8.10.2024

Is this just some sneaky way to get around those no-fragrance restrictions?

New Auntie Anne’s perfume is childhood nostalgia in a bottle: ‘Spray me down BAD’

Fond memories of eating soft, buttery pretzels while roaming the mall have been bottled into a new perfume by Auntie Anne’s, the beloved bakery chain ubiquitous among shopping centers and transportation hubs across the US.

Smells like a shopping mall? Or an airport? Really? 

And I thought Dunkin lip balm was…well…can I still say "weird"?

Nine dogs, three goats, and a cat

Reliable, friendly, and masters of one-way communication: Meet the dog mayors of America


And this just in: The Free Press reports a town in Michigan has elected a horse. ("Fed up  with the old two-species system," a resident says.)

This is not the beginning…

Iran is accelerating cyber activity that appears meant to influence the US election, Microsoft says

The report doesn’t specify Iran’s intentions besides sowing chaos in the United States, though U.S. officials have previously hinted that Iran particularly opposes former President Donald Trump.

…and it's certainly not the end. We're in for a grim few months. And maybe more. And the chaos can arrise from one side or the other, or both. Or everywhere.

8.09.2024

It's not just hands-free driving…it's a hands-free life

Soon, AI will book your flights and order your groceries. It’ll be convenient — and risky.

Who is Jeeves really working for?

Big Florida snakefest starts today

Snake hunters will wrangle invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades during Florida’s 10-day challenge

Last year’s challenge brought in 209 pythons and the grand prize winner was Paul Hobbs, who bagged 20 pythons. Also during 2023, Florida wildlife agency and district contractors removed about 2,200 pythons.
So it's too late to get in on it this year, sorry. But it's an annual event.

The Burmese python is an invasive species that's been making a nuisance of itself in the swampy glades. 

8.08.2024

Stop! You got me at mitochondrial!

Public Health Experts Want Coca-Cola and the Olympics to Break Up

“All sugar beverages are bad,” says Robert Lustig, a pediatric neuroendocrinologist who calls fructose, one of sugar’s two constituent molecules, a “metabolic mitochondrial poison” associated with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, dementia, fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian disease, and what's known as leaky gut.

I don't know what it means but look how many syllables

Somewhat amusingly, the New York Post ran this story this morning:

Olympic swimmers drinking Coca-Cola to fight off bacteria after competing in polluted Seine River

Everyone's in a protesting mood these days

Chicken parade prompts changes to proposed restrictions in Iowa’s capital city

Chicken parade organizer Ed Fallon said the city seemed to be overreacting to a total of three complaints about chickens that were registered between the start of 2020 and June 2024. A small group of people holding chickens came out Monday to march from the Statehouse to City Hall.

8.06.2024

I've heard of hurricane parties…

After Tropical Storm Debby passes, $1 million in cocaine washes up on Florida beach

…but this seems a bit extreme.

And in the dark of night

Kamala Harris is now Democratic presidential nominee, will face off against Donald Trump this fall

Harris’ nomination became official after a five-day round of online balloting by Democratic National Convention delegates ended Monday night, with the party saying in a statement released just before midnight [Eastern Time, presumably; after all, the only time that matters. –ED] that 99% of delegates casting ballots had done so for Harris. The party had long contemplated the early virtual roll call to ensure Biden would appear on the ballot in every state. It said it would next formally certify the vote before holding a celebratory roll call at the party’s convention later this month in Chicago.

Holding a make-believe roll call two weeks hence is a nice touch, though. Difficult to do balloons on Zoom — or wherever it was they did whatever they did.  

8.05.2024

Somewhat amusingly…

Google loses massive antitrust case over its search dominance

As expected, Mehta’s ruling focused on the billions of dollars Google spends every year to install its search engine as the default option on new cellphones and tech gadgets. In 2021 alone, Google spent more than $26 billion to lock in those default agreements, Mehta said in his ruling.
…the judge is named Mehta. As you may have noticed.

And speaking of names, I know people who think "Google" is the name for what the rest of us call the internet. So there's that.

It occurs to me…

…The Modern Jazz Quartet was modern about 65 years ago. 

 So maybe I should update my playlist?


8.04.2024

How it's done

Illinois is a leader in yet another dubious category — zombie boards and commissions

An audit report published in June found that more than 100 state boards were inactive during the period studied, while 28% of boards that were required to meet a certain number of times had failed to do so. Most boards paid their members some type of compensation, such as reimbursing expenses, amounting to almost $2 million a year. But in several cases the auditors couldn’t even say for sure whether board members were supposed to be paid or not.

Of course they should be paid. That's why they're there. They also serve who simply cash their checks.