The music is much more evolved now and there isn’t really one specific genre (ie techno) any more. The four-to-the-floor beat you describe was (and arguably still is) the core of most electronic/dance style music. And yeah, it’s usually the start of most of the stuff I write in Fl Studio (aka Fruity Loops), as a simple and driving core beat is what is the best for the largest possible group of people to dance to. (It’s universal, regardless of genre.)*

Example from NTO here: https://youtu.be/xF0Qx9XQCNI (This is technically in the electronic/techno genre, but really can’t be classified that way anymore. The FttF beat is still driving that song though…)

Probably the pinnacle of where techno and synthesizer music has evolved to is music by Mr. Bill. It’s more of a full sound design thing now, and less legacy Fruity Loops’ish now. (https://youtu.be/WCrgI4ne1Kw) TBH, Mr. Bill isn’t, and probably will never be “my style”, but I respect the hell out of his music though. Fucking genius stuff.

Alas, I could find a million-and-one examples of modern trash-club music and it’s never going to go away. Strongbad summaries that genre the best: https://youtu.be/JwZwkk7q25I

You do you, and making fun of what still is the core rhythm of nearly all electronic music ain’t exactly a hard thing to do. ;)

I just thought it kinda sucked that you sounded like you might not have been exposed to, or were even aware of, how that type of music has evolved. “Techno”, “90s House” or whatever, is actually dead for the most part though. The modern iterations of the scene are still massive and probably 80% of those people don’t realize that the core rhythms have been exactly the same for +30 years or more.

And nah, I ain’t butthurt about you making fun of “my” music and not at all trying to be argumentative. The music is so much better now, even if you can still cleanly overlay an untz-tsh. :)

• note: The “four to the floor” is the underlying beat, but it usually has the “swing” knob pushed hard in dance or club, hence, the recognizably short pattern of untz-tsh. The disco beats themselves have some super cool history, regardless.

Not yet.

I think there is a much higher probability of oil prices being manipulated in the short-term.

Attestation approved. ;) (Legally prescribed Adderall and non-abused for about 16 years or so…)

I saw alcohol mentioned a few times in the comments and I get it, but please be careful with it. Neurodivergence and alcohol is a match made in hell. (For me it was. I have no right to speak for anyone else, TBH.)

Thankfully, it’s just the standard doses of amphetamines and caffeine for me these days.

(Alas, I am stuck in a hell of an anxiety loop right now, and can’t get some super important stuff done and can’t crack out of this, for whatever reason. Booze has crossed my mind a few times, but I am fairly positive my next bender would be my last.)

May 19, 2026 3:00 PM _Meta Employees Are Scrambling to Use Up Benefits Ahead of Ahead of Meta’s latest round of mass layoffs tomorrow, some employees are deserting offices, abandoning their work, and loading up on perks they might soon lose, several people at the company tell WIRED.

Two employees describe a widespread rush to use up an annual $2,000 flexible benefit, which can cover a variety of expenses including health and wellness activities. A separate triennial credit of $200 toward the purchase of audio gear has led to a scramble to purchase Apple AirPods and other headphones. Another source says Meta offices have been largely empty this week, as people prioritize polishing their résumés and gather offsite to commiserate with friends for what may be their final time as colleagues. Employees are variously “paralyzed,” “coasting,” and “panicked,” sources say.

Meta plans to lay off about 10 percent of its nearly 80,000 employees on Wednesday, with notices going out to affected workers’ personal and corporate email addresses at 4 am Singapore, London, or San Francisco time depending on their location, according to a company-wide memo sent on Monday. The cuts are coming at a time when the social media giant behind Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook is enjoying record-high profits.

But CEO Mark Zuckerberg insists that the company must free up cash to invest in AI data centers, and that Meta can perform just as well with fewer employees because of AI technologies that augment human labor.

Are you a current or former Meta employee who wants to talk about what’s happening? We’d like to hear from you. Using a nonwork phone or computer, contact the reporter securely on Signal at peard33.24 and ChaoticGoode.12. Meta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment for this story. The company has undergone three previous large rounds of layoffs since 2022, including as part of Meta’s one-time “year of efficiency” drive in 2023. But even though the latest round is smaller than a couple of those, it is drawing widespread scrutiny because it comes at a time of societal anxiety about AI’s impact on jobs.

Inside Meta, the imminent cuts are among several concerns that have sunk morale to unprecedented depths, according to 16 current and former employees who recently spoke to WIRED. Employees also have been frustrated by being “drafted” onto a new AI team without any choice and the rollout of surveillance software that tracks US workers’ laptop use to train AI models.

Meta also plans to internally restructure as it conducts sweeping layoffs, transferring 7,000 remaining staff to “AI initiatives” and converting more managers into individual contributors. That would bring the total number of those affected—either laid off or placed in a new role—to 20 percent of the current workforce, Reuters reported on Monday. WIRED independently confirmed this reporting. Some parts of the company have been told they won’t be affected at all.

But in recent days, employees who are bracing for changes have shared checklists internally about benefits to take advantage of, and are saving documents such as performance reviews and pay stubs, according to one worker. Some teams are meeting up at bars and restaurants near Meta offices in New York and Menlo Park on Tuesday and Wednesday to eat and drink away their sorrows, several employees said. Management has encouraged employees not to come into offices on Wednesday.

Update, May 19, 11:40 PM EDT: WIRED corrected the time zones when layoff notices will be emailed. _

I am staunchly anti-hype and a firm “whatevers” on the rest of AI. Like you said, it has its place. The biggest issue I have is that it is being pushed as another dopamine fix. I ain’t gonna lie, turning an idea into code in 5 mins is really fucking cool. Unfortunately, its really fucking addictive so I give myself multi-day breaks after a day or two of coding and fucking around with my homelab.

(Tinfoil hat time) If anyone hasn’t noticed, there are some clear distinctions between enterprise LLM tools and regular consumer LLM tools. The consumer-grade plans are more prone to random mistakes and forgetfulness. My theory is that more “mistakes” and resulting fixes not only burn more tokens, but also push dopamine levels higher and lower. Aside from coding blatantly obvious security issues, enterprise LLMs are much more reliable.

LLMs are a tools. You solve problems. If an LLM is solving all of your problems, you are the tool.

That’s fairly bold to ask for ~6% of the total world economy as well as a sizable chunk of the world’s energy.