Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Daily Gripe: February 8, 2026 Topic: Starbucks Coffee I’m just your basic 62-year-old guy. When I walk into a coffee shop, I want coffee. Hot. Usually black. Sometimes—if I’m feeling reckless—cream and sugar. That’s it. I’m not trying to express myself. I’m trying to wake up. Starbucks, however, turns this simple…

Reading Time: < 1 minuteTopic: The Influencer One of the great piles of nonsense modern technology has dumped on us is the influencer. What, in God’s name, is an influencer? And why would anyone take life advice from someone selling eyeliner while explaining why a fur-lined jockstrap is essential in a cold rink? Back in…

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Daily Gripe: February 6, 2026 Topic: The Olympics and Pro Athletes It is Olympic time again, and I just finished watching a documentary on the 1980 USA hockey team. For 90 minutes, I felt like I was 16 years old again. It is difficult to frame just how monumental that event…

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe Daily Gripe: February 5, 2026 – Image by Gemini Topic: The “Free Estimate” Miracle What marketing genius pioneered this concept? “Yes, we’ll come to your house to discuss rodent removal, and the estimate is free!”. Hold on, Timmy—let me make sure I’ve got this straight. Your big sales pitch to…

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Daily Gripe: February 4, 2026 Topic: The Backward Hat Brigade I complain about this to no end. Why, for the love of all things logical, do you buy a hat—specifically a baseball cap—only to turn it around so the bill is guarding your neck against an imaginary sun? The bill has…

Reading Time: 2 minutesToday’s Daily Gripe: How was your meal The “How Is Everything?” Drive-By: A Study in Premature Evaluation Today’s daily gripe centers on a peculiar ritual of modern dining that drives me absolutely crazy. It happens every single time I go out to eat, and it’s executed with the mechanical predictability of a…

Reading Time: 2 minutesToday’s Daily Gripe: The Self-Checkout Register I hate these machines, and if you’re concerned about the rise of AI, you should be too. Every time I see a row of these glowing kiosks, I don’t see “convenience”—I see a cemetery for jobs. How many actual human paychecks did it take to install…

Reading Time: < 1 minuteStarting Monday, 2/2/2026, I’ll be launching a short daily feature here called The Daily Gripe. The image is generated by Gemini This is not a rant, a pile-on, or an outrage machine. It’s a simple, disciplined space for one clear complaint per day—about something small, human, mildly annoying, or quietly absurd in modern life.…