Pablo Reports: Late Edition
Better Late Than Never (And a Midday Bliss)
Good afternoon from my stoop where Roxanne has been hard at nap all afternoon.
Let’s address the elephant in the newsroom right off the bat: Pablo Reports is supposed to be your morning newsletter and your afternoon YouTube drop.
So, yes. Missing the morning slot means we aren’t getting off to a sterling start today. But I have full faith we’re going to turn this momentum right around.
Besides, staying home at midday instead of trekking out to the Capitol allowed for a rare, necessary dose of pure bliss: snuggled up with my Roxanne—just a snoozing old dog resting beside my leg—a giant glass of water on the bedside table, taking a proper nap. It was pretty damn nice.
Seeing Clearly (Literally & Financially)
So why else was I late? Two reasons.
First, I finally went to an eye doctor. I haven’t been to an optometrist since I was a little kid, but lately, I’ve been having trouble seeing things. Far away, close up—it was all getting a bit hazy. They sorted me out in about an hour, and I walked out having ordered frames for my very first pair of reading glasses.
For the first time in my life, I’m going to have glasses that actually help me see, and I’ll probably be wearing them a lot. It’s exciting, a little scary, and a subtle reminder of Father Time, but my top priority right now is just being able to see clearly again.
Second, I fell down a massive late-night rabbit hole shopping for vintage typewriters, going through hundreds of listings online—mostly on Etsy—reading specs, admiring the manufacturing, and Googling their obscure histories. In the moment, I had that classic impulse: “Get a typewriter, man. They’re cool.”
Vintage Typewriters for Sale on ETSY
In the end, I bought nothing. Which is for the best. Don’t get me wrong, I already own two great typewriters. And after dropping cash on new frames at the optometrist, I’m glad I kept my wallet in my pocket.
Lesson learned, though: if I ever buy a third typewriter, it can’t just look cool. It needs a distinct, unique typeface that produces a totally different output than the two I already have. But I hadn’t thought of that yet when I was mindlessly scrolling at 2:00 AM. Glad I didn’t pull the trigger on one of these bad buys, but I still might. More to follow…
The Editorial Code: Total AI Transparency
While I have you, I want to talk about the editorial principles driving Pablo Reports. It is no secret that I am the most independent newsman in the Washington press corps. Hands down, by far—no one in this town can legitimately argue that.
That independence has allowed me to operate outside the rigid, established lines of legacy media. I’ve taken a sponsored trip to Europe for luxury liquor brands. I’ve had side hustles selling my oil paintings to people I cover. Some folks got squeamish about it at first, but most thought the paintings in particular were pretty darn awesome. Eventually, art, like the fully independent reporting it supported, just became part of the ecosystem.
That brings me to AI.
When I ran Migrant Insider, I didn’t explicitly disclose our use of AI. Why? Because we didn’t have to, and there was no reason to. One of our colleagues disclosed. But Pablo Reports might pivot toward new approach, one of total, radical transparency.
I know this industry well enough to see where things are heading. The younger generation is leveraging modern tools that the legacy relics don’t even know exist yet. To survive in the imploded remnants of a once proud, thriving news industry, you have to adopt.
By using these tools at Migrant Insider, we scaled up our operations exponentially. Pablo Reports is heading in a different direction content-wise, but aggressive scaling through smart adoption will almost surely be central to whether this operation succeeds or fails.
For now, we’re building this in real-time. Glad to have you along for the ride—glasses, typewriters, AI, and all. More to follow on each of these fronts. Meanwhile, stay safe out there, fam.
— Pablo
So, u think you are too good for us little folks, never
Roxanne is the sweetest ever. She looks so happy and well loved.