News of the Week: 8 Notes, 60 Years of Batman, and Predictions for 2026 (from 1926)

Random Notes

I’ve given this a lot of thought and I’ve come to a big decision about my life. My favorite pasta shape is rigatoni.

It’s okay to still listen to “Winter Wonderland,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” in January because they’re not Christmas-specific songs.

“Jingle Bells” is sort of in-between. It’s not Christmas-specific, but it’s so tied into the holiday that it feels odd to listen to it in January.

Have you already dropped your New Year’s resolutions? According to “statistics,” the average date that people end them is January 9, a.k.a. “Quitter’s Day.” Though if you haven’t even started them by that date you’re not a quitter yet.

Happiness is finding an unopened bag of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark you forgot you had in the fridge. (It was behind the milk.)

It’s amazing how little interest I have in awards shows now.

Have you noticed that companies are now making frozen foods that are air fryer-specific? What’s up with that? I have to buy an air fryer now?

Is there any other product in the world like cough drops, something made to specifically cure something but is actually no help at all?

The Best from the Consumer Electronic Show

Of course, the “best” from CES could actually be labeled the “worst,” because a lot of it is nonsense we’ll never buy and don’t even need.

Do you really need a stair-climbing robot vacuum, a lawn robot (with lasers!), a robot that folds your laundry (so many robots!), or a hologram of a girl that rests in a tube next to your computer? If you’re curious, Wirecutter and Lifehacker have all the details.

The Analog Room

But really, do we need all of that new tech? As a big fan of the analog life, I’m happy that people are actually creating entire rooms where they can escape the digital world and the endless screens.

Of course, this is only for people who actually have the money and an extra room they can designate as an “analog room.”

Goodbye Jazz, Hello Buzz?

This is a fun thread (appropriately on Threads, the social media platform you probably don’t use) that highlights predictions for this year made 100 years ago.

Beef didn’t disappear and I’m pretty sure we still have big cities, but they nailed the fact the people would be looking at old newspaper clippings (like the ones in the thread).

RIP Scott Adams, Bob Weir, Tom Cherones, Elle Simone Scott, Andy Friendly, Erich von Däniken, John Cunningham, T.K. Carter, and Riccie Johnson

Scott Adams was the creator of the popular comic strip Dilbert. He died Tuesday at the age of 68.

Bob Weir was a guitarist and founding member of The Grateful Dead. He also had several side bands. He died last week at the age of 78.

Tom Cherones was the Emmy-winning director of such shows as Seinfeld, Ellen, NewsRadio, Caroline in the City, Growing Pains, Desperate Housewives, and many other shows. He died last week at the age of 86.

Elle Simone Scott was a chef and appeared regularly on America’s Test Kitchen. She died earlier this month at the age of 49.

Andy Friendly was a veteran television executive and producer and the son of Fred Friendly (producer of Edward R. Murrow’s See It Now). He died last week at the age of 74.

Erich von Däniken wrote the bestselling book Chariots of the Gods. He died Saturday at the age of 90.

John Cunningham was a veteran Broadway performer and appeared in such films as Mystic Pizza, Dead Poets Society, and In & Out, and TV shows like 30 Rock, Blue Bloods, and many soap operas. He died last week at the age of 93.

T.K. Carter appeared in such films as the remake of The Thing, Seems Like Old Times, and Space Jam and TV shows like The Sinbad Show, Punky Brewster, and Good Morning, Miss Bliss. He died last week at the age of 69.

Riccie Johnson was a makeup artist at CBS for over 70 years, making everyone from The Beatles (when they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show) and the cast of 60 Minutes to various presidents look better on TV. She died earlier this month at the age of 101.

Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Sunday Morning

This Week in History: John Hancock Born (January 12, 1737)

Why is his signature so big on the Declaration of Independence? This might be one reason.

This Week in History: Batman Premieres (January 12, 1966)

My first word when I was a baby was “Batman.” True story.

This Week in SEP History: “Snow Shoveling Boy” by Charles A. MacLellan (January 13, 1912)

At first I wasn’t sure why the kid’s so ticked off, but then I noticed the splotches of snow on his pants and on the door. Someone’s pummeling him with snowballs.

January Is National Soup Month

That kid’s gonna need some hot soup.

Like this Hearty Winter Soup from Curtis Stone or this French Onion Soup from The Pioneer Woman. Martha Stewart has a Split Pea Soup with Ham, Ina Garten has an Easy Tomato Soup (with Grilled Cheese Croutons), and Country Living has this Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.

What, you need more? Okay, here’s a Spicy Black Bean Soup from The New York Times, a Swedish Meatball Soup from Delish, and this One Pot Creamy Italian Lasagna Soup from Half-Baked Harvest.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Australian Open (January 17)

ESPN will have full coverage (without Brad Gilbert and Pam Shriver, who have both been let go from the network), and Tennis Channel will have highlights and analysis.

National Thesaurus Day (January 18)

What’s another word for “thesaurus?” (Yes, an old joke, but it still works.)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 19)

King wrote an article for the November 7, 1964, issue of the Post, answering critics who thought change in the country was happening too quickly.

Oscar Nominations Announced (January 22)

You can find out who is nominated for an Academy Award on ABC and Hulu starting at 8:30 a.m. ET.