Coxmas 2026
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In this wildly visual and hilariously chaotic episode of *Do By Friday*, hosts Alex Cox and Merlin Mann celebrate 'Coxmas'—a satirical, annual tradition where Alex mercilessly critiques anonymous, user-submitted iPhone home screens. What begins as a playful holiday gimmick spirals into a deep dive on digital aesthetics, human behavior, and the absurdity of modern tech culture. The duo dissect everything from performative minimalism to smudged screens, liquid glass widgets, and the hidden psychology behind icon placement. Along the way, they riff on words like 'bimbofication,' mock the overuse of 'performative' design, and lament how apps like Audible and Spotify have become soulless, feature-bloat monsters. The episode culminates in a surreal, meta-commentary on irrelevance, with Merlin declaring that being unlikable but humble is now a form of liberation. It’s less a podcast and more a fever dream of digital melancholy, humor, and self-aware absurdity—where the real villain isn’t bad design, but the illusion that any of it matters. The episode’s core revelation? That we’re all just trying to make our phones feel like us—while secretly hoping no one sees the mess beneath the surface. And in that vulnerability, there’s a strange kind of joy.
Bad home screens aren't just messy—they're performative, revealing more about the user's identity than their actual utility.
The word 'bimbofication' is a beautiful, tongue-twisting euphemism for being transformed by pleasure and attention, not power.
You should feel bad for using a smudged screen, but also for not having a custom icon for your Kindle app.
The most powerful design choice is often the absence of one—like hiding labels to create a minimalist illusion.
Irrelevance is not failure—it’s a form of peace. Being unlikable but humble is better than being sweaty and relevant.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Coxmas: The Visual Holiday of Shame
“This is one of those very rare episodes that is of necessity visual. And consequently, there's a video for this.”
The Origins of Coxmas: A Twitter Roast from 2010
Alex traces Coxmas back to a 2010 Twitter rant where he mocked people's phone screenshots with unearned confidence. The tradition evolved into a ritual of humiliation, where users send their screens to be judged—and made to feel bad.
The Art of the Bad Home Screen
Alex dissects a series of submitted home screens, critiquing bad app placement, excessive widgets, smudged screens, and performative minimalism. He argues that a good home screen should be functional, legible, and free of ego.
The Bimbofication Obsession
“Bimbofication implies that something got done to you like you got hit with a bimbo laser, and I like that. I like the sound of that a lot.”
The Myth of the 'Perfect' Home Screen
Alex argues that the best home screens are not curated—they’re functional. He mocks people who use their phones as art projects, calling it 'performative software' and warning against putting aspirations in your pocket.
“Bimbofication implies that something got done to you like you got hit with a bimbo laser, and I like that. I like the sound of that a lot.”
“I don't need to be enjoyed or respected or admired. It's, um, it's been a real wait off to become irrelevant.”
“I'm not going to say anything mean because I want to play Pokemon Go. I don't know whose home screen this is and I want to play Pokemon Go with them.”
Hosts
Alex Cox
person
Merlin Mann
person
Coxmas
other
bimbofication
other
Audible
product
Gemini
product
Apple TV
product
Siri
product
YouTube
product
Kindle
product
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