10.15.2022
The Armageddon Codes
U.S. Has Made ‘Dramatic Change’ in Technology Used for Nuclear Code System
The machinery of nuclear Armageddon, as the upgrade to the nuclear-code system demonstrates, isn’t a thing of the past. Yet the acknowledgment of the recent technology refresh surprised several nuclear and security experts, who said they had no prior indication the code-generating equipment had been overhauled.
If you want to stoke your anxieties…
…during these last few electoral weeks, here's a link to FiveThirtyEight's page of polling averages.
For myself, I prefer going to the polls on Election Day to fill out a ballot—seems more participatory that way—but, as you know, there are other options. Pick the one that suits you best and get it done.
Plan to vote.
10.14.2022
I'm so old I remember playing cards
Facebook “whistleblower” Frances Haugen teams up with former intelligence officials to form new pressure group
Former Facebook employee turned “whistleblower,” Frances Haugen, several former lawmakers, defense secretaries, and intelligence chiefs have formed the Council for Responsible Social Media, which will address the harmful impacts of social media.
It was playing cards that was going to ruin the moral fiber of the country, drive us all to despair and perdition. And dancing, of course, and jazz. And movies where two people slept in the same bed.
And on and on, rock 'n roll, video games, smoking funny weeds…I'm skipping a lot, but you get the idea.
Now we're up to social media.
But the real problem is this: People are cranky.
Also, on occasion, pretty cool.
And we're stuck with it.
And I thought those cells were lost forever
Brain cells in a lab dish learn to play Pong — and offer a window onto intelligence
A layer of living neurons is grown on a special silicon chip at the bottom of a thumb-size dish filled with nutrients. The chip, which is linked to a computer, can both detect electrical signals produced by the neurons, and deliver electrical signals to them.If the nutrients include beer…
Why does nobody trust them anymore?
The Regulators of Facebook, Google and Amazon Also Invest in the Companies’ Stocks
The top watchdog of American business is also home to Washington’s most active Wall Street investors.
One problem with these kinds of white-collarish shenanigans is they're booooring. Watching Butch and Sundance rob trains was a lot more fun.
But this is where the big hauls are made.
10.13.2022
Addendum
It has come to my attention from playing Solitaire on my computer that some people keep score at this game, and one of the things they keep score of is how fast they can do it. This kind of knee-jerk competitiveness must stop.
It is a sacrilege and an abomination.
The whole point of Solitaire is to waste time. There is no other reason for it. Therefore I will not be appearing on any Solitaire scoreboard.
Wasting your time looking for my name there, however, is an approved activity.
The end of work. Entirely.
I discovered I have a Solitaire app on my laptop.
And I thought I knew everything.
How wrong I was.
10.12.2022
Nigeria is so last Century
Woman scammed by fake Russian astronaut, loses Rs 24 lakh
Another such case has come to light where a man claiming to be a Russian astronaut scammed a woman into paying more than £27,000 (Rs 24,61,500). The reason? The man asked this woman to pay for his rocket so he could land back on Earth, meet her and then marry her.
[H/T Shawn]
(Sorry. A little geek joke there. Nigerian spammers were, and probably still are, the masters of that craft. Legendary.)
10.11.2022
Imagine the pie
Minnesota pumpkin nearly breaks world record weighing more than 2,500 pounds
Gonna take a lot of whipped cream.
Escaping the bonds of sanity
Best Place to Survive Nuclear War in the U.S.
Some estimates name Maine, Oregon, Northern California, and Western Texas as some of the safest locales in the case of nuclear war, due to their lack of large urban centers and nuclear power plants.
"Normalizing" has become a trendy word in recent years; there is nothing normal about nuclear war. And there is likely nothing survivable either. Even in Maine.
Nuclear chicken is not a game with a happy ending.
10.10.2022
Columbus Day (or Not, if you prefer)…
…in a previous Century traditionally marked the peak of the color season in these parts, but as you can see we are now still mostly green and the real color is still, maybe, a couple of weeks off.
I don't know if this has anything at all to do with global warming; I suspect the leaves change color whenever they please. But it is beginning to seem like a trend.
On dreams dashed
Even After $100 Billion, Self-Driving Cars Are Going Nowhere
One of the industry’s favorite maxims is that humans are terrible drivers. This may seem intuitive to anyone who’s taken the Cross Bronx Expressway home during rush hour, but it’s not even close to true. Throw a top-of-the-line robot at any difficult driving task, and you’ll be lucky if the robot lasts a few seconds before crapping out.
But Tesla is touting trucks.
Inure*
North Korea says missile tests are practice for ‘tactical nuclear strikes’ on South Korea
Experts say that North Korea has likely manufactured some nuclear warheads – “20 to 30 warheads for delivery primarily by medium-range ballistic missiles,” Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda of Nuclear Information Project with the Federation of American Scientists, wrote in September.* https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inure
Maybe…
…I'm just saying maybe the press is simply upset they didn't get to leak whatever juicy top secret stuff they think Trump did. They are certainly doing a fine job of it otherwise.
And in this piece…
U.S. Believes Ukraine Was Behind Assassination of Putin Ally’s Daughter
…the Wall Street Journal adds a nifty wrinkle by attributing their story to the New York Times, rather than the ubiquitous people "familiar with the matter." Well done, WSJ. CYA.
And yes, I'm being sarcastic here. But only a little.
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