12.31.2019
I won't either, but do you I think the Washington Post will mention that?
12.30.2019
OMG wicked scary Russian hacker wants to make science free
The frustrated science student behind Sci-Hub | Science | AAAS
12.28.2019
12.27.2019
AP News: 'County' misspelled on 10,000 trash bins in Alabama town
And here I thought I was the only one.
'County' misspelled on 10,000 trash bins in Alabama town
PRICHARD, Ala. (AP) — Some spelling mistakes are tough to see, but that doesn't include the one that was made on 10,000 tr...
Sent from AP News. Download now on the App Store or Google Play
12.26.2019
It isn't exactly an internet if it isn't exactly inter
12.24.2019
12.23.2019
Every now and again…
First, a non-fiction book entitled The Billion Dollar Spy, by David E. Hofmann. It's a fascinating story of Cold War-era CIA operations in Moscow, as good as any novel (and we all know the best spy novels are novels involving Russian spies, which is why we are sooo glad to see the Cold War ramped up again). If you enjoyed Jason Matthews's Red Sparrow stories you will definitely like this book, although it does get a little tedious at times (which is why it doesn't go on the reading list). Get it from a library, you'll be fine.
Second, just so you don't go away thinking all spies are Russians, there's the New York Times series Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy, about what's happening to the location tracking information your very useful (to you and all concerned) smartphone submits to a number of interested watchers. We could talk all day about whether this is good, bad, or indifferent, but it must certainly is.
Finally, an excellent podcast series, available for iOS or Android, by Micheal Lewis, called Against the Rules, about what's happening to fairness in American life.
Any or all three of them would be a fine way to start the new year.
12.22.2019
So Spring is right around the corner now
12.21.2019
Here's looking at you
12.20.2019
So I'm steaming into Walgreen's this afternoon…
I have no idea.
But at least it wasn't mad dog.
12.19.2019
Being a little, um, catty here, aren't we?
Cats took far too long to make its way to the big screen, and today it feels like a splashy re-launch of the hottest Atari video game of 1982.
Those Russians are on a real winning streak
So, what exactly does this mean for the fate of humanity? Well, very little. These types of changes to the planet's magnetic poles aren't believed to be tied to any end-of-the-world scenarios, despite what popular science fiction movies would have you believe.
We are easily amused
A thief stole thousands of dollars in crustaceans, then crashed into another lobster truck.
12.18.2019
So if Google can figure out how to get your chewing gum too…
12.17.2019
Flivver no more
On a recent drive, a 2017 Chevrolet collected my precise location. It stored my phone's ID and the people I called. It judged my acceleration and braking style, beaming back reports to its maker General Motors over an always-on Internet connection.
So then it's true
http://bit.ly/2Z2Grv5Despite its old age, a food safety specialist told the "Today" show that the 141-year-old cake is safe to eat.
12.15.2019
Smile
12.14.2019
The security techno complex moves up a notch
With its cloud division, Google has looked to establish more of a foothold in the federal cybersecurity contracting world. Google said earlier this month that the federal government had authorized it to manage some of its most sensitive sensitive data in Google's cloud infrastructure.
https://www.cyberscoop.com/jeanette-manfra-google-cloud-dhs/
12.12.2019
Made in America
The secret unit Clarke helped create had an ominous acronym: DREAD, short for Development Research Exploitation and Analysis Department. In the years that followed, the UAE unit expanded its hunt far beyond suspected extremists to include a Saudi women's rights activist, diplomats at the United Nations and personnel at FIFA, the world soccer body.
12.11.2019
We need a whole lot less of this in politics
12.06.2019
Cheating
What I was wandering around trying to remember most recently was to hang my Christmas stocking up (which I did eventually remember and did hang up) because tomorrow is Pearl Harbor Day. If the connection isn't clear you haven't been paying attention; just deal with it.
11.19.2019
There's always a way in
While the statement may well read like the rantings of a demented senior citizen in some long-forgotten care home, it builds on similar statementsfrom Western governments, police and spy agencies, as well as new international treaties. So-called "think of the children" rhetoric is a tried and trusted strategy for police workers who are determined to get their way with politicians.
11.18.2019
Grill anywhere!
11.15.2019
How can you not love an Internet that tells you stuff like this?
Famously, when she was stepping out of her carriage one day, an Irish dustman exclaimed: "Love and bless you, my lady, let me light my pipe in your eyes!", a compliment which she often recalled whenever others complimented her by retorting, "After the dustman's compliment, all others are insipid."[
http://www.thefullwiki.org/Georgiana_Cavendish,_Duchess_of_Devonshire
11.13.2019
I wonder if these are the same ones that want Hillary to run again
11.12.2019
Not "Medicare for All," exactly, but it's a start
But as Da Mare (Richard J. Daley) once asked…
Look! It's a brand new game!
11.10.2019
11.09.2019
Sad cow now?
In a complaint filed Oct. 31 in federal court in Burlington, Vermont, where Ben & Jerry's was founded, environmental advocate James Ehlers accuses the company and Unilever of deceiving consumers.
11.08.2019
I am officially canceling my campaign
Does this mean plastic straws are OK again?
11.07.2019
Apparently we're moving on to newspaperburning
During an Oct. 24 discussion, all five members of the commission agreed to reject the funding request, which, coincidentally, was also the same day the Trump Administration announced that it was canceling federal agencies' subscriptions to the Times and the Washington Post.
11.06.2019
Biden's brother's buddy's heiress client
But nothing about beer?
In other food and beverage space firsts this year, Israeli and Russian scientists grew "Frankenstein" meat aboard the International Space Station, and NASA is looking to grow peppers beyond Earth's bounds.
11.05.2019
Clear enough for you now?
It is now FACEBOOK.
Look upon it with awe.
https://facebook.design/companybrand
11.04.2019
A little good advice
But at least no graffiti
The Washington Post reported Saturday that border officials revealed that smugglers are using $100 cordless reciprocating power saws fitted with special blades to slice through the bollards in just minutes. The tools are available at hardware stores.
When I run for President…
There were supposed to have been 14 contenders on the program, but former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke dropped out of the contest just hours before he was supposed to speak — stunning his backers, of whom hundreds had flown in from around the country and spent the day in a near-freezing drizzle putting up signs and preparing for what they hoped would be a triumphant evening.
11.03.2019
Maybe it's a feature, not a bug
11.01.2019
An army of fat goats
"We actually worked with the Ventura county fire department in May and they bring out hundreds of goats to our property," Melissa Giller, a spokeswoman for the library, told ABC. "The goats eat all of the brush around the entire property, creating a fire perimeter."
10.31.2019
Pretty much says it all
'Very sloppy': Rudy Giuliani, Trump's cybersecurity adviser, went to an Apple store to get his iPhone unlocked
For much of the 2000s, President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani billed himself as a high-level security consultant after presiding as mayor of New York during the 9/11 terror attacks. But NBC News reported shortly after being named Trump's cybersecurity adviser in 2017, Giuliani went to an Apple Store to unlock his iPhone after entering the wrong passcode at least 10 times in a row. A former Apple store employee told NBC Giuliani's passcode mistake was "very sloppy," adding, "
Read in Business Insider: https://apple.news/A_2PntFodRZm9qXJC9-Kp2A
Shared from Apple News
10.30.2019
LOOK and drive (extra) carefully this week
10.29.2019
10.28.2019
For my convenience…
10.27.2019
So we're outnumbered?
There are more black cats than any other color
Signs of the times
So much for a cashless society: Currency is popular again, especially the $100 bill
People in the U.S., Europe and Japan prove cash isn't dead yet. Particularly favored is the $100 bill.
Since 2017, the $100 bill has surpassed the $1 note as the most widely circulated U.S. currency.
Read in Los Angeles Times: https://apple.news/AWBT-qNNaTeeic0rPpadiYw
Shared from Apple News
10.25.2019
Books have never looked better
Signs of winter
The city plans to propose a new ordinance, and if the council approves it, Benning said: "The first thing we need to do is install 2,800 signs, give or take a few."
A bacon emergency
More than 40 million pounds (18,000 metric tons) of pork bellies, the cut used for bacon making, were sitting in refrigerated warehouses as of Sept. 30, according to U.S. government data released Tuesday. That's the most for the month since 1971.
10.24.2019
Kids these days
Not exclusively solid or liquid, slime is often made — to the bane of germophobes and neatnik parents — by mixing the mineral-based cleaning product Borax, glue and water, along with liquid scents, coloring and "toppings" that are all the rage, including tiny toys and plastic-based glitter. Some variations are made with clay.
Instant karma
Arkansas Hunter Dies After Being Attacked by Deer He Just Shot
October 24, 2019 In a bizarre twist of fate, an Arkansas hunter was killed after a deer that he had just shot attacked him, according to reports. Wildlife officials said that Thomas Alexander, 66, had shot the buck using a muzzleloader while hunting near Yellville, Marion County. According to Keith Stephens, Chief of Communications at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC)—which investigated the death—Alexander then approached the deer to check if he had killed it.
Read in Newsweek: https://apple.news/Ad5itkEI9Qom8gY8OfZRrdQ
Shared from Apple News
The prom was overrated anyway
The Cherry Hill school board president said the plan had a "balance of compassion" while also "holding people accountable," according to the BBC.
10.21.2019
The Donald is sounding sort of like Aunt Ida…
![]() | Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) |
Doral in Miami would have been the best place to hold the G-7, and free, but too much heat from the Do Nothing Radical Left Democrats & their Partner, the Fake News Media! I'm surprised that they allow me to give up my $400,000 Plus Presidential Salary! We'll find someplace else! |
…when somebody suggested she not bring her special green Jello salad to the Thanksgiving dinner this year.
Is "sneaky politician" an oxymoron?
Mitt Romney Employs Secret Twitter Account to Push Back Against Trump
Sen. Mitt Romney acknowledged he has a private Twitter account that he has used to defend himself and to criticize President Trump's policies and behavior.
– This Wall Street Journal article is behind a paywall but the only thing you really need to know about it is…Mittens' secret fake name is…wait for it… Pierre Delecto.
10.20.2019
News from under the Arch Street bridge
10.19.2019
But the future is already past
Vote for me and I will fix college football
So in my administration (ahem) I will create a brand new conference and call it the Big 14 (there are 14 teams in the Big 10 but they're not using the name, so I will). Let's call the Big 14 a "prize conference." Every year, the top 14 teams in the college football rankings will play the following year in the Big 14, scheduling games only with other conference members.
Let them play each other for a year, and give the rest of us a break.
10.17.2019
Everything is a band name now
Older than the ones in my fridge
10.16.2019
Reprieved
Speaking of cold, it appears we are getting pretty close to peak autumn color here in our pleasant valley, although the mountains (well, we call them mountains, you might not) are still quite green. After the color, of course comes the winter.
Mother Nature, when she starts looking this fabulous, is not to be trusted at all.
10.15.2019
Elizabeth Warren wants to break up "big tech"…
Elizabeth Warren Limits Donations From Some Bank, Tech Execs
Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign will no longer accept contributions of more than $200 from executives at certain tech companies or financial firms, her latest move to keep big business at bay.
Read in The Wall Street Journal: https://apple.news/ACXi-zBZBR_6ajNFYRMxpkQ
Shared from Apple News
Old people are icky
10.14.2019
Do Americans Support Impeaching Trump? | FiveThirtyEight
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/do-americans-support-impeaching-president-trump/
10.13.2019
10.12.2019
10.11.2019
We're from Congress and we're here to help you
Well, and California
Americans Are No Longer Gluttons for Electricity—Thank the LED Bulb
For more than five years, Americans have been doing something decidedly un-American: We've been using less electricity.
Today's appliances and electronics are more efficient. New homes are tighter and better insulated. And most important, light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, have replaced traditional incandescent lightbulbs.
–Wall Street Journal via Apple News+
OK, the electric savings in California are temporary and highly unwelcome, and furthermore (much further) a "green new deal" that envisions electrifying virtually every form of transportation, not to mention household commercial heating systems will way more than reverse this downward trend.
If you're working in the wind- or solar-power generation industries, you're good for a long time to come.
Still.
10.09.2019
Los Angeles Times: Millions without power in California as PG&E shuts down grid amid critical fire danger
Millions without power in California as PG&E shuts down grid amid critical fire danger
PG&E is expected to cut electricity to about 800,000 customers in an attempt to avoid wildfires sparked by high winds damaging power equipment.
The safety of our customers and the communities we serve* is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this widespread, severe wind event."
Read in Los Angeles Times: https://apple.news/AUPy4BgGyQtePa3ovotGdPw
*[Also our legal bills: http://bit.ly/2OudTaG]
10.07.2019
10.03.2019
If at first you don't succeed…
10.01.2019
A few hundred dollars?
For as little as a few hundred dollars, members of the criminal forums will craft full-scale disinformation campaigns which organisations can use to falsely generated positive propaganda about themselves – or to generate negative disinformation campaigns designed to tarnish rivals with lies and malicious material.
Pleeease don't let that "umbrella hat" thing catch on
Dietary notes
9.30.2019
You've heard of football teams that are still unbeaten this time of year…
9.27.2019
Save the band!
… any members who attempt to play instruments at the athletic events "will be in violation of Ivy League regulations and subject to individual sanctioning under Dean's Discipline," according to the letter.
Truck stop people make WaPo columnist a little bonkers (or maybe a lot)
9.25.2019
Biggest breakfast ever
https://apnews.com/1e312d13709148578ef7201f2dbf66a2?utm_medium=AP_Oddities&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter
9.24.2019
Da Bears will be back
9.22.2019
We are not all that surprised: Eating meat wins
Organizers will grill 10,500 steaks for the attendees. They will also have 1,000 vegan burgers — all of it made on 10 grills by 40 grillers. Senator Cory Booker is the only vegan in the presidential race.
9.18.2019
Meanwhile, across the pond…
We're baffled, to be honest," Matthew Shaddick, head of political betting at Ladbrokes, told Newsweek.
[Me too. -Ed]
http://bit.ly/308jHg7The only problem is it's only in Pittsburgh, Norfolk, and Richmond
Meanwhile, junk food lovers across the country are planning a pilgrimage.
9.17.2019
SPAM makes the cut
Almost missed this one (oops)
9.14.2019
Mad man?
It was sort of noisy, him making balloon animals, so we did have to tell him to be quiet from time-to-time."
9.13.2019
Houston, we have a solution
9.11.2019
Looking at the new Apple watches made me wonder…
I have an Apple Watch already, anyway. It's only right twice a day but that's a start. Oh, and also, it runs backward. If it runs. That means you get paid, instead of paying them. Think different.
I think when they say "loose" here…
9.10.2019
So many things to do, so many circles to run around in
http://bit.ly/318SNSMThe organizations' demands were detailed in a letter (pdf) sent Monday to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and the committee's other Democrats, which came alongside a panel discussion on Capitol Hill that featured rights and mass surveillance experts.
So at least…
In August, the national unemployment rate remained near a 50-year low at 3.7 percent, even as hiring slowed in the face of the trade war between the United States and China and the lagging global economy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/09/technology/amazon-30000-job-openings.html
9.09.2019
Oh no! Trump doesn't understand soccer!
Specifically, President Trump tweeted about the North American bid to host the 2026 World Cup. And if he would like that bid to succeed, he would be best off never tweeting about it again.
What? Liz?
"She didn't have any trouble taking our money the year before," Mr. Rendell said. "All of a sudden, we were bad guys and power brokers and influence-peddlers. In 2018, we were wonderful."
9.08.2019
Everybody knows your name (also phone number and probably other stuff)
"The unanswered question remains: regardless of whether Facebook's claim that "the future is private" is believable or not, is it actually too late for Facebook to repair the damage already done?"
9.06.2019
No smoking…no skateboarding…WE ARE WATCHING YOU
Also, it was a dewy morning.
9.04.2019
I'm fine with this but the part I don't get is…
9.03.2019
Nope, didn't
More back-to-school news
Every state allows medical exemptions from school vaccination requirements, and 15 states allow exemptions for philosophical reasons, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. With the change in its law, New York joins four states that don't permit religious exemptions: California, Maine, Mississippi and West Virginia.
An article about college fight songs…
"I'm a Sooner born and Sooner bred
and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead"
Reading in the Trib this morning…
Of public schools run by the Chicago School District, there are 515. Ninety-four of them are high schools.
9.01.2019
Onward
8.31.2019
It's National Something Month (I think)
Taking one more step toward a Minority Report
The general idea is clear: collect a wealth of personal data in order to flag mental status changes in individuals and determine whether those changes can predict mass violence.
8.30.2019
Works for me
Which sounds somewhat more realistic, if not encouraging.
8.29.2019
ORGY weekend
I have laid in supplies, chips and cookies. I though I was buying those cookies made by elves but I got some look-alike house brand instead; I will force myself to eat them anyway. Somebody's got to do it.
Time to get serious.
8.28.2019
Take the plunge
Boston Market is giving away a 1-ton tub of mac and cheese
Whoever wins can decide if they want to play the long game and get their prize in sensible side dish portions until the dishes total 2,000 pounds — or, for those who relish the finer things, all at once, in a bowl big enough to swim in.
I just want it on the record here…
Why November 4, 2020 could be a very bad day - CNNPolitics
There's been polling evidence for some time that Americans are losing faith in the ability of Americans elections to be conducted fair and squarely.
Start digging now (you might need a very deep hole)
Employees connect nuclear plant to the internet so they can mine cryptocurrency | ZDNet
This incident isn't the first time that state employees have abused their access to large sources of electricity or computing power to mine cryptocurrency.
8.27.2019
From the Montagues and the Capulets to the Sharks and the Jets…
This one is about vampires and witches. Not. Kidding.
It's A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness. It's definitely outside my normal scope of reading and I'm not putting it on the list (because this is just between us, OK?), but I read it on the urging of some friends and I kind of liked it, in an exploratory way (no, I'm not going to admit to much). It's the first book in a trilogy, the second of which is set in Elizabethan England, which sounds tempting enough to read as well (but not right away).
If you like books about vampires, witches, the occasional human, and, well, lots more kissing than necessary, you might want to give it a look.
Just a note
Google filing says Gmail users have no expectation of privacy - CNET
Google goes on to say that courts have held that all e-mail users "necessarily give implied consent to the automated processing of their emails."
8.25.2019
OK, I give up on these guys.
Democratic National Committee votes against allowing 2020 candidates to participate in climate change debate - CNNPolitics
I really do. We need a third party. Bad.
8.24.2019
But maybe still some left for breakfast
Chicago beat New York to open a pizza museum. Now it's closing. - Chicago Tribune
"At some point, I'm going to do a pepperoni exhibit," he said. "I don't know what the right vehicle for that is."