Welcome back to the Aftermath newsletter, your roundup of everything that happened at the site by me, Riley. This week, we've got Gamescom, drama around new releases, further reasons to hate AI, and more. If you'd like to get all the blogs as they happen, as well as support worker-owned journalism made by actual human beings, please consider becoming a subscriber. |
Black Myth: Wukong’s ‘Feminist Propaganda’ Streaming Restrictions Are Unusual, But Not Unprecedented
Nathan talks to streamers about the controversial game's controversial creator restrictions.
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They Don't Make Anime Like They Used To
Instead of being an old man yelling at clouds, Luke talks to experts to find out why anime today isn't what he remembers from his youth.
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Short-Sighted AI Deals Aren't The Future Of Journalism
I'm mad as hell about Conde Nast and California newsrooms making deals with the devil that is AI.
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I'm Convincing My Friend To Become A Bike Guy
Last weekend, I had brunch with some pals and then went to help one of them pick up an ebike she ordered, at a bike store that looks like it caters to the Spandex set but the staff is actually pretty chill. While there, I convinced another of my friends to buy his second "adult" bike, following a shoddy big box store bike he never rode a decade ago.
Since then, we've gone on a couple rides around our Brooklyn neighborhood while I've tried to impart my city cyclist wisdom (look out for people opening their car doors; jerks will steal your lights if you leave them on your bike). I won't lie that it's fun to feel like an "expert" when I know so much less about bikes than some of my other friends.
I biked everywhere in my 20s, then stopped for a long time, only to get back into it following a running injury on a cool vintage bike a friend built and sold me. I moved to DC shortly after, where I got way more into riding (you can get so far away from your problems on a bike!), and it's been fun to re-learn NYC on my bike since being back. I'm not as fearless a rider as I was in my youth, and I'm in way worse shape than I was when I did my bike trip a year ago, but it's been fun to see this hobby that's become so fundamental to my life through the eyes of someone more new to it. It's fun to promise him that stuff that seems intimidating now--like biking into Manhattan--will become second nature if he just keeps at it, and remember how it was once so intimidating to me.
I've been feeling really down on my physical fitness--running Aftermath has knocked my life off-balance in a way I'm struggling to rectify--so it's also cool to have someone bug me to get out for a bike ride instead of sitting at home doing work. So consider this an endorsement to share your hobbies with your friends, if they're interested. They get to learn something new, and you get to do fun stuff more. |
Here's some good stuff I read on the internet this week:
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Aftermath has two podcasts: Aftermath Hours, where we discuss the week's biggest gaming news, and 52 Pickup, where Gita Jackson and Alex Jaffe take you through the world of the greatest DC Comics series you've never heard of. Check them out on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
And that's the week! Special shoutouts to our pals at 404 on their first year in business; we're constantly awed by their non-stop flow of scoops, and look forward to another year of them. Go check out their site if you haven't! |
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