 hearing and ordered him held without bail.
Drunk raccoon in liquor store is repeat offender
Rob Beschizza / 4:52 am PT Mon Dec 15, 2025
Earlier this month, those responding to a trash liquore store found the culprit in a bathroom there: a trashed trash panda sleeping it off. It turns out that the raccoon is a repeat offender, suspected in two more similar break-ins.
“Supposedly this is like the third break-in he’s had,” animal protection officer Samantha Martin told a local podcast host this week. She said that other businesses and organizations in the building complex have also been burgled. “He was in the karate studio,” Martin said. “I think he got into DMV [and] ate some of their snacks one time.”
The animal became internationally famous and the subject of memes, merchandize and a memorable comedy sketch, embedded.
Martin was the officer who responded to the liquor store incident, rescued and ultimately released the animal after it was confirmed healthy. Appearing on a local podcast, she said racoons are not relocated as they will die anyway; a page at Florida’s fisheries commission explains why: “Relocated wildlife has a poor chance of survival, and this action may impact other wildlife already living in the area.”
The trashed panda has also been a boon for Hanover County’s animal control, which has received more than $200,000 in donations thanks to the publicity.
“It’s relatable and it’s hilarious. People can come together and laugh,” Martin said on the podcast. “I think people can see the human side of it,” she added. “Everybody’s been there, everybody’s had a few extra and passed out by the toilet and hoped somebody can come and help you the next morning.”
Two found dead at Rob Reiner’s Los Angeles home; identities not confirmed
Ellsworth Toohey / 6:53 pm PT Sun Dec 14, 2025
Two people were found dead Sunday afternoon at a West Los Angeles residence owned by director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call for medical assistance around 3:30 PM, with police arriving shortly after. According to TMZ, the ages of the bodies discovered there match the Reiners.
Officials have not released the identities of the deceased, and the investigation remains ongoing. That hasn’t stopped speculation from spreading across social media, where some are already treating the worst-case scenario as a confirmed fact. It isn’t. Property records and age estimates aren’t official identification, and responsible outlets are waiting for confirmation from law enforcement or the coroner’s office.
Reiner, born March 6, 1947, first became famous as Michael “Meathead” Stivic on All in the Family before directing a string of beloved films including This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and Stand By Me. He married Michele Singer in 1989; the couple has been together for over 35 years.
From vibranium to unobtainium: the periodic table of made-up stuff
Ellsworth Toohey / 1:09 pm PT Sun Dec 14, 2025
Science fiction has always needed materials that don’t exist. How else do you explain a lightsaber, power a warp drive, or make a superhero’s shield indestructible? Over a century of storytelling has produced a shadow periodic table of invented elements, each with properties carefully calibrated to whatever the plot requires.
Kryptonite debuted in a 1943 Superman radio serial because the voice actor needed a vacation — the glowing green rock could incapacitate the hero while a replacement handled the narration. Vibranium, the miracle metal of Wakanda, absorbs kinetic energy and made its first appearance in a 1966 Daredevil comic. Adamantium, the alloy bonded to Wolverine’s skeleton, showed up three years later.
Some fictional materials have become so culturally embedded that they’ve escaped their source material entirely. “Unobtainium” started as engineering slang for any material with properties too good to be true, then James Cameron made it literal in Avatar. Dilithium crystals power the Enterprise, and fans have spent decades reverse-engineering the fictional physics to make it consistent.
The tradition goes back further than comics. Cavorite, H.G. Wells’s gravity-blocking substance from “The First Men in the Moon” (1901), established the template: name it something vaguely scientific, give it one impossible property, and let the story do the rest. Writers have been following that formula ever since, building an ever-expanding catalog of materials that exist nowhere except in our collective imagination—and occasionally in heated arguments about whether vibranium could beat adamantium.
Hero wrestles gun from terrorist at Bondi Beach
Séamus Bellamy / 1:00 pm PT Sun Dec 14, 2025
It’s been a terrible week for gun violence, both here and around the world. Early Sunday, two shooters opened fire at Australia’s Bondi Beach, during the “Chanukah by the Sea” event, a Hanukkah celebration drawing around 1,000 people and killing at least 15, many of them Jewish. Australian officials condemned it as a deliberate antisemitic terrorist attack.
Most people run from danger — understandably. Plenty of armchair commandos and tactical wannabes love to theorize about how they’d stop a violent incident with their concealed carry and weekend warrior training. But at Bondi Beach, the man who ran toward danger to protect his family and bystanders wasn’t a good guy with a gun. He had no body armor and probably didn’t think twice about the implications.
Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old enjoying the summer sun, came up behind one of the gunmen and wrestled away his shotgun. Look at him. He’s not built like an action hero. That T-shirt probably came in a five-pack. Ahmed is just some guy. While seizing the weapon from the terrorist shooting up the beach, Ahmed was shot twice—a price paid for saving countless lives.
Don’t think you can’t change the world because you’re only one person. Your kindness and bravery can alter the course of history.
Social media posts may stop you from visiting the United States
Séamus Bellamy / 12:55 pm PT Sun Dec 14, 2025
Despite travel warnings from your government, are you thinking about visiting the United States? Can you remember posting anything on Facebook, Xitter, or Bluesky about Trump’s love for creating trauma in young people, the notion that white isn’t the only skin color that allows for respect from government officials, or a desire to have sex with a bald eagle? If you answered yeah, to any of these questions, there’s a very good chance that you should stay at home. Being allowed into America is about to become much more invasive and difficult in the near future.
Right now, the United States Customs and Border Patrol service “invites the public to comment” (bureaucratic asshat-speak for we’re gonna ignore you and do what we want to) on whether or not they should be allowed to keep people out of the country, based on their past social media posts and political beliefs. The amendments to current CBP procedures appeared in a proposed update to their regulations earlier this month:
In order to comply with the January 2025 Executive Order 14161 (Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats), CBP is adding social media as a mandatory data element for an ESTA application. The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years.
This means that if you need to apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization in order to pick up some beef jerky at Buc-ees, CBP can say nah, because of that Photoshopped image of Grandpa Puddin’ head with tiny hands that you posted to your Tumblr. Can you remember what you were doing five years ago or what you may have written about? Even if you can, what might seem like a harmless joke or meme to you, stressed and in the middle of a COVID lockdown, could be an excuse for CBP to interrogate you.
The people who were once charged with keeping the country safe from drugs, invasive plants, and dangerous people and imports will be able to use a Facebook Post as an excuse to seize your phone for a deeper analysis, probing for private photos, more information on your background, religious beliefs, your sympathy for LGBTQ+, asylum-seekers, and so-called shit-hole countries.
Land of the free and home of the brave, so they say.
Pixel 10 Pro Fold replaces laptop for digital nomad productivity
Séamus Bellamy / 12:49 pm PT Sun Dec 14, 2025
I am a mobile productivity junkie. Living as a nomad for over a decade, I have tried and replaced a variety of mobile productivity solutions. I’ve got a laptop, sure. But I’m always on the lookout for a setup that allows me to leave my PC behind and take as little with me to work as possible.
In an effort to drastically reduce my phone bill, I stumbled upon something great: the Pixel 10 Pro Fold paired with several accessories that I already own. So far, I’m pretty pleased with the results.
For a good while now, I’ve been using the Pomera D250 English as my go-to mobile word processor. But to make full use of it, I’ve had to carry my smartphone with me. The D250 can’t do much of anything on its own, except for word processing: that’s a feature, not a flaw. I dig that it allows for distraction-free writing. However, to be able to edit, spell check, or email off my words, it’s necessary to use Pomera’s app to transfer copy from the device to my smartphone using a QR code (or several, depending on the length of the document) to move my work over for polishing and transfer. If I have extensive edits to make or think of something I want to add to my document before uploading it to my editors, I either have to carry a portable keyboard with me or tap out the changes on my smartphone’s display. That sucks all kinds of ways from Tuesday.
Recently, my cellular provider offered me a scorching deal that would provide me with more data than my last plan, free roaming from anywhere on the planet, satellite coverage, and a bunch of other perks. The only catch is that I sign on for a new handset on a two-year term. All of this would cost me over 50% less each month than I’m currently paying. I tend to buy my phones outright to keep my costs lower and to be mobile when I want to move to a different country. But there were no downsides here. I signed my soul away, and my new handset, a Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, appeared on my doorstep a few days later.
I decided to go with a folding phone for several reasons. The first and foremost point is that, while I own a pair of reMarkable tablets, they’re not capable of doing traditional tablet tasks. I love how hyper-focused they can keep me on reading and writing, but I look at them more as a smart device accessory than as a solution in and of itself. Because my work requires logging into multiple publishing platforms, staying in touch via text, Slack, Asana, and editing photos in Lightroom and the like, I’m often pulled away from the displays of my Paper Pro devices to take care of other tasks on my phone. So, getting a smartphone that can do double duty as a tablet for reading, typing, and planning makes a hell of a lot of sense. I typically use Apple hardware in my workflow. But the company has been doing a lot lately that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Google’s just as bad, if not worse, in many respects, but I thought it was time to see how the other side was living, and especially considering how far Android, the parity of apps found in both the App Store and Play Store, and interoperability of accessories have come in recent years. Right now, for example, I’m writing this post in IA Writer on my Pixel Fold, using a folding mechanical keyboard. I’ll upload the file to my ProtonDrive account to drop it into our CMS later today. I’m listening to music streaming from my home server using Plexamp on my AirPod Pro Max. I recently discovered, to my amazement, that these cans are now nearly as functional when paired with an Android device as when connected to an iPhone, thanks to an app called Podslink. I’ve got a Logitech Pebble 2 mouse on the go to make editing a lot more pleasant. And, all of my MagSafe batteries, accessories, and home charger work with the Fold 10 Pro’s Qi magnetic charging interface. Hell, even my HomePod can be connected to this phone via AirMusic. I’m missing out on very little of what iPhone OS affords me. However, as with any setup, there’s always room for improvement.
I wish that the Fold 10 Pro Fold’s inner display didn’t glare so badly. I suspect that I’ll be able to find a matte film for it somewhere. But I don’t have much confidence in how that’ll work with a folding display. I also miss being able to access my old friend, Scrivener, on this device. But there are worse things that could happen to me. Perhaps most importantly, and I don’t know how true it is anymore, I don’t feel as safe on Android as I do with iPhone OS. But as I learn more about the platform and become more comfortable in the hacking/ROM community, I suspect that’ll change. For now, I’ve invested in a suite of malware protection software.
I’m only a few days into using this as my cafe-and-overnight-bag productivity setup, but boy howdy, I’m digging it.