Me, I see no reason…

Musk’s DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns

One of the three people familiar with the matter, who has knowledge of DOGE’s activities, said Musk's team was using a customized version of the Grok chatbot. The apparent aim was for DOGE to sift through data more efficiently, this person said. “They ask questions, get it to prepare reports, give data analysis.”

…why Elon Musk or any of his technogoons should have any access whatsoever to any information about me stored on any government servers, all of which is personal and some classified, And that includes his artificially intelligent chatbot.

I feel the same about your info, Bunky, but you can speak for yourself.

So that's what happened

Uncommon May nor’easter brings rain and snow to New England states just before Memorial Day weekend

Drivers were stuck in floodwaters in Cape Cod and fallen trees blocked some streets.…

Some higher elevations saw snow, with New Hampshire’s Mount Washington reporting 3.4 inches (8.6 centimeters) as of Friday morning.

And would it really be May in Maine?

Not that bad here, and looking to get better today. And maybe, by some time next week, we'll break 70º (F) again.

Memorial Day is Monday, May 26.

And in what world is that world "the real world"?

 I'm looking at the picture at the top of this article.

That wasn't the real world even when the world was real.

How it works…

The Trump administration seems laser-focused (sorry, just couldn't resist) on pushing responsibility down to the several states — for disaster relief, for school funding, etc. While meanwile the Republican governor of Michigan…

Maddock Cheers Michigan Revenue Loss, Says It Forces Democrats to Cut Budget

“I’m actually glad there will be less taxes collected,” Maddock said, arguing the decline leaves Democrats no option but to cut spending, not raise taxes. “We’re not going to let them increase taxes.”

…or doesn't.

Smaller than the big one

Started out the morning contemplating the Golden Dome missile defense system, modeled after Israel's Iron Dome, Trump has announced he wants to build, some $25 Billion in start-up costs for which is included in current budget discussions. Total construction cost is projected to be a pitifully insufficient $175 Billion.

According to army-technology.com Israel's Iron Dome is a truck-mounted defense system that protects against artillery shells, rockets, and short-range missiles. Israel posesses ten batteries of Iron Dome equipment, enough to protect the country's major population centers, of which there are several.

The country of Israel is less than half the size of the United States' Lake Michigan.

It's gonna take a whole lot of dome to protect the whole U.S. And even if this "golden" version does get built, eventually (the current plan calls for 10 years but projects like this are famous for running behind schedule), it'll be obsolete before it's done.

[Lake Michigan is the largest of the Great Lakes by area. Lake Superior is the largest by volume. Lake Superior is, needless to say, superior.]

Civilization has nearly died; can it be recovered still?

 The semicolon had its moment; that moment is over

We must resist this decline. Like napkins, black tie and having a glass of champagne before lunch, the semicolon remains a bulwark against civilisational decline. We mustn’t let a generation ape the meaner writers (!) Pause, rest, think; and encourage this most noble of punctuation marks to flourish anew.

 [H/T Shawn]

Want a chicken?

Shipment of thousands of chicks found abandoned in USPS truck now overwhelming an animal shelter

Last Tuesday, the shelter began offering the birds for adoption, but only a few hundred out of thousands have been picked up. There is no complete count of the chicks, as the shelter has no feasible way to do so, but Parana estimates there to be more than two thousand available.

 Meanwhile the U.S.Postal Service is investigating what it describes, in postalspeak, a process breakdown.

[The birds are at the First State Animal Center in Delaware. Apparently it's a no-kill shelter, and if you want to adopt one you have to promise not to eat it.]

I thought this was a sick joke but…

Is the Department of Homeland Security Considering a Reality Show Where Immigrants Compete for U.S. Citizenship? 

Worsoff claimed during his interview that the DHS appears to be “seriously considering” the show—which he said would include a series of elimination challenges across America. Examples he gave of such challenges included a “pizza-making challenge” in New York, a “rocket-launching challenge” in Florida, and a “gold rush challenge” in California. Per his vision, each episode would culminate in a town hall-esque style vote, one he said is akin to a “presidential election.”

…turns out it's just, well, sick. No joke.

Yet. 

Serial speeding?

 Duck triggers speed camera exactly 7 years after identical incident

The Municipality of Koeniz said on social media that the speed camera was triggered April 13 and captured an image of a male duck traveling at 32 mph in a 12 mph zone.