Notes (2026-06)

Definition: "Nepo Baby"

A "nepo baby" is a term used to describe a person who achieves success or lands opportunities in a specific industry due to their familial connections. It is a portmanteau of "nepotism" and "baby," and is often used—especially in entertainment and politics—to describe those perceived to benefit from their parents' celebrity or wealth.

• The concept sparked widespread online debate in late 2022 when New York Magazine published a famous cover story exploring the phenomenon, analysing dozens of prominent actors, models, and musicians with famous parents.

• Source

Tevrede met jou lewe

"Hulle sê ’n mens het drie dinge nodig om tevrede met jou lewe te wees – iemand om lief te hê, iets om te doen (’n doel in die lewe), en iets om na uit te sien."

• Source: Aardklop Nuusbrief

The decline of the migrant labour system for SA mines has sown xenophobic seeds

A consequence of the decline of the migrant labour system has been that workers from such countries – where opportunities are sorely lacking – are still drawn to South Africa, following the trail of their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who toiled underground.

• Source

Takealot First Profit

The Takealot Group achieved full-year profitability for the first time since its inception in 2011, swinging from a R214 million loss to a R181 million profit in the 2026 financial year. This was driven by an 86% increase in EBITDA, 14% growth in gross merchandise value, and the success of the TakealotMORE subscription program. The group is now scaling its fulfilment arm, Takealot Fulfilment Solutions, as a standalone revenue stream.

• Source

Social Generations

Social generations are demographic cohorts grouped by shared birth year ranges and similar cultural, economic, and historical experiences during their formative years.

I'm Glad I'm Dead: AI-Generated George Carlin

More than 15 years after his death, stand-up comedian George Carlin was brought back to life in an artificial intelligence-generated special called “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead". The hour-long special comes from Dudesy, a comedy AI that hosts a podcast and YouTube show with “Mad TV” alum Will Sasso and podcaster Chad Kultgen.

• Source: Variety / Rolling Stone

• YouTube Audio: I'm Glad I'm Dead (2024)

Janteloven

The "Law of Jante" (Janteloven) is a Scandinavian cultural code that emphasises humility, equality, and group conformity over individual ego. Formulated by author Aksel Sandemose, the 10 unwritten rules dictate that no one is better than anyone else.

1.  You're not to think you are anything special.

2. You're not to think you are as good as we are.

3. You're not to think you are smarter than we are.

4. You're not to imagine yourself better than we are.

5. You're not to think you know more than we do.

6. You're not to think you are more important than we are.

7. You're not to think you are good at anything.

8. You're not to laugh at us.

9. You're not to think anyone cares about you.

10. You're not to think you can teach us anything.

11. Perhaps you don't think we know a few things about you?

• Related:

  • "Minnesota Nice" (Movie: Fargo (1996)

  • The Law of Jante: A Blessing or a Curse to Scandinavian Social Culture? | Lovisa Bergdahl | TEDxSSE

• Source: Google AI  /  Wikipedia

Quote: "The far-left, they always take things too far. The far-right, they just make shit up."

 - Larry Wilmore on S24E20 of Real Time with Bill Maher

Definition: Rawdogging

The act of doing an activity without anything to make it easier or help pass the time, for example, to travel a long distance without a phone, entertainment, or food:  At its core, rawdogging is about resisting the impulse to seek constant gratification. Some rawdogging challenges, like going on a long flight without water, food, or sleep, can be bad for your health.

• Also: Sexual activity without a condom. Article: How did ‘rawdogging’ become part of polite conversation?

• Source: Cambridge Dictionary

Fargo (Movie + TV Series)

Fargo (both the Coen Brothers original 1996 film and the acclaimed 5-season anthology FX television series) explores the destructive power of unchecked greed, the eternal battle between good and evil, and the absurdity of ordinary people making catastrophic choices. It uses bleak, snow-swept landscapes, animalistic imagery, and absurdity to explore human greed, the inevitability of change, and the constant, underlying war between good and evil.

False Opening Line: "THIS IS A TRUE STORY. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred."

Themes, References, Metaphors, Symbols, Allegories, Motifs:

• Dark, Minnesota, Snow, Supernatural, Animals, Absurdism, Wolves, The Devil, Food, Aliens, Religion, Truth, Assimilation, Certainty & Doubt, Colour Blue, Deaf People.

• The Corrupting Nature of Greed

• The Battle Between Good and Evil

• The Absurdity of Human Logic

• The Dark Humour

• The Snowy Wasteland

• The Suitcase in the Snow

• The TV Static

• The "Fish" Metaphors

• The Mounted Trophies

• The Big Lebowski References

• The Song (Main Theme - Jeff Russo)

Good Analytical Videos:

• Ten Philosophies from V.M. Varga

• Varga's Teeth

• Ten of Malvo's Best Moments

• Analysing Evil: Lorne Malvo From Fargo

• Is Malvo the Devil?

• The Uncertainty Of FARGO Season 3

Quotes:

• "ok, then."

• "You're darn tootin'." [1]

• "No good ever came from a piece of cherry pie" [1]

• "It's just a flyin' saucer, Ed."

• "Things of consequence rarely happen by accident."

• "Your word is your bond, until it isn't." [1, 2]

• “Highly irregular was the time I found a human foot in a toaster oven. This is just odd.”

• "Because some roads you shouldn't go down. Because maps used to say, "There be dragons here." Now they don't. But that don't mean the dragons aren't there."

• "You still think it's Tuesday, you have no idea what's comin"

• "That's the rock we all carry. Men. We call it our burden, but it's really our privilege."

• "Pretty unfriendly, actually. But it's the way you're unfriendly. How you're so polite about it! (drops "white" accent) Like you're doing me a favour."

• "A fat woman is inherently untrustworthy as she is a sensualist who sees no real difference between a pastrami sandwich and a dick in the mouth."

• "Your problem is you've spent your whole life thinking there are rules. There aren't. We used to be gorillas."

• "It's a red tide, Lester. This life of ours. The shit they make us eat. Day after day - The boss, the wife, et cetera - wearing us down. If you don't stand up to it, let 'em know you're still an ape. Deep down where it counts. You're just gonna get washed away."

• It’s America. We don’t do kings.- “Oh, we do. We just call them something else.”

• "The world is wrong... It looks like my world, but everything’s different." [1]

• "Son, I could fill a steamer trunk with the amount of stupid I think you are."

• “You're the godamn parking lot king of Minnesota!”

• “Only a fool thinks he can solve the world’s problems.”

• "At some level, food knows its food."

• "I can help" (the robot)

• "You know why America loves a crime story? Because America is a crime story. But here's the rub. When we hear a crime story, who do we root for? Not the poor sap that got taken, the victim. No. We root for the taker, the guy with the gat."

• More (IMDb)

More:

• Fandom Wiki

• Wikipedia: Movie / TV Series

The Rhino's Echo

"The Rhino's Echo" is a poignant, heart-warming story and spoken-word piece by storyteller Neal Foard. Centred on a soldier nicknamed "Rhino," it is a tale about the power of small, random acts of kindness and how they ripple outward to inspire communities.

• Source: Neal Foard (@nealfoard on TikTok)

What makes a "Great Friend"?

Aristotle outlined three distinct types of friendship in his Nicomachean Ethics. While friendships based on utility and pleasure are common and temporary, the ultimate "great" friendship is one of virtue. These rare, enduring bonds are built on mutual respect, shared moral character, and a desire to see each other flourish.

• Friendship of Utility / Friendship of Pleasure / Friendship of Virtue (The Great Friendship)

• Video: Jonny Thomson (@philosophyminis on TikTok) / Google AI

Baby Boomer Property (in SA)

Even though South Africans aged 60 and older only make up about 10% of the population, they currently own around 40% of the country’s higher-value residential properties.

• Source

Pump and Dump (Finance Term)

A pump and dump is an illegal securities fraud where scammers artificially inflate the price of a stock or cryptocurrency (the "pump") through false, misleading, or exaggerated claims, then sell off their own shares at the inflated price (the "dump"), leaving unsuspecting buyers with massive losses when the price collapses.

• Source: Google AI

Definition: Flammable vs Inflammable

Flammable and Inflammable are exact synonyms that both mean a substance can easily catch fire and burn quickly. The opposite of both words is non-flammable. Despite the "in-" prefix, which usually means "not" (as in invisible or incorrect), "inflammable" does not mean "not flammable"

• Different Roots: "Flammable" comes from the Latin flammare (to catch fire), while "inflammable" comes from inflammare (to cause to catch fire).

• Safety Concerns: Because "inflammable" was historically misinterpreted to mean "fireproof," the fire safety industry actively promoted the use of "flammable" and "non-flammable" on warning labels to avoid dangerous misunderstandings.

• Source: Google AI

Definition: "Hubris"

Hubris is extreme, dangerous arrogance or excessive self-confidence. It often leads a person to overestimate their own abilities or disregard moral boundaries. Historically, it represents a refusal to accept human limitations, which eventually leads to a disastrous downfall.

• Origin: Derived from ancient Greek, the term originally meant "outrage" or "insolence"—specifically, actions that humiliated others for the abuser's gratification. 

• Source: Google AI

Ball in the Box

The "ball in the box" is a widely recognised analogy used to describe how we experience and process grief. It likens the grieving process to a box containing a ball and a "pain button".

• When grief is new: The ball is massive. Almost every time you move the box, the ball hits the pain button. The pain is constant, and you feel out of control.

• Over time: The ball shrinks. It hits the pain button less frequently. However, when it does hit the button, it still hurts just as intensely

• Source: Google AI

• Visual Illustration

Chernobyl’s Radioactive Fungus

The Elephant's Foot is a massive, highly radioactive lava-like formation located deep beneath the ruined Reactor No. 4 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. There is a fungus that lives beneath the Elephant’s Foot in the reactor hall of Chernobyl's nuclear power station. These extremophile fungi do not just endure lethal doses of radioactivity; they thrive in it.

• Chernobyl (2019): HBO made a very good 5-episode dramatised Documentary Miniseries hat revolves around the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 and the cleanup efforts that followed.

"Women solve problems kneecap-to-kneecap, and men shoulder-to-shoulder"

A communication and sociology concept popularised by relationship experts and sociologists. It highlights that women often prefer face-to-face ("kneecap to kneecap") interactions to process feelings and build emotional connections, while men frequently favour side-by-side ("shoulder to shoulder") activities to bond and solve problems.

• Source

Should parents push their children to go to college?

Esther Wojcicki, an educator known as “The Godmother of Silicon Valley,” has an answer.

• Esther Wojcicki argues that even in the AI era, parents should send their kids to college.

• She says that college develops interpersonal skills that online or AI-based learning cannot match.

• She adds that ages 18 to 22 are a critical time for growth, and college uniquely helps young adults learn how to interact with others.

• Source Article: Her Daughters Were the CEOs of YouTube and 23andMe. She Offers Parents This Simple Advice

History Quotes

Some of the most famous quotes about remembering the past:

• "History Doesn't Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes" - Mark Twain. 

• "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" - George Santayana

• "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - Winston Churchill

• "Let us remember the past with gratitude, live the present with enthusiasm, and look forward to the future with confidence." - Pope John Paul II

• "We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible." - George Santayana

Trump signs orders calling for a powerful quantum computer, targeting 2028

Donald Trump on Monday ordered a drive to build a powerful quantum computer for scientific research and to protect US government systems from related cyberattacks. Quantum computers use the laws of quantum physics to process information at breakneck speeds, giving them the ability to crack the encryption that protects computers from hacking.

• Source

• What is a quantum computer? (an advanced system that leverages quantum mechanics to solve highly complex problems exponentially faster than classical computers)

The Spectrum of Looksmaxxing

Looksmaxxing is an online subculture focused on maximising physical attractiveness.

• Softmaxxing (Safe & Sustainable)

  • Skincare: Establishing a daily routine utilising cleansers, moisturisers, and sunscreen to prevent sun damage.

  • Fitness: Exercising regularly and hitting the gym to improve posture, health, and body composition.

  • Grooming: Finding a flattering hairstyle, maintaining facial hair, and focusing on basic dental hygiene.

  • Style: Upgrading your wardrobe using tailoring and strategic styling tricks to complement your body type.

  • Sleep & Diet: Prioritising 7–9 hours of sleep and eating nutrient-dense, high-protein foods to support skin and hair health
    
    

• Hardmaxxing (Extreme & High-Risk Methods)

  • Bone Smashing: An incredibly dangerous pseudoscience where individuals strike their own facial bones with hammers or heavy objects. Proponents falsely believe it permanently chisels the jawline, but medical experts warn it causes fractures, nerve damage, and permanent disfigurement.

  • Roidmaxxing: The illicit use of anabolic steroids to rapidly build muscle mass, which carries severe cardiovascular and hormonal side effects.

  • Cosmetic Surgery: Undergoing invasive surgeries, such as chin extensions, jaw implants, or brow lifts, to achieve highly specific internet beauty standards like "hunter eyes" or a perfectly square chin.

  • Starvemaxxing: Restricting calories to extreme, unhealthy levels to force the cheeks to appear hollowed out, which can trigger severe eating disorders

• Source: Google AI

The Striver's Dilemma

The “Striver's Dilemma” (or “Striver’s Curse”) describes the psychological trap high-achievers face when their lifelong pursuit of excellence and success eventually leads to midlife dissatisfaction, feelings of hollowness, and the terrifying reality of professional decline.

• The Trap of "More". The Inevitable Decline. The Relationship Cost.

• Source: Google AI

Frankl’s Law of Happiness

Frankl’s Inverse Law (inspired by the philosophy of existential psychiatrist ⁠Viktor Frankl) states that the more you obsessively pursue happiness, the more it eludes you. Instead of directly chasing happiness, you must focus on finding purpose, and joy will naturally follow as a byproduct.

• While many struggle to find meaning, Frankl also identified a counter-problem: when you struggle to feel deep pleasure or joy, you might distract yourself with relentless meaning and delayed gratification. In perpetuity, this extreme focus on achieving noble, hard goals at the expense of present living can result in complete burnout or the inability to feel gratified at all.

• "When man can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure".

• Source: Google AI

Atlas Humanoid Robots by Boston Dynamics

Engineers and computer scientists are developing AI-powered robots that look and act human. Boston Dynamics invited 60 Minutes to watch its humanoid, Atlas, learn how to work at a Hyundai factory.

• "Once one is trained, all are trained"

• Source: 60 Minutes (YouTube)

Definition: "Talisman"

A talisman is an object (often a ring, stone, or pendant) engraved with specific symbols or inscriptions, believed to possess magical or spiritual powers. While an amulet primarily wards off evil, a talisman is designed to actively channel positive energy, bring good fortune, or confer special powers to its wearer.

• Source: AI

Football vs Soccer

Why is football called soccer in South Africa, even though SA was colonised by the British, and most of the rest of Africa call it football?

• Joke

• Source: AI

Midjourney Ultrasonic Body Scanner

Al-Startup Midjourney pivots to health with an ultrasound machine. It uses sound waves and water (no radiation) to create a mega-detailed 3D image of the human body.

• Source: 00 / 01 / 02 / 03 / 04

Nelson's Eye

The idiom-phrase "turn a Nelson's eye" (or "turn a blind eye") means to deliberately ignore or pretend not to see.

• Origin Story: The phrase originates from British Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, who was blind in his right eye. During the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), Nelson's superior, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, signalled Nelson's fleet to retreat by raising flags. Determined to continue the attack, Nelson reportedly raised his telescope to his blind eye and remarked, "I have only one eye, and I have the right to be blind sometimes... I really do not see the signal!"

• Cricket Tradition: The term "a Nelson" is also used in cricket to describe a score of 111. Because of the myth that Nelson lost an eye, arm, and leg, 111 is traditionally seen as an unlucky number, sometimes causing cricket umpires to stand on one leg whenever a team's score reaches it.

• Steakhouse: Nelson's Eye Restaurant is also a long-established, highly-rated steakhouse in the Gardens suburb of Cape Town. 

  • Restaurant: Website | Review

• Interesting Facts:

  • Even though he joined the Navy at twelve, received his first command at age twenty, and became admiral at thirty-nine, Nelson suffered from sea-sickness for the entirety of his career

  • He lost sight in his right eye during the siege of Calvi in 1794. Contrary to some depictions, however, evidence suggests that he did not wear an eyepatch.

  • He called his captains a “band of brothers” (from Shakespeare).

  • He was shot in the arm during the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797. The musket ball severed an artery, and his arm was amputated immediately – without anaesthetic.

  • He eventually received a fatal wound at Trafalgar. He was hit in the shoulder by a bullet from a sniper musket, which punctured his lung and fractured his spine. He died several hours later. His last words were, “Thank God I have done my duty”.

  • The day after the battle, Nelson’s body was placed in a barrel filled with brandy for the voyage back to England.

More Info:

• Movie: Nelson - Britain's Great Naval Hero (2020)

• YouTube: The Man Who Saved Britain From Napoleon

• Article: Horatio Nelson: A Timeline

Boplaas: The 283-year-old South African business run by the same family since 1743

• Source

Finland Proportional Punishment (things that make sense)

Finland determines the severity of many fines (such as traffic and speeding violations) using a unique system (päiväsakko), where the penalty is calculated based on the offender's daily disposable income and the seriousness of the offence. Because fines scale proportionally with wealth, they can become extraordinarily expensive for high-income earners. For example, an executive worker was once famously fined €95,000 for a single excessive speeding violation.

• Source: ABC Australia

• Large corporations frequently pay environmental fines that represent a tiny fraction of their profits.

• Jeff Bezos ignores the laws around how tall his walls/bushes at his house are allowed to be.

• Steve Jobs never put a number plate on his Mercedes.

• And don't even get me started on the fucktard families that are Trump, Zuma or Mandela...

We really don't need Billionaires

Elon Musk now has a net worth of over $1 trillion, after the successful SpaceX listing, which is just about equal to all 65 million South Africans. Our minds cannot even comprehend the level of wealth that Jeff Bezos has, and yet Jeff Bezos is closer to zero dollars than he is to the wealth of Elon Musk. You and I are closer in wealth to Jeff Bezos than Jeff Bezos is in wealth to Elon Musk. Also remember, Elon Hitler personally led the gutting of funding for USAID, which we now know has led to the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of whom were children. 

• "Wasn't it Vladimir Lenin who said there ain′t no competition. Once the rich buy up all the capital, they buy the law and the politicians"

  • Song: Elon Musk by Carsie Blanton

  • The Ultra Wealthy (0.1%)

Visualising the staggering difference between a million, a billion, and a trillion is easiest when you measure these quantities in units of time.

• 1 Million Seconds: ±11days.

• 1 Billion Seconds: ±31.7 years.

• 1 Trillion Seconds: ±31,710 years.

They Not Like Us

The ape brain. Right vs Left, English vs Afrikaans, Allah vs Jehovah, Black vs White, This-Africa vs That-Africa, Xenophobia vs Afrophobia vs Racism? Same-same, but different...

• Song: Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar

The 5D Framework

Stop responding to email like a squirrel all day, whenever an alert pings. Take 30 minutes 3 times a day for an email sprint.

• DELETE or archive if no action is needed.

• DEFER to a later date if you can’t do anything now.

• DELEGATE or designate someone else if it’s not for you to respond to.

• DEPOSIT the key info into your digital system for reference.

• DO something if it’ll take a minute or less (like a quick reply of thanks or yes).

• Source: Jeremy Caplan

MIT Explains the 12 Possible Endings with AI

This video presents a detailed exploration of 12 possible futures resulting from Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), based on the book Life 3.0 by MIT professor Max Tegmark. It highlights the existential risks posed by AI and humanity’s potential responses to these challenges, framed within a broader context of historical and contemporary threats to human survival.

• Source: YouTube

Orthorexia

Orthorexia Nervosa is a mental health condition characterised by an obsessive fixation on eating food perceived as “healthy,” “pure,” or of high quality, rather than focusing on the quantity of food eaten. The term comes from the Greek words ortho (meaning “correct”) and orexis (meaning “appetite”). 

• Heard on TV Show: Scrubs (2026)

• Source: AI

Rehearsing Tragedy

“Let reality play out before you. Stop imagining the worst-case scenario.” Or, as Brene Brown says: “Stop dress-rehearsing tragedy.”

• Source: The Dr. John Delony Show

Baz Luhrmann and Elvis Presley

Baz Luhrmann directed a 2026 documentary, weaving together long-lost footage from Elvis Presley's legendary Las Vegas residency in the 1970’s with rare 16mm footage from Elvis on Tour.

• Baz Luhrmann is the same guy who made the 2022 Elvis biopic and the 1998 song "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)".

• At the end of the movie, U2 frontman Bono narrates part of his 1995 tribute titled "American David".

Apple WWDC26 Keynote (All Systems Glow)

Apple's WWDC 2026 Keynote introduced a major overhaul of Siri, branded as 'Siri AI' with Google Gemini integration, alongside the next generation of Apple Intelligence. The event also showcased iOS 27, macOS Golden Gate, improved personalisation, and enhanced privacy controls, marking Tim Cook's final keynote before John Ternus assumes the CEO role.

• Updated Apple Intelligence & Siri AI (made smart with Google Gemini in the backend)

  • "Apple Intelligence and Siri AI in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 are available on iPhone 16 models or later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad models with M1 or later, Mac with M1 or later, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch Series 10 or later, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, and Apple Watch SE 3”

• OS27 (iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, macOS “Golden Gate”)

  • iOS 27 supports iPhone 11 and newer.

  • MacOS Design Changes

• Apple Photos:

  • AI image editing with Spatial Reframing.

  • The extend feature will allow you to zoom out of a photo's frame, and Apple Intelligence will generate additional image data to add more to your scene.

  • Image Playground will soon allow users to generate photorealistic slop.

• Siri's Visual Intelligence (basically Google Lens)

• Siri can write articles and emails for you

• Apple Intelligence will organise your Safari tabs

• Safari’s new "describe an extension" feature will let you explain a website extension you want to use in plain text, with Apple Intelligence supposedly coding it to your specifications to use in the Safari browser.

• Apple Intelligence will enable you to strengthen weak and/or compromised login credentials in Passwords, it will then be able to update those credentials on the relevant website for you.

• Parental controls and child accounts.

• Apple Intelligence features, such as image generation, will have daily usage limits. You can get increased access with "most iCloud Plus subscription plans." A subscription also provides Apple Intelligence support for compatible home cameras.

• Engadget Article

• WWDC26 Keynote Video (YouTube)

"Rocky Horror Show" vs "Rocky Horror Picture Show"

• "The Rocky Horror Show" is the original live stage musical created by Richard O'Brien in 1973.

• "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is a 1975 film adaptation. While the story is mostly the same, the stage show is a high-energy live theatre event, whereas the film is a cult-classic movie famous for midnight screenings and audience participation.

HUMOUR: "I try to keep the tapeworm in my digestive system on its toes. Some days, zero calories; other days, 4000."

Grandfathers in World War 2

I had an English grandfather and an Afrikaans grandfather, and I was wondering why only one of them took part in World War 2.

• Voluntary Service (not conscription).

• Many Afrikaners felt closer to Germany.

• Source: AI

The Backrooms (Movie & Web Series)

The Backrooms is an internet-born urban legend and subgenre of horror revolving around "liminal spaces". The core concept is that a person can accidentally "noclip" out of reality—slipping through the boundaries of our physical world—and end up trapped in an endless, labyrinthine maze of empty, uncanny, and retro-looking rooms. A web series and an A24 movie were created by American YouTuber and filmmaker Kane Parsons.

• The Original Premise: The legend originated from a 2019 4chan post featuring an image of an empty room. It is characterised by drab, faded yellow wallpaper, damp, musty carpet, and a deafening, monotonous hum of flickering fluorescent lights.

• Level 0 (The Hub): This is the starting point for anyone who slips out of reality. It is an endless, non-linear expanse of identical empty rooms where time does not function normally.

• No-Clipping: The phenomenon by which a person enters the Backrooms. It is a term borrowed from video game physics where a player's character glitches through a solid wall or boundary.

• Null Zones: Areas of electromagnetic and gravitational distortion that act as unstable portals between reality and the Backrooms.

• Entities: While the original concept focused entirely on the horror of total isolation, subsequent community lore and visual series (like the popular Kane Pixels universe) added "entities". These are dangerous, otherworldly predators that lurk in the shadows and hunt wanderers.

• Other Levels: As the concept expanded into collaborative fiction, fans created hundreds of new "levels". These range from abandoned subterranean parking lots (Level 1) and industrial pipe rooms (Level 2) to endless pools and eerie suburban streetscapes.

• Creepypastas: User-generated, horror-related legends and stories designed to scare readers. Originating from the words "creep" and "copypasta" (text copied and pasted across internet forums), these tales span topics like haunted video games, cryptids, and supernatural rituals.

• Watch:

  • YouTube Series: The Backrooms

  • Movie Trailers: 01 | 02

  • Movie: Backrooms 

  • The Backrooms Wiki (Fandom)

• Random Notes:

  • Some Movie Reviewer Guy: "Horror stripped to its bare essentials"

  • Liminal Spaces: 01

  • Video: Kane Pixels Backrooms Iceberg EXPLAINED

  • Kane Parsons (Kane Pixels): Young Director

  • Inspiration: Games: Portal,  Half-Life. TV: Mr Robot. Movie: One Hour Photo.

  • The Original Photo (Hobby Town): 01 / 02

  • Series vs Movie

  • Other Series: The Oldest View (a mystery thriller)

  • ASYNC (Async Research Institute, or Async Foundation) is a company that investigates (and probably caused) the phenomenon.

  • Objects in the backrooms are somehow mirrored. Things are skewed and sometimes only facades.

  • The Lifeform / Bacteria

  • Mary’s Mother

  • Yellow Colours

  • Yellow Wallpaper: 01 / 02 / 03

  • Wall Mural / Window(s)

  • Time & Space

    • Time Travel: 01 / 02

    • Time & Space Loops?

    • Portals?

    • Non-Linear Time?

    • Parallel Universe?

  • Found Footage (video tapes/files)

  • Strange green light: Escape Opportunity?

  • Daisy Bell Song

  • The Sun with the Face: 01 / 02

    • The Solar Flares

    • The lack of sun in the backrooms

  • Caveman Cutout and Voyager Sound Loop: 01 / 02

  • Antagonist Clark?

  • Throne Room

  • Draw a Dog

  • The Still Lifes: 01 / 02

    • Wheelchair Guy (ALS): 01

    • The Red-Haired Woman: 01

    • The Bearded Fat Guy

  • Metaphors, Symbolism & Hidden Meanings:

    • Trauma: 01

    • Ocean (Moby-Dick)

    • Trauma 

    • Memories & Schizophrenic Mind (the back of your mind)

  • Song: Alteriour Motives

  • Movie Ending: Phill / Phill

  • Eating People

  • 10 Weird & Creepy Things

  • Timeline Explained: 01

  • South Bay Bulletin Board: 01 / 02

  • Foreshadowing & Colour Theory: 01

  • Good Reviews: Lucas Blue / Playlist: LittleRedSM

  • Memes: Saul Goodman / Gangnam Style / Crab Rave / Shrek / Minions

  • Kane Interviews:

    • Definitive Answer

    • Blender Software

    • Using AI

    • Game adaptation?

Daisy Bell Song

"Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)" is a song written in 1892 by British songwriter Harry Dacre with the chorus:

• "Daisy, Daisy / Give me your answer, do. / I'm half crazy / all for the love of you", ending with the words "a bicycle built for two".

• The song is said to have been inspired by Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, one of the many mistresses of King Edward VII.

• It is the earliest song sung using computer speech synthesis by the IBM 7090 in 1961.

• It is also the song sung by HAL 9000 in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" towards the end of its shutdown.

• Wikipedia

Why is HIV/AIDS much more prevalent in South Africa than in other African countries?

• Labor migration & mining system

• Concurrent sexual partnerships

• Low male circumcision rates

• Government denialism (1999–2008)

• Gender inequality & sexual violence

• HIV-1 Subtype C

• Urbanisation & infrastructure

• Treatment success paradox

• Source: AI

DEFINITION: “Juvenile Delinquency”

• Juvenile delinquency is the unlawful or antisocial behaviour committed by young people under the age of 18 that triggers intervention by the juvenile justice system. Unlike adult crime, it includes both regular crimes (acts that would be crimes if committed by adults) and status offences—behaviours like truancy, running away from home, or curfew violations that are violations solely because of the offender’s age.

• Source: AI

DEFINITION: "buttress" (noun)

• A structure of stone or brick built against a wall to strengthen or support it. A source of defence or support. Prop. Safeguard.

• Saw it in a Daily Maverick news article

DEFINITION: "cornucopia"

• Source: AI: A cornucopia is a symbol of abundance and plenty, often depicted as a horn or cone overflowing with fruits, vegetables, and flowers. It comes from Roman mythology and is commonly used to represent prosperity and a bountiful harvest.

What is the maximum number of calories that the body can absorb in a day?

• Source: AI: The body doesn’t have a hard cap on calories it can absorb in a day — it’s more about what your digestive system can physically process. Most people can absorb somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 calories daily without major issues, though some athletes or people doing intense physical work might manage more. Beyond that, you’d typically experience digestive discomfort, and any excess would just pass through your system unused.

QUOTE: "Nature & Nurture are not deterministic, but it is correlative"

• Someone on a podcast (I can't remember)

• Source: AI: Modern science aligns perfectly with this view, rejecting biological determinism in favour of correlative and probabilistic interactions. Both genetic inheritance (nature) and environmental influences (nurture) work in concert, meaning our traits and behaviours are continuously shaped by a complex interplay rather than a pre-programmed destiny.

Historic Life Expectancy

The average life expectancy of people 500 years ago (1500's) was roughly 30–40 years, but this figure is heavily skewed by extremely high infant and child mortality. If you survived to adulthood (age ~20–25), you could reasonably expect to live into your 50s or 60s.

• 30–50% of children died before age 5.

• Women faced significant risk from childbirth.

• Plague, famine, and war periodically devastated populations.

• Urban dwellers in crowded cities died younger than rural populations.

• The wealthy generally outlived the poor due to better nutrition and less physical hardship.

South Africa 2026 Q1 Credit Stress Report

• The number of South Africans with a retail credit account rose from 13.9 million in 2025 Q1 to 14.7 million in 2026 Q1, a 5.8% increase YoY.

• SA Overdue debt hit R237bn. By Q1 2026, overdue debt was up 13.9% YoY, while credit card arrears increased by nearly 19%.

• Overall, credit-active individuals directed 28% of net monthly income toward debt repayments, one percentage point lower than in 2025 Q4.

• Individuals under 24 represent 43% of the population but account for roughly 2% of credit-active by number and less than 0.5% by value.

• Overdue debt climbed 13.9% YoY in 2026 Q1, outpacing overall loan balance growth of 5.4%.

• Individuals younger than 24 represent 43% of the population. Still, they account for just under 2% of credit active by number and less than 0.5% by value, a small footprint today, but the foundation of tomorrow’s credit market.

• For the nearly 1 million Less Affluent Youth (average income ~R4,300 per month), 86% have retail credit, 18% have unsecured loans, but only 9% have credit cards.

• Eighty20 Credit Stress Report