Zac Estrada
@zacestrada.com
L.A. freelance writer/editor.
Climate/energy, transportation, tech, TV.
Gizmodo, Autolist, others. Prev. The Verge, Jalopnik, others.
@zacestrada elsewhere.
https://linktr.ee/zacestrada 🏳️🌈
Climate/energy, transportation, tech, TV.
Gizmodo, Autolist, others. Prev. The Verge, Jalopnik, others.
@zacestrada elsewhere.
https://linktr.ee/zacestrada 🏳️🌈
Reposted by Zac Estrada
I need the name of the TV exec who was like “actually, less sex”
last piece for the year! I spoke with author Rachel Reid and show runner Jacob Tierney about why & how Heated Rivalary became such a monster hit.
Spoiler: Jacob is really glad he didn’t listen to the exec who said the characters shouldn’t have sex until Season 2!
Spoiler: Jacob is really glad he didn’t listen to the exec who said the characters shouldn’t have sex until Season 2!
Few People Saw TV’s Latest Breakout Hit Coming. There’s a Secret Behind Its Success.
How Heated Rivalry pulled off its hat trick, according to the minds behind the series.
slate.com
December 17, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I need the name of the TV exec who was like “actually, less sex”
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Wrote about something a lot of young/middle aged people are experiencing: Coming home for the holidays and being concerned about older loved ones being consumed by their screens www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The Phone-Based Retirement Is Here
Do your parents have a screen-time problem?
www.theatlantic.com
December 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Wrote about something a lot of young/middle aged people are experiencing: Coming home for the holidays and being concerned about older loved ones being consumed by their screens www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Zac Estrada
It’s sad to see Sears finally circling the drain but I worked in one of their stock rooms for an extended period during the 90s and even then that company was burning down. It was the most chaotic place I ever worked.
Why Sears’s Last Great Hope Was a Promise That Never Materialized
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 11:56 PM
It’s sad to see Sears finally circling the drain but I worked in one of their stock rooms for an extended period during the 90s and even then that company was burning down. It was the most chaotic place I ever worked.
Same stretch of road every time there's more than a heavy fog. Slow. Down.
Back-to-back crashes caught on video amid flooded 101 Freeway in Ventura County
Back-to-back crashes caught on video amid flooded 101 Freeway in Ventura County
Back-to-back crashes were captured by KTLA cameras on Friday morning on the flooded southbound 101 Freeway in Ventura County, as storm conditions caused drivers to lose control on water-covered lan…
ktla.com
December 26, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Same stretch of road every time there's more than a heavy fog. Slow. Down.
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Just wow. @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy came out swinging in this article. He's right though and that's the coolest part.
December 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Just wow. @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy came out swinging in this article. He's right though and that's the coolest part.
Look, loons are scary birds, ok?
December 26, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Look, loons are scary birds, ok?
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Good, I asked for money
December 25, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Good, I asked for money
Reposted by Zac Estrada
they don’t tell you when you buy a christmas tree at the christmas tree farm that you could take it home, decorate it, and then be relaxing in your living room seven nights later when A BAT suddenly flies out and starts CRASHING AROUND YOUR HOUSE
December 24, 2025 at 11:43 PM
they don’t tell you when you buy a christmas tree at the christmas tree farm that you could take it home, decorate it, and then be relaxing in your living room seven nights later when A BAT suddenly flies out and starts CRASHING AROUND YOUR HOUSE
Definitely a battle Waymo and Santa Monica residents would rather not have stretch into the new year gizmodo.com/waymo-and-sa...
Waymo and Santa Monica Will Go To Court Over Public Nuisance Allegations
Residents claim that the vehicles' shrieking noises keep them awake.
gizmodo.com
December 24, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Definitely a battle Waymo and Santa Monica residents would rather not have stretch into the new year gizmodo.com/waymo-and-sa...
Been cooking and writing and talking a lot today and can't stop calling him Timothee Shallot
December 24, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Been cooking and writing and talking a lot today and can't stop calling him Timothee Shallot
The "nightmare" and "nobody likes them" part was forgetting you didn't have one and standing in line at the bookstore right before an exam
Damn, I just recycled some
Damn, I just recycled some
Does anyone else bristle at this framing? WSJ says blue books are “torturing” students with hand cramps, and “nobody likes them.”
Listen, students have been outsourcing everything to AI and cheating their way through college. Blue books should be celebrated as a return to authentic human learning.
Listen, students have been outsourcing everything to AI and cheating their way through college. Blue books should be celebrated as a return to authentic human learning.
They Were Every Student’s Worst Nightmare. Now Blue Books Are Back.
Cheating with ChatGPT has become a huge problem for colleges. The solution is painfully old-school.
www.wsj.com
December 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM
The "nightmare" and "nobody likes them" part was forgetting you didn't have one and standing in line at the bookstore right before an exam
Damn, I just recycled some
Damn, I just recycled some
More insulting than any $40 Ralph’s gift card any newspaper journalist got instead of a raise or a bonus or treated, well, respectfully
Bari Weiss just sent this Christmas Eve email to the CBS News staff about "building trust," which includes her tripling down on spiking the CECOT piece "to make sure it's comprehensive and fair."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
One CBS staffer tells me: "She really has no idea how insulting she comes across."
December 24, 2025 at 6:56 PM
More insulting than any $40 Ralph’s gift card any newspaper journalist got instead of a raise or a bonus or treated, well, respectfully
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Last year, the KENNEDY CENTER HONORS scored its smallest audience ever, with 4.1M viewers.
In 2022, it averaged 5.2M viewers.
Still too early for a final number, but based on early data, the so-called "Trump" KenCenter Honors will be the least-watched ever and may lose to HIGH POTENTIAL reruns.
In 2022, it averaged 5.2M viewers.
Still too early for a final number, but based on early data, the so-called "Trump" KenCenter Honors will be the least-watched ever and may lose to HIGH POTENTIAL reruns.
December 24, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Last year, the KENNEDY CENTER HONORS scored its smallest audience ever, with 4.1M viewers.
In 2022, it averaged 5.2M viewers.
Still too early for a final number, but based on early data, the so-called "Trump" KenCenter Honors will be the least-watched ever and may lose to HIGH POTENTIAL reruns.
In 2022, it averaged 5.2M viewers.
Still too early for a final number, but based on early data, the so-called "Trump" KenCenter Honors will be the least-watched ever and may lose to HIGH POTENTIAL reruns.
Reposted by Zac Estrada
'Sweat the small stuff' is an underrated answer to the quality of life problems cities have run into post-pandemic
Downtown L.A.'s struggle is overstated and fixable, says the mogul who built the Grand
Downtown L.A.'s struggle is overstated and fixable, says the mogul who built the Grand
Real estate mogul leaving post critiques L.A.’s development challenges
www.latimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:17 PM
'Sweat the small stuff' is an underrated answer to the quality of life problems cities have run into post-pandemic
Reposted by Zac Estrada
National Guard wearing Santa hats while patrolling in DC.
December 24, 2025 at 2:54 AM
National Guard wearing Santa hats while patrolling in DC.
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Axios' framing makes it sound like it's odd that 60 Minutes didn't include the "over 300-word, on-the-record comment" from a DHS official.
But this isn't weird *at all.* Gov'ts often send verbose bullshit in response to tough questions. It's normal to ignore it unless it answers the questions posed
But this isn't weird *at all.* Gov'ts often send verbose bullshit in response to tough questions. It's normal to ignore it unless it answers the questions posed
Scoop: Bari Weiss plans overhaul of CBS News and "60 Minutes" standards and procedures
Bari Weiss plans overhaul of CBS News and "60 Minutes" standards and procedures
The changes follow a controversy that saw her pulling a story about Trump administration deportations of Venezuelan immigrants to an El Salvador prison.
www.axios.com
December 23, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Axios' framing makes it sound like it's odd that 60 Minutes didn't include the "over 300-word, on-the-record comment" from a DHS official.
But this isn't weird *at all.* Gov'ts often send verbose bullshit in response to tough questions. It's normal to ignore it unless it answers the questions posed
But this isn't weird *at all.* Gov'ts often send verbose bullshit in response to tough questions. It's normal to ignore it unless it answers the questions posed
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Political and corporate spokespeople now regularly treat a request for comment from the mainstream media as an opportunity to drop a free ad into the middle of the story. Bad faith non-responses should just be discarded, with a note that they declined to respond to the substance of the question.
WH spokesperson Abigail Jackson said "60 Minutes should spend their time and energy amplifying the stories of Angel Parents, whose innocent American children have tragically been murdered by vicious illegal aliens that President Trump are removing from the country."
December 23, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Political and corporate spokespeople now regularly treat a request for comment from the mainstream media as an opportunity to drop a free ad into the middle of the story. Bad faith non-responses should just be discarded, with a note that they declined to respond to the substance of the question.
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Now that Nolan’s Odyssey is almost here, I gotta share one of Roger Ebert’s best lines. In re: Troy
December 23, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Now that Nolan’s Odyssey is almost here, I gotta share one of Roger Ebert’s best lines. In re: Troy
It's like I knew a year ago Volvo would stop selling wagons in the US, which is why I made room on this list for the V60 Cross Country and glad it was the lead image
Farewell, friend I should've bought www.autolist.com/guides/best-...
Farewell, friend I should've bought www.autolist.com/guides/best-...
Best Cars for Moms (and Dads!)
Read our definitive list of the best cars for moms and dads.
www.autolist.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:23 PM
It's like I knew a year ago Volvo would stop selling wagons in the US, which is why I made room on this list for the V60 Cross Country and glad it was the lead image
Farewell, friend I should've bought www.autolist.com/guides/best-...
Farewell, friend I should've bought www.autolist.com/guides/best-...
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
December 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Year 1 data on congestion pricing in Manhattan…
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
* Vehicle traffic: -11%
* Foot traffic: +3.4%
* Storefront vacancy: -0.9%
* Pollution: -22%
* Revenue for mass transit: $548M
So YES this has been a huge success.
The realism, as some of us older than uh... some, is that Americans will swing from one type of transportation to the other based on gas prices, the economy and what's new that year.
The companies that win for the moment are the ones that were behind on the last trend www.cnbc.com/2025/12/23/e...
The companies that win for the moment are the ones that were behind on the last trend www.cnbc.com/2025/12/23/e...
EV realism is here. How automakers react in 2026 will be telling
Detroit automakers are refocusing on large gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, and many have admitted that policies, not consumers, were driving the charge for EVs.
www.cnbc.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The realism, as some of us older than uh... some, is that Americans will swing from one type of transportation to the other based on gas prices, the economy and what's new that year.
The companies that win for the moment are the ones that were behind on the last trend www.cnbc.com/2025/12/23/e...
The companies that win for the moment are the ones that were behind on the last trend www.cnbc.com/2025/12/23/e...
Reposted by Zac Estrada
This is wild. Why would a line like this be redacted:
“Epstein also threatened harm to victims and helped release damaging stories about them to damage their credibility when they tried to go public with their stories of being trafficked and sexually abused.”
“Epstein also threatened harm to victims and helped release damaging stories about them to damage their credibility when they tried to go public with their stories of being trafficked and sexually abused.”
Ok. Now had a chance to check and, well, at least some docs do appear to be straight up classic redaction fail. And there are some *interesting* bits here.
www.justice.gov/multimedia/C...
www.justice.gov/multimedia/C...
December 23, 2025 at 4:25 AM
This is wild. Why would a line like this be redacted:
“Epstein also threatened harm to victims and helped release damaging stories about them to damage their credibility when they tried to go public with their stories of being trafficked and sexually abused.”
“Epstein also threatened harm to victims and helped release damaging stories about them to damage their credibility when they tried to go public with their stories of being trafficked and sexually abused.”
Reposted by Zac Estrada
SCOOP: Flock left at least 60 of its AI-powered, people-tracking surveillance cameras exposed and livestreaming to the open internet. We tracked ourselves. The exposure highlights the power of these cameras and types of things they're tracking. Not just cars.
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet. We Tracked Ourselves.
Flock left at least 60 of its people-tracking Condor PTZ cameras live streaming and exposed to the open internet.
www.404media.co
December 22, 2025 at 4:07 PM
SCOOP: Flock left at least 60 of its AI-powered, people-tracking surveillance cameras exposed and livestreaming to the open internet. We tracked ourselves. The exposure highlights the power of these cameras and types of things they're tracking. Not just cars.
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
www.404media.co/flock-expose...
Reposted by Zac Estrada
Bari Weiss is really bad at her job, until you realize it's her job to be really bad at her job, in which case she is excellent at her job
December 21, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Bari Weiss is really bad at her job, until you realize it's her job to be really bad at her job, in which case she is excellent at her job