This is getting creepy personal, isn't it?

World’s oldest-known wild bird lays an egg in Hawaii at age 74

It's true: There really is no privacy anymore.

A bird can't claim to be 39 forever. And eggs? Forget it.

What's the word I'm looking for here?

How Trump and RFK Jr. Could Change U.S. Dietary Guidelines

A new set of Dietary Guidelines must be produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Human Health Services (HHS) every five years at least, according to a law from 1990.

[Emphisis mine.]

Dispiriting, perhaps.

And that's a long time

Do Your Passwords Meet the Proposed New Federal Guidelines?

The emphasis on length over complexity reflects decades of research showing longer passwords are significantly harder to crack. “A truly randomly chosen 24-character password is not going to be broken,” says Stuart Schechter, an associate at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “That’s long enough that it’s not likely to be broken in the lifespan of the universe.”

But better yet, passkeys. 

New Minnesota EagleCam goes live today

Cameras will go live around 6 a.m. CST [GMT-6] Thursday on the DNR website and on the agency’s YouTube channel.

[–AP]

There'll always be an England

Police recover a stolen van with 2,500 pies after a chef’s appeal, but they are too damaged to eat

The pie heist is the latest theft of artisanal edibles to rock the U.K. food trade. In October, nearly 1,000 wheels of cloth-wrapped artisanal cheddar weighing 22 metric tons (48,488 pounds) and valued at 300,000 pounds ($390,000) were swiped from London’s Neal’s Yard Dairy by a con artist posing as a wholesale distributor for a major French retailer.

Turkey and butternut squash pies, in case you're wondering. Or else a good argument for the Oxford comma.

 

When it's doughnuts, it's serious

How Free Is New Hampshire? A Fight Over Doughnuts Is About to Decide

“Live free or die, unless you’re hanging artwork,” said Young, referring to the state motto.

 Is bakery-themed art a sign?

OK, I hate to be that guy but…

“Brain Rot” Named Oxford Word of the Year 2024

…isn't it two?

I know arguing with Oxford is above my pay grade, but still.

The term was first used by Henry David Thoreau in 1854, sez the Oxford University Press, and recently noticed by Gens Z and Alpha. 

At least there are no hand grenades involved

Gladiator for a Night at the Colosseum? Some Romans Are Up in Arms.

Over two nights in May, a total of up to 32 people will learn the art of gladiator fighting at the ancient arena, taught by Roman history buffs who specialize in historical re-enactments.

So how bad can it be, Romans? 

[The gladiators didn't use hand grenades, did they?]

Airbnb is involved in this caper. Airbnb is also running a TV commercial currently claiming you won't get a Christmas present if you stay in a hotel. Something about no chimney for Santa (all Airbnbs are of course suitably equipped) and malfunctioning keycards (?).

Airbnb said its creative team hand-picked every detail on Santa Claus, from the buckle on his shoes to his glasses…

Our poor billionaires

What billionaires and their advisers say keeps them from giving more and faster

America’s wealthiest people have urged each other to give away more of their money since at least 1889.

But it's just sooo hard.

And, the accompanying story says, "Complicating the billionaires’ task is the fact that many keep getting richer." Just imagine.

Our long election season is (temporarily) over…

 …and we are now free to worry about more important things.

Inside the heated legal battle over Liberace’s bedazzled concert grand piano

US District Court Judge Indira Talwani determined this fall that a Rockland piano store owner does not have rights to the glitzy piano and it does, in fact, belong to the charitable arm of a guitar company that sued him in 2019, according to court documents.

[And in case you've forgotten, or never knew.] 

Ate the banana

Ate the banana? 

A banana artwork composed of a fresh banana stuck to a wall with duct tape is seen before being eaten by Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun on November 29, 2024, after buying the provocative work of conceptual art at a New York auction for $6.2 million.

Let's just go out for dinner next year

Connecticut mansion engulfed in flames on Thanksgiving as residents fried turkey inside garage

The 10,000-square-foot abode worth approximately $2.8 million had been hosting close to 25 people for the holiday when the blaze occurred, the outlet reported.

It's those Great Lakes again

Great Lakes Snowstorm Blankets Northeast and Midwest, Stranding Motorists

More than two feet of snow blanketed western New York and Pennsylvania on Saturday, with some parts getting more than three feet, as a lake-effect snowstorm disrupted post-Thanksgiving travel and stranded dozens of vehicles on highways. The storm threatened to bring up to six feet of snow to some areas by Tuesday morning.

 What's the point of being Great if you can't do Great things?

[When the NYTimes says Northeast it generally means upstate New York. The easter (but not really norther) Northeast I live in is not expecting snow until the middle of the week — an then, not so much. It is, however, December.]

Notre Dame rebuilt

 A video from the Associated Press