Our Tech Column was made possible by the fine folks at Mozilla Firefox.  The nonprofit Mozilla Foundation believes the Internet must always remain a global public resource that is open and accessible to all.  And that’s why we love Firefox as our browser, and you should too. GUEST POST BY DAVID

As our country’s permanent festival of capitalism and conspicuous consumption marches forward, prepare for some holiday-infused reminders of what you, your family, and friends must absolutely buy to stay happy. And this year, what you absolutely need to buy is the Internet, but on devices.

As 2024 winds down, we’re reflecting on another incredible year of sharing the stories, art, culture, and nightlife that make the Bay Area so unique. BrokeAssStuart.com wouldn’t be what it is without you—our community of readers, supporters, and believers in independent media. This year, instead of asking you to join Patreon

Algorithms increasingly seem to be running our lives. They’re used in courts, hospitals, and banks. The use of the algorithms bring up a lot of concerns about bias, privacy, and the kind of content they share. I have a much more basic problem with them: they’re stupid.

DNA tests—like those offered by companies 23andMe, Ancestry.com, and FamilyTreeDNA—come with a simple promise. In exchange for cash and some spit in a tube, you can learn your deepest, most ancestral secrets.

In early July, Disney announced that it had cast Halle Bailey to play Ariel in its live-action version of The Little Mermaid. Bailey is one of the stars of Grown-ish and one half of the singing group Chole x Hailey. She’s also going to be the first black woman to play a live-action Disney princess. The backlash against this casting was swift…supposedly.

You’ve heard about it on dates. You’ve read about it on Tinder profiles. You’ve seen it emblazoned on startup t-shirts worn at 21st Amendment.

“Blockchain.”

1293 Google and employees and 79 other supporters have pledged publicly not to support US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ICE, or Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) with any infrastructure, funding, or engineering resources, directly or indirectly, until they stop engaging in human rights abuse

Our Tech Column was made possible by the fine folks at Mozilla Firefox.  The nonprofit Mozilla Foundation believes the Internet must always remain a global public resource that is open and accessible to all.  And that’s why we love Firefox as our browser, and you should too. It’s also why we’re