WTF, Daily

Wondering what the fuck is going on each day? Same.

Scheduler Test Issue

Good morning — this is a test of the WTF Daily automated scheduler, which appears to be working, which is more than can be said for most things. Here's what didn't happen.

AI News

AI Confidently Generates Placeholder Content, No One Surprised

In a development that will shock no one who has followed the field, an AI system has produced a newsletter issue consisting entirely of fabricated stories, doing so with the same breezy confidence it brings to all tasks, factual or otherwise. The content, experts noted, was adequately structured, reasonably formatted, and utterly devoid of news value, which puts it in roughly the same category as several prominent cable networks. Researchers have yet to determine whether this constitutes progress. The machine, for its part, seemed quite pleased.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Scheduler Executes Successfully, Proving That at Least One Thing Works

The WTF Daily automated delivery scheduler fired at the appointed hour, roused itself from digital slumber, and dispatched this issue to your inbox with commendable punctuality — a trait increasingly rare in both humans and software. The system, running on a combination of Python, curl, and what observers are calling "an unreasonable amount of optimism," performed without incident. Those responsible are cautiously pleased, which in this industry is considered a standing ovation. One hopes tomorrow's genuine issue will be half as reliable.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Geopolitics

World Leaders Meet, Agree That Things Are Quite Complicated

Representatives of several nations convened this week in a city with good hotels and passable food, emerging after three days of intensive deliberations with a joint communiqué describing the situation as "evolving" and calling for "further dialogue at the appropriate level." Translators worked overtime to render these phrases into fourteen languages while preserving their essential emptiness. A follow-up summit has been scheduled for a date convenient to all parties, which is to say, never. Progress, as always, was described as cautious.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Placeholder Nation Holds Firm on Placeholder Position

Officials from the Placeholder Nation reaffirmed their longstanding position on the matter of the thing, declining to elaborate but noting that their resolve remains unshaken and their talking points freshly laundered. Diplomatic observers assessed the statement as "consistent with prior statements," which is how one says nothing happened without technically lying. The opposing delegation issued a counter-statement of equal length and identical substance. Negotiations continue.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Politics

Politician Says Thing, Clarifies Thing, Walks Back Thing

A senior official made remarks Tuesday that prompted immediate clarification Wednesday, followed by a walk-back Thursday, and a full reversal by Friday, at which point the original position was described by aides as "never the actual position." Reporters who had covered the original statement, the clarification, the walk-back, and the reversal were told they had misunderstood all four. The official's communications team issued a statement confirming that the record speaks for itself, which it does, at considerable volume. The official remains fully committed to the process.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Congress Introduces Bill, Schedules Hearing, Loses Interest

Legislators introduced a bipartisan measure this week with considerable fanfare, twenty-seven co-sponsors, and a press release describing it as "landmark." A hearing was subsequently scheduled, then rescheduled, then quietly removed from the calendar pending further review of the situation, which has itself not been further reviewed. Co-sponsors expressed continued enthusiasm for the bill's principles while declining to speculate on its timeline. The landmark, observers note, remains some distance away.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

The Economy

Markets Open, Do Things, Close

Equities moved in various directions Monday as investors weighed a range of factors including earnings, inflation expectations, geopolitical uncertainty, and what one analyst described as "a general feeling." The Dow closed up 0.3%, the S&P did something slightly different, and the Nasdaq went its own way entirely, as is its custom. Bond yields were nuanced. Commodities had a day. Strategists across the Street issued seventeen notes explaining what had happened, fourteen of which disagreed with each other on the underlying causes, all of which agreed the outlook remained "uncertain."

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Fed Official Speaks for Forty-Five Minutes, Says Nothing New

A Federal Reserve official delivered prepared remarks Tuesday running to some forty-five minutes, in which they noted that the economy remained strong in some respects and complicated in others, that the path forward was data-dependent, and that inflation, while encouraging, remained something to watch. Markets, having expected precisely this, moved 0.1% in a direction consistent with having expected precisely this. The official took questions, answered none of them directly, and thanked the audience for their continued interest in monetary policy. Rates were unchanged.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Culture

Very Large Film Earns Very Large Sum, Industry Calls It a Sign

A sequel to a sequel based on an existing intellectual property grossed an impressive sum at the global box office this weekend, prompting studio executives to describe the result as validation of the franchise model, audiences, and cinema itself. Critics who had given the film mixed reviews were noted in the earnings call as "not representative of the audience experience." A third sequel was greenlit before the credits finished rolling, the script of which will largely resemble the first two, which is precisely what everyone wants. Art endures.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Celebrity Does Thing, Internet Has Opinions

A well-known person did something this week that was immediately characterized as either inspiring or outrageous, depending on which algorithm had been most recently optimized for engagement. Supporters described the act as brave; detractors described it as calculated; those without strong feelings on the matter were, as usual, not consulted. The celebrity in question posted a statement that neither confirmed nor denied the prevailing interpretation, which drove a further twelve hours of discourse. By Thursday, everyone had moved on to the next thing.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Tech

Startup Raises Enormous Round, Plans to Disrupt Something

A startup operating at the intersection of two things that previously had no intersection announced a Series B funding round of impressive size, led by a venture firm whose portfolio includes several other companies also disrupting things. The company's pitch deck, obtained by no one because it remains confidential, reportedly features a hockey stick of unusual ambition and a total addressable market described as "essentially unlimited." Headcount will triple by Q3. The product is currently in private beta, which is a condition it has maintained since 2023.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

Big Tech Platform Updates Policy, Users Agree Without Reading

A major technology platform updated its terms of service and privacy policy this week, notifying users via a banner that most dismissed without reading and an email that most did not open. The changes, summarized in a blog post written in a tone of breezy reassurance, involved data practices that legal experts described variously as "fine," "worth watching," and "the usual." Users who clicked "I Agree" — which is to say, all of them — have consented in full. The company thanked its community for its continued trust.

Source: WTF Daily Test Suite

WTF, Daily

The news, without the nonsense. Mostly.

Unsubscribe Manage Subscription Become a Friend

[SCHEDULER TEST] The machine works, apparently