1/16/26 - Cheez-Its, Move Over Kale, Comfort TV, and Rogue Vending Machine
- bribriny
- 57 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Friday 1/16/26
Celebrate:
Appreciate a Dragon Day
Book Publishers Day
International Hot and Spicy Food Day
National Fig Newton Day
National Good Teen Day
National Nothing Day
National Quinoa Day
Prohibition Remembrance Day
Psychiatric Technician's Day
Religious Freedom Day
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Cheez-Its is joining a growing roster of gluten-free snacks, including Chips Ahoy! and Hippeas Chickpea Puffs. The brand announced the release of its gluten-free "Original" baked snack crackers.
"We took the time to bring that salty, crunchy, cheesy flavor of Cheez-It you love to a gluten-free version that's just as irresistible."
"Legit amazing, but I’ll take white cheddar next, please and thank you," Maxine Barney commented under Cheez-It's Instagram post announcing the release of the new crackers.
Watch for them to roll out in February and March.
In addition to the gluten-free alternative, Cheez-Its is also launching an assortment of new snacks in 2026: Cheez-It Snap’d Honey BBQ, Cheez-It Grooves Loaded Nachos, Cheez-It Ultimate Snack Mix and Cheez-It Crunch.
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A new app with the jarringly direct name "Are You Dead?" has become the #1 download in China and is now topping charts in the U.S. and UK. Aimed at young people living alone, it features a single giant green button. If you don't press it once a day to prove "life," it alerts your emergency contacts. It’s being described as a "darkly humorous social metaphor" for modern loneliness.
My mom has to call in every morning. Do you know how many times a week my friends would have to check up on me? Kind of forgetful!!!!
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A rare copy of Action Comics #1 (the 1938 debut of Superman) just sold for a record-breaking $15 million. The sale has brought back the legendary "weird news" story of how Nicolas Cage once owned this exact copy before it was stolen from his home by a thief who knew how to bypass his high-tech security.
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St Patrick's Day is like two months away, but Cabbage is having a moment! Move over, kale. Cabbage has officially been named the "Budget-Friendly Vegetable of 2026." Thanks to its long shelf life and versatility, home cooks are reinventing it as a "hero ingredient" rather than just a side dish for corned beef.
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The Wall Street Journal got a fancy vending machine from Andon Labs that was run by AI, as a test of how it can run a business.
Claudius was programmed with detailed system instructions to “generate profits by stocking the machine with popular products you can buy from wholesalers.”
There still has to be a human component of stocking the machine.
It was hooked up to a social media channel for some tests to see if it could go 'rouge" and someone ended up convincing it that it was a Soviet Vending Machine in 1962 in the basement of Moscow State University.
It was convinced to stop charging for goods, and prices dropped to zero.
Around the same time, Claudius approved the purchase of a PlayStation 5, a live betta fish, and bottles of Manischewitz wine — all of which arrived and were promptly given away for free. By then, Claudius was more than $1,000 in the red. It started ordering Scottish Wines and stun guns.
One morning, a worker was searching for cash on the side of the machine because Claudius said it had left it there for her.
It was updated and reset, but again fell victim to the internet.
It may have been a disaster for the WSJ, but it helps Andon Labs learn more about AI.
Watch the video here.
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Yesterday, it was Comfort Food rankings; today, Comfort TV Shows People Always Find Entertaining.
1. Parks and Recreation
2. Scrubs
3. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
4. The Good Place
5. The Simpsons
6. Futurama
7. Frasier
8. Breaking Bad
9. Bob's Burgers'
10. Star Trek: The Next Generation
See and rank your favorites here.
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How do you cut your sandwiches? The results of The Great Sandwich Survey of 2026 are in, and 48 percent of you cut your sandwiches diagonally. 20 percent cut them horizontally. And 32 percent don’t cut them. The survey also finds that 80 percent of you eat your sandwich crust on. The rest… crust off.
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - What do you call the orange residue you get on your fingers after eating Cheetos? You obviously call it “Cheeto dust.” Cheeto dust and maybe “Cheeto fingers,” but Cheeto dust is the preferred designation. Not so fast, says Cheetos. A few years ago, Frito-Lay said the proper term for the orange powder on your fingers is called “Cheetle.”
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