Tim Phillips Show, 10/5/26

Being called a “nerd” used to be offensive, but it turns out, people are now embracing the label. BookTok has millions of followers and fandoms have gone mainstream, showing people are proud of their hobbies and curiosity, and new research shows it may even give them a dating advantage.

Nibble, the all-around knowledge app, recently surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults to find out how people feel about the term “nerd” and found 83% would take being called a “nerd” as a compliment, not an insult. And instead of hiding it, over two-thirds (69%) say they consider themselves at least somewhat nerdy.

But nearly half (44%) admit they’ve hidden an interest because they were afraid people would judge it and 41% have downplayed how much they know about something so they wouldn’t seem like a know-it-all.

Over three-quarters (77%) say they’ve felt judged for a hobby before, with gaming (15%) and collecting (12%) topping the list of things they got side-eyed over.

The thing is, a lot of people find intelligence incredibly attractive, as 95% say they would date someone much smarter than themselves.

Almost six in 10 respondents (58%) say flexing history knowledge on a date is “straight up hot.” Some “nerdy” habits are more of a turn-on, with a passion for history or archaeology topping the list (21%), followed by science or technology (18%), collecting (15%), chess or puzzles (10%) and comics or fantasy books (9%).

Nearly a quarter of those polled (22%) admit to pretending to like a “nerdy” hobby just to impress a crush and 39% confess to using AI to look up a historical fact to do the same.

While it may be easy to fake intelligence on a dating app, it’s a lot easier to spot someone doing it in person. Being nerdy may be hot, but using AI to try to sound like an expert instead of thinking for yourself definitely isn’t.
Source: Vice

Reynolds Market invites you to stop in today for the Deal of the Day! It might be a household item, a beverage, some food to stock up the pantry with, or something for dinner tonight! Today’s Deal of the Day: And the savings – always a big discount, and sometimes well more than 50% off! So come on in, shop and save, with the Reynolds Market Deal of the Day – today, at Reynolds Market in Glasgow!

Monday: 8-piece Fried Chicken $7

Monday Morning Mystery - LIKE A ROLLING STONE    BOB DYLAN    #2 in 1965    BOB DYLAN    WALLFLOWERS    TRAVELING WILBURYS

Born Robert Zimmerman on 5/24/1941 in Duluth, Minnesota; raised in Hibbing, Minnesota. Highly influential, legendary singer/songwriter/guitarist/harmonica player. Innovator of folk-rock style. Took stage name from poet Dylan Thomas. To New York City in December 1960. Worked in Greenwich Village folk clubs. Signed to Columbia Records in October 1961. Motorcycle crash on 7/29/1966 led to a short retirement. Subject of documentaries Don’t Look Back and Eat the Document. Acted in movies Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Renaldo and Clara (also directed) and Hearts Of Fire . Newly-found Christian faith reflected in his recordings of 1979-81. Member of the supergroup Traveling Wilburys. His son Jakob is the lead singer of The Wallflowers.

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who show up on time, and those who are always running late. Sure, it happens to everyone at some point, the late people tend to be tardy to just about everything, leaving those waiting for them frustrated. While most of us can accept a friend arriving 15 minutes late, new research reveals the very specific line when being late crosses over into being rude.

According to a new poll of 2-thousand adults, that exact cutoff time is 29 minutes. At that point, you’re beyond fashionably late and those waiting for you are probably annoyed.

And if you show up any later, you might as well not bother going at all, as 26% say arriving an hour late basically breaks the rules of modern meet-up etiquette.

Late people are quick with the excuses, and 26% say “I’m five minutes away” is the biggest fib their friends tell.
Over a third (37%) admit they get irritated when they get a “just leaving now” text when they’re already there and waiting.

Some of those used to waiting around have come up with tactics to get their friends to be on time, with a third sharing they deliberately tell their tardiest friend that an event starts earlier than it does.

No one has an excuse of not knowing the time now that everyone carries a phone with a clock, but smartphones may have made us worse.

Nearly three in 10 (29%) believe people are less punctual since the arrival of smartphones, and 31% blame being able to send a quick “So sorry, running late!” text for making lateness more socially acceptable.

But 82% say they’re trying to spend less time on their phone and more time meeting people in real life and half (51%) of those polled say face-to-face socializing makes them happier.

About two-thirds (68%) would rather meet a friend for a drink than spend an evening texting them, and a quarter (25%) say catching up with friends is the highlight of their week.

Just don’t spend the hangout constantly looking at your phone, that’s unacceptable to 38%, while 37% are irritated by someone canceling at the last minute.
Source: Metro

Tim's News You Can't Use 

Mixed News says ChatGPT has added a 'Try On' button for clothing and accessories. Users select the button, take or upload a selfie and ChatGPT generates a try-on image.  OpenAI says the reference photo is saved for future try-ons and stays attached to the account until it is changed. Users can change or delete the photo
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Newser says the Florida tourism company Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is hiring three people for a 10-day beach “business trip”. The jobs pays $10,000. Titles include chief vibes officer, chief flavor explorer, and chief sunset curator.  The selected travelers will receive flights, lodging, and VIP experiences.  The new employees will post about nightlife and live music, restaurants and local food, and attractions ranging from murals and museums to Gulf sunsets. Applicants must be at least 21 and available between November 6th and November 22nd, 2026. People can apply online.  A hiring committee will judge applicants on authenticity, creativity, social media presence, and content skills. 
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Astronomers say they have detected the first-ever radio signal from a planet outside the solar system. The discovery traces repeating radio bursts that seem to come from the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b, located 63 light-years from Earth. The planet is about 12 times the size of Jupiter and is one of three planets orbiting a young star that is nearly two times the size of the sun. Researchers at the Center for Astrophysics of Harvard and Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts said processes tied to the planet's magnetic field created the radio signal. The researchers noted the reports have not yet completed peer review, which is currently underway and will take the next few months.
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NASA engineers are building a new fleet of humanoid robots designed to fly with astronauts to the moon and Mars. The goal is not to replace human space travelers, but instead to keep them safe in extreme space conditions and preserve the energy of the astronauts. The engineers are currently training the bots to handle dangerous repairs, move heavy equipment, and take care of boring daily chores like opening hatches and hauling cargo. By handing off these chores to machines, NASA aims to protect astronauts and free them up for high-level scientific research.
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The Daily Star says a London woman, named Sarah, is going viral because she has spent eight years changing her home into a real-life Barbie playhouse. Every corner is covered in various shades of pink, from the kitchen and staircase to the garage door.  Sarah's wardrobe is entirely pink, her hair is pink and even her laptop, mouse, keyboard, luggage, power strips and DIY tools have been given a rosy makeover. Her BMW is also pink.  Sarah has spent $33,000 turning her life pink. 
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NBC says Woody Lancaster is going viral because he won the 42nd All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off with a 2,598-pound pumpkin. He set a new record for the biggest pumpkin grown in Massachusetts.  The pumpkin topped the previous fair record which was last year’s winner at 2,507 pounds. Lancaster’s pumpkin will be displayed in an air-conditioned area of the Fruit and Vegetable Farm throughout the fair.
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Dexerto says competitive eater Joey Chestnut ate 16 pounds of baked beans. Five other contestants tried to finish eight pounds before him.  The challenge was part of a grocery store contest. The four contestants finished first, and each won a car.
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In Hampton, New Hampshire, three men have been arrested for allegedly stealing used cooking oil from restaurants. Each has been hit with theft and receiving stolen property charges after restaurant owners learned their oil had been lifted…by a contractor who wondered if he’d been replaced because their storage container was empty. While there’s not a ton of cash in used cooking oil, it can pull in about $3 a gallon from companies who are able to refine it.
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Two men took a couch for a ride down a busy Charlotte street…at least until police pulled them over. Their homemade setup had a small couch resting across two electric Lime scooters as they traveled along South Tryon Street. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police shared a photo on Thursday, saying they appreciated the creativity but wanted people to think about safety before taking such rides into traffic. Officers also warned that an unusual sight could distract other drivers: https://x.com/CMPD/status/2105659000805118188

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There’s a political fart fracas brewing in the UK. During a meeting with Darwen Council, Reform UK Councillor Andy Mahon has been accused of “lifting his arse cheeks and farting” at another politician. Mahon was also said to be wearing a “distinctive leopard print fedora and matching tie, along with a safari jacket at the time…which really has nothing to do with the alleged fart…but the information might set the scene a little more vividly for you. Adding to the moment was the fact that the flatulence in question happened at the beginning of the meeting, when the prayer was supposed to happen, which added to the overall feeling of “disrespect” in the room.