Show HN: I make a human-edited, AI-assisted retro magazine reviewing YouTube
CTRL+WATCH is a human-edited, AI-assisted retro magazine that reviews YouTube channels. Issue #017, 'The Machine Issue,' focuses on the wave of AI-generated content and asks who checks its quality and what the magazine owes its readers when reviewing such content. Features include channel ratings (out of 100, no mercy), creator head-to-head battles ('Boss Fight'), and fictional interviews with legends who never saw YouTube ('Time Capsule').
CTRL+WATCH MAGAZINE OS v1.0
LOADING ISSUE DATABASE... [████████████] 100%
CALIBRATING OPINION ENGINE... OK
DISABLING ALGORITHM... OK
> WELCOME TO CTRL+WATCH
CTRL+WATCH
#017
August 2026
THE MACHINE ISSUE
"The machines are uploading. Who checks their work — and what does an AI-assisted magazine owe you when it reviews the slop wave?"
READ ISSUE #017 ▶
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#017 CTRL+WATCH
▶ CTRL+WATCH #017 NOW AVAILABLE ◀ THE MACHINE ISSUE ◀ YOUR ALGORITHM IS BROKEN ◀ WE'RE THE FIX ◀ 17 ISSUES AND COUNTING ◀ CTRL+WATCH #017 NOW AVAILABLE ◀ THE MACHINE ISSUE ◀ YOUR ALGORITHM IS BROKEN ◀ WE'RE THE FIX ◀ 17 ISSUES AND COUNTING ◀
▶ CTRL+WATCH #017 NOW AVAILABLE ◀ THE MACHINE ISSUE ◀ YOUR ALGORITHM IS BROKEN ◀ WE'RE THE FIX ◀ 17 ISSUES AND COUNTING ◀ CTRL+WATCH #017 NOW AVAILABLE ◀ THE MACHINE ISSUE ◀ YOUR ALGORITHM IS BROKEN ◀ WE'RE THE FIX ◀ 17 ISSUES AND COUNTING ◀
▶ WHAT IS CTRL+WATCH
★
RATINGS
Every channel scored out of 100. No mercy. No algorithm-safe takes. Just honest, loud opinions.
⚔
BOSS FIGHT
Head-to-head battles between creators. Two channels enter. One gets the crown. No rematch clause.
👾
TIME CAPSULE
Fictional interviews with legends who never saw YouTube. What would Cronkite think of MrBeast?
▶ LATEST ISSUES
AI August 2026
THE MACHINE ISSUE
The machines are uploading. Who checks their work — and what does an AI-assisted magazine owe you when it reviews the slop wave?
READ NOW ▶
GAMING July 2026
THE GAMING ISSUE
Gaming is the biggest category on YouTube and the least criticised. We sent in the critics — and asked who really owns a Let's Play.
READ NOW ▶
VIEW ALL ISSUES ▶
"
There was a time when someone else decided what you watched. CTRL+WATCH exists because YouTube deserves what gaming had in the 80s and 90s: a magazine that is loud, opinionated, and unafraid to put a number on things.
— CTRL+WATCH, ISSUE #001