The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Hello fellow web crawlers! Andrew here. Welcome to today’s edition of web_crawlr.
Our top stories today are about: President Biden trolling Trump for bragging about winning golf trophies at his own golf club, an iPhone user warning people that seeing an orange dot on your screen could be more significant than you think, people being excited that actress Margot Robbie’s production companyis working on a movie about “The Sims,” and an Instacart driver’s viral video of delivering to a burnt down house.
After that, our Senior Reporter Tricia has a “Digital Democracy” column for you.
See you tomorrow!
— A.W.
⚡ Today’s top stories
⛳ POLITICS
‘Dark Brandon is undefeated’: Biden trolls Trump for winning club championship trophies—at his own golf club
President Joe Biden took a jab at former President Donald Trump after his 2024 rival bragged about winning two “club championship” trophies—from his own golf club.
🟠 TECH
iPhone customer warns that an orange dot on your screen may mean you’ve been hacked. Here’s why
Have you ever glanced at your iPhone and noticed an orange dot in the top right corner? This seemingly innocuous detail could be more significant than you think.
📽️ POP CULTURE
‘They need to speak simlish with no subtitles, only vibes’: People are excited that Margot Robbie’s production company is working on a movie about ‘The Sims’
“If there is not a scene where the stepladder to the pool is removed, we will riot,” is how one person reacted to the news.
🏚️ VIRAL
‘I think you got there a little too late’: Instacart driver arrives at customer’s house. It’s burnt down
Completing home deliveries is kind of difficult when there’s no home to deliver to.
We crawl the web so you don’t have to. Sign up to receive web_crawlr, a daily newsletter from the Daily Dot, in your inbox each day.
💵 From The ‘Death and Taxes’ Dept.
💰 SPONSORED
We’re sorry, but it’s tax time again
Spring is here, daylight saving has started, and yes: Taxes are due. H&R Block is offering 20% off now to web_crawlr subscribers until April 15, so if you haven’t started yet, consider this your friendly reminder to get to it.
👩💻 Digital Democracy
By Tricia Crimmins
Senior Reporter
Who knew a provision about cattle identification was so controversial?
In each edition of web_crawlr we have exclusive original content every day. On Tuesdays our Senior Reporter Tricia Crimmins explains the legislation that is captivating the internet in her “Digital Democracy” 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 your inbox.
🕸️ Crawling the web
Here is what else is happening across the ‘net.
🧀 You’ve heard the phrase, “Where’s the beef?” At McDonald’s, a popular menu item had one TikTok creator asking: Where’s the cheese?
🥤 A woman felt like her bartender was judging her for just ordering a soda. Commenters say there might be more to the story than she thinks.
💳 The ability to dispute charges that hit your credit card is a valuable protection for consumers, but there are a number of reasons to try to settle any issues directly with a seller before things get to that point, as one TikToker’s conversation with a frequent dispute filer recently highlighted.
📴 A former Uber Eats customer shared how an extra charge and Uber Eats’s unhelpful customer service led him to delete the app.
🥡 Sometimes, job interviews are just as much about your personal self as they are about your professional self. One TikToker learned this the hard way with an awkward Panda Express job interview where they left unsure if they would get a call back after some questionable responses to the interviewer’s questions.
🏡 DoorDash is one of the biggest food delivery services in the United States, but one person got more than he bargained for when he placed a DoorDash pick-up order directly from somebody’s house.
🥫 Asking for extra sauce at the drive-thru and receiving more than two packets will make anyone feel like they’ve won the lottery. But is there such a thing as too much sauce?
👮 From the Daily Dot archive: A background check company is secretly paying cops on TikTok to push its services.
📝 Question of the Day
Everyone’s got opinions, and we want to know yours. Just click a button below to answer the question, and tomorrow we will let you know how fellow web crawlers like you answered.
WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN SEEING A MOVIE BASED OFF OF ‘THE SIMS?’
To answer questions like this in the future, sign up for web_crawlr here.
👋 Before you go
As the tipping debate thrashes in the United States, a thread on Reddit’s r/EndTipping sub has brought The Cheesecake Factory into the spotlight, not for its seemingly endless menu but for its tipping policy.
In a post by user @Vivid_Papaya2422, they shared an image of the restaurant’s menu, which clearly states, “Tipping is entirely voluntary. For the convenience of our guests, we add an 18% suggested tip to parties of 8 or more, but payment of that amount is not required. Our guests always have the right to determine how much they’d like to tip,” followed by other several other restaurant policies.
The subheader conveys the original poster’s pleasant surprise, hinting at a possible shift in the hospitality industry: “Pleasantly surprised to see this on the menu! I’m willing to tip in some circumstances, but glad the 18% auto gratuity is marked as optional!”
The stance of r/EndTipping, which campaigns for the elimination of the need for U.S. workers to rely on tips, resonated with many who were more than happy to share their thoughts on the thread.
🎶 Now Playing: “Sun Bleached Files” by Ethel Cain 🎶