Notes for July 24, 2026

The pitch to a mainstream user currently sounds something like: "Join the Bluesky app, this is the "example" app for the protocol. Want a dedicated short video like Tiktok?, download Skylight (don't worry, it's the same protocol, your followers come with you). Livestreaming? That's Streamplace. Photos like instagram? Try Flashes."...Nobody thinks that way. Nobody is going to think that way. Users will learn, recognize, and go to BLUESKY. That word is the network. If the thing they want to do isn't in the app with that name on it, as far as they're concerned, the network can't do it.

I'd take it a step further and say with Bluesky as the main point of entry to the Atmosphere, most people who use Facebook or Instagram still don't really get it. I remember when I started getting into Twitter a decade and a half ago. Sometimes I'd share memes or cross post other stuff over to Facebook, and occasionally a few people would get curious and try Twitter for a couple days. They always ended up leaving because they just didn't see any value in microblogging. The biggest hurdle for most of my friends who didn't get Twitter was that none of our other friends from IRL were there, so what's the point?

Honestly, that's what I always loved about it though. It's more of a global community where Facebook is the place everyone you've ever met has an account and you can get ahold of them 24/7 whether you have their phone number or not.

I think if Bluesky would've launched as a Facebook clone rather than a Twitter clone, that would've pulled in a lot more users right off the rip. The cozy (local) town hall vibe is a big part, but also the "everything app" feel of it is big too.

The ecosystem story and the everything-app story aren't even in conflict. Let Bluesky-the-app be the flagship that does everything, and let the ecosystem be the escape hatch and the innovation lab. The escape hatch is the insurance policy that makes the flagship trustworthy. But insurance policies don't sell subscriptions. Products do.

I do like that idea. The Atmosphere has always felt like the place you go if you like to tinker and test out the more experimental, bleeding edge stuff. But you could have both this way.

Of course Bluesky wants to gain some market share and give Big Social a run for its money. But those of us who fell in love with this place did so because it's so different from the Zuckerverse and X.

Shortform videos are the next evolution of social media, so it makes sense to go in that direction too... if we're talking about growth for the sake of growth. I mean even Reddit and YouTube have endless vertical videos now; if you build it, people will doomscroll it.

Personally, I like that Bluesky is smaller and more cozy, but I'm always wondering about the longevity of it in the back of my mind. I think most users want a balance between the #1 social app in the world and a neat little place you can hang out and make friends. It has to be successful enough to stick around, but not so much that it turns into another thing we hate but still use because we have to.

A few links from today 🔗

Barstool Sports Suffers Worst Loss in Celebrity Family Feud History

In the end, Barstool made Family Feud history for all the wrong reasons, suffering the worst defeat in the show’s 13-season history by a score of 543-0.

That tracks. It doesn't take a prediction market to guess that Dave Portnoy would absolutely bomb when faced with deep intellectual questions such as “What makes pizza so good is ___.”

Atari Signs Deal With Universal Pictures To Turn 10 Games Into Movies

So what could we be looking at here? Missile Command starring The Rock? Galaxian starring Batista? I bet there are a lot of actors who grew up with Atari games who would jump at the chance to star in a film adaptation of their favourite titles, but I just don't know how turning games with very little storyline into films is going to go.

Capitalism gonna capitalize, even if it's a few decades late to the game. Look at how The Backrooms blew up and suddenly every movie studio is combing through Reddit threads trying to find the next meme to turn into a money printer. Sometimes adaptations are really, really good. Other times they're just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks.

ANBERNIC Shows Gameplay & A Few Specs Of Upcoming RG SP Retro Handheld

New clamshell GBA SP style emulator console from Anbernic! I'm still rocking the older RG35XXSP running MuOS and it's more than sufficient for anything up through PS1. But let's be honest, if you're buying one of these it's mostly to play GBA games, and for that it's absolutely perfect. The new version is a bit slimmer and more sturdy, so it's not a huge upgrade. But definitely worth the sub $100 price tag if you're looking for a solid portable retro gaming machine.

Video: Scientists watch orcas ram a sunfish so hard it explodes

Killer whale just loves killin' 🫍

Why Are These Whales Floating Upside-Down? They Might Just Be Moms Who Need a Break From Feeding Their Babies

In other aquatic mammal news: parenting is hard no matter who you are.