Al Daniel
@writeraldaniel.bsky.social
Freelance writer. Bylines include Awful Announcing, RI Monthly, Down East Magazine, THN, Vermont Magazine, Red Line Editorial, Mental Floss, Richmond Waldorf School, Moses Brown School, USCHO, and FanSided. You can find my portfolio in my pinned post.
Pinned
Al Daniel
@writeraldaniel.bsky.social
· Nov 18
Al Daniel's Feature Writing Portfolio
Visit the post for more.
writeraldaniel.wordpress.com
To (re)introduce myself, I am freelance writer pursuing feature stories, fun fact articles/listicles, and marcomm copy for sports, arts and entertainment, independent school, college, and general-interest publications. You can browse my portfolio here: writeraldaniel.wordpress.com
Happy New Jersey Statehood Day to those who celebrate.
a yellow flag with a coat of arms and the word new jersey on it
ALT: a yellow flag with a coat of arms and the word new jersey on it
media.tenor.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Happy New Jersey Statehood Day to those who celebrate.
I’m not sure if every Splat Attack crew member has a theater background. Some have confirmed that they do, but in any case, they all put their proficiencies for performance on display in this holiday special about, well, a holiday special.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vep3...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vep3...
Why Tattertown Is A Nickelodeon Classic
YouTube video by Splat Attack Podcast
www.youtube.com
December 17, 2025 at 10:52 PM
I’m not sure if every Splat Attack crew member has a theater background. Some have confirmed that they do, but in any case, they all put their proficiencies for performance on display in this holiday special about, well, a holiday special.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vep3...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vep3...
In fairness, on October 17-18, 2004, Mariano Rivera *did* help bring Red Sox Nation a dream.
I just mixed up "Enter Sandman" and "Mr. Sandman." How's your Tuesday going?
December 16, 2025 at 11:03 PM
In fairness, on October 17-18, 2004, Mariano Rivera *did* help bring Red Sox Nation a dream.
Happy Pennsylvania Statehood Day to those who celebrate.
two cartoon characters are standing next to each other and one of them says " pencil-vania, our homeland "
ALT: two cartoon characters are standing next to each other and one of them says " pencil-vania, our homeland "
media.tenor.com
December 12, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Happy Pennsylvania Statehood Day to those who celebrate.
Happy Indiana Statehood Day to those who celebrate.
a man in a suit and tie is talking to a woman in a plaid shirt at a dinner table .
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is talking to a woman in a plaid shirt at a dinner table .
media.tenor.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Happy Indiana Statehood Day to those who celebrate.
Reposted by Al Daniel
I've been to BO's Bagels in New York, but now let's try Bo's bagels in Bend, Oregon.
Can I find a good Bend bagel at... Bo's
I've been to BO's Bagels but now let's try Bo's bagels.
itsashanda.substack.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I've been to BO's Bagels in New York, but now let's try Bo's bagels in Bend, Oregon.
The last time the Splat Attack Girls Room convened there were scary ghost stories.
Now the episode that dropped this morning gives us tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPP1...
Now the episode that dropped this morning gives us tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPP1...
A Very Girly Christmas
YouTube video by Splat Attack Podcast
www.youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:47 PM
The last time the Splat Attack Girls Room convened there were scary ghost stories.
Now the episode that dropped this morning gives us tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPP1...
Now the episode that dropped this morning gives us tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPP1...
Let me take a second to wish a Happy Mississippi Statehood Day to those who celebrate.
December 10, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Let me take a second to wish a Happy Mississippi Statehood Day to those who celebrate.
"Customers could loosen their expectations and accept a scattering of leaves...decaying leaves fertilize the soil and form a protective layer that provides shelter for snails, bees, and butterflies."
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Get a rake: Dispatch from suburban America's forever war
Why is it so hard to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, our most hated appliance?
www.motherjones.com
December 8, 2025 at 11:01 PM
"Customers could loosen their expectations and accept a scattering of leaves...decaying leaves fertilize the soil and form a protective layer that provides shelter for snails, bees, and butterflies."
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
"...just in time to start building your holiday sofa itinerary."
The Katie Bakery @katiebakes.bsky.social coming through with another nutrient-rich expression coated with dark chocolate for good measure.
www.theringer.com/2025/12/05/t...
The Katie Bakery @katiebakes.bsky.social coming through with another nutrient-rich expression coated with dark chocolate for good measure.
www.theringer.com/2025/12/05/t...
The Favorite TV Episodes of the People Behind Our Favorite TV Episodes
What do the people who make the best television like most when they watch TV? We asked, and they answered.
www.theringer.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:41 PM
"...just in time to start building your holiday sofa itinerary."
The Katie Bakery @katiebakes.bsky.social coming through with another nutrient-rich expression coated with dark chocolate for good measure.
www.theringer.com/2025/12/05/t...
The Katie Bakery @katiebakes.bsky.social coming through with another nutrient-rich expression coated with dark chocolate for good measure.
www.theringer.com/2025/12/05/t...
As much as I detest premature airings of Christmas ads, it's now December 2 and I'm feeling oddly worried because I, for one, have yet to see the Hershey's Kisses bells ad in the wild this season.
December 2, 2025 at 10:38 PM
As much as I detest premature airings of Christmas ads, it's now December 2 and I'm feeling oddly worried because I, for one, have yet to see the Hershey's Kisses bells ad in the wild this season.
Reposted by Al Daniel
Those who claim that online ID checks are to “protect the children” are lying to you, full stop! Not only will they open the gateway to more censorship, but it will also increase identity frauds even more.
The Discord leak is a perfect example of this!
The Discord leak is a perfect example of this!
It's day one of our week of action to stop online ID checks! Quote this post with your thoughts: Why is opposing age verification important to you? How does it impact you? www.stoponlineidchecks.org
December 1, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Those who claim that online ID checks are to “protect the children” are lying to you, full stop! Not only will they open the gateway to more censorship, but it will also increase identity frauds even more.
The Discord leak is a perfect example of this!
The Discord leak is a perfect example of this!
Reposted by Al Daniel
Does anyone else find the wailing gingerbread man in the Duluth Trading ads insufferable?
There. That's my hot take for the day, and my first post of the Christmas season.
There. That's my hot take for the day, and my first post of the Christmas season.
November 28, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Does anyone else find the wailing gingerbread man in the Duluth Trading ads insufferable?
There. That's my hot take for the day, and my first post of the Christmas season.
There. That's my hot take for the day, and my first post of the Christmas season.
Splat Attack’s latest Collector’s Corner features a wide range of home media and autographed apparel, artwork, and photos.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG6Z...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG6Z...
A Collection That Features Marc Summers, Danny Tamberelli, Steve Burns and More!
YouTube video by Splat Attack Podcast
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Splat Attack’s latest Collector’s Corner features a wide range of home media and autographed apparel, artwork, and photos.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG6Z...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG6Z...
My pick for this piece's Section 1 MVP (most valuable phrase): "late-afternoon tea of pre-rolls and Celsius" (part of a winningly illustrative paragraph)
Runners-up: "mainstream middlebrow hit"; "lovelorn loitering"; "cinephile esteem"; "oafish menace" "brighter and bawdier"
Runners-up: "mainstream middlebrow hit"; "lovelorn loitering"; "cinephile esteem"; "oafish menace" "brighter and bawdier"
wrote about the kind of cinema that can only be appreciated in a friend's basement. that's right, I wrote about MALLRATS!
www.theringer.com/2025/11/24/m...
www.theringer.com/2025/11/24/m...
“The Little Movie That Couldn’t”: ‘Mallrats’ Turns 30
In the fall of 1995, Kevin Smith’s second film was a box office humiliation. Now, it’s become an embarrassment of riches. We chat with Smith about the movie and how it forever altered his career.
www.theringer.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:55 PM
My pick for this piece's Section 1 MVP (most valuable phrase): "late-afternoon tea of pre-rolls and Celsius" (part of a winningly illustrative paragraph)
Runners-up: "mainstream middlebrow hit"; "lovelorn loitering"; "cinephile esteem"; "oafish menace" "brighter and bawdier"
Runners-up: "mainstream middlebrow hit"; "lovelorn loitering"; "cinephile esteem"; "oafish menace" "brighter and bawdier"
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - a film whose events start right around this point in Thanksgiving Week - premiered 38 (!) years ago today.
a man wearing a hat is sitting in a car with a sign that says airlines in the background
ALT: a man wearing a hat is sitting in a car with a sign that says airlines in the background
media.tenor.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - a film whose events start right around this point in Thanksgiving Week - premiered 38 (!) years ago today.
Shoutouts to this dandy dozen for National Editor Appreciation Day: Jesse Connolly, @marycclarke.bsky.social, @jamiecoelho.bsky.social, @dana-laverty.bsky.social, @seankeeley.bsky.social, Matt Yoder, Todd Kortemeier, Matt Mackinder, Trent Reinsmith, Adam Hirschfield, John Butler, and Claire Wittich.
By the way, it's National Editor Appreciation Day.
Nobody ever reads a great article and thinks, "Dang, that was some tight editing." But editing is a big part of how it got to be great.
So writers, if you've ever worked with a good editor, shout 'em out.
Nobody ever reads a great article and thinks, "Dang, that was some tight editing." But editing is a big part of how it got to be great.
So writers, if you've ever worked with a good editor, shout 'em out.
November 24, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Shoutouts to this dandy dozen for National Editor Appreciation Day: Jesse Connolly, @marycclarke.bsky.social, @jamiecoelho.bsky.social, @dana-laverty.bsky.social, @seankeeley.bsky.social, Matt Yoder, Todd Kortemeier, Matt Mackinder, Trent Reinsmith, Adam Hirschfield, John Butler, and Claire Wittich.
This season marks the 35th anniversary of "Bart vs. Thanksgiving," an episode many fans have retroactively dubbed a seminal point in The Simpsons' formative years.
Here are a dozen factoids on the episode’s reach to the rest of the show’s peak era and to the real world.
medium.com/@AlDaniel/12...
Here are a dozen factoids on the episode’s reach to the rest of the show’s peak era and to the real world.
medium.com/@AlDaniel/12...
12 courses of deep-cut observations on ‘Bart vs. Thanksgiving’
“Bart vs. Thanksgiving” premiered 35 years ago this Saturday. Not that nostalgic TV pundits were waiting for that milestone before they…
medium.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:55 PM
This season marks the 35th anniversary of "Bart vs. Thanksgiving," an episode many fans have retroactively dubbed a seminal point in The Simpsons' formative years.
Here are a dozen factoids on the episode’s reach to the rest of the show’s peak era and to the real world.
medium.com/@AlDaniel/12...
Here are a dozen factoids on the episode’s reach to the rest of the show’s peak era and to the real world.
medium.com/@AlDaniel/12...
This story from February 2022 was the best-read of all my Medium articles last week. The same was true for a week in mid-August of this year.
I’m not sure how that happened, but we can take it as an endorsement for evergreen writing.
medium.com/@AlDaniel/an...
I’m not sure how that happened, but we can take it as an endorsement for evergreen writing.
medium.com/@AlDaniel/an...
An animatophile’s rose-giving mission
Julian Hester arranged a classic cartoon’s first core cast reunion, and has achieved several other enriching sit-downs through a podcast…
medium.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:50 PM
This story from February 2022 was the best-read of all my Medium articles last week. The same was true for a week in mid-August of this year.
I’m not sure how that happened, but we can take it as an endorsement for evergreen writing.
medium.com/@AlDaniel/an...
I’m not sure how that happened, but we can take it as an endorsement for evergreen writing.
medium.com/@AlDaniel/an...
"I *am* a professional writer, after all. It’s fun to use a big word in certain spots, and not even for the cheap ego boost. I just like it when there’s a specific word that sounds exactly right for the thought I’m trying to convey." - @drewmagary.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 11:15 PM
"I *am* a professional writer, after all. It’s fun to use a big word in certain spots, and not even for the cheap ego boost. I just like it when there’s a specific word that sounds exactly right for the thought I’m trying to convey." - @drewmagary.bsky.social
It’s National Easy-Bake Oven Day, which I'm only aware of because @vikingmermaid.bsky.social mentioned it in this episode of the Splat Attack Girls Room.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2o5...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2o5...
These Toys Were A Must For Girls of the 90s!
YouTube video by Splat Attack Podcast
www.youtube.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:16 PM
It’s National Easy-Bake Oven Day, which I'm only aware of because @vikingmermaid.bsky.social mentioned it in this episode of the Splat Attack Girls Room.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2o5...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2o5...
Why do we reserve the term "Standard Time" for the format we barely use for one-third of the year?
November 3, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Why do we reserve the term "Standard Time" for the format we barely use for one-third of the year?