Hello fellow citizens of the internet! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Happy Friday! Our top stories today are about: Boston Dynamics condemning the weaponization of its robot dogs, a worker thinking she’s getting quietly fired, how the new Star Wars show is introducing queer characters without Disney’s tokenism, and the FCC cracking down on robocalls.
After that, our Senior Culture Editor Tiffany explains why its OK to really like October in her “This Week on the Internet” column and shares with you her pick for meme of the week.
Speaking of October… don’t forget to take our weekly news quiz so you can win a “Spooky Szn” shirt! We usually have the quiz on Saturdays but moved it because we’ve got something fun planned for tomorrow. 👀
See you then!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
🐕 TECH
Boston Dynamics, which makes a robot dog you can put a gun on, says you can’t put a gun on its robot dog
The company’s open letter makes clear what appears to be a long-standing policy within the company: don’t shoot people with our robots.
💼 WORK DYSTOPIA
‘Don’t quit. Let them fire you’: Worker thinks she’s getting quietly fired after she’s taken off schedule
A worker sparked speculation on TikTok after claiming her boss took her off the schedule entirely in lieu of directly firing them.
🎬 CULTURE
Apparently it’s not that hard to include queer people in ‘Star Wars.’ Who knew?
Andor introduces queer characters without the cringe factor of Disney tokenism.
🤖 ROBOCALLS
7 carriers put on notice by FCC for refusing to block robocalls
The carriers have 14 days to comply.
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🗣️ This Week on the Internet
It’s fine to really like October
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Fridays our Senior Culture Editor Tiffany Kelly recaps the most pressing online discourse of the week in her “This Week On The Internet” column. If you want to read columns like this before everyone else, subscribe to web_crawlr to get your daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to you inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
☕ A Starbucks “partner” account is being blasted as anti-union propaganda on TikTok.
💰 In a viral video, a Chipotle customer echoes the gripes of fellow customers regarding the fast-casual Mexican chain’s price increases.
🚗 A user on TikTok has gone viral after claiming her car was stolen while it was being serviced at a Sam’s Club location.
🍷 TikTok users claim to have made an incredible discovery: wine for 60 cents.
🎬 Two-day shipping is nice, but everyone knows Amazon Prime’s best feature is its movie selection. Here’s the definitive guide to the best movies on Amazon Prime you can stream right now.*
🌮 A customer went viral after sharing the text message exchange with her Grubhub driver who allegedly ate her Taco Bell order.
🍴 This server is going viral for sharing when they know certain customers aren’t planning on tipping.
*The Daily Dot may receive a commission in connection with purchases of products or services featured here.
📅 Meme of the Week
A video of a Balenciaga show with a runway that had models walking in mud became a relatable meme this week.
🎶 Now Playing: “Falling” by Julee Cruise 🎶