Uncomfortable UX, channel surfing, Lego sets

Project Hail Mary, in theaters now, is 99% scientifically accurate

The widows are open and you can hear the links tweeting as they build nests. This time we’re colliding Project Hail Mary, colors in the dictionary, channel surfing, uncomfortable UX and how to use your TV in 2026. More on that last one next.

Please skip around, read what you want to. Find something interesting in your own internet travels? Send me a link

—JH

Helpful Digression

Dramatic reenactment of deciding what to watch

I love movies. I also watch for creative input—story beats, prop design, color, lighting, composition, etc. all feed into graphic design. But let’s say it’s 8pm on Friday night. I’m ready to wind down, but what to watch?

It’s hard to know even where to look. I could subscribe to a half dozen streaming services but what I really want might still be unavailable. Or, even if it is, it’s interrupted by ads and hard to understand without subtitles on. The algorithmic aisles of Netflix are taxing to wander if you’re just browsing.

My answer is: Watch TV shows on streaming, movies on disc. In the year of our Lord 2026 that may be bonkers to say. But let me explain.

“What’s the deal with TV shows?”

TV shows are framed, lit and shot to look the best on your TV (or, increasingly, phone). They’re brighter and more zoomed-in-looking. Streaming services like Apple TV+ can offer you a bevy of latest-greatest shows for cheap while Netflix can serve you all the Seinfeld and Love Is Blind you can handle. Disney+ helps fill in the gaps if you have younger kids.

I pay for 2-3 streaming services at a time, mostly for shows. Streaming quality is fine for these. It’s easy to pause or cancel (they love inviting you back). I don’t sweat losing viewing history by cancelling a subscription—“you’d also like” suggestions are mostly wrong anyway. Plus boy do I love firing a streaming service.

Cinematic framing from Dune: Part One

That’s TV. What about movie night? This is where discs are your best friends.

Movies are fundamentally different than TV shows. Dune places tiny humans amidst a vast expanse of orange desert, which doesn’t work if the color is dulled by compression. Zootopia 2 boasts crisp booth-recorded audio that’s regrettably easy to garble at streaming quality. Critical North by Northwest scenes unfold in shadow, unless streaming eliminates that darker detail. Streaming services serve you completely different versions of these films optimized to use less network bandwidth, like saving a .jpg image at 40% quality to help a webpage load faster.

It’s not bad, it’s just not the same thing as the real thing.

Don’t stream movies unless they’re made by a streaming service. Buy them on disc instead. Here’s how.

“Ah yes, can’t forget Bad Boys II.”

Start by keeping a list. Write down what you or someone in your house are interested in, then sort from most to least “gotta see it soon”.

On a budget, look for used Blu-ray discs (1080p) on Amazon, eBay or your local used book store. It’s normal to find a Blu-ray copy for $5-$8 gently used.

If you want to max out what your 4K TV can do, check around for a 4K UHD (2160p) copy. You’ll need to make sure your player can handle these (a current generation Xbox or Playstation can). Again hit Amazon and eBay, but add Walmart.com and Target.com to the mix. Buy used if you can. Expect to pay $10 used or on an amazing sale for a less recent release, $15-$20 new for a more recent release. 4K is excellent for very recent movies and classics that were shot on film. (The 4K disc of Alien will change your life.)

If you’re shopping strictly new, try Gruv.com. They’re a legit distributor and run sales almost constantly. They carry DVD, Blu-ray and 4K discs.

Movies on disc are the new record collection

Why buy movies on disc? Nine good reasons:

✅ No ads.

✅ Noticeably better video/audio quality.

✅ Picking is easy—look at your shelf.

✅ Better economics—more rewatching = better value for money.

✅ Cover art is fun to see!

✅ It’ll never magically disappear from your streaming library.

✅ You can lend a movie on disc to a pal.

✅ Tired of a disc? Trade it in at your used bookstore for something else.

✅ You can look at your shelf and see some of your own DNA. If you’ve got Jurassic Park or E.T. on disc, they probably have a special place in your heart.

The best film festival this summer could be at your house. Build your list, track down a few discs, and enjoy! You’ll love the crisper picture, great quality audio and no ads. If you can make time for a movie, make it a great experience. Save streaming for TV shows, which is what they’re best at.

—JH

10 curious links that would have killed the cat

in Greenville, SC

Here are four updates to Pathwright from Paul:

Last week we made designing new Lessons faster so you can stay in the flow of building out each Lesson’s Steps without so much clicking:

✅ Auto Open

Creating a Lesson automatically opens the first Step form. After creating that Step, the next form opens. And the next. (And so on.)

✅ Tab Order

If you use your keyboard, the tab order is improved so your hands never have to reach for a mouse.

✅ Instant Apply

New Steps and edits apply instantly (no waiting on the server).

✅ Faster & Smoother

Dragging and dropping Steps or Lessons into new positions is faster and smoother.

We’ve enjoyed an extended weekend at my house. My kids are off school as I write this in my studio alcove off the living room. My son keeps tossing updates on how his playthrough of Link’s Awakening is going (he just got the Harp (??)).

Yesterday we sat around the dinner table for hours putting together Lego sets. I built a DeLorean next to Sally’s Flowerpot, a Piranha Plant and a Japanese Maple also under construction. I hadn’t put together a Lego set by myself for 20 years. I can say definitively that I’ve been missing out and will not repeat that mistake moving forward.

It’s the most mental rest $27 has bought yours truly possibly ever. Building Legos: 10/10!

High five,

Justin Hall
Editor, Partner at Pathwright