12.31.2019

I won't either, but do you I think the Washington Post will mention that?

Corey Lewandowski says he won't seek Senate seat from N.H. - The Washington Post


Fake news!!!

Sorry, but with the year nearly over I just wanted to say that one time.

Actually, we've ended the old year around these parts with a 48-hour New England sleet storm, which seems almost perfectly appropriate (only one or two letters off).

Only a few hours, now, and the year will be brand new, and Spring is right around the corner.

12.30.2019

OMG wicked scary Russian hacker wants to make science free

Running a pirate site and being sued for what is likely to be millions of dollars in damages…

The frustrated science student behind Sci-Hub | Science | AAAS


What's going to happen to us if people start reading this stuff?

12.29.2019

A Gertrude by any other name would be…younger

How to Tell Someone's Age When All You Know Is Her Name | FiveThirtyEight

12.27.2019

Why am I just finding out about this braided holiday?

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...

Read the full story

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

Russia claims it has successfully tested its own internet | Engadget

12.23.2019

Every now and again…

…something comes along that doesn't first nicely onto our reading list but is worth mentioning nonetheless. Here are three of those things:

First, a non-fiction book entitled The Billion Dollar Spyby 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



From the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian:

"The northern winter solstice occurs every December when the north pole has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. In 2019, that takes place December 21 at precisely 11:19 pm Eastern Standard Time."

12.21.2019

Here's looking at you

The New York Times publishes a series on cell phone tracking; this is the first installment (does not seem to be behind a paywall). It's very definitely worth a read. Cool illustrations, too. 

Opinion | Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy - The New York Times

12.20.2019

So I'm steaming into Walgreen's this afternoon…

…wearing my Bowler and a red scarf (and some other things, but those are the highlights) and listening to Mozart on earbuds, and two teen-age boys are coming out at the same time and one of them says to me, hey, you look mad dope.

I have no idea.

But at least it wasn't mad dog.

12.19.2019

Being a little, um, catty here, aren't we?

Movie Review: 'Cats' a Strange Species Mashup | National Review

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.


Disclosure: I never saw Cats nor ever wanted to; I like the poem and it always seemed a good idea to me to just let well enough alone.

Atari was cool, though.

Those Russians are on a real winning streak

Earth's magnetic north pole is speeding towards Russia

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

Charlestown Lobster Heist "Was a Very Boston Experience for Everyone"

A thief stole thousands of dollars in crustaceans, then crashed into another lobster truck.


(Will Affleck make the movie?)

12.18.2019

So if Google can figure out how to get your chewing gum too…

Scientists Extract Entire Human Genome From Ancient 'Chewing Gum' : Shots - Health News : NPR

12.17.2019

Flivver no more

Driving surveillance: What does your car know about you? We hacked a 2017 Chevy to find out. - The Washington Post

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

Michigan family refuses to eat 141-year-old holiday fruitcake

Despite its old age, a food safety specialist told the "Today" show that the 141-year-old cake is safe to eat.


http://bit.ly/2Z2Grv5

12.15.2019

Smile

The US, like China, has about one surveillance camera for every four people, says report - The Verge


Many years ago I worked in a building where even the toilet paper was classified. There was nothing secret about the toilet paper, of course; this was just the Army's way of saying nothing in the building was to be taken out of the building except one or two specific items, which were the only specific items we were allowed to take in

One of those specific items was a comb. It being a military installation, everyone inside it was always likely to undergo a snap inspection by some (br)ass, and it wouldn't do to not look shaped up and neat.

If I still had hair I would be thinking about carrying a comb everywhere again. For the cameras.

12.14.2019

The security techno complex moves up a notch

DHS's Jeanette Manfra to join Google's cloud division

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

Just because it's evil doesn't mean it can't be done.

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

Biden signals to aides that he would serve only a single term - POLITICO


And Biden (JOE without the !) isn't the only one guilty of it either. This practice of leaking stuff without saying it has gone too far across the board among politicians and the media that enables it as well. WTF. 

12.06.2019

Cheating

I don't feel like going outdoors to walk in the snow, again (I already did once, and it's a nice, flakey, comfortable, warmish snow, not a cold mean one, but still). The cheat, if you're still with me here, is that I get credit for walking anyway if I just keep my phone in my pocket while I wander around inside my apartment, which I do quite a bit of, trying to remember why I'm wandering around in the first place.

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

Playing the game

The NCAA's Graduate Transfer Trend Isn't Slowing Down | FiveThirtyEight

There's always a way in

Interpol: Strong encryption helps online predators. Build backdoors • The Register

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!

Weber embraces modern grilling with a WiFi-enabled pellet model | Engadget


Make Meat Great Again
(Or you could try grilling kale.)

It's cheaper to just buy it from Google anyway


NSA won't collect phone location data, promises US government – Naked Security

11.15.2019

How can you not love an Internet that tells you stuff like this?


Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

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

Rudy Giuliani Wants His Own Podcast | Crooks and Liars

"Many Americans want to hear directly from Rudy Giuliani," Christianné Allen, a spokeswoman for Giuliani, told CNN.

11.12.2019

Not "Medicare for All," exactly, but it's a start

Google: You can trust us with the medical data you didn't know we already had | Ars Technica

Patient data shared with Google includes names, birth dates, addresses, family members, allergies, immunizations, radiology scans, hospitalization records, lab tests, medications, medical conditions, "and some billing claims and other clinical records…" 

But as Da Mare (Richard J. Daley) once asked…

Do you want me to do business with strangers?

Trump allies received hundreds of thousands of dollars under federal health contract - POLITICO

Look! It's a brand new game!

What side is Putin on?

Thanks, CNN. This is going to be soooo much fun.

Putin has relished US political chaos. He may now fear Trump's impeachment - CNN

11.09.2019

Sad cow now?

Ben & Jerry's sued over 'happy cow' characterization

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

The owls of Washington are on the attack. Experts say it comes with the territory. - The Washington Post


OK, I don't have a fuzzy hat (or a fuzzy head) but still. This is scary.

Does this mean plastic straws are OK again?

Dumped fishing gear is biggest plastic polluter in ocean, finds report | Environment | The Guardian

More than 640,000 tonnes of nets, lines, pots and traps used in commercial fishing are dumped and discarded in the sea every year, the same weight as 55,000 double-decker buses.

11.07.2019

Imagine…

…how may things you could make invisible if you had a roll of this stuff!

To whom?

Human extinction would be a uniquely awful tragedy. - Vox

Apparently we're moving on to newspaperburning

Florida county denies library subscriptions to the New York Times because it's 'fake news' | Blogs

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

This is what we get excited about in 2019. We are easily amused.

Joe Biden and family: 'A little help from the vice president' - POLITICO

But nothing about beer?

Case of Bordeaux wine launched into space to age for a year

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.


Who are these people anyway?

11.05.2019

Clear enough for you now?

In the name of clarity (and also empathy and "creating space," according to the company's website), Facebook has re-branded itself with a clear, empathetic, and space-creating new logo.

It is now FACEBOOK.

Look upon it with awe.

https://facebook.design/companybrand

11.04.2019

A little good advice

Don't let that horse
                              eat that violin

    cried Chagall's mother…


Or leave it on a train.

Musician Stephen Morris reunited with £250,000 Tecchler violin - BBC News

But at least no graffiti

Trump Now Admits 'You Can Cut Through Anything,' Including 'Impenetrable' Border Wall | HuffPost

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.


H/T Sam Guy

When I run for President…

…putting an end to freezing drizzle will be my first priority. 

Now the real battle for the Democratic nomination begins - The Washington Post

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

Something cold sneaking in

Maybe it's a feature, not a bug

The cautionary political tale of Iceland's last McDonald's burger that simply won't rot, even after 10 years - The Washington Post

[This story is behind a paywall, but the headline pretty much says it all. If you want to have a go at reading it, it's here: 

]

11.01.2019

An army of fat goats

Five hundred goats save the Ronald Reagan library from wildfires | US news | The Guardian

"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

"English is maddening, and it's not sorry"

Silent Letters | Merriam-Webster

10.30.2019

10.28.2019

For my convenience…

…Xfinity Mobile has thoughtfully arranged for me to pay my phone bill in advance — farther, that is, in advance than I already do, which is on the day the bill arrives. What a great idea!

Imagine my gratitude.

10.27.2019

So we're outnumbered?

National Black Cat Day: Here are five facts to know about our black feline friends - CNN

There are more black cats than any other color

https://cnn.it/2WnL7ub

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

[Apple News articles may be behind a paywall. Except, of course, for the part that's here.]

10.25.2019

Books have never looked better

The most beautiful libraries in the world | Books | DW | 24.10.2019


H/T Lynn C Dot

Signs of winter

Duluth to overhaul snow emergency response efforts | Duluth News Tribune

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

U.S. Bacon Pile Is Biggest in 48 Years, But May Start to Ebb - Bloomberg

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

Lovers of slime can gear up and get drenched at NYC pop-up - ABC News

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

School lunch debt: Cherry Hill, New Jersey school bans students with lunch debt from going to prom and field trips - CBS News

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.

Carlos Danger was better. 

10.20.2019

I can't wait to see what this house looks like when it's done

News from under the Arch Street bridge

I don't know who this Jim is but apparently he got a vote. Voting is important. Everyone should do it.

Or (it says) you could try Buffalo

Climate change will have us all living in Duluth | Inverse


LOL

10.19.2019

But the future is already past

Air Force Finally Retires 8-Inch Floppies From Missile Launch Control System - Slashdot

Vote for me and I will fix college football

Looking over today's college football schedule I've decided change must be made. Ohio State, I noticed, beat Northwestern earlier this week by a score of 52 to 3. This kind of score, big teams beating up on little teams, has become way too common.

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

If the thing were a bus, this would be a great way to beat the traffic on the bridge

What caused the South Philly refinery explosion? - WHYY

Everything is a band name now

In fact, that'd be a good name for a band, wouldn't it? Everything? If it's not already being used. 

I taught my phone to set a four-minute timer when I say "black tea." Turns out there is a band named "Black Tee" and if I don't say "black tea" just the right way I get music. At least it's called music. Or maybe it isn't any more. I'm not sure I want to know. I am sure I don't want to hear it.

I'm trying not to find out what happens when I say "green tea."

Older than the ones in my fridge

The world's oldest leftovers, left in Pleistocene storage containers | Ars Technica

10.16.2019

Reprieved

A mix-up at the VA's scheduling office has resulted in my appointment for tomorrow, which is forecast to be cold and rainy, being rescheduled to Friday which is expected to be merely cold.

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"…

…and doesn't want their money either, nyah nyah.

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

Also they're really old. And out of it. Ick.

Political Confessional: The Woman Who Thinks Older People Shouldn't Be Allowed To Vote | FiveThirtyEight

On the street

10.11.2019

Will it solve the whole global warming thing?

ESA warns asteroid may collide with Earth within decades

We're from Congress and we're here to help you

Congress Looks at Helping Ukraine Get Its Act Together - WSJ


Now there's a chilling thought.

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]

10.03.2019

If at first you don't succeed…

…dig in a little deeper.

Trump says China should investigate the Bidens - POLITICO

10.01.2019

A few hundred dollars?

This is going to put a lot of PR agencies out of business.

The dark web's latest offering: Disinformation as a service | ZDNet

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.


Believe it, believe it not.

Pleeease don't let that "umbrella hat" thing catch on

Tokyo Olympic volunteers will be limited to one-hour stints due to heat concerns | The Japan Times

Dietary notes

Something called "farmer cheese" http://bit.ly/2nxkkhV : No fat, no salt, no taste, but hey, it says cheese on the label. Let that be enough.

Meanwhile, our nutrition editor reports kale is over http://bit.ly/2oV86jw , and not a moment too soon.

Also — here's one you never thought you'd never hear again — iceberg lettuce: No fat, no salt, no taste, and doesn't say cheese on the label.

Some people will do anything.

9.30.2019

Nothing about SPAM though, right?

Trump Fans More Likely to Identify As Gluten Free: Study

You've heard of football teams that are still unbeaten this time of year…

…but have you heard of beaten ones? There are seven NFL teams that have not won a game yet, two of which, the Bengals (aka Cats) and the Steelers (aka Steelers) face off this evening in the Somebody's got to win this, don't they? Bowl at eight-something Eastern, something-else-something if you're in another time zone. If you are even more entertainment-challenged than I am you may want to give it a look; I will be watching yesterday's installment of Ken Burns's country music show, which is pretty good. It's on the PBS.

9.27.2019

Save the band!

Columbia's marching band banned from all sporting events

 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.


That "individual sanctioning" sounds pretty scary. 

Truck stop people make WaPo columnist a little bonkers (or maybe a lot)

Trump's getting impeached? I defy you to convince anyone at this cursed truck stop. - The Washington Post

9.25.2019

Biggest breakfast ever

Egg roll: Over 136K eggs fall off semitrailer onto roadway

https://apnews.com/1e312d13709148578ef7201f2dbf66a2?utm_medium=AP_Oddities&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter

Yikes! Save the water fleas!

Teabags Can Release Billions of Microplastics into Your Drink, Study Finds

9.24.2019

It's Krillian for "Don't step on the round thing."

And you thought they weren't already here…

Sign her up!

A Walrus 'Defending Her Cubs' Just Sank a Russian Navy Boat in the Arctic Ocean

Da Bears will be back

I took a nap during the second quarter of the Redskins game last night and while I was asleep da Bears scored 21 points. From now on I'm sleeping through all their games. They'll be unstoppable. Look out, Super Bowl, here we come.

9.22.2019

Reading my own notes

We are not all that surprised: Eating meat wins

Iowa Steak Fry 2019: Presidential candidates gather for Iowa event today - livesteam - CBS News

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

Hell hath no fury…

Woman burning love letters sparks Nebraska apartment fire

Banning drugs is always a good idea [you know I'm being sarcastic here, right?]

Vape ban: DIY scene grows as e-cig users create their own flavors | Inverse

Meanwhile, across the pond…

Hillary Clinton Has More People Betting She'll Be the 2020 Democratic Nominee Than Any of the Actual Candidates: U.K. Bookmaker

We're baffled, to be honest," Matthew Shaddick, head of political betting at Ladbrokes, told Newsweek. 

[Me too. -Ed]

http://bit.ly/308jHg7

The only problem is it's only in Pittsburgh, Norfolk, and Richmond

The new KFC doughnut sandwich has fans and foes riled up

Meanwhile, junk food lovers across the country are planning a pilgrimage.

9.17.2019

SPAM makes the cut

The 10 Most Searched Pumpkin Recipes on Google Right Now | Kitchn


And all's right with the world.

Almost missed this one (oops)

The winner of the 2018 Ig Nobel prize in literature:

Life Is Too Short to RTFM: How Users Relate to Documentation and Excess Features in Consumer Products | Interacting with Computers | Oxford Academic


(The 2019 Ig Nobel prize list is here: http://bit.ly/31w4vXN )

9.14.2019

Mad man?

Man being fired brings emotional-support clown to meeting

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

Biden: 'Nobody should be in jail for a nonviolent crime'


If the Democrats nominate Joe Biden for President Trump may very well just concede. Why not? It would get him and everyone around him off the hook, and all his friends out of jail. What could be more perfect?

9.11.2019

Looking at the new Apple watches made me wonder…

…do you get better time for $500 or is it pretty much the same time you get for $28.99? Me, I'm OK with the time I have.

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…

A 'loose monkey' is reportedly tormenting a Texas town


…they probably mean "free from confinement" rather than "lacking moral restraint"* because, well, if they meant the latter it'd be in the gossip section,

*Look it up.

9.10.2019

So many things to do, so many circles to run around in

Targeting PATRIOT Act Provision, Rights Groups Urge House Dems to Block NSA From Collecting Americans' Phone Records | Common Dreams News

The 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.

http://bit.ly/318SNSM

The House can not chew gum and impeach Donald Trump at the same time so there is no possible way this or anything else is going to get done any time soon.

Everybody gets 60 seconds of fame, at least, at The Human Clock™

https://www.humanclock.com/

From our Department of Totally Useless Apostrophes





So at least…

Amazon Has 30,000 Open Jobs. Yes, You Read That Right. - The New York Times

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!

That's the last straw!

OK, I don't understand it either, but still. The shame!

Trump tweets about 2026 World Cup bid, maybe breaks FIFA rule

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?

How Elizabeth Warren Raised Big Money Before She Denounced Big Money - The New York Times

"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)

Hundreds of millions of Facebook users' phone numbers exposed

"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?"


Of course, phone books. For landlines at least it's been possible to match names and phone numbers for a very long time. What's different here is the universality of it all, and speed. What used to take a very long time and lots of money can now be done free in a flash. 

9.06.2019

No smoking…no skateboarding…WE ARE WATCHING YOU

That's what the signs on the bus station, the John Olver International Transit Hub, say.

Also, it was a dewy morning.

9.04.2019

I'm fine with this but the part I don't get is…

…why are people who openly carry firearms considered more scary than people who conceal them? That just makes no sense at all. To me. Maybe to you, but not to me. (And this is my blog, so I'm right.)

Walmart, Kroger, Starbucks, Target all ask customers not to openly carry guns, as businesses wrestle with firearms issues - Chicago Tribune

Why does this crack me up?

9.03.2019

Nope, didn't

Editorial: Did repeal of this internet edict ruin your life? What, you didn't notice? - Chicago Tribune

More back-to-school news

Starting This Week, 26,000 Unvaccinated Kids Have to Get Shots to Attend School in New York - VICE

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…


…at Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight.com this morning reveals lots of fighting, hitting (and one plunge from Wisconsin), battling and winning, plenty of victors and heroes…

But Minnesota? "Firm and strong." 

I think that's what they call Minnesota Nice.

There are a few outliers in all this, for example, Georgia Tech (I'm a ramblin' wreck), but our nomination for best fight song lyrics ever goes to the Oklahoma Sooners:

"I'm a Sooner born and Sooner bred

and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead"





Our Guide To The Exuberant Nonsense Of College Fight Songs | FiveThirtyEight

Reading in the Trib this morning…

…about Chicago's annual crisis in education, namely, negotiating teachers' salaries for the upcoming school year, it occurred to me to wonder just how many public schools there are in the Windy City and so I looked it up.

Of public schools run by the Chicago School District, there are 515. Ninety-four of them are high schools.

9.01.2019

Onward

Predictably, I spent a good deal of time yesterday watching college football and although the games weren't all that good (mostly, the good guys won, though) seeing all those tens of thousands of dopey kids with their faces painted in school colors jumping and screaming in the stands gave me new hope for the future. A country with that much energetic enthusiasm can hardly fail.

8.31.2019

It's National Something Month (I think)

Anyway, it's always a good time for something like this.

Experts share their (mostly) hassle-free security tips

Taking one more step toward a Minority Report

The Plan to Use Fitbit Data to Stop Mass Shootings Is One of the Scariest Proposals Yet

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

Is this a map of American paranoia?

Ring Discloses Over 400 Partnerships With Police in Most Complete Map Yet

Is Nebraska’s Preseason Ranking Based On Ability Or Just Pedigree? | FiveThirtyEight

Go 'huskers.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-nebraskas-preseason-ranking-based-on-ability-or-just-pedigree/

Works for me

There's a guy at one of the checkout aisles at the grocery store who usually says "have a good rest of your day" (not wanting to spread it on too thick, I suppose). Today he just said, "have a rest of your day."

Which sounds somewhat more realistic, if not encouraging.

8.29.2019

ORGY weekend

Five straight nights of college football, starting this evening, with an afternoon game or two on Saturday thrown in. Not to mention, the entire NFL is playing it's last pre-season pretend game this very evening, Thursday, so that too. It's epic.

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…

…before we get even close to 2020, I think this whole Russian election interference thing has been way, way overhyped, and Trump's stolen votes business too, and if the nightmare depicted in this article (below) does come to pass we will have no one to blame but our own gullible selves.

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.

Cow hopscotch

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…

…and plenty of places in between, and before, and after, stories about lovers from different places, families, gangs, and whatnot are littered through the history of Lit.

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."


This claim applies not only to gmail but to all email, the sending of which is about as private as sending a postcard by snail. In practice, there's so much email in the system and so few people who actually want to read it that it's safe enough to handle everyday info, but if your message includes something of high importance that somebody else might want very much to read (ahem, politicians), your only safe option is to encrypt.

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


https://cnn.it/2Nu6is8


I really do. We need a third party. Bad.

8.24.2019

In Boston, average

Chart from National Weather Service, Boston office, via Twitter.

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."

8.23.2019

Boulevardier a la Massachusetts

I'm all for this…when can we start?

Inverse: Airplanes: A Staggering Statistic in Air Pollution by 2050 Is Predicted


[What if] Every person could be allocated a maximum number of "flight kilometers" each year. This allowance would increase the longer a person abstained from flying.…Anyone not traveling could exchange their flight kilometers for money, 

Read in Inverse: https://apple.news/AbWRTtrfSS42BVfl3AT5WgA


On Cicero being Cicero

Column: Charming Cicero: We don't want no subpoenas nobody sent - Chicago Tribune


Chicago was once compared to a lovely woman with a broken nose. But where does that leave the neighboring town of Cicero?

Yeah take that you spoilsports

In 1939, the University of Chicago made one of college football's boldest plays: It quit. - The Washington Post


In a world without Twitter, a University of Chicago alumnus, Class of 1912, assured the Tribune — by telegraph! — that the board of trustees' 32-0 decision to kill the decorated program "ignores the bill of rights and sincerely flatters both Stalin and Hitler"

8.22.2019

No cigar, but close

Trump joked that US should trade Puerto Rico for Greenland: NYT - Business Insider


http://bit.ly/2NmSKyq


The Danes might not want to trade Puerto Rico for Greenland but if they're in a Caribbean mood they might be interested in having their Danish West Indies back. The islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands, were sold to the U.S. by, yes, Denmark, in 1917.


Personally I'd vote for keeping the warm ones, but still…