Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
We’ve got something exciting for you today. Eagle-eyed readers may have been reading and watching our “Meme History” series at the Daily Dot (we know a lot of you have been enjoying them!) So that got us thinking… why not make “Meme History” a weekly column for readers like you, that way you get to read it before everyone else? So now, you can look forward to new “Meme History” columns (and videos!) on Saturdays. Scroll down below to take a look.
Our top stories today are about: A disgusting Starbucks cold brew machine that went viral, a baffling viral claim that it is “scientifically impossible” to cross the Atlantic ocean, a notorious ransomware gang threatening to release classified documents from numerous U.S. intelligence agencies, and DoorDashers claiming that the company is withholding bonuses for completing orders during a snowstorm.
See you next week!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
☕ WTF
‘Welp, not drinking cold brew anymore. Thank you’: Starbucks worker shows the state of the cold brew machine at their store
An image of a dirty and moldy Starbucks cold brew machine has baffled members of the r/starbucks Reddit community after an employee said she returned from a two-week break to find it that way.
🌊 CONSPIRACY
Baffling new viral claim posits it is ‘scientifically impossible’ to travel across the Atlantic Ocean
Sailors and history enthusiasts on X were baffled by a bizarre claim from a poster that it’s impossible to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
💻 TECH
Notorious ransomware gang claims it pulled ‘classified and top secret documents’ from U.S. intelligence agencies
The notorious ransomware gang is threatening to release classified and top secret documents from numerous U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI, after allegedly breaching a technology company.
🌨️ LABOR
‘Same thing happened to me’: DoorDasher delivered through snowstorm to complete referral bonus orders. She never got the money
DoorDash holds a net worth of $43 billion and has become one of the leading food-delivery services in the industry. So why are the workers claiming their bonuses are being withheld?
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🤓 Meme History
By Kyle Calise
Video Producer
Meme History: The long and storied history of wolf memes on the internet, from ‘courage wolf’ to ’emo wolves’
Meme History is a weekly column that dives deep into internet lore to uncover the history of famous memes. It runs on Saturdays in the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. If you want to get this column a day before we publish it, subscribe to web_crawlr, where you’ll get the daily scoop of internet culture delivered straight to your inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🏠 Earlier this month, a user on TikTok went viral after claiming to have found an innovative solution to his housing problem: living in a storage unit. His post backfired, leading one lawyer on the platform to issue a warning to others looking into affordable housing tricks.
🍔 A TikTok creator is calling out McDonald’s push to modernize its restaurants, claiming such moves are making the fast-food chain devoid of personality.
💼 To combat shifting labor needs and the flux between in-office and work-from-home employment, many folks are offering some of their best tips for job-seekers online.
🚘 A woman went viral after she asked her followers which seat they prefer to sit in when taking an Uber by themselves.
🍸 One woman is catching heat online after ditching a date because he asked her for a quick favor.
🤢 Goodwill, what’s going on? The popular thrift chain is selling a used plastic ham container as if nobody would notice. Beyond being grossed out, one shopper and her many viewers on TikTok are disappointed by the high price tag.
📺 From the Daily Dot archive: What do users actually want from streaming services?
👋 Before you go
Complaining about your job is something tons of people do. However, fewer are lucky enough to complain to someone who will offer them $100,000 to quit. One TikToker walks viewers through the journey this offer took her through.
In a viral video, Makeena Prey (@makeenapreystudios) says that while at a happy hour with her co-workers in Austin, Texas, she met a guy who was interested in her. After expressing to him how much she hated her job, the guy offered her the money, and apparently, he was very serious about it, Prey says.
The story doesn’t end there. Prey says he reached out to her on LinkedIn, and they went on a date shortly after. She adds that though they didn’t see each other for a long time after that, they kept in touch, and he would constantly invite her to meet him for trips. After a while, Prey said, “Eff it,” quit her job, and went on a trip with the guy, she says.
The video has over 4,000 likes and 75,000 views.
