Saturday, October 24, 2026
After a period of careful deliberation lasting approximately as long as it takes to decide whether to have another cup of coffee, The Daily Haywire has decided to abandon its exclusive commitment to technology news.
Not because technology has become less interesting. It hasn’t. It’s just that there are other things happening in the world, and some of them don’t require you to change your password.
Beginning today, we’re expanding our coverage to include music, food, photography, travel, science, history, unusual people, unusual places, and anything else that seems worth knowing about.
Our editorial standards remain unchanged. We still have none.
That’s a recipe for success.
Yes, we’ve used that line before. Our commitment to recycling extends beyond the environment.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. And Apparently Everywhere Else.
Barbecue Is Becoming a Year-Round Obsession
Outdoor cooking is no longer strictly a summer pastime. Barbecue enthusiasts are experimenting with global flavors, smoke-forward techniques, and increasingly elaborate combinations of sweet and spicy.
Which raises an important question: At what point does cooking dinner become an engineering project?
For some barbecue enthusiasts, the answer appears to be somewhere between purchasing a second thermometer and spending twelve hours supervising a piece of meat that could have been cooked in the oven.
But there’s something appealing about a cooking method that demands patience in a world increasingly determined to eliminate it.
When Cameras Have Personalities
Sony Is the World’s Second-Biggest Camera Brand. So Why Doesn’t It Get More Love?
Sony makes some of the most technically impressive cameras on the planet, yet photographers don’t always seem to love them the way they love their Canons, Nikons, or Leicas.
Which raises an interesting question: Can a camera be so good at its job that it becomes a little boring?
Consider Sigma, a Japanese manufacturer that seems constitutionally incapable of making an ordinary camera. Its new FP2 is a remarkably small full-frame camera with sophisticated capabilities and some equally remarkable omissions.
No built-in viewfinder. No mechanical shutter. No in-body image stabilization. Barely a grip.
Apparently, those were considered optional.
Sigma has a history of producing cameras that are simultaneously brilliant, baffling, and commercially questionable. Its engineers seem more interested in exploring what’s possible than in delivering exactly what photographers expect.
Sony, meanwhile, has become exceptionally good at delivering what photographers need, whether or not they feel particularly romantic about the experience.
It’s a bit like comparing a Toyota to an Alfa Romeo. One gets you where you’re going with minimal drama. The other may leave you stranded, but you’ll probably have a better story to tell.
Of course, the photograph doesn’t care how much personality the camera has.
And neither, ultimately, should we.
A Photographer Goes Underground for 13 Years
The Extraordinary Photograph That Won European Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Hungarian photographer Imre Potyó has spent thirteen years photographing hibernating bats in restricted mine tunnels. His persistence paid off when he won European Wildlife Photographer of the Year for an extraordinary image of tiny fungi growing on bat droppings, with sleeping bats in the background.
Thirteen years.
Photographing sleeping bats.
And their droppings.
It’s the sort of project that reminds us that extraordinary work often comes from sustained curiosity rather than expensive equipment or the pursuit of social-media approval.
It also raises the possibility that the bats were unaware they had become the subjects of a long-term documentary project.
A Waterlily That Wasn’t Supposed to Exist
An Instagram Photograph Leads to the Discovery of a New Giant Waterlily
A chance sighting on Instagram led scientists to identify a previously undescribed species of giant waterlily in Colombia. The plant, now named Victoria colombiana, has leaves measuring up to two meters across.
Which is considerably more productive than the average selfie.
Unfortunately, researchers estimate that only 30 to 50 of these plants remain in the wild, making the discovery as urgent as it is remarkable.
It’s a reminder that discovery doesn’t always begin in a laboratory. Sometimes it begins when somebody notices something unusual and decides to look more closely.
The Universe Has Scheduled Something for Tonight
Saturn and the Moon Are Meeting in the Night Sky
Tonight, Saturn will appear unusually close to the Moon in the sky, offering an easy opportunity to identify one of the solar system’s most spectacular planets.
Look toward the southern sky during the evening. Saturn should appear as a steady, golden point of light near the Moon.
You won’t see its rings without a telescope, but there’s something satisfying about looking up and knowing exactly which distant world you’re seeing.
And unlike most entertainment, the sky doesn’t require a subscription.
The Art of Turning Music Into Something You Can See
Tangible Sound: Arrival to a Higher Ground
A Chicago exhibition called Tangible Sound: Arrival to a Higher Ground explores the connections between jazz, photography, filmmaking, color, and movement.
The idea is to translate the experience of music into something visual and immersive.
Which makes a certain amount of sense. Music can create images in our minds, photography can suggest movement, and both can evoke memories more powerfully than a paragraph of explanation.
It’s a particularly intriguing subject for anyone interested in what happens when one art form borrows another’s vocabulary.
A Barbecue Festival With 250 Vendors. Bring an Appetite.
The Lexington Barbecue Festival Returns Today
Lexington, North Carolina, is hosting its 42nd annual barbecue festival today, with more than 250 vendors, live entertainment, a car show, and a 50-ton pig-themed sand sculpture.
The celebration revolves around Lexington-style barbecue, a regional tradition involving pork and a vinegar-based sauce.
North Carolina barbecue enthusiasts have strong opinions about sauces, cuts of meat, and whether anyone from another state has any business calling their cooking barbecue.
These are serious cultural disagreements, although generally more enjoyable than the ones taking place in Washington.
Happy Birthday!
Bill Wyman turns 90 today.
Born October 24, 1936, the longtime Rolling Stones bassist spent three decades providing the rhythmic foundation for one of the most enduring bands in rock history.
While Mick Jagger and Keith Richards attracted most of the attention, Wyman generally stood toward the back, looking as though he had wandered into the wrong room and was waiting for somebody to explain what was happening.
There’s something admirable about a musician who could contribute so much while appearing to exert so little effort.
Happy birthday, Bill. Ninety years is an impressive run, even by Rolling Stones standards.
Yesterday’s Puzzle: Gone in 60 Seconds. Or Not.
Yesterday’s question concerned that favorite Hollywood activity: stealing a car by pulling wires from beneath the dashboard and touching them together.
The answer was B.
Modern vehicle immobilizers generally require an authorized transponder or digital key. Connecting a couple of wires isn’t enough to start most modern cars.
Hollywood will undoubtedly continue pretending otherwise.
Today’s Puzzle: Seven Sisters, One Impostor
The Pleiades star cluster is commonly called the Seven Sisters, but what are the stars actually doing?
A. Orbiting the planet Jupiter.
B. Traveling through space together as members of a relatively young star cluster.
C. Remaining perfectly stationary while the rest of the galaxy moves around them.
D. Forming a constellation that exists only when viewed from Earth.
The answer tomorrow.
The Final Malfunction
Today’s edition has taken us from smoking meat to sleeping bats, from Colombian waterlilies to distant planets, with stops for photography and music.
There isn’t a common thread.
And that’s rather the point.
Life doesn’t arrive neatly organized into categories. Interesting things happen everywhere, often simultaneously, and frequently without consulting us first.
The Daily Haywire intends to pay attention to as many of them as possible.
Whether that’s a good idea remains to be seen.
