Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Tech Support
This week, we discuss customer service and Proton fallout.
voting
Voting in 2026 Is Getting an AI Slop 'I Voted' Sticker
My polling place was handing out AI slop to midterm voters.
Newsletters
Reaping and sowing, CEO edition
Also: Consider the Apple slop, Texas data center troubles, and more from 404 Media around the web.
The Abstract
People Used to Drink Wine Made From Ground-Up Mummies. Now, Scientists Are Studying It
In a new study perfectly timed for Halloween, scientists dug into the chemical properties of a once-popular beverage with purported medicinal benefits: wine made with ground-up Egyptian mummies.
ao3
‘Wake Up Call:’ Fanfiction Writers and Readers React to AO3 Outage
Writer and readers share what they're feeling and doing in the aftermath of the AO3 outage. It's anything but Wattpad.
the abstract
Scientists Analyzed Thousands of Psychedelic Trips. They Found Something Disturbing
A newly released database of more than 25,000 anonymized calls from the Fireside Project’s Psychedelic Support Line opens a rare window into psychedelic experiences outside of clinical settings.
Impact
Proton’s CEO Cancels AI ‘Re-Interviews’
The move came after 404 Media published an investigation into how Proton CEO Andy Yen was aggressively pushing AI across Proton despite security concerns and the culture of fear he has created.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Tech Support
This week, we discuss customer service and Proton fallout.
News
Apple Is Entering Its Slop Era
I might finally buy an iPhone now that Apple has been taken down a peg.
Podcast
Podcast: Flock CEO Says the Backlash Isn’t Real
Leaked audio of Flock's CEO, why Marisa Mayer can't keep pretending, and a CashApp nightmare.
Features
Manifestos, Fear, and ‘Loser Thinking’: Inside Proton’s AI Reckoning
Proton CEO Andy Yen projects a calm persona and rails against Big Tech and critiques AI. Internally, he is pushing engineers to build Proton with AI, even when they have security concerns.
Impact
Senators Demand Meta Answer for 'Pervert Glasses' Following 404 Media Investigation
"Meta’s smart glasses have increasingly been implicated in disturbing invasions of users’ and bystanders’ privacy," a letter sent to Meta from Ron Wyden and Edward Markey says.