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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- Category: Bingham's Notebook
In this Bingham’s Notebook entry, we take a closer look at Dr. Ibrahim Aziz, a key new character introduced at the beginning of Call of the Minotaur: Midas Files Book Two.
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Read more: Bingham's Notebook: Character Profile — Dr. Ibrahim Aziz
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- Category: The Funny Newz
BOULDER, COLORADO — Cliff Epperson, a help desk support specialist at Hewlett-Packard, says he is considering legal action after deciding to become a millionaire and then somehow not becoming one.
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- Category: Cool Filmz
Some thrillers begin with a premise so strange that you cannot help but lean in. The Accident, a Mexican thriller-drama series on Netflix, certainly has one of those premises.
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- Category: The Funny Newz
SEAFORD, DELAWARE — In a shocking turn of events that has inspired dozens of local residents to briefly reconsider their life choices, Ben Haseltine, a retired nurse who spent decades caring for others at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital, has reportedly discovered the long-rumored Key to Success.
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Read more: Funny Newz: Man Finds The Key To Success At Garage Sale
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- Category: Cool Filmz
Sometimes you turn on an old movie expecting a comfortable nostalgia watch, only to remember that the movie is not merely good.
It is great.
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Read more: Cool Filmz: Terminator 2: Judgment Day — An Action Sci-Fi Ace
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- Category: Bingham's Notebook
Creating a fictional world is one of the most thrilling parts of writing a novel. It allows a writer to construct places, societies, secret histories, and hidden ecosystems that never existed — but still need to feel real enough for readers to believe in them.
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Read more: Bingham's Notebook: Building the Caves of Baghdad
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.

