Scratch Magazine
Ideas don't always become novels. Sometimes they become essays, reviews, observations, conversations, or simply stories worth sharing.
Scratch Magazine is the editorial home of Scratch Writing—a collection of articles exploring storytelling, hidden history, emerging technology, films, humor, and the creative process. Whether you're interested in the lore behind The Midas Files, the future of artificial intelligence, a great movie recommendation, or a laugh at the day's absurdities, there's always something new to discover.
Explore the channels, follow your curiosity, and enjoy the journey.
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: Cool Filmz
Rewatching the Star Wars saga can be a revelation. When you revisit these movies, especially in something like Machete Order, you start noticing details that may have slipped past you the first — or tenth — time.
Read more: Cool Filmz: Did Obi Wan Use the Jedi Mind Trick on Han Solo in A New Hope?
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: Cool Filmz
Reasonable accommodations in the workplace are usually associated with things like modified schedules, adaptive equipment, standing desks, accessible workspaces, or software that helps people do their jobs more effectively.
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: The Funny Newz
MIAMI — In a radical departure from current medical opinion, common sense, and several basic rules of chewing, the Tennis Ball Nutritional Approach® has become the latest diet craze sweeping Hollywood.
Read more: The Funny Newz: New Tennis Ball Diet Sweeping Nation
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: Bingham's Notebook
What connects alien cover-ups, classified government secrets, Cold War paranoia, and decades of UFO conspiracy theories? For many UFO enthusiasts, the answer is Majestic 12, often shortened to MJ-12.
Read more: Bingham's Notebook: The History of The Majestic 12 (MJ-12)
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: The Funny Newz
SALISBURY, ENGLAND — World-renowned scientist Dr. Frederick Diffendorfer of the Archaeological Institute for the Preservation of Pedantic Study plans to publish a groundbreaking paper this summer on Stonehenge, shortly after resolving what his legal team continues to call “an unfortunate plagiarism misunderstanding.”
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: Cool Filmz
It’s funny what you find when digging through old files. The other day, I stumbled across a review I wrote years ago for The Da Vinci Code, Ron Howard’s 2006 adaptation of Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel starring Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon.
Read more: Cool Filmz: Revisiting A Review of DaVinci Code Starring Tom Hanks
Subcategories
The Scratching Post
The Scratching Post is Matt De Reno’s personal corner of Scratch Magazine, featuring author updates, creative reflections, Pittsburgh-rooted storytelling, house-project avoidance, writing life, book news, and friendly notes from the world behind The Midas Files.
Bingham's Notebook
Bingham’s Notebook explores the lore, characters, artifacts, hidden history, timelines, and behind-the-scenes mythology of The Midas Files, Matt De Reno’s Pittsburgh-rooted sci-fi thriller series about ancient power, impossible technology, and dangerous secrets.
Cool Filmz
Cool Filmz is Scratch Magazine’s movie and TV room, featuring essays, reviews, lookbacks, and story-minded reflections on sci-fi, thrillers, action classics, pop culture, character arcs, genre storytelling, and the films that shaped Matt De Reno’s imagination.
The Funny Newz
The Funny Newz is Scratch Magazine’s humor section, featuring fake headlines, sci-fi satire, UFO nonsense, cryptid chaos, ancient-alien absurdity, local parody, bad technology, and ridiculous reports from a universe that probably should not be trusted with advanced tools.
TechGnosis
TechGnosis explores strange science, future technology, space, AI, cybersecurity, fragile systems, hidden knowledge, and real-world ideas that sound like they escaped from a sci-fi thriller — all through the curious lens of Scratch Magazine.
