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.
- Details
- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: Cool Filmz
What did this movie feel like to a guy who writes Pittsburgh-rooted sci-fi thrillers about hidden history, alien power, secret technology, and whether humanity can handle the truth?
Read more: Cool Filmz: Disclosure Day Review — Spielberg Looks Back at the Sky
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: TechGnosis
There are certain scientific headlines that sound less like news and more like something recovered from a classified briefing folder.
NASA is working on ways to extract oxygen from Moon dirt.
Read more: TechGnosis: NASA Is Learning How to Cook Oxygen Out of Moon Dirt
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: Bingham's Notebook
MAGIC EYES ONLY
Filed Under: Artifacts, Evium Technology, Majestic Twelve, Psychological Warfare
Related Figures: Dr. Malcolm Kane, Mortimer Vanterpool, Project Sovereign Eagle
First Major Appearance:Call of the Minotaur: The Midas Files — Book Two
Spoiler Advisory: This entry contains lore details connected to Call of the Minotaur.
Read more: Bingham's Notebook: Magic Eyes Only—Malcolm's Coin
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- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: The Scratching Post
After publishing Call of the Minotaur, I found myself in a strange place.
Read more: The Scratching Post: I Finished Call of the Minotaur. Now What?
- Details
- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: The Scratching Post
I’ve had some big, exciting changes on the work front—drumroll, please—I’ve joined General Dynamics Mission Systems as a documentation specialist.
Read more: The Scratching Post: A New Job Marks a New Phase for Scratch Writing
- Details
- Written by: Matt DeReno
- Category: Cool Filmz
I still remember sitting in a dark movie theater in the summer of 1977, clutching my popcorn as the words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” appeared on the screen.
Read more: Cool Filmz: I am watching Star Wars in Machete Order and It Changes Everything
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.
