Scroll down to explore the year in data.
One of the harshest evolutions of our ever-evolving world is the ever-present blitz of recommendation algorithms. What you see, what you should buy, what to watch or listen to, and now even what you do and make, the grubby hands of tech bros reach for whatever decision in your life they can exploit for profit.
The underlying basis of this tech relies on the individual's sacrifice of choice. It works when you stop selecting for yourself and start accepting whatever you're handed. Then the platform controls what you see, influences how you think, and opens a gap for ads to be shoveled through.
There isn't much we can control these days. But we can control where we place our attention—at least temporarily, at least for a moment. It does something to your soul when you choose what to consume with intention. It reclaims your agency. It expresses your individuality. Where attention goes, the mind follows. Even if you end up loving or hating the choice, you can still be satisfied that it was yours.
That's a big part of why we created Blackbox in 2025. Seeing 5 people simultaneously using the server, having picked what they watch, makes us smile and genuinely happy. Nothing would make us happier than to see that continue and grow in 2026.
Fuck Algorithms. Choose for Yourself. Love You All.
New Stuff! New People!
How We Use Blackbox
When We Use Blackbox
Friendship
Viewed by 4 users
Eddington
Viewed by 5 users:
rakbarut, hannahwhelan8, Dodgewilly
maggie.c70, jac7k
Bugonia
Viewed by 3 users
The Paper
Viewed by 5 users
Jeopardy!
Viewed by 6 users:
jac7k, tannerlakin, hannahwhelan8
blackbox.a, rakbarut, Dodgewilly
The Rehearsal
Viewed by 5 users
Autechre
4 users
Aphex Twin
766 plays by 7 users:
jac7k, blackbox.a, rakbarut
equa50, caseystewart73, natalietice +1
Luke Vibert
4 users
fortune
4 users
Madvillainy
135 plays by 2 users:
rakbarut
jac7k
Instant Holograms on Metal Film
2 users
A Token of Our Appreciation
THANK YOU to Will, Chief Music Officer, and Casey, Chief Cinema Officer. They utilize their professional expertise and impeccable taste to continually refine our music and movie / tv libraries. Shout out to Casey and Jack for the hours finagling a finicky-ass disc drive with raided DVDs and Blu-Rays.
THANK YOU to the illustrious Vanneh for putting up with clicks and clacks of the server within reach of her side of the bed and the constant yips and yaps of an exuberant Jack.
THANK YOU to you. For engaging with this project, for putting up with bugs / tech issues, for providing ideas and feedback. And for actually using the damn thing. A huuuuuge thank you to everyone who contributed to our end of year fundraise. We were very hesitant to even do this and beyond appreciative for everyone who chose to contribute. And so, so grateful to Troy who not only volunteered to take the initiative on this, but also coordinated everything himself.
As a token of our gratitude, we have built a way for anyone to request whatever TV show or movie you want. All you have to do is follow the link, sign into your Plex account, and then hit request for whatever content you desire. Blackbox will then retrieve that content and automatically add it for you to watch via Plex as you normally do. The link is request.badalien.works, bookmark or note it so you don't forget!