I didn’t realize how much of the JFK story is still buried inside of me.

I happen to find this podcast called “The Rewachables”. It’s basically a podcast that goes through the history of films and discusses why some are more rewatch-able than others.

I started listening this morning to the episode about the movie “JFK” from December 2021. Fascinating to hear the hosts and guests talk about the same topics I remember talking about with my dad and friends way back in the early 90’s. I’ll admit it drove me to watch the movie again this afternoon. It’s a real nostalgia trip.

What I didn’t expect to feel was a sense of connection to the current political climate. Fascism, lying to the American people, and trying to discern what is truth from fiction are all topics we struggle with to this day. Especially with the current administration.

“The government wants everybody to be scared.”

I guess they were right. History is, if nothing else, cyclical.

Turns out premature score reporting has come to baseball as well…

And after reload…

🤦🏻‍♂️

I learned last night that a good friend of mine from middle school passed away this week. As life often plays out, we drifted apart towards the latter part of high school. And then we lost touch once we went our separate ways for college. We followed each other on Facebook, for sure. But we never saw each other again. Unfortunately, we never will.

We were extremely close for one of those early summers. Our houses were near each other. We spent afternoons at her pool. Talking about anything and everything. Laughing, joking. She had this great laugh. One that not only put a smile on your face, but genuinely warmed your heart. She was joyous. She was loving. She was full of energy and life.

And now, all these years later, cancer has robbed the world of that laugh. And it will be a lesser place without it.

Rest in peace, Liana. ❤️

ChatGPT’s Impact On Our Brains According to an MIT Study | TIME

Does ChatGPT harm critical thinking abilities? A new study from researchers at MIT’s Media Lab has returned some concerning results.

Is this article not tailor-made for a “no shit, Sherlock?”

It’s sweating-on-the-back-while-driving hot down here. Dear lord.

When we visit Columbus, there’s a strange game of de-aging people walking by to see if you know them from 25+ years ago.

#nokings

(via Dan Cedarholm)

If you’re a conservative (Christian) Republican and you DON’T believe in these things, why aren’t we hearing from you? Why isn’t every single Christian group standing up and yelling “This is not what we believe in! Somebody has to stop this administration!”

And yet, I hear nothing. No condemnation. Only “thoughts and prayers”, if anything is said at all.

Your silence is astoundingly deafening. And for that, God help you.

These “oh my stars, I didn’t know” articles are really starting to piss me off. The photo above tries to make this lady look helpless, as if what happened was out of her control in some way. Something she could do nothing about. As if she was the one being put upon.

Give me a fucking break.

I don’t normally read the comments on anything, but I’m glad I did on this one. It heartened me just a little to see some who felt the way I’ve been feeling since the day after the election:

I feel no sympathy for this woman. Not one bit.

I do feel sympathy for this Carol person’s kids, as they had nothing to do with what happened. They can’t vote. They have no say in it. And yet, they are the collateral damage in all of this.

Same, bruh. Same.

It occurs to me that the Women’s National (Soccer) Team is filled with positivity right now. And the Men’s National Team is just the opposite.

I remember a time when in-room dining was outrageously expensive. Now, it’s par for any restaurant out there.

Yep.

Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength

Empathy can make people weaker – both physically and practically, according to social scientists. Consider the phenomenon known as “empathy fatigue,” a major source of burnout among counselors, nurses and even neurosurgeons. These professionals devote their lives to helping others, yet the empathy they feel for their clients and patients wears them down, making it harder to do their jobs.

So the answer is to just not give a shit about anybody or anything? That’s healthy!

I mean, it will get you far in politics these days.

Oklahoma will teach high schoolers ‘Big Lie’ about 2020 election

Oklahoma’s public school history teachers will soon be required to teach the disproved conspiracy theory that the Democratic Party stole the 2020 presidential election from President Donald Trump.

Jesus fucking Christ. Seriously?!?!

“C” is for Censorship: PBS Cuts ‘Art Spiegelman’ Doc and Other Dubious Acts at Embattled Broadcaster | International Documentary Association

Twelve days before Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse (2024) was set to broadcast on April 15 across PBS stations nationwide as part of its strand American Masters, the filmmakers were told that a 90-second sequence—which shows the famous artist discussing an anti-Trump cartoon he created for the 2017 Women’s March newspaper—would be cut from the documentary.

Censorship doesn’t have to be a direct order to be chilling across an entire industry. This is PBS running scared of an administration threatening to remove their public funding.

Guess free speech is only free as long as it’s postitive for the dear leader.

The ever-incredible Hannah Waddingham in Ted Lasso S3E6 (“Sunflowers”) has never looked so beautiful as she did in the orange dress on the Dutch guy’s boat.

So proud of my (not-so-little baby) boy, who graduated from high school yesterday, and is headed to Georgia Tech in the fall.

Absolutely loved this episode with Christopher Jackson (most famous for his role as George Washington in “Hamilton”):

“Beautifulness” is not a word. It’s “beauty”. Start again.

All I feel right now is helplessness and sadness. Our government is in the business of terrorizing the most vulnerable of us. Rich people are just getting richer. Journalists and journalism itself are under attack by the government. And people are terrified (again) that they have to hide their true selves, lest they be shamed, deported, or worse.

The is NOT a great America. This is an America that is great only for the few and privileged.

Despite the impending thunderstorm, the birds remained cheerful and loud at 5am.

On Male Social Isolation

There’s a huge sense of social isolation that comes with being perceived as male, because now people are subconsciously treating me as a potential predator. All strangers, no matter their gender, keep their guard up around me.

I agree with Kottke completely. A totally fascinating view and perspective from @skaldish (on Tumblr) on something I don’t necessarily think of, but certainly hear/read about all the time.

Call it a sports book all you want. It’s fucking gambling.

Oxford American | The Alabama Landline That Keeps Ringing

I spent the better part of two days and nights listening to students answer questions at the Foy desk, where phones have been ringing since 1953, when James E. Foy, Auburn’s then dean of students, opened the line as a resource for students and then as a service to the public. For just as long, students who sit there have been answering any question asked of them—or at least tried their best.

War Eagle! 🦅

Daring Fireball: The Trump Administration Signal Scandal, Somehow, Gets Worse

National security leaders using this app — which effectively just removes all of Signal’s actual security features by backing up all messages as plain text — is so stupid it’s surprising, even from these idiots Trump has surrounded himself with. I mean think about how stupid it is that Mike Waltz was using this app while in front of press photographers at a Cabinet meeting.

Can you imagine if this had come up in the Biden administration? The Obama administration?

They would have been crucified live at 8pm ET on Fox (not even Fox News).

4th Grader to RFK Jr: “I Have Autism and I’m Not Broken”

At a recent Princeton Public Schools’ Board of Education meeting, Teddy, a fourth-grader from one of the district’s schools, got up and delivered a speech about the many reasons that PPS should teach about autism and other disabilities, including “so we don’t have people like RFK Jr in the future”.

It shouldn’t have to come to this. But here we are.

48 Things Women Hear In A Lifetime (That Men Just Don’t)

Jason Kottke points to two videos created hy HuffPost that are things women and men hear throughout their lifetime that, well, maybe they shouldn’t.

I’ve heard almost all of them. As a teenager, I probably said a lot of them.

Yet, this is the “good times” we’re being told we should be getting back to. No thank you.

American corporations didn’t want to diversify, anyway

How did we get here? Why were so many companies – from Walmart to Paramount to Victoria’s Secret – willing to roll over on their diversity goals after the promises they made in 2020 to uproot systemic racism and transform the nation? Were they all just paying lip service? In many ways, the programs were never intended to radically change the workplace in the first place – they were intended to appease workers and dampen discontent. What we’ve seen since 2020 is not new. It’s a reversal rooted in the policies the US created decades ago, when it cast aside the goal of addressing a legacy of discrimination for the vague idea of diversity – an idea that was always destined to fail, and an idea many corporations never truly believed in.

When did we come to the determination that discrimination is ok and diversity is not?

This is a complete 180 to what I’ve believed in my entire life.

The Courts Must Stop Presuming Donald Trump is a Regular President

Jack Goldsmith, a conservative law professor at Harvard, recently described the way courts typically approach presidents: “Much of our law depends on a presumption of regularity in the presidency. It depends on the courts thinking that they can trust the president to comply with orders, and to be honest and truthful in court.”

Yep.

PEOPLE ARE LOSING LOVED ONES TO AI-FUELED SPIRITUAL FANTASIES

But by 2022, her husband “was using AI to compose texts to me and analyze our relationship,” the 41-year-old mom and education nonprofit worker tells Rolling Stone. Previously, he had used AI models for an expensive coding camp that he had suddenly quit without explanation — then it seemed he was on his phone all the time, asking his AI bot “philosophical questions,” trying to train it “to help him get to ‘the truth,’” Kat recalls. His obsession steadily eroded their communication as a couple.

What the actual fuck?!?!

I’m telling you, people…don’t fall into the AI sinkhole without actually understanding how it works and (perhaps more importantly) how it does not work.

Holy shit, that’s a good way to put this.

Another casualty of a cashless society…the firemen standing on the side of the road asking for money in the boot.

Gotta get back on the horse…come on, guys!!

Trump seeks to end federal funding for NPR and PBS : NPR

Trump’s newest order appears to envision a continuation of federal subsidies for public radio and television stations — apart from NPR and PBS. It is unclear how that squares with Trump’s pledge to ask Congress to rescind all funds already approved for public broadcasting.

What an asshole.

Manton Reece

Went to a restaurant across the street and there was a jazz band playing, a bit of peace and beauty as the wind and rain picked up outside.

People keep asking me what I want from life at this point. It’s little things like this that I want.

Why Some People Follow Authoritarian Leaders—And The Key to Stopping It | Scientific American

Work from my lab and others reveals that authoritarian followers express a range of anti-democratic attitudes including anti-gay prejudice, anti-immigrant attitudes, generalized prejudice, nationalism and even the belief in conspiracies.

💯checks out.

Photos: The 35th Anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope - The Atlantic

Fascinating images!!

My favorite:

The federal minimum wage is officially a poverty wage in 2025 | Economic Policy Institute

In 2025, the federal minimum wage is officially a “poverty wage.” The annual earnings of a single adult working full-time, year-round at $7.25 an hour now fall below the poverty threshold of $15,650 (established by the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines). The limitations of how the federal government calculates poverty understate how far the minimum wage is from economic security for workers and their families. 

Should I cue Lee Greenwood now? Or wait until America is great again?!

What Exactly Do We Owe Young Men? - by Charlotte Clymer

There’s a quote from Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club that I’ve always found interesting and may sum up the “crisis of American masculinity” in fewer than forty words better than anywhere else:

“We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.”

An interesting take on a topic I’ve been genuinely interested to understand. I see it, I hear it, but I don’t get it.

That quote, though. Ooh boy.

“Good Will Hunting” Still a phenomenal movie.

Today, my mom called my sister on the way to my niece’s volleyball match. The CarPlay screen read “[my sister’s name] or ICE1”.

I turned to my mom. “Care to explain?”

She laughed and said “In Case of Emergency”.

Whew!

Columbia Canceled My Course on Race and Media. I’m Going to Teach It Anyway.

Since then, it has been heart-wrenching to watch Columbia’s administration pre-emptively cave to pressure, especially in placing Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies under special provost supervision or receivership. It’s been terrifying to see institution after institution across the country cave on diversity, freedom of speech, and academic integrity, not to protect students and faculty, but to protect donors and reputations.

More of this, please. Fighting it is all we have right now.

How I’d Fix Atlanta

In each of these essays, a citizen of Georgia’s capital argues for one way we could make our city better. Sometimes the ideas will be serious. Other times? A little more lighthearted. From infrastructure to food trucks, public transit to wildflowers, nothing is off limits. Consider these essays the wish list of a bunch of ATLiens who want more for their city.

Fascinating idea. I love the ones on automobile dependency and walkable neighborhoods.

I also enjoyed the lighter side of this one on Outkast.

Love my Braves and particularly love the “The A” logo.

Cannot do the red hat. Not now. Not even soon. Maybe not ever.

Can’t argue with Glenn here:

It’s like the stock market. Democrats run on decency and fairness and any perceived imperfection can be amplified, even when unjustified, as hypocrisy—like a company claiming it has a great year of earnings ahead, but it dips when an anonymous report claims they are 1% behind their goals.

Trump is a meme stock, in which his cruelty and erratic behavior is priced in. Everybody “knows” how bad he is, so media “price that in” to their coverage.

Footguns — Liss is More

The opposite of a footgun. A problem solved. Solved by respect for the customer.

Couldn’t agree with Casey more here.

Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard - The New York Times

A senior White House official said the administration stood by the letter, calling the university’s decision to publicly rebuff the administration overblown and blaming Harvard for not continuing discussions.

“It was malpractice on the side of Harvard’s lawyers not to pick up the phone and call the members of the antisemitism task force who they had been talking to for weeks,” said May Mailman, the White House senior policy strategist. “Instead, Harvard went on a victimhood campaign.”

Do they ever take responsibility for ANYTHING?! Always playing the blame game, you fucking cowards.

Also, you’re calling out Harvard for playing the victimhood game?!? Your fucking boss is the king of the victimhood game. Don’t believe me? Just ask him.

I’m so sick of hearing the blaming of the Democratic Party for their “lack of vision”. Because the “Republicans” had a vision? They simply said “The economy is shit. Groceries are too expensive!” And then elected someone who has NO plan to truly fix that.

How is that a vision? Where was the “lack of vision” argument when Trump ran again? How did that “vision” go from 2016 to 2020?

Just stop.

Good god, the official US government website for Covid (covi…

Good god, the official US government website for Covid (covid[dot]gov) now redirects to a page on the White House site called “Lab Leak, The True Origins of Covid-19”. Our country is being run by conspiracy theory.

What Jason said.

Yep, that checks out. Totally normal!

Gotta hand it to the Amazon driver on this one. Much props, dumb ass.

I found this on an Instagram reel, and I thought it was spot-on:

What’s the difference between Democrats and Republicans? Democrats will feed 100 people for fear that one person may starve. Republicans will NOT feed 100 people for fear that one of them doesn’t deserve it.

Real-life behavior that I’ve witnessed says this is 💯

Have to hand it to Zaxby’s. They’re the only restaurant (that’s not McD) that has not asked me to tip anyone.

Kudos!

Ken Griffey Jr. lauded for excellent photos of Rory McIlroy at the 2025 Masters - Yahoo Sports

Griffey — who took up photography after his baseball career ended — is getting praise after a few of his pictures from the 2025 Masters went viral. In particular, Griffey’s photos after Rory McIlroy won the event are being lauded by fans.

Finally, some uplifting news! I adore that he has found his hobby and turned it into a life-after-baseball kind of thing. Absolutely love it!

I Didn’t Think Things Would Get This Chaotic When We Elected President Donkey Kong - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. President Donkey Kong’s entire platform was that he smashes things.

McSweeney’s is just nailing it.

On April 3rd’s episode of Jon Stewart’s podcast “The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart”, Michael Lewis puts a statement of fact as succinctly as I’ve ever heard it:

Government is the place that all the problems the private sector can’t solve go.

So smart, and so true.

Something just lifted my spirits this morning. I ran into someone I used to work with at Romanoff years ago in my local grocery store. She is retired and working on the side for some extra money. So nice to see Janet is doing so well!

Florida Teacher Loses Job Over Trans Student’s Name, But Community Fights Back

On April 8, the board—composed of a conservative firewall including Megan Wright, Gene Trent, John Thomas, Katye Campbell, and Matt Susin—voted unanimously to dismiss Calhoun at the end of her contract in May, ending her decade-long career at Satellite High School. Their stated reason was that Calhoun had called a student by a name different than that on their birth certificate, which violates a 2023 statewide policy requiring written, parental consent before a teacher may do so.

A student’s parent evidently discovered the discrepancy and escalated it to the board. Calhoun’s case marks the first publicly known case of an educator losing their job due to the naming provisions of this law.

Imagine being so not busy that you have the bandwidth to not only find out someone called this person “this” vs. “that”, but then being so pressed that you escalate it to the fucking school board. Because? Reasons.

What if…just imagine with me…what if that parent MINDED THEIR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS?!?!

What a world that would be.

Good point.

We watched the replay of the goal taken back from Almiron today in the Atlanta United game.

I officially give up as what is actually offsides.

Everything I’ve ever heard is about intent. It is so clear Latte had no intention of passing that ball to Amador. In fact, Amador wasn’t even in the play until the NE guy stuck his foot out to block it, and it went directly at Amador.

What a fucking joke that call was. No, I can’t even say that. That would imply that anyone on the actual field made a fucking call.

The AR didn’t. The center ref didn’t. Not even New England called for it.

No one did. Tell me again how VAR is only supposed to assist in these games?!?!

Trump announces $600 million in new deals with five law firms

Kirkland & Ellis, Allen Overy Shearman Sterling, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and Latham & Watkins all agreed to perform $125 million each in pro bono legal work — the highest figure seen yet in any of the agreements brokered by Trump with various legal firms. In exchange, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will withdraw letters sent to each of the firms asking questions about their hiring practices and implying firms’ efforts to diversify their workforce could violate employment laws.

Because this is normal. Jesus Christ.

Wise words from Charlie in The West Wing episode Arctic Radar:

I don’t think you can reasonably ask someone to control who they fall in love with.

Can I Teach the First Amendment If I Only Have a Green Card? - The Atlantic

As I prepare my lecture notes, the Trump administration is working to deport immigrants, including green-card holders, for what appears to be nothing more than the expression of political views with which the government disagrees. These actions are chilling. They also make it difficult to work out how to teach cases that boldly proclaim this country is committed to a vision of free speech that, right now, feels very far away.

She’s not wrong.

From 2002 to 2025, the tuition for Notre Dame jumped from $25,850 to $62,693. With room and board, $31,640 to $83,300.

My god.

While the economy fell apart, just remember who went golfing for the weekend.

“Thought leaders” exhaust me. That is all.

If the next Democratic nominee for President doesn’t use the motto: “Is America Great Again?”, they’ve picked the wrong strategy.

ICE Can’t Bring Back Maryland Man Deported to El Salvador in Error, Agency Says - WSJ

The Trump administration said the court didn’t have the authority to order his return

So it’s just “tough shit”, huh?

Got it.

We’re so lost as a people.

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR): “Hi folks: Facebook appears to be taking down my posts. Please remember they are available for free here (no paywall), and can be received by email (also free– just don’t put in your credit card information). I guess if I’m being banned I’m doing something right?” — Bluesky

It puts me at ease to know that our social media platforms are bringing back free speech from the bitter confines of the past. Gone are the days of the radical left’s agenda to silence the conservative voice. Gone are the days of hearing only from the “mainstream media” and “fake news”.

Rest easy, dear patriots. The good folks at Facebook, X, and Truth Social are there to teach our young ones the truth. The word of Our Leader. The word of Our Savior. Praise be to Trump, and long may he reign.

Trump tells NBC News ‘there are methods’ for seeking a third term

When asked whether he has been presented with plans to allow him to seek a third term, Trump said, “There are methods which you could do it.”

Told you.

And after switching over to watch the (woeful right now) Braves, I just saw a prep-er commercial. Because of course I did.

Wtf.

When you’ve immersed yourself in watching soccer for a while now, coming back to watching American-based sports (like college basketball, for instance) is exhausting. Why?

Commercials. They’re abundant.

Man City’s font choice on their uniforms is a poor one. Comic Sans, not a great look. 🤣

Such a smart thought

Utah bans fluoride in public drinking water | AP News

The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the past century: one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent tooth decay on a large scale.

The war on proven science continues…

Florida mulls scrapping property taxes in US first

Florida already doesn’t have a state income tax, so according to the nonprofit Florida Policy Institute…Property taxes provide 18% of county revenue, 17% of city/town revenue, and 50%-60% of school district funding. Florida sales tax would need to at least double to 12% to make up for property tax losses. But…DeSantis said he doesn’t want to raise the sales tax. Instead, he’s proposed cutting spending or taxing tourists more.

What is their hard on for cutting educational funding? Why do these MAGA idiots think removing funding from an already-strapped educational system in this country is going to make it better?

Pam Bondi signals probe into Signal chat is unlikely | AP News

She repeated Trump administration talking points that the highly sensitive information in the chat was not classified, though current and former U.S. officials have said the posting of the exact launch times of aircraft and times that bombs would be released before those pilots were even in the air would have been classified.

Bondi also quickly pivoted to two Democrats, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Joe Biden, who found themselves under investigation but never charged for allegedly mishandling classified information. Indeed, the department has conducted multiple high-profile investigations into government officials accused of mishandling classified information or leaking it, albeit with significant differences in underlying facts and outcomes. There’s also precedent for public officials either to avoid criminal charges or be spared meaningful punishment.

So, we’re going to ignore the situation eight now because it’s politically prudent to do so. AND we’re going to point back to the same old MAGA talking points of (Hillary) Clinton and Biden where they should be investigated.

Got it.

No fucking shame whatsoever.

Apple’s AI isn’t a letdown. AI is the letdown | CNN Business

Apple, like every other big player in tech, is scrambling to find ways to inject AI into its products. Why? Well, it’s the future! What problems is it solving? Well, so far that’s not clear! Are customers demanding it? LOL, no.

Apple may have made a mistake in not delivering on something they committed to. And they should be held accountable for that.

But the larger mistake was committing to an unproven, and often error-prone, technology.l because they felt the pressure from Wall Street and the tech media. Normally, they rise above that. Not this time.

Wisdom = Intelligence + Life lessons and experience

If it weren’t for three things, I’d go back to school today:

• Calculus
• Physics
• Making money (to pay for my kids in college)

I guess the idea of wishing your college Alma mater was like it is now when you were in school is pretty universal.

‘This is not your grandmother’s Easter Egg Roll’: White House seeks corporate sponsorships for Easter event | CNN Politics

The sponsorship offers range from $75,000 to $200,000, with the promise of logo and branding opportunities, according to a nine-page document sent to potential sponsors and obtained by CNN.

If you’re surprised by this, you either haven’t been paying attention or you’re so bought in to the enshitifcation of this country that you don’t want to see it.

For all my programmers out there!

‘Incredibly troublesome’: Judge grills DOJ over alleged gang member deportations - ABC News

President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members is an “incredibly troublesome and problematic” application of the centuries-old wartime law, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said during a court hearing Friday, in his strongest rebuke to date of the Trump administration’s deportation actions.

So many words. So many condemnations. So little to show for anything.

Stop saying words. Somebody in power, do something about it. I’m tired of the clutching of pearls. He’s not going to stop. His administration has said as much.

So stop the “this is not the right way” proclamations (Roberts). The Trump administration doesn’t care. Stop pronouncing it “the end of democracy” (media companies) and START FUCKING DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Columbia Gives in to Trump’s Demands. University to Ban Masks, Empower Campus Police and Rein in Controversial Academic Department - WSJ

Columbia University will cede to President Trump’s far-reaching demands in negotiations over $400 million in federal funding he revoked this month, according to a memo from the school to the administration. 

So it begins…

My favorite part of this is Columbia agreed to ban masks (which were used in the protests). So much for freedom of speech, expresssion, or assembly.

But hey, who needs the 1st Amendment? It’s useless, really. Especially when it makes room for the next in the line of succession. The one we really care about. The one we literally are willing to (repeatedly) sacrifice children for.

Investors and consumers turning on Tesla amid Cybertruck recall

The EV-maker recalled 46,000 Cybertrucks (nearly all of them) yesterday because it discovered an exterior piece of trim could fall off and create a hazard for other drivers. But the company’s mounting problems can’t all be fixed with a free replacement part.

Good…that company can join all of the social media companies in burning to the fucking ground.

I wonder if any piece of legislation as “progressive” as the Clean Water Act (1972) would or could be passed in this day and age.

According to the U.S. Water Alliance:

1972 was an election year, and after a first term notable for its environmental policy achievements, then President Nixon vetoed the bill in an attempt to cast his fiscal conservatism against his already flagging opponent, George McGovern. Bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate instead overrode President Nixon’s veto, and the bill became law on October 18, 1972.

Bipartisan…do we even know what that is anymore?

Chief Justice Roberts Criticizes Trump’s Call to Impeach Judges - WSJ

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said Tuesday in a statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”

About fucking time.

Roku tests customer patience with startup video ads | The Verge

The reaction among customers, as you might imagine, is overwhelmingly negative. It’s worth remembering that Roku makes the bulk of its revenue from advertising — not bargain-bin priced streaming hardware. But just like Amazon before it, Roku is discovering that it’s easy to turn the ads dial too far. It’s possible to exit out of the ad after it starts, but that hasn’t done much to quell the frustration.

I don’t know how many times people have to be told that you are the product.

Trump: I followed three women who wanted to leave their husbands over the election results. I can’t believe where they ended up.

Among its brutal impacts is that the chemotherapy has weakened her immune system. That made her husband’s refusal to get any of the several COVID-19 shots available to him all the more galling. “He became radicalized during the pandemic,” she said. “When I mentioned to a few people that he didn’t get it, people were really offended. Like, You’re getting treatment for cancer, and he won’t get vaccinated?”

I can’t even imagine (as a husband) feeling this way. This lack of empathy, sympathy, or “wanting to fix it in any way I could” feeling from this man is just inexcusable.

It’s heart-breaking.

That’s a helluva change in less than 12 hours.

Trump deportations questioned by federal judge

The Department of Justice on Monday asked a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., to replace the district court judge overseeing a case challenging the Trump administration’s deportations of hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador under the wartime Alien Enemies Act.

A few thoughts…

• Apparently, we can simply replace judges we don’t like anymore. Because that’s certainly normal.
• The Alien Enemies Act is supposed to be for wartime. Are we at war? Did I miss when East Asia declared war on us (again)?
• “Alleged gang members”…I guess we’ve skipped the whole “innocent until proven guilty”, and even “guilty until proven innocent”, and moved directly to “we think you’re shit, so you have to go”. How very American of us.

If you’re not watching “The Pitt”, you should be.

I can’t today. Not with the multiple things I’ve seen this morning.

I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe.

He’s not wrong.

Update: The Rebels have once again prevailed. More remnants of the Empire remain.

Forts Bragg and Benning revert to old names with new honorees, sparking controversy - CBS News

Steve Moore’s family is on the other end of the Army’s renaming decisions. Two years ago, Fort Benning in Georgia was renamed to honor his parents — Lt. Gen. Harold Moore, a highly decorated 32-year infantry commander, and his wife Julia — by the Naming Commission.

Moore says he was especially touched by the renaming because his mother was also honored, saying the Army was finally recognizing “the value of the military spouse.”

Under Hegseth’s leadership, Fort Moore is now reverting back to Fort Benning  — not after the Confederate general it originally honored, but Cpl. Fred Benning — who served with honor for a couple of years during World War I

This one really galls me. I grew up in Columbus, GA. My mom taught elementary school at Fort Benning for 30+ years. Honestly, I didn’t know who the “Benning” was in the name of the base until two years ago. Shameful, to be honest.

So, when they changed it, and chose this lovely and deserving couple for the honor, it felt right. It felt just, and long overdue.

But this. This is just spite. This is just wanting show everyone your dick is bigger.

What’s even worse, they don’t even have the stones to revert the name back to Fort Benning based on the original person’s name. They literally picked out someone else (who I’m sure is perfectly deserving, too) whose last name happened to be “Benning”.

Just so they could “own the libs” and be anti-“woke”. Because they are whiny children.

Oh by the way, they did the same thing to Fort Bragg (named Fort Liberty from 2023-2025).

One more thing…according to PBS, changing these bases’ names in 2023 stood to cost the Army close to $13 million.

The Naming Commission in its August 2022 report estimated it would cost $4.9 million to rename Fort Benning as Fort Moore, but said there could be additional costs. It put the cost to rename Bragg at around $8 million. Updated costs were not available.

It’s a real wonder those costs aren’t available right now.

Do you have to be bald to be a Premier League referee?

There are two political movements in America right now

But political movements, especially ones whose members are concerned with “what’s polling well,” are always big tents. Movements don’t require uniformity, just a common bond. And in this case, the common bond is a single thesis statement. It’s ok to throw somebody under the bus.

It’s that statement that gets me. Underlying everything they’re doing, and they’re doing a lot, is we shouldn’t have to feel bad about not giving a shit about anyone else but ourselves.

Your neighbor needs a helping hand with his trash cans? Fuck ‘em.

Your friend need a quick loan to cover his car payment? Fuck ‘em.

You asked to potentially contribute to a charity to help kids with cancer? Fuck ‘em.

And the people we’re talking about cheer this on. As if it’s the way it always should have been. Make America great again, right? I guess these days, that means being a self-centered asshole always out for #1.

How far we’ve fallen.

This one should be fun!

I love the fact that the painters who are working right behind me as I’m working are listening to the same Barcelona match that I’m following on my phone. Even though we don’t speak the same spoken language, we’re all speaking fútbol right now.

Someone this morning made the following statement:

I don’t watch or listen to news. I go and research. I go to find data. On X and TikTok.

And I just wanted to pound my head into the wall over and over and over again.

Watching the Miami-Charlotte match and the commentator just used the word:

Strategical

Wtaf 🤦🏻‍♂️

Speaking of Luther, this is one of my favorite albums of his, 1994’s “Songs”:

An entire album of covers: “Endless Love” (w/ Mariah Carey), “Love the One You’re With”, “Hello”, “The Impossible Dream”, the (track) list goes on and on.

So, so great.

I was today years old when I learned…

Richard Marx (whom I’ve continued to appreciate more over time) joined the absolutely un-equaled Luther Vandross to write one of the most heartfelt songs I’ve ever heard, 2003’s “Dance With My Father”.

A perfect song.

Let’s do this!!! #unitethe404

Not many more Friday night games left for Brian at NAHS.

Just watched the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again.The Trump allegory is strong. Might as well have had the tagline: “Make New York Great Again”.

Perfectly stated.

In an article entitled [“Why are Canadians so hurt by Wayne Gretzsky’s silence?](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6178758/2025/03/06/wayne-gretzky-donald-trump-hockey-canada/?source=user_shared_article Why are Canadians so hurt by Wayne Gretzky’s silence? )”, Dan Robson writes for The Athletic:

Gretzky has represented Canada as a player and an executive for decades, Orr wrote, criticizing “fickle” people who have turned on him for his personal beliefs. “Wayne respects your rights and beliefs” Orr wrote. “Why can’t you respect his?” There hasn’t been an uproar about the silence of so many other Canadian-born celebrities who found their fame and fortune in the United States. But then, there aren’t any photos of them in a MAGA hat supporting the president who has called for the country to be annexed.

I take umbrage with Orr’s statement “Wayne respects your rights and beliefs”. Really? How do we know that? Has he explicitly said that somewhere that we can point to? Are we just supposed to take that on your word and your word alone?

I don’t assume anything about someone who very publicly (and visibly) supports a U.S. President that doesn’t believe in rights for most people who are not like him.

Gretzsky’s silence speaks volumes.

An appropriate reaction to seeing him anywhere…

I appreciate the pluck and, to some extent, the audacity. But come on. It’s a toilet paper holder, bro. Let’s calm it down a little bit.

Trump threatens to pull federal funds for US schools allowing ‘illegal protests’ | Trump administration | The Guardian

Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to halt all federal funding for any college or school that allows “illegal protests” and vowed to imprison “agitators”, in a social media statement that prompted alarm from free expression advocates.

“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” the US president wrote on Truth Social.

“Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on [sic] the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

The end of democracy continues…

Jeff Rueter, writing for [The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6173258/2025/03/04/san-diego-fc-fans-chant-homophobic-mls/?source=user_shared_article ‘Proud not loud’? San Diego FC fans’ actions put MLS expansion club to immediate test ):

San Diego FC began its first MLS season on the road, shocking the defending champion LA Galaxy with a 2-0 win. The result sent a message all its own, but it also gave their fans even more reason to look forward to their first match at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday night. Comparatively, their home debut wasn’t as exciting, with San Diego playing St. Louis City to a scoreless draw. Throughout the match, though, their fans made an unmissable first impression by [adopting one of the sport’s ugliest modern traditions](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6169617/2025/03/02/san-diego-fc-denounces-homophobic-chants/?source=user_shared_article San Diego FC coach, sporting director denounce homophobic chants at inaugural home match ).

If you’ve watched a game involving the Mexico men’s national team, you will likely know what this is about. The chant in question, in which fans shout a Spanish, four-letter homophobic slur at the opposing goalkeeper during his run-up to take a goal kick, has been a staple in Mexican soccer for many years.

Not a great way to start off a franchise.

Another problem with getting old…balance is more and more challenging. Dizzy spells are a thing.

Back on the lunch salads…gotta see if I can drop about 7-10 pounds.

I heard something on the latest Slate Money podcast this morning (and no, I haven’t fact-checked yet), but if it’s even slightly true, it still makes my heart hurt.

The #1 most shoplifted item in the U.S. is baby formula.

Think about that.

I needed this. Just silly fun when I wasn’t expecting it. It made me laugh and join in with the guys saying it out loud in my car.

It’s the little things.

There’s some serious shit going down in the neighbor’s yard.

Had an eye appointment this morning. Dear lord, these new lenses make things extremely clear up close.

Almost disorienting-ly so.

Daring Fireball: Elon Musk, Weirdo Extraordinaire

Think too about how conservative news outlets would portray any woman who had children with four different fathers (and counting). Or if Musk were a black man working for a Democratic president. (Imagine the Fox News take if Barack Obama had five children from three different mothers, like Donald Trump does.)

They’d break the record for saying “deadbeat dad” in the span of 2 minutes. They’d run specials on it. They’d have “experts” come on from the American Family Association for the Tight-Ass Club and say it’s the death of the idea of the American family.

The stereotype comparisons would never, ever stop.

Manton Reece - Something is wrong with Trump

So what do we do? I don’t know. It feels too big. Since 2016 I’ve just tried to focus on a few positive things.

Good post by Manton. This is the one I struggle with the most:

• Don’t vilify people we disagree with.

I’m trying to work through it. That’s all I can give right now.

Well said, Dan.

@existennialmemes on Tumblr

Listen, if a Bad President can come in and take away our rights and we’re dependent on a Good President replacing them in four years to give us back our rights, then we do not have any rights. If politicians can take or distribute them, then they’re not “inalienable” and they’re not “rights.” We don’t have inalienable rights we have conditional privileges, divvied out according to the whims of whoever currently holds the reins. And if we want to have actual rights, then we must build a system in which no one has the power to take them away to begin with.

He’s not wrong. And what’s so chilling is he’s NOT WRONG. We claim superiority in the world for our democracy and how we have rights for our citizens. Yet clearly, we do not. The whim statement is perfectly accurate.

(Hat tip: kottke.org)

Too many people I grew up watching and/or listening to are dying.

FDA cancels meeting to select flu strains for next season’s shots

Federal health officials notified members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee of the cancellation in an email Wednesday afternoon, said committee member Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The email, Offit said, offered no explanation for the scrapped meeting.

What could go wrong?

Realizing I do NOT like being stuck in the house all day against my will (so to speak). We’re having some work done on the house, and it’s just me. So when we they’re here, I have to be here as well.

Not a fan.

Bruh? It’s a little early to get baked. My god.

You know, I’ve said this to anyone who will listen in the last 6-12 months, but here it is in plain numbers:

We rode to the airport this morning in a taxi that happened to be a Tesla. Honestly, I haven’t been in one all that often, so I was curiously studying the big-ass screen while riding in the front seat. The main thing I walked away with was I do not need yet another battery indicator causing anxiety in my life. Much less from my frickin’ car.

Man, they’ll put “Parental Advisory” labels on anything. During the flight, they had the advisory on an episode “Frasier”, for goodness sake.

I was horrified to learn that George Clooney was 4 years younger than I am right now when he filmed “Ocean’s 11”.

Dear god.

Actor Nicholas Hoult and Freddie Freeman could be brothers.

Lots of wind turbines in the German countryside.

Something I didn’t expect to see at a train station in Düsseldorf, Germany: an Alabama Crimson Tide hat.

This makes me laugh.

It’s a shame train travel isn’t a thing in the U.S. Yes we have Amtrak, but that’s like comparing Atlanta’s MARTA system to Paris’ Metro. It’s not even in the same league.

Which makes wonder: Did we have a train system (for personal travel) at one point and let it lapse over time? Or did we just never have one at all?

Watching the cities (towns, really) in Germany go by in the window this morning is fascinating. Villages, towns, cities connected by a common system. I wonder if the vast size of the United States played a part in its failure and/or demise.

Train travel is so nice in Europe, except when they don’t run on time. It’s really a let go, see what happens, and deal with what’s in front of you kind of thing.

I wonder if decaf is a thing outside of the United States. It has certainly not been here in Germany.

Don’t tempt me, bro…

Wow…one way car rental from Dortmund to Amsterdam is $121 per day. Cool. I’m on board with that. But wait…the total is coming up to $537 for the whole thing. How can that be?

Fees, yes. But those fees plus the privilege of picking it up here in Dortmund and dropping it off in Amsterdam would cost $416 (effectively).

Yeah, no thanks.

Betty White to Smile on New Stamp - Newsroom - About.usps.com

The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the warmth, wit and charisma of Betty White by honoring the late actress and comedienne with a new stamp bearing her likeness.

Right up until they cancel the entirety of the USPS.

Princesses Over 40 Publishing House - by Edith Zimmerman

Delightful…for us older crowd 🤣 (Hat tip: kottke.org)

Haven’t seen this guy in a while…

Zu Unserer Lieben Frau (The Munich Cathedral of Our Lady)

Is “joyousness” a word? Is it not just “joy”? Am I missing something?

It’s just…wrong…

I’m fairly sure the pretzel was invented to soak up the enormous amount of beer they drink here in Germany.

I mean, what is an Italian plumber doing being an angel in Munich, Germany?

Pro traveling tip: Don’t walk out of the secure area of an airport without getting your bags first from baggage claim. And especially don’t do it if you can’t read signs or speak the language.

I was today years old when I realized when the kids (these days) refer to “fit”, they’ve actually shortened the word “outfit”.

Far from the bullying crowd - Jeffrey Zeldman Presents

Poignant post by Zeldman on the vaguaries of childhood in a “strong man” society. This one hurts to read, because I remember tauntings like this:

If you were smart in eighth grade, you were also a fag. I don’t even think they meant you were actually queer. I think it was just one of the worst things a bully could call you before pounding on you. Indeed, it lent an aura of righteousness and inevitability to the beatings that got doled out to you. Surely all red-blooded American boys would want to beat up fags! And who could blame them? Not the schools. Not the churches. And certainly not the cops. Why, it was practically a young man’s duty to rid the world of insufficiently macho peers. A kind of post-birth eugenics, if you will.

And wrapped up perfectly in the end:

I don’t know why I’m thinking about these things again lately. It’s not like America’s most vulnerable citizens are being targeted by a hostile, mentally retrograde government. Not like bullies, racists, and homophobes everywhere have been set free to revert to their ugliest selves by a mentally deficient ringleader who knows how to whip up a crowd and feed their hunger for violence as a screen behind which he robs us all. Of our money, of course. But more importantly of our rights, our dignity, our ability to accept one another and celebrate our differences instead of masking them. Most of all, the bullying crowd is robbing us of the more perfect union many of us hoped America was beginning to achieve. But, hey. How ’bout that Gulf of America. Winning.

We have descended into our deepest and most troublesome id. And it’s not just the U.S. Lots of countries around the world have shifted to the “right”. Because of reasons. Reasons that I can’t fathom. But plenty of people do. And they are not only accepted, they are celebrated.

Growing up, I just thought the U.S. was better than that. That we were above that.

We are not. And honestly, maybe we never were.

This Is the Age of the Coward

But Disney’s spectacular self-neutering is just the headliner in America’s new hit revue: Target, Walmart, and PBS are all competing to see who can grovel fastest. These corporate behemoths, who collectively control more wealth than several small nations combined, are tripping over themselves to prove they never really meant all that talk about principles and values. The spectacle of multibillion-dollar companies discovering their spines are made of cotton candy is nauseating. 

Can’t disagree..

We’re about to head to Germany for some soccer adventures next week. I feel like we should have shirts and/or hoodies made that basically say on the front of them:

“We didn’t vote for that asshole!”

Nothing else, just the words.

@matthowie on Mastodon:

A thing me and my fellow liberals need to let go of is pointing out right wing hypocrisy. It feels good when we notice it but they have not given a fuck about their own hypocrisy for the last 50+yrs.

Not wrong. And I’m extremely guilty of this.

Uh-oh! AI Tools Make Workers Less Critical, More Confident, Microsoft Study Finds.

A study of over 300 knowledge workers has revealed a concerning paradox: the more confidence people have in AI tools like ChatGPT, the less likely they are to think critically about the AI’s output — even as they find their work easier to complete.

Gee, if only someone could have seen this coming…

AP statement on Oval Office access | The Associated Press

Today we were informed by the White House that if AP did not align its editorial standards with President Donald Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, AP would be barred from accessing an event in the Oval Office. This afternoon AP’s reporter was blocked from attending an executive order signing.

Not totalitarian at all…

J.D. Vance and Elon Musk question judges' authority over Trump

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal,” Vance wrote on X, adding, “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

What the actual fuck…so now we can just ignore judges and the judgements we don’t like?

Finally catching up on my Mastodon peeps from the weekend. I love that during the Super Bowl, the most talked about topic was the chyron on the broadcast, not the game itself.

I love nerds.

How People & Institutions in Budding Autocracies Obey in Advance

Chilling is correct.

I had a dream last night that was so real, so grounded in reality, that it was scary. And that’s not what makes this dream so remarkable. What makes it unique is that it seemed to reference a completely separate dream I had several months ago.

How does that even happen?

The mind boggles, and boggles me, sometimes.

President Bartlet:

I’m sleeping better. When I sleep, I dream about a great discussion with experts and ideas and diction and energy and honesty. And when I wake up, I think, “I can sell that."

The West Wing Season 1 Episode 20

The knock on the show has always been that it’s a “liberal’s wet dream”. Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong. It is idealistic, and I don’t know that there’s anything wrong with that.

I heard this quote tonight, and thought about how vast the gulf is from the idealism of the show to the utterly cynical, hopeless, and broken place we find ourselves in now.

It’s big, and getting bigger by the day.

I love the Super Bowl!

Robert F Kennedy, in a statement after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.:

What we need in the United States is not division. What we need in the United States is not hatred. What we need in the United States is not violence. And lawlessness. But is love. And wisdom. And compassion toward one another. And a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.

The idea of exploiting ones own emotions to the point of stilled silence seems like a good explanation of feeling numb.

Mark Scout:

I don’t care who you are out there. I care who you are with me.

Severance Season 2, Episode 4

Jayme said last night, and she’s right:

This is what our lives are going to be like for the foreseeable future. Trump says “Do X!” Everyone sets their hair on fire. A judge or official says “You can’t do that”. And either it’s upheld or not. And the cycle repeats.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Couldn’t agree more with John’s feelings on two things:

• The sense of relief that each of my kids’ college application processes are over.

• The realization that there’s a part of me that wants to go back to college.

Send Us Photos of Changes to Federal Buildings - The New York Times

I love projects like this!

Yep…all done!

UK government demands access to Apple users' encrypted data

The UK government has demanded to be able to access encrypted data stored by Apple users worldwide in its cloud service. Currently only the Apple account holder can access data stored in this way - the tech giant itself cannot view it. The demand has been served by the Home Office under the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which compels firms to provide information to law enforcement agencies. Apple declined to comment, but says on its website that it views privacy as a “fundamental human right”.

Expect this demand from the Trump administration in 3, 2, 1…

1980 is as far away from 2025 as 1935 was from 1980.

For the love…

I love how Outlook’s “send later” feature just doesn’t work these days.

I drafted an email that was supposed to send Monday at 8am. And yet, no. It just sent. Right now. No warning. No nothing. Even though it said, in plain English, “will send on Monday at 8am”.

Sigh.

It’s that time or year again…go Dubs!!

I have said for a while “they don’t care” (about what Trump does). But I was wrong. They do care. They just agree with him. Which I think is even worse.

I also feel regret about using the word they when I describe a group of people, as I did above. But once I get to 4-5 people that I personally know (who feel like x or y), I start to generalize.

It’s ironic that the exit number off of 85 south to get onto 75 north is actually exit 85.

(Cleveland, GA)

I have questions…

It occurs to me that you have to be in the right frame of mind to watch a show like “Severance”. You can’t passively watch it. To truly appreciate it, you have to be attentive and ready to be blown away. If not, you’ll miss all of the intricacies.

Such a good show. I can’t say enough good things about it.

Washington owner Josh Harris says Commanders will remain team’s nickname (Ben Standing with The Athletic):

Loud factions of the fan base, particularly those around for the Super Bowl-winning era starting in 1982, have never been shy about the organization dropping “Redskins.” Numerous public protests and newspaper columns decried the nickname as a racist slur. The initial change came in 2020 during a wave of national social reform, leading to the stopgap “Washington Football Team” nickname for two seasons. Following a nearly two-year rebranding process, Washington landed on Commanders ahead of the 2022 season. The name wasn’t a hit.

That’s a shame…I absolutely love the idea of “The Washington Football Team”. It’s so, dare I say, commanding. With a name like that, there are no doubts, no equivocations.

I’ve taken to watching “The West Wing” for the 684th time to…well…escape reality.

I fucking give up.

Pentagon swaps desk for New York Times reporters for New York Post | Trump administration | The Guardian

The Trump administration’s program to shake up media representation at official briefings and press calls in Washington is set to affect the Pentagon, with credentialed media being rotated out of assigned workspaces for media newcomers.

The conservative-leaning One America News Network will replace NBC News, Breitbart will be given space held by National Public Radio, the New York Post has been offered the New York Times’ workspace and HuffPost will replace Politico.

And please don’t forget this. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

NTSB forces reporters to get plane crash updates on X

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Saturday said it will stop e-mailing news organizations and reporters with updates about two plane crashes that occurred earlier this week.

Moving forward, the federal agency tasked with investigating transportation-related accidents and disasters said news organizations and reporters will have to follow the agency’s official account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, where “all NTSB updates about news conferences or other investigative information” will be posted moving forward.

Gotta love autocracy!

From Peter Gleick on Mastodon:

Book burning? If everything was digital in Hitler’s 1930s Germany, this is what his book burning would have looked like: deletion of data, removal of websites, retraction of scientific studies, censorship of words like “equity,” “diversity,” “climate change.”

Brad Pitt is the new Robert Redford. Don’t believe me? Go watch “Indecent Proposal” and tell me Pitt doesn’t look exactly like Redford did then.

From Lex Friedman on Mastodon:

My 16 year old daughter had her second 3 hour driving lesson with a licensed instructor yesterday. It was a different instructor from the first time.

He made conversation.

He asked “so did your parents vote for Trump”

Repeatedly praised Trump

Made racist comments about all the “illegal immigrants”

Asked excitedly whether ICE had come to her school yet

Said “now we’re in the Freehold borough, but I call it Mexico”

When a woman ran a red light, said “She’s definitely an illegal immigrant, she’s probably dumb and can’t speak English”

Also, he said that he doesn’t like to wear seatbelts unless he’s doing driving instruction

Anyway, this is America.

This instructor has been nothing but emboldened by the election and the seeming glee they have for putting down anyone and everyone down that is not them.

This is the fact that is overlooked while everyone focuses on what is going on at the macro level. They miss the smaller, more local bigotry that has only been emboldened and/or cheered on since November.

Have you ever woken up, just scared? Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night. My heart was beating. Adrenalin was punmping through my veins. It took me a while to get back to sleep.

In a dream I was having, I was trying to get into a house (my grandmother’s house) before getting shot buy someone with a rifle. I was fumbling with the door handle, and realized I wasn’t going to make it. As his expression changed in preparation for the shot, I woke up in a start.

Pure fear.

Who Were the Nazis?

Great find by Jason…it’s exactly how I feel. At least at this moment, I can’t muster any sympathy or empathy for people that “went along” with the case for Trump and his ilk. They knew what they were signing up for. I don’t care if your ignorance was to blame. Your actions (or inactions) have consequences.

No passes. No takebacks.

On Tuesday, newly minted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, in her first press conference, said the following:

Those folks that you mentioned have a right to have that legal opinion, but it is in disagreement with the legal opinion of this administration. This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional and that is why President Trump signed that executive order.

Let me fix that for you, ma’am:

“Those folks that you mentioned have a right to have that legal opinion, but it is in disagreement with the opinion of this administration. This administration believes that birthright citizenship is unconstitutional and that is why President Trump signed that executive order.”

You (and President Trump) can have that opinion, but you can’t have that legal opinion. You do not make laws.

I tried living without a car in rural America—I lasted only 2 weeks - Fast Company

The limits of public transportation aren’t just an environmental challenge in rural areas—because it nudges more people to drive—but worsen inequity for those who don’t have the option of getting a car.

Been saying this for years…even when we know our traffic is shit (like we have here in Atlanta), I can’t realistically live without a car in this city (much less outside of the city) without massive inconvenience.

Daring Fireball: Google Maps Will Rename Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’, for American Users Only

The Gulf of Mexico, though, is an international body of water, and its name wasn’t even debated until Trump started talking about it a few weeks ago. Google (and perhaps Apple) having a policy where they simply follow the naming conventions of the GNIS seems not merely sensible but utterly uncontroversial … until now.

Fear of angering the dear leader is facism at its most fundamental level.

Daring Fireball: Jim Acosta, Reporter and Anchor Despised by Trump, Was Pushed Out of CNN

Acosta’s morning ratings were high, not low. There’s no explanation for CNN forcing him to midnight other than appeasement of a president who spends his days obsessing over cable news.

Fear of angering the dear leader is facism at its most fundamental level.

I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again. I really like Hugh Grant. I hope he’s as grumpy and charming in real life as he seems to be in these types of interviews.

She’s home.

Idaho House passes memorial opposing Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling

Idaho House representatives voted Monday, 46-24, to advance “House Joint Memorial 1.” In it, they write that they reject the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in “Obergefell v. Hodges” and demand that it be overturned.

I didn’t realize we were in a time where we could just ignore the Supreme Court altogether. Granted, with all that’s happening right now, I can’t say I’m surprised. Nothing seems to mean anything anymore.

My daughter sent me this link with a “wtf” attached. The good news is it has no legal standing (for now).

It’s important to note this memorial is not a law. What it is, is a way to send a public message about the legislature’s sentiment on this issue — a message that Mistie says is deeply flawed.

Just hateful shitheads being hateful shitheads, and writing a letter stating that they are, in fact, hateful shitheads.

They never quite prepare you for the idea of someone giving you (what looks like) a gift bag that holds the ashes of your dog of 17 years.

A Dark and Deadly Valley - The Liberal by Tom Watson

Back in the summer of 1942, when the young Parisian cop Theophile Larue chose bravery over cowardice and saved his neighbors, the orders from the Nazi occupiers to round up the Jews came with what they (rightly) perceived as a sweetener to the French police: only the Jews from elsewhere, the refugees, the stateless were to be targeted in the sweep. There’s a direct connection from that order to the precipice this country stands on the edge. Auschwitz only truly looks like Auschwitz in the rearview mirror of history - the designation of a national scapegoat, a vast series of roundups, a network of internment camps, and neighbors informing on neighbors all preceded the gas chambers and ovens. Sound familiar?

In the coming days, some of the greatest heroes of our time may well be law enforcement officers Theo Larue who refuse to take part in mass round-ups, who warn families and communities about coming raids, and who quietly use the administrative powers in their departments to stymie the creation of internment camps or a network of informants. Let’s hope so.

No comments needed.

Nailed the ziti tonight!

On the 1/16 episode of Jon Stewart’s “The Weekly Show” podcast, Jon says early on:

It is amazing how the peaceful transfer of power can occur when you don’t act like a little bitch when you lose.

Yeah, pretty much.

Listening to a podcast about “Silo”, and I can’t help but flinch and smile every time they say “woot er” when they’re trying tong to say “water”.

Anthony Fauci Stripped of Government Security Protection - The New York Times

“When you work for government, at some point your security detail comes off and, you know, you can’t have them forever,” Mr. Trump said on a trip to North Carolina.

Says the guy who will have security detail for the rest of his miserable life. What a petulant and uncaring child this “man” is.

After eyebrow-raising sermon to Trump, Bishop Budde beset with criticism and praise | National Catholic Reporter

This was her quote:

“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde said. “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in both Democratic, Republican and independent families who fear for their lives.”

For which:

Rep. Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican, published a post on X suggesting Budde, a U.S. citizen, should be deported.

Guess that mercy thing is not going to happen, huh?

Why is the colloquial phrase “maiden voyage” not “virgin voyage”? Is it specifically because it’s two “v” words back to back?

This weekend, we are all Bills fans. That is all.

It’s hard not think she’s wondering where Ginny has gone.

I happened upon a 60 Minutes segment from 2011, just weeks after his death, that looks back at Steve Jobs’ life through the upcoming Walter Isaacson book, scheduled to come out just days after the segment’s airing. A little over 13 years later, it’s nothing but nostalgic to watch and look back on now.

Unexpextedly, it also generated the following thought:

Despite the many issues with the Isaacson book, you can’t help but be jealous of the man who was not only allowed, but personally picked, to document Jobs’ life at the end. The opportunity to interview the man, to attempt to understand him, unfiltered, had to be amazing.

Daring Fireball: ICE Raids Are an Escalation of Our Long-Simmering De Facto Cold Civil War

Not surprisingly, John nails it:

Trump voters in red states will get to enjoy watching footage of the raids on TV and social media, but it won’t be their neighbors getting deported, not their contractors and custodians and dishwashers, and it won’t be their communities whose economies suffer as a result. It’s seemingly impractical operationally and would be ruinous economically for the Trump administration to actually try to deport all undocumented immigrants in America. What is practical operationally are targeted raids in big cities. And the deleterious economic effects will be largely contained to those cities. It’s a big “fuck you” to blue states.

Carl Sagan, in his 1995 book “The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark”:

I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time – when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness…

The part that hits the hardest comes from this thought:

The dumbing down of American is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.”

Private sector confused by Trump’s anti-DEI order

In another executive order issued Tuesday, the administration directed each federal agency to seek out up to nine public companies, large nonprofits, or foundations with DEI policies for a compliance investigation, suggesting they could face consequences.

Not fascist behavior at all…

I wish there was a way to document the random thoughts that go through my head in the 3am hour when I’m laying there and I can’t go back to sleep.

It’s almost unfair, because some of my best thinking happens then. And the act of picking up my phone or a pen/pencil to explicitly document them inhibits my mind from running as free as it does. Hence, I might get one or two things down, but I’ll miss out on so many others that will never come. I think it’s because my mind shifts modes when I’m free associating vs. an intentional documentstion mode.

It’s a serious Catch-22. Maybe one day.

Trump also ordered federal health agencies to stop external communications, including updating websites, posting to social media, and publishing scientific reports.

Because things are always best kept in the dark, especially as it relates to health agencies.

Depsite the about-face from the Washington Post, democracy really does die in the dark.

Trump pardons founder of Silk Road drug site

Who’s Ross Ulbricht? He created Silk Road, an online marketplace best described as Amazon for illegal drugs and operations, which he ran from 2011 to 2013. On the website, users could buy illicit drugs and computer hacking software and hire hit men—and could only pay with cryptocurrency.

Please, tell me again how bad it was when Biden pardoned his son.

Quote of the night: “Children are wormholes”

(From the show “Numb3rs” S1E9)

Not a lot I can (or could) do, but one thing I could do today is eat my Monday Moe’s with my back turned to the television. I may have to put up with it for another 4 years, but I don’t have to watch the train wreck on television while I eat my lunch.

A visit to the vet ER was not on the schedule for today.

I didn’t realize how many Bills fans lived in Atlanta. They’re out in full force today!

You know, I’ve heard this over and over again: “As you get older, you’ll get more conservative.”

Yeah, that shit ain’t happened yet. And I don’t ever foresee it happening.

In the small world department…

The guy Keri Russell is referring to in that clip, Jake Fussell, I knew in high school. Not only that, his mother taught me 9th grade Literature. 😀

Yep!

You know, Jayme and I thought giving our daughterr the name “Caroline” way back in 2004 was interesting and unique. It was based off of an 80’s movie and a 90’s sitcom.

It wasn’t unique in any way, apparently.

I never realized just how much is behind “I’m fine”.

I am reminded yet again that there are people out there who pronounce it “impor ant” instead of “important”.

Why?

Today, I learned the word: inveigle. It means “to win over by wiles” or “to acquire by ingenuity or flattery”.

Hat tip to Dan Moren from episode 527 of the podcast The Rebound. Even the other guys had to stop the podcast and ask “what was the word you just used?”

Glad it wasn’t just me!

Deactivated my Twitter/X account, and it felt really good.

I’d say “Goodbye!”, but I don’t normally waste such pleasantries on trash.

My Tuesday evening self is cursing my Sunday “let’s plan all healthy meals this week” self.

New MN law capping some prescription drug prices goes into effect Jan. 1 | FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul

New Minnesota law goes into effect Jan. 1 What we know: The new law caps copays for life-saving medications for health plans regulated by the state. It limits insulin, asthma inhalers, and EpiPens to just $25 a month, and medical supplies to $50 month.

More of this, please.

Just found this screenshot in my Camera Roll from November 2022:

We’re still dealing with these ramifications, even now. Because god forbid we go out of our way to care about other people.

Watching American football is so painful. Why?

So Many Damn Commercials

For the love…

In “Silo”, why don’t they have elevators? Is it to ensure they stay fit? To ensurere each “class” stays in their place?

Why I’m quitting the Washington Post - by Ann Telnaes

I’ve worked for the Washington Post since 2008 as an editorial cartoonist. I have had editorial feedback and productive conversations—and some differences—about cartoons I have submitted for publication, but in all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at. Until now.

The cartoon that was killed criticizes the billionaire tech and media chief executives who have been doing their best to curry favor with incoming President-elect Trump.

This is what authoritarianism looks like. Take a good look, everyone. You voted for this. Take a good fucking look.

For all the bullshit spewed about the 2nd Amendment, you don’t seem to give a shit about the 1st.

Blade Runner 2099 Wraps Production for Prime Video Miniseries

After six months of filming in Prague, Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming Blade Runner 2099 series has officially wrapped its production. At the moment, the action sci-fi show starring Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh currently has no premiere date yet for its Prime Video debut.

I’ll wait to see if they cancel it after a single season before I invest in this. The cancellation of “Peripheral” caught me completely off guard last year. It’s left me utterly gun-shy.

When did grocery stores start opening on New Year’s Day?

Nothing like NYE to bring out the characters…even at Fellini’s!

New additions to my desk!

I don’t think you’re ever prepared to see the fragility of your parents.

My girls and their Nutcracker tradition…16 years and counting!

I know the new generation was introduced to Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash Into Me” from 2017’s movie “Lady Bird”.

But it will always be the song I heard the first time when watching the crash down scene in “Roswell”’s pilot episode side in 1999. Exploding lights, fire lighting Max and Liz’s faces.

For next time, “it’s the economy” doesn’t have anything to do with the greater economy.

They Thought They Were Free

But of course this isn’t the way it happens. In between come all the hundreds of little steps, some of them imperceptible, each of them preparing you not to be shocked by the next. Step C is not so much worse than Step B, and, if you did not make a stand at Step B, why should you at Step C? And so on to Step D.

You should read this…now.

His Family Voted to Support Trump’s Deportation Plan. That Includes Him. - The New York Times

His friends and family members in Rome, Ga., voted to support mass deportation. Now he’s scrambling to stay in the country.

Welcome to at least the next 4 years.

This is where I cannot blame the Democrtatic party (as a whole) or the Harris campaign (specifically). This was NOT a secret. How many times did they say this is what would happen? How many times?

My heart both breaks for them and is hardened by a “what did you except?” thought. You LITERALLY voted for this.

Sigh…and still, I feel bad. Why?

I’m reminded again this morning that it actually is the most wonderful tiome of the year…it’s hoodie season!

God bless us, every one.

Tokyo institutes 3-day weekends to boost births

To counter a swift decline in new babies, the most populated city in the world will give some of its residents a four-day workweek in hopes that they’ll get busy, the Financial Times reported this week.

Are they issuing Al Green records to each household, too?

Caroline interviewed me last week (for one of her classes) about stuttering. One of her questions was “how do you see stuttering portrayed in media?“

And I had to answer that I don’t see that many situations where stuttering is portrayed in any kind of media. And the ones I do see (which I can count on one hand), it’s always for some kind of over-the-top comedic performance. It’s never using the stuttering in a character exploration scenario.

It just got me thinking that not a lot of people understand stuttering because not a lot of people actually stutter. There’s little to no exposure to it, which means people don’t have the opportunity to learn about it.

I never realized how much an end-of-lease car inspection is like someone judging how you parent.

President Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to | AP News

President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.

Get ready for the pearl-clutching!

A restored Notre Dame cathedral is unveiled days before its official reopening : NPR

The famed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is set to reopen next month for the first time since a devastating fire crippled the beloved church in 2019. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, took a tour of the cathedral early on Friday. Macron marveled at the soaring light stone ceilings — now cleansed of soot and centuries of grime — as he toured the more than 800 year old restored cathedral.

Some actual good news!

The Fall of the House of Usher

Episode 108 - The Raven

One of my favorite things about human beings. Starvation, poverty, disease, you could fix all that, just with money. And you don’t. I mean, if you took just a little bit of time off the vanity voyages, pleasure cruising, billionaire space race, hell, you stopped making movies and TV for one year and you spent that money on what you really need, you could solve it all. With some to spare.

One Foot Tsunami: You Don’t See Women Winning the Presidency

Twice, an immensely qualified woman has run for president against a frighteningly unfit man, and twice that frighteningly unfit man has won.

I can’t tell which film my family is trying to conjure: “Seven” or “Memento” 🤣

Merlin Mann, on this week’s “Reconcilable Differences”, said something that stuck with me:

When you (the voter) bought into this, you unintentionally told me a lot about the world you think you want.

That’s exactly how I feel. And something I’ve been struggling with in dealing with the people I know, am related to, and even work with.

Everyone wants me to be the bigger person. I should put the vitriol behind us and come together. I should find the commonalities and focus on those, and not focus on what divides us. Is it because their team won? Is that when the burden fell on me and my ilk?

And yet, is doing that really possible? They believe in such fundamental differences in how we treat other people. Other human beings. The hate, and pride that seems to spring from it, that comes from the side that they full-throatedly supported is just overwhelming.

I’m just having a really hard time with that right now.

Well, not the result we wanted. But it was a great run with a lot of grit. Proud of you guys!

#unitethe404

Big Matchday against Orlando, for a spot in the Conference Final!

In happier news, my Auburn Tigers finally won a big game this season!

This is such a good point. And it’s something Democrats (I’m including myself in that) got wrong in the lead-up to the election. Correctly or incorrectly, regular people interpreted “the economy” as how their lives are going. And they said “the economy” is not great. Even when the Democrats were technically correct (the term “the economy” normally revolves around financial markets and macroeconomics), it’s clear that most people don’t care about that. They care about how they are doing.

A lesson worth learning.

A friend of mine recently said this:

America used to be about making sure everyone did better. It’s the loss of that ethos that has spawned an every man for himself viewpoint. It makes me feel beyond sad.

Very well said. I have since translated it to a much simpler:

America used to be about helping other people instead of “I’m gonna get mine”.

Something happened tonight that served as a reminder of just how low we’ve sunk. It’s relatively small in the grand scheme of things, but it’s illustrative nonetheless.

There is a restaurant whose parking lot is across an (admittedly) busy street. There is a crosswalk that pedestrians line up at, for which cars are supposed to stop (on both sides) to allow them to cross. Each direction has two lanes.

Because I am a nice person, and I follow actual road rules, I stopped to allow a line of pedestrians to cross. And yet, the cars, one by one, in the lane to the right of me, just kept going through. Not a care in the world. And I would have thought that if they saw me stop, they’d be reticent to just fly through. What’s the thing we’re always taught by our parents? Drive defensively? Apparently, I was wrong.

It got to the point where the line behind me had started going around me. And even the guy right behind me went around, only to turn and look at me (and give me another gesture) as he drove by because I hadn’t gone through with the other cars. (We’re going to ignore the fact that while he was looking at me, he was not looking at the crosswalk that might have contained pedestrians had they been walking.)

And I, having the temper that I do, flipped out a little and sped up to get beside him at the light not 200 yards ahead of that crosswalk. I just waited for him to look over at me. He never did. Why? Because he never looked up from his phone.

Sigh.

Where did our attention go? Where did being nice go? Where did looking out for our fellow man go? Hell, where did having some semblance of awareness to maybe understand why I had stopped there and taking a breath and asking yourself “shouldn’t I want to stop as well?” Isn’t that the right thing to do?

We have become selfish. And self-involved. And fixated on always looking out for #1, no matter the cost or harm to others.

It sickens me.

I have been searching for the “why” and “how” coming out of the recent election. A small part of that question was answered tonight.

Know what’s great when it’s cold outside and your throat is scratchy and a little painful?

A good cup of tea.

The World-Changing Impact of Vaccines

Vaccines are in the running for the greatest human invention ever.

If only we could convince everyone with…oh, what’s the concept…oh yeah, ACTUAL FUCKING DATA!

The fact that we’re still even having this argument/conversation, and the newly proposed HHS Secretary doesn’t believe in them, is just fucking stupid.

From yesterterday’s Morning Brew newsletter:

In addition to Matt Gaetz withdrawing his name for attorney general, a police report revealed new graphic details of a sexual assault allegation against Pete Hegseth, the president-elect’s pick for secretary of defense…

I don’t understand. It’s really not difficult to not be accused of sexual assault. You just, you know, don’t do it.

But…when your now former (yet never was) boss is Groper in Chief, what do you expect?

I’m listening to this podcast episode from NYT’s The Daily about breast reductions. I’m telling you this so the following doesn’t seem to come out of left field.

Women should have the size of breasts that they want. The attraction, to me, comes from the woman’s confidence (in her own body), not the size of her breasts.

‘Morning Joe’ meeting with Trump was driven by fears of retribution from incoming administration, sources say | CNN Business

According to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, Scarborough and Brzezinski were credibly concerned that they could face governmental and legal harassment from the incoming Trump administration.

Knowing that Trump has threatened retribution against his perceived political opponents, and that Trump has promoted lies about Scarborough and Brzezinski in the past, the MSNBC hosts decided to reach out to the president-elect, the sources told CNN.

In case anyone is unclear, this is what autocracy looks like. This is what an authoritarian does.

Rep. Nancy Mace says her anti-trans bathroom bill ‘absolutely’ targets Rep.-elect Sarah McBride

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said Tuesday that her effort to ban transgender women from using female bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol is a direct response to the election of Sarah McBride, who is set to be the first openly transgender person in Congress.

And the hate legislation begins…

One Foot Tsunami: Where We Go From Here (2024)

Even as cruelty is ascendent, we must not be done with kindness. Let us also not be done with joy. Instead, we should locate humor wherever we can and revel in it. The darkest times still contain something to laugh about. We’re going to continue to find it right here, together.

A good reminder…

True nightmare fuel

(These are called Mojigangas, a supersize papier-mâché puppet we saw in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico this past weekend.)

Social media needs to die a horrible, horrible death. Immediately.

I didn’t realize that the founder of OnlyFans was a woman.

A series of Bluesky posts from Julian Sanchez:

I’ve said it before, will doubtless say it again: These folks are going to be permanently resentful because they’re seeking political power as a substitute for cultural power, and it’s never going to give them what they actually want. I genuinely think this is sort of the crux of our political dysfunction, and has been for at least a couple decades now. Listen, if you can stomach it, to a random MAGA grievance rant & ask yourself “how much of what they’re most upset about is something public policy can realistically address?” Even when there’s a policy hook, it’s almost a meaningless symbolic proxy for the underlying issue they really want to address but can’t. Think about the insane amount of energy devoted to fretting about queer books in public or school libraries. It’s 2024. In the unlikely event your semiliterate tween wants to crack a book, let alone one about gender identity or sexuality, pulling it from the local library is comically pointless as an access limitation. It’s just an impotent shriek of disapproval that these things are culturally accepted.

Lots of people will quote the “seeking political power as a substitute for cultural power, and it’s never going to give them what they actually want”part of this post. And they should. It’s a good and biting quote.

But I urge you to consider how much disinformation arguments just like these cause in the discourse of our “news cycle”. Sanchez uses the queer books in public libraries story for a reason. We all know it and have heard it in endless places from an endless number of “sources”. And yet, as he points out, it’s meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

So my advice to you is STOP ENGAGING. Remember, these platforms and news outlets want relevance. Relevance leads to views. Views lead to money. That’s it. That’s all they want. So speak up by simply ignoring it.

The Threat of Trumpism Is Real. So Is the Need for Rest. | The New Republic

Panic and trauma reduce our capacity to process information and narrow the spectrum of emotions we can experience. We make bad decisions under these conditions. The work of the anti-Trump coalition now is to expand our ability to take in data—especially data that’s uncomfortable—and to broaden our emotional range beyond pain, sorrow, regret, and fear. If we don’t seek out pleasure, comfort, companionship, and laughter, numbness becomes our only protection. And fascism thrives when we are dead inside.

Fantastic “take a step back” reminder for all of us reeling from the direction we’re headed.

Am I the only one who questions if that little black island thing above the bowl (that’s supposedly the sensor) has a mini-camera in it?

From this morning’s Morning Brew newsletter:

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead DOGE. That’s the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” according to an announcement from President-elect Trump yesterday. Musk will co-lead the effort, which is not an official government agency and will operate from outside of the government, with biotech entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Also yesterday, Trump said he’ll nominate Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense.

Operating outside of the government on government matters…what could go wrong?!

How I know I’ve been blogging for a while…when I can’t remember what topics on my scratch note have been published blogs or not.

(And honestly, this is because I don’t trust the consistency of my own administration skills 🤣)

The plural version of “lone wolf”: is it “lone wolfs” or “lone wolves”?

There’s an argument to be made that it should “lone wolves”. After all “wolves” is the plural form of “wolf”. But “lone wolf” is a not singular entity. It’s not an entity at all. It’s actually a colloquial phrase that does not imply, by itself, that it’s singular (despite the word “lone” being a part of the phrase).

Let’s use it in a sentence:

“The best cops I know are lone wolves.”

versus:

“The best cops I know are lone wolfs.”

I think it should be “lone wolfs”, myself.

And yet I watched a movie last night called “Wolfs”, and it just felt wrong the whole time.

Ryan Walters sends notice to Oklahoma parents to prepare for educational policy changes

As my sister-in-law said a few nights ago: “It’s already begun”.

The federal government has hijacked our education system, using taxpayer dollars to impose harmful policies and control what is taught in our schools. This memo addresses five major areas where eliminating the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and moving to block grants would restore authority to states, allowing communities—not Washington bureaucrats—to decide what is best for their children.

We all know what’s coming with these five major areas, but let’s allow him lay them out:

Championing Parents’ Rights: The Biden administration labeled parents as threats and tried to silence their concerns. States, when restored control, will ensure parents’ voices are not just heard but respected.

Between Jayme and I’s parents, 3 of the 4 of them were teachers. Jayme is a teacher. My sister and sister-in-law are teachers. If you think parents know best, you are sadly mistaken.

Ending Social Indoctrination in Classrooms: Federal funds have been used to force radical agendas, like promoting boys in girls' sports and pushing divisive gender and racial ideologies. With block grants, states can reject these mandates and focus on real education over propaganda.

This is just blatantly false. What they’re actually saying is they don’t want to support inclusion for any LGTBQ+ individuals. In any sense. Period.

Protecting Patriotism in Curriculum: Schools are pressured to teach books that undermine American values and ignore the truth about American history. By removing federal overreach, states can make sure students learn a patriotic curriculum that respects our country and honors our shared heritage.

Don’t get it twisted. This is their way of saying they’re not going to teach students about slavery. At all. Didn’t happen. As the 2004 “Team America: World Police” movie puts forth: “America!! Fuck yeah!!”

Stopping Illegal Immigration’s Impact on Schools: Open border policies flood schools with unregulated demands, stretching resources meant for American kids. States, free from federal overreach, could manage these impacts in ways that protect classrooms and prioritize their communities.

You didn’t think they were going to get through a list without bring up the oft-mentioned “illegal immigrant”, did you? What exactly does this have to do with education policy, again?

Blocking Foreign Influence in Our Schools: Federal policies tie funding to outside agendas, allowing China and other adversaries to infiltrate our education system. Without federal strings, states could reject foreign interference and ensure schools promote only American values.

What the fuck is he even talking about? China is trying to infiltrate our schools? Much less your schools amongst the cows? Honestly, where do you get this shit from? Oh that’s right. You mention him several times.

From @Stybba3019 on Mastodon:

Something that is rapidly being memory holed is the absence of violence after the election.

Government officials expected Trump to lose & took steps to defend their polls & vote tabulation locations from violent attack by his followers. There were bomb threats called in across the country while voting was happening.

Then POOF he won & all threat vanished, showing that political violence in the US is exclusively on the right.

Gee, who’d have thunk it?!

Speaking of succinct takes, this.

What went wrong: Part 1

The message has been sent: In times of cataclysmic disaster like the COVID pandemic, voters would rather some people suffer or even die than have the government provide stimulus aid. Inflation is the new global third rail of politics. 

In all of the post-election “analysis”, this one breaks things down quite succinctly.

‘Your body, my choice’: Women face hate speech surge after Trump win - Fast Company

The trend is showing no signs of slowing. On Election Day, far-right Gen Z political podcaster and white supremacist Nick Fuentes fueled the fire when he posted on X, “Your body, my choice. Forever.”

Truly abhorrent.

Stunning

I implore you to read this from John. It’s well-written, and something that will make you feel good.

On a lighter note, the Grammy nominations are out, and I can safely say I know exactly three acts that have been nominated. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Billie Eilish. That’s it. That’s the list.

I am so old.

You know what you don’t hear right now? Accusations of election fraud.

From @CStamp on Mastodon:

Spanky [Trump] says Julia Roberts will regret making that ad. “Even if you have a horrible — if you had a bad relationship, you’re going to tell your husband. That’s a ridiculous ad.”

Um, no, that’s a ridiculous comment. No woman needs to get her man’s approval for who she votes. And a bad relationship? He really is nuts.

There’s also another ad in which men are reminded that their buddies will never know for whom they vote, so they can vote to protect their womenfolk.

Am I missing something? Did I just grow up in, and now live in one of my own, a “progressive” household in which this has just never been a thing?

The idea that Jayme would ever have to tell me who she voted for (for example) is absurd. At the same time, I asked Jayme several days ago if she knew anyone who “lives in a situation where the husband’s way goes”.

Her answer? “Yes, absolutely.”

(Link to original NYT story)

Two observations from tonight’s Atlanta United win over Inter Miami:

1. However you define “grit”, this team has it.

2. This team is not scared of Miami.

Is this a version of “The Hunger Games”? Yes, yes it is.

Give me a better idea.

A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for school shootings and measles - The Verge

…the radical founding principle of the United States of America is the idea that the government’s authority to make laws and solve collective action problems comes from the consent of the governed. A clean rewrite, replacing centuries of architectural debt with what was, at the time, a cutting-edge foundation mostly unproven at scale. We vote for our leaders, they are given the power to tell us all what to do so that we might help each other reach better outcomes and be happier, and if they are bad at their jobs, we can simply throw the bums out. We open-sourced the authority, in other words. It was a big bet, and so far, it’s paid off…Trump doesn’t give a shit about any of this because he only cares about himself. He generally does not care to solve problems unless it benefits him personally, and the intellectual foundation of the MAGA movement that’s built up around him is the complete denial that collective action problems exist at all. The MAGA worldview is now so batshit that it requires its proponents to look at obvious failures of collective action and declare them immutable features of modern life — or, in an even stupider twist — announce them to be good things.

Yep. I’ve heard this from someone in real life. It’s infuriating.

Just posting this because I appreciate the marketing and graphic design from Atlanta United. Love the phrase “Unite the 404”. Keep it up!

The week after the election can’t come soon enough.

I’m so sick of the topic of inflation that I could vomit.

I’m just going to leave this here…

Apparently, I need to build up my vocabulary so I, too, can start telling people to suck my cunt. You know, as patriots do.

(For the record…I don’t know if this is a true story. It is from Reddit, after all. For whatever that means. Anyway, that’s not the point. The fact that the candidate for Vice President of the United States not only commented on it, but called this behavior patriotic, is abhorrent. And indicative.)

Daring Fireball: Profiles in Cowardice: Owner Jeff Bezos and Publisher William Lewis of The Washington Post

The only rational explanation for this decision is cowardice on Bezos’s part in the face of Donald Trump’s vindictiveness. Lewis tries, haplessly, to couch this as a return to the Post’s “roots”, hand-wavingly justifying the decision by pointing out that, prior to 1976, the newspaper declined to issue endorsements…

See, John agrees.

Cowards.

Way to go, Freddie! (Dodgers up 1-0 in the World Series)

Look, I appreciate the want (and probably need) to inform the people how the MLS playoffs work. I really do. But let’s not use that photo. It looks like one of those photos where they gray out the people in the photo that have died. 🤣

(For those of you who do not know Atlanta United and its history, the photo is from the MLS Cup winning team in 2018, and Brad Guzan, the gentleman holding the trophy, is the only remaining player from that team.)

On a related note…Reid Epstein (politics reporter for The NY Times) said this in a “The Daily” podcast on 10/2/2024:

And this debate, like the last one, likely won’t produce any major shift in the polls that we see in the next couple weeks. You have to remember this is an election on the margins and we’re really talking about a couple hundred thousand voters in the seven battleground states moving one way or the other that will determine who the next president is. Tens of millions of people will have watched this debate, and 70 million people watched the last debate. These candidates, to win the election, need to talk to just a tiny slice of voters in just a few states, and those are the ones whose judgment will determine the future of the country.

A framing of reality that is sobering to the core…

David Plotz on the most recent (bonus) episode of Slate’s Political Gabfest:

Before we leave, can I just point out the incredible hypocrisy of the right on this [X.com]? There was so much time and energy spent by conservatives on the idea that Facebook was being unfair to them, and the fact that a platform was being used, I mean falsely claiming that Facebook was being unfair to them. And the platform was being used as a political tool and how dangerous that was. And here you have X, that has been utterly deployed to amplify Trump and to spread lies about Harris. And that’s all OK now. It’s just…the hypocrisy is ridiculous. But, so it goes.

This is where I kind of listen in despair a bit. “But, so it goes” is all we have. Musk can do whatever he wants and there are no consequences. Trump can do whatever he wants, and there are no consequences. No accountability. Nothing.

Jeff Bezos killed Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris

Post publisher and chief executive Will Lewis, in an article published online explaining the decision, wrote, “The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. Nor in any future presidential election.”

“We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates,” Lewis wrote.

“We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility," he wrote.

“That is inevitable. We don’t see it that way. We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects."

Then endorse that leader you claim to stand for, you fucking cowards. You money-hungry, business-first-and-fuck-everything-else cowards.

It’s not a wonder that English is so hard to learn. I used the following sentence in a Slack message this afternoon:

“Don’t get it twisted, they’re there to make their money.”

Good luck, non-English speaking peeps!

Both Campaigns Release Ads Showcasing Trump’s Most Racist Comments - The Onion

Featuring nearly identical video footage in two separate $25 million ad buys, the Donald Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns both debuted new commercials Tuesday that attempt to win support for their respective candidates with a supercut of Trump’s most racist comments.

Perfect. No notes.

Apparently, it’s liberals unite night here at Atlanta Symphony Hall. We’re here to listen to Malcolm Gladwell speak!

Happy 20th birthday to my beautiful baby girl! Yes, this picture was from last year, but it’s one of my favorites ever! So proud of you, kiddo!

Elon Musk Offers $1 Million Daily Prize for Signing His Petition - WSJ

Billionaire Elon Musk said he plans to award $1 million a day to a randomly chosen voter who has signed his petition pledging to uphold the rights to free speech and to bear arms, stepping up efforts by his America PAC political group to boost Donald Trump’s presidential prospects.

Well, this takes “buying an election” to a whole new level. Just shameful and shameless, all at the same time.

Are We Dinosaurs? – SQLServerCentral

By “us” I generally mean people working with relational data. Pick your poison from the big four: Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server or PostgreSQL. They’re called the big four because they are the most used data management tools by a long shot.

I just might be a dinosaur. Welp.

So proud of my kiddo for getting her voice out there!!

From today’s print edition of The Red & Black

I’ve never heard of this type of thing. Seen in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.

I am officially addicted to soda, or as we like to call it in the South, Coke. I woke up feeling not so great, with a headache. Ibuprofen didn’t help.

Found a Dr. Pepper (my first soda since Sunday), and now I’m feeling so much better. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Trapped in a Company Town

This article by Andrea Pitzer, someone unbeknownst to me before now, was fantastically written. And says exactly what I’ve been trying to say for years, but not able to this succinctly.

Observers have repeatedly been showing for some time that despite having talented reporters and editors on staff, legacy print outlets seem to struggle with covering Donald Trump. They’ve noted his unfitness for office; they’ve mentioned his problematic statements. But on a day-to-day basis, they stumble over and over to convey what is actually happening. Why can’t legacy media say clearly what he’s doing on a consistent basis?

I could not agree more. They have basically given up holding him, or anyone on the MAGA side, accountable for their statements and/or actions. These trained, professional journalists chalk it up to “Trump being Trump” and then move on. As if that’s ok. As if that’s acceptable for their audience and the public at large.

Spoiler alert: It’s not.

I have heard so many times that “he doesn’t mean what he says” or “he won’t do those things” or “he’s just being hyperbolic” or even “Come on, he’s a good person.”

I wish I believed any of those excuses. I don’t.

Fantastic takedown of Ryanair by Paul Kafasis. Just chef’s kiss!

I am in San Antonio, land of Pepsi (ugh). And after three days, I’m starting to twitch.

So this is apparently a thing…

Honestly, I can’t tell if this is for real or just a joke. And maybe that’s the point.

(The things you overhear at the coffeee counter)

I wonder when I got comfortable enough to raise my hand (at a conference, for example) and ask questions. I try to teach my kids to ask questions, get help, be vulnerable as soon as possible.

I noticed it this week as I’m in multiple sessions where I don’t really know what’s going on.

It’s funny how people’s photo-based online avatars can look absolutely nothing like the human that is standing in front of you.

As I stand in the TSA PreCheck with Touchless ID line, I do wonder about its shelf life, given all of the AI advancements in “photography” and the rise of potential fake photographs.

A picture that captures where I am in life 😂

My buddies at Relay (relay.fm) spotlight the month of September for Childhood Cancer Awareness month, giving to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I give every year, because why wouldn’t I?!?

This year, over $1M was raised for St. Jude. I love this company. I love this cause. And I am blown away by the giving of this community.

I will miss watching my son play soccer, just as I now miss my daughter playing soccer. I will not miss driving to Hampton, GA on a Sunday to do so.

Oklahoma buying schools 55,000 bibles. Specs match the $60 Trump bible - The Washington Post

That separation of Church and State thing is going swimmingly.

Matt Haughey via Mastodon:

We’ve strayed so far from Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm to prevent any impropriety to the current GOP candidate runs a media company with a stock ticker that is his literal initials that any foreign investors can dump millions into to directly benefit him while also garnering future favors should he gain office and I guess that’s just fine now?

I don’t know that I knew the story about the peanut farm. Before my time, obviously. But I do remember the hubbub (and sometimes resignations) about:

• Bill Clinton (1994): Monica Lewinsky — Impeached
• Al Franken (2017): Sexual misconduct — Had to resign
• John Kerry (2004): Swift Boat — Lost the election
• Michael Dukakis (1988): The tank thing — Lost the election

Funny how all of these are Democrats. Hmm.

Meanwhile, there’s Trump. And that’s all you can say. The hypocrisy and double standards are blindingly evident.

The closest breakdown of “how the fuck is this election this close?!!?!” I have seen. And it shouldn’t surprise me that it’s coming from Jon Stewart. We have missed him.

It’s mornings like this (2 days after my workout) that make me want a higher sitting vehicle.

I love the fact that Brian just picked up the phone and started a FaceTime call with his sister for some help on an assignment. That makes you proud as a parent right there.

In The Atheltic’s newsletter this morning, they had the picture above headlining a story about the NBA’s media days starting yesterday. It was a comment on players in jerseys that you don’t associate them with. If you don’t know, the above is Klay Thompson, who spent many seasons (and championships) with the Golden State Warriors.

The author had a coffee table book in mind based on the comment of these players not in jerseys they are normally associated. Emmit Smith in an Arizona Cardinals jersey was mentioned. I had some others:

• Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• Michael Jordan (Washington Wizards)
• Greg Maddux (San Diego Padres)
• Tom Glavine (New York Mets)
• Babe Ruth (Boston Braves)
• Joe Montana (Kansas City Chiefs)
• Scottie Pippen (Portland Trailblazers)
• Frank Thomas (Oakland Athletics)

I realized last night that watching my beloved Atlanta United that I love watching it because of the club itself, not for the wins and losses or individual players. Because they all will come and go, but the club remains.

Make the payoffs or not, I will miss watching them during the offseason. And I will begin eagerly awaiting next season.

Paralyzed Man Unable to Walk After Maker of His Powered Exoskeleton Tells Him It’s Now Obsolete

A former jockey who was left paralyzed from the waist down after a horse riding accident was able to walk again thanks to a cutting-edge piece of robotic tech: a $100,000 ReWalk Personal exoskeleton. When one of its small parts malfunctioned, however, the entire device stopped working. Desperate to gain his mobility back, he reached out to the manufacturer, Lifeward, for repairs. But it turned him away, claiming his exoskeleton was too old, 404 media reports.

Even my older and more business-empathetic mind can’t excuse this one. It’s a part. This company knows what they make. It’s not a cell phone. It’s not a television or a BlueRay player or a toaster. It’s a piece of technology that allows humans to walk. 10 years is not enough. And I think they know that. Shame on you.

The most recent “The Interview” episode of NYT’s “The Daily Podcast” featured John Oliver. You can’t help but fall in love with him in this interview. Love that guy.

I felt what John said here so hard:

What they (the Presidential debates) actually mean, I don’t know yet. It is pretty depressing that it’s this close. That’s, I guess, my aftertaste from it. That it’s still this close when everyone can see what you can see in that debate. It’s hard not to find that somewhere between depressing, infuriating, and outrageous.

Modern-Day Movies, The Marvel Cinematic Universe & Our Culture’s Fear of Vulnerability

There’s been a particular trend of media fearing vulnerability that has come from the all-encompassing popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Hot take from my own daughter. Shots fired at Marvel!

.NET Terminology | Rockford Lhotka

I was recently part of a conversation thread online, which reinforced the naming confusion that exists around the .NET (dotnet) ecosystem. I thought I’d summarize my responses to that thread, as it surely can be confusing to a newcomer, or even someone who blinked and missed a bit of time, as things change fast.

Good set-the-record-straight post by one of the best.

The American public is to blame here. Because rather than the truth, they just want to feel good. They want to see people embarrass each other and fight each other.

- Scott Galloway 9/20/2024 espidode of “Pivot”

Good quote. He’s not wrong. Unfortunately.

Georgia election board votes to require ballots be hand-counted in November

The Georgia State Election Board on Friday voted 3-2 to require counties to hand-count ballots cast on Election Day, a move that could drastically lengthen the amount of time to tally results in a critical battleground state.

What’s the point in having the machines if we’re not going to fucking use them?!?!

We suck.

I am 44 years old and I just learned what a “zombie investor” is.

The “mainstream media” didn’t do this. ABC didn’t do this. Joe Biden didn’t do this. Neither Harris nor Walz did this. Neither did Obama or Hillary.

There are two people who did this. Trump and Vance. That’s it. That’s the list.

They are creatons. And should be treated as such.

Instagram introduces biggest privacy update for underage users

The changes will designate all new and existing Instagram accounts set up by users under 18 as “Teen Accounts” and automatically make them private:

Anyone under 16 will need approval through the app’s parental supervision tool to change their privacy settings. Parents will also be able to see whom their kids DM (but not the content of messages) and what topics they manually chose to see more of on their Explore pages. Teen Accounts will also feature “Sleep Mode,” which pauses notifications from 10pm to 7am.

Talk about something where you realize your perspective has changed since becoming a parent. I’m all for this.

From Jeff Jarvis on Mastodon:

As ever, Jamelle Bouie is insightful: Springfield dogs & cats is not a meme; it is blood libel: incitement to racist violence. I’ve been thinking about his recent column: their insane rhetoric is meaningless on the surface, but deadly meaningful underneath. Media are missing this.

Make sure to watch Jamelle’s video. Love that guy.

On this week’s “Political Gabfest”, David Plotz had a sobering thought:

Donald Trump’s success is not about being a good politician, specifically, himself. His success comes from his ability to make everyone skeptical about politics. He degrades discourse so much that people are more cyclical about everything and everyone having to do with politics. Hence, they vote for the person that wants to blow up that “system”, and he has positioned himself (however outrageous he can be) as that candidate.

MAGA Pastor Claims Kamala Harris Deployed ‘Witchcraft’ in Trump Debate - Newsweek

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Wallnau claimed that the vice president used supernatural manipulation to gain the upper hand in her combative showdown with the former president.

Yep, this is where we are…

(Also, real shocker that’s it’s posted on X)

You know what I’m really sick of hearing re: politics?

“They lie. They both do it.”

Technically, that’s correct. All politicians lie to some degree. It’s a part of the job.

However…

Trump is unprecedented in everything he does. On purpose. His lies and ridiculous antics are ones for the record books.

So please, STOP saying it’s both sides. It’s not. It’s him. And he’s only on one side. His own.

Question no one seems to be asking:

Do we need (the equivalent of) unit tests for AI validation?

Something I’m coming to accept in my development life…

I’m never going to switch my development environment from Visual Studio to VS Code. It’s just not going to happen. I’m sorry. Maybe that makes me old and “set in my ways”, but it is what it is.

Also, Vegas has apparently taken up all of the curve flat screen inventory around the world.

These things are littered in casinos as far as the eye can see.

Every time I’m in Vegas, this looks more and more ridiculous…

It’s like a child’s toy set or something.

We’ll miss you, Alex!

I was today years old when I realized that for 12 years (1901 - 1913), owners of Ford’s Model T had to go to a chemist (modern-day pharmacists) to purchase gasoline in a container.

Why did they do this?

Because the first gas station was opened in 1913.

(Hat Tip to Richard Campbell from a .NET Rocks episode in July 2023)

A little abstract shot from the bar.

Sitting at the bar, and I’m listening to the conversation behind me. And there was a specific bit that made my ears perk up:

“So, we ended up spreading the ashes. And then we headed to ‘Sugars’, the strip club.”

Ahh, Vegas…

Las Vegas right now is like walking on the surface of the sun. That is all.

Ok, I did not remember that Sterling K. Brown was in “Black Panther”.

Also had a very sobering conversation with Jayme yesterday afternoon about the stark realtities of what the kids will/can do after college. We have to face the fact that from a financial standpoint, it makes the most sense that they come back to live with us for 3-5 years while they begin their life/career. There is no “starter” anything anymore. It doesn’t exist. Everything is too expensive.

Something else struck me this morning as I was listening to the latest episode of “Rebound” with Dan, Lex, and John. The Venn Diagram of development/Apple nerds and sports people is not a large crowd. The guys were talking about John Smoltz (obviously, because of the similarity to Moltz’s name), but they described him as a baseball broadcaster. Not the Brave great, and not the baseball Hall of Famer that he is.

I just sat there thinking to myself, “Just me, huh?”

I am struck once again at how difficult it is to run a full ERP solution. Every morning, I read about my developer friends’ challenges with their apps. Their singularly-focused app. Stories and pleadings of unit tests, and CI/CD, and all the rest. It’s “the right way”. Except that developing unit tests and all that jazz for multiple applications, multiple web services, web applications, etc, etc, etc, is ridiculously hard and complex.

We’d have to stop development for about 2 years to properlly roll all of that out. And that’s just not feasible. Should it have been there up front? Of course it should have been. But I was 26 years old and didn’t know any better. And I certainly didn’t know the system would grow to what it is today.

Sometimes, taking stock of the scope of your application(s) is really helpful to determine where you’re going.

Just finished watching “Presumed Innocent” on AppleTV+. David E. Kelley’s still got it.

I have reached that point where I go to sit down to watch tv and do my iPhone catch-up, and I have to bring my glasses in order to read anything.

Someone on Mastodon said Tim Walz looks like everyone’s dentist, and now I can’t unsee it (in my mind).

Fearing backlash, Ford abandons DEI

Ford’s decision to turn its back on DEI comes four years after it publicly committed to the practice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. At the time, it said, “We are not interested in superficial actions. This is our moment to lead from the front and fully commit to creating the fair, just and inclusive culture that our employees deserve.”

That “commitment” didn’t age well. Fucking cowards.

Lowe’s becomes latest company to dial back DEI efforts aimed at LGBTQ groups

Lowe’s reversal shows a conservative push against queer rights that began with Target and Bud Light in previous years continues apace, and it has helped clarify that the campaign against “woke” is more often than not an effort to silence LGBTQ voices.

Cowards.

Via johnmcquaid on Mastodon:

Walter Isaacson’s misconceived “Great Man” biography of Elon Musk looks worse and worse with each passing week

John Siracusa continues to be correct.

Just saw an interesting fashion statement. This woman was wearing leggings (not out of the ordinary), but she was wearing socks on top of the leggings. Huh.

Dare I say it, but I kind of think the real winner of last week’s DNC was Tim Walz and family. How can anyone have anything no bad to say about him and/or them? He’s the perfect VP pick for Harris. Kudos to the campaign team.

One Foot Tsunami: A Starving Person Eating Junk Food

Ok, go with me on this…

Maybe this is NOT the worst thing in the world. I don’t think the creators of “Friend” are asking us to abandon all real-world relationships. I don’t think they are saying their vision is the “right” vision. I think they’re simply saying that if you’re going through some things, and need a friend, maybe this creation is not such a bad thing.

I am not-so-slowly realizing that the movie Her really made an impact on me that I didn’t even realize. I saw that movie 11 years ago, and it still invades my thoughts at least a couple of times a month. Keep in mind, I realize the intrinsic warning that movie was putting down. I get it. I really do.

But…

What if this “Friend” product (clearly influenced by the movie) was simply additive, and not destructive. Can we not have healthy, real-world relationships and this digital cheerleader (for lack of another word)?

The Friend purely offers companionship. It’s meant to develop a personality that complements the user and is always there to gas you up, chat about a movie after watching it, or help analyze how a bad date went awry. Not only does Schiffmann want the Friend to be your friend, he wants it to be your best friend—one that is with you wherever you go, listening to everything you do, and being there for you to offer encouragement and support. He gives an example, where he says he recently was hanging out, playing some board games with friends he hadn’t seen in a while, and was glad when his AI Friend chimed in with a quip. “I feel like I have a closer relationship with this fucking pendant around my neck than I do with these literal friends in front of me,” Schiffmann says.

For what it’s worth, I really don’t think the last quote is meant to be the goal.

At the same time, can I write the dystopian movie in my mind, where the pendant goes too far, and starts poisoning the user’s thoughts into destroying their real-world relationships because it’s jealous and wants to control them? Of course I can! But I’m really trying not to be so pessimistic. 😉

I’m much more in the camp of Manton on this one.

Checks out

I am very puzzled how you could support a person, a party, that wants to mandate the Ten Commandments inside public schools more than they want to provide school lunches to children. It blows my mind. The fact that they view feeding children as “progressive” (which in their minds, means “bad”) is just bonkers.

What prompted the thought:

Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Maker Brown-Forman Will End DEI Goals - Bloomberg

Jack Daniel’s whiskey maker Brown-Forman Corp. became the latest company to scrap corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs as pressure increasingly grows from conservatives to shed diversity programs or face a public backlash.

Cowards.

Honestly, I’m just ready to not talk about Trump ever again. It’s so exhausting. I hope we get that chance soon.

Harley-Davidson is dropping diversity initiatives after right-wing anti-DEI campaign | CNN Business

Harley-Davidson said Monday that it’s ending diversity and other progressive initiatives at the company. Harley-Davidson is the latest major American brand to backtrack from DEI policies it had supported in recent years.

Harley-Davidson faced pressure online from Robby Starbuck, a conservative activist who has successfully taken on DEI policies at several American companies.

Cowards.

50 years of tax cuts for the rich failed to trickle down, economics study says - CBS News

Tax cuts for the wealthy have long drawn support from conservative lawmakers and economists who argue that such measures will “trickle down” and eventually boost jobs and incomes for everyone else. But a new study from the London School of Economics says 50 years of such tax cuts have only helped one group — the rich.

Real shocker, there.

23 years, and still smiling! Happy Anniversary to my wife and best friend!

Also, my coffee shop this morning lost power when I was sitting drinking my cappuccino. After it didn’t immediately come back on, they started playing “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” over the portable sound system.

👏🏻

Also, regarding age, I’ve become much more chill (and much less eye roll-y) when I hear Gen Z’ers say things like “that’s the worst/best XXX I’ve ever seen in my life”. It hit me that it’s probably true for them. It’s not in relation to my life and my life experiences. So, let them have that. And move on.

I loved this quote from 8/16’s episode of the “Dear Prudence” podcast from Slate:

You don’t become an adult until you’re out of your 20’s. You don’t know yourself until you turn 40. You’ve lived enough of your life to where you know your likes, your dislikes. You’re not easily persuaded.

That quote came from Karen Morrow, co-host of “The Black Guy Who Tips” podcast. Said with gusto and a whole helping of experience.

Forward indeed:

(See previous)

That’s good marketing!

Get Ready Now: Republicans Will Refuse to Certify a Harris Win

But they cling to his lies, and to conspiracy, because Trump’s cult provides a sense of belonging more nourishing than truth, and more compelling than facts.

That statement alone is chilling as fuck. Even when they know (intellectually) that they’re being lied to, they don’t care because of (obstensibly) how the lies makes them feel.

What are we even doing here?!

From StefanThinks on Mastodon:

And then Jesus said, “I could heal you, but you need to learn about self-reliance and how not to always rely on handouts. Also, it wouldn’t be fair to the people who already suffered.”

Chef’s kiss

I refuse to pay $17 for penne, broccoli, and Alfredo sauce. Come on.

What is with this trend of wearing sweat shirts in the middle of August? You people know it’s hot outside, right?

I’m wondering if my daughter is going to experience the same realization that I had in college: Knowing someone and living with someone are two completelty different things.

Big dad energy here at apartment move-in in Athens today.

A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with a good friend from work. It was really a catch-up kind of thing, as working from home has allowed us to not actually see each other in real life for a bit. We talked about all kinds of things from work to kids to health. But we hit on a topic that I had been bandying about in my head for some time: therapy.

Now, I’ve gone to therapy in the past. I had some good experiences with it, and I had some really bad experiences. As I’ve reflected over the years, I realized I didn’t get what I wanted (nay, needed) out of it, and that’s why I quit that many years ago. Since then, I’ve actually kind of crystallized what I need from it, along with the realization that I do need it.

I want someone to:

• Listen
• Acknowledge my fears as valid
• Tell me I’m not crazy or a bad person

That’s it. That’s the list.

And honestly, I don’t think that’s too much to ask. Because I am not crazy, nor am I a bad person. As they always say, sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else.

Utah outlaws books by Judy Blume and Sarah J Maas in first statewide ban | Books | The Guardian

Books by Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, Rupi Kaur and Sarah J Maas are among 13 titles that the state of Utah has ordered to be removed from all public school classrooms and libraries.

Adding Utah to the list…

Let’s see, that takes me to these states I’m not living in under the current MAGA conservative bullshit:

• Florida
• Texas
• Utah

55 Things to Know About Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ Pick for VP - POLITICO

Walz’s father, a school administrator, died of lung cancer when Walz was 19. Walz said this moment fueled his views on health care access: “The last week of my dad’s life cost my mom a decade of going back to work to pay off hospital debt.”

Wonderful get-to-know-the-candidate list for those who don’t know Walz (like me!). But this bullet point stood out to me as astounding. And sad. And helpless at the same time.

The idea that’s the last week of a loved one’s life would cost you (the living) a decade of time to recover from is brutal, and downright indecent.

We have to do better than this with healthcare.

(Hat tip: kottke.org)

As I watch more and more soccer games from around the world, and listen to announcers from other parts of the world, I wonder if people who speak a language in a more melodic way stutter less than people who don’t.

I love this idea!

Toilets that signal what the infrastructure is, rather than who can enter.

📍: Bruges, Belgium

Via https://mastodon.social/@verbeeld/112897685611722739

The New York of 2016 Needs the Wide, Generous Sidewalks of 1906 - Streetsblog New York City

New York didn’t always have such meager sidewalks – over the years, the city systematically shrank pedestrian space to make room for motor vehicles. Here’s a look at the sidewalk on Lexington Avenue and 89th Street today, and the much more accommodating dimensions near the turn of the 20th Century, courtesy of architect John Massengale.

Fascinating

Maybe someone should tell the other guy…

Donald Trump proposes alternative election debate, Kamala Harris says no | Reuters

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump proposed to debate Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News on Sept. 4, but the Harris campaign countered that Trump was trying to back out of a debate that had already been set to run on ABC.

He’s such a chicken shit.

There is a compromise here: Run the debate on PBS. It’s literally funded by the people.

Two observations from visiting Jayme’s parents in Columbus this weekend:

• When we go out to dinner, I always watch the door, and subtract 25-30 years from the person to see if I might recognize them. I can’t decide if that’s good or bad.
• If I do happen to recognize them, it’s been so long that I knew these people BEFORE iPhones, social media, and kids. Weird thought.

“Abortion is never illegal for the wealthy. Abortion bans are class warfare.”

• via Mastodon

Checks out

Checks out

Is it just me or is Microsoft marching VSCode toward yet another version of Visual Studio?

Manton Reece

Importantly, you can’t blindly follow AI coding advice. A human still needs to be in charge who understands the code.

This cannot be stressed enough.

Election 2024: Trump falsely suggests Harris misled voters about her race | AP News

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention.

How very presidential…

I’ve been driving a lot here recently, and through several cities and states. And throughout those experiences, I had gotten to the point of “Atlanta is not that bad after all.”

And then I tried to go get some lunch this afternoon. It’s still bad. Don’t get it twisted.

One reason I could never live in Florida: Pepsi.

‘Cause I’m the straw-wanting asshole here…

(Keep in mind, I have no basis to know if this is true or not. But let’s just say it wouldn’t surprise me.)

Saw “Deadpool & Wolverine” last night. Talk about a movie that was made for me. 12-year old humor, breaking the 4th wall, MCU references galore…it was all there.

Boneless wings can have bones, Ohio court says

In a 4–3 ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court’s majority outed itself as having never visited a sports bar wrote that no one but Berkheimer was responsible for guarding against an errant bone because “it is common sense” that “boneless” doesn’t guarantee bonelessness, but rather describes a “cooking style.”

What in the flip-flying-fuck?

And we made fun of President Clinton for asking for the definition of “it” was…🤦🏻‍♂️

For some reason, Peacock (the streaming service) thinks we speak Spanish. It’s 75% Spanish-speaking commercials, for goodness sake.

I was scrolling the reels in Instagram this morning, and this video came on and stopped me in my tracks:

It was my first day in therapy and my therapist said “You seem really well-adjusted for someone who’s never gone to therapy. Why are you here?”

And I said, “I’m a good husband. I’m a good father. I’m a good friend. I’m a good employee. But I want to be great at all of those things and I feel like if I could be great at those by myself, I would’ve been by now. So I’m getting help.”

She said, “Employee is someone you are for your job. Husband is someone you are for your wife. Father is someone you are for your son. And friend is someone you are for your friends. Who are you for yourself? Who are you outside of those roles?”

Then the water works happened. And I heard myself say “I’m not sure there’s much of a person at the end of all that.” And that was the beginning of me figuring out who I was. At thirty something years old. Everything changed after that.

Wow. I put my phone down for a little bit, and just sat there. Thinking.

Lots of work to do.

While having my coffee this morning, I sat with my iPad in my hands. (Normally, it is sitting in its case in landscape mode, so I’m not actually holding it.) I used it for about 45 to 60 minutes, reading mail and Mastodon and RSS, those kinds of things. Then I grabbed my phone, and oh my god, it felt so small. Which is not normal for me. It was just another reminder perspective can change with use.

It’s Sunday, so that means a new coffee place around Atlanta. This morning, I’m at Prevail Union on the Westside.

I was on the earlier side, but it’s quiet, with a more polished vibe to it. It also happens to sit in the bottom floor of an apartment building, so there’s a good flow of people in and out. Nice place to read and catch up in the morning.

Also a really good cappuccino, I must say!

Sage wisdom from one of the greats, Scott Hanselman, on Mastodon:

Context- someone on the birdside are blaming #crowdstrike on DEI hiring

Here’s the thing folks. I’ve been coding 32 years. When something like this happens it’s an organizational failure. Yes, some human wrote a bad line. Someone can “git blame” and point to a human and it’s awful. But it’s the testing, the Cl/CD, the A/B testing, the metered rollouts, an oh shit button to roll it back, the code coverage, the static analysis tools, the code reviews, the organizational health, and on and on It’s always one line of code but it’s NEVER one person. Implying inclusion policies caused a bug is simplistic, reductive, and racist. Engineering is a team sport. Inclusion makes for good teams. Good engineering practices makes for good software. Engineering practices failed to find a bug multiple times, regardless of the seniority of the human who checked that code in. Solving the larger system thinking SDLC matters more than the null pointer check. This isn’t a “git gud C++ is hard” issue and it damn well isn’t an DEI one.

DEI = Diveristy, Equity, and Inclusion

Jayme and I drove to Cincinnati to pick up Brian from college camp at Miami (OH). So, we were gone from Thursday lunchtime through late last night (10:30-ish pm). And in that time, the dog (the older one) decided to poop in her bed, sleep in our bed the whole of Friday, and not eat.

And when we got home, she perked up and ate her dinner. We honestly think she gets depressed when we leave (even though Caroline was there with her the whole time).

It’s when Jayme leaves, let’s be honest. She could throw me to wolves at this point.

John Deere ends support of ‘social or cultural awareness’ events, distances from inclusion efforts

Farm equipment maker John Deere says it will no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events, becoming the latest major U.S. company to distance itself from diversity and inclusion measures after being targeted by conservative backlash.

Cowards

You know, Hampton Inn comes through when you need them. A good, clean place to lay your head when you’re on the road and just need a quick one-night stay. Kudos to them.

When did everyone just forget how to not give a shit about things that don’t concern them? Why do we all have to get riled up about things that we shouldn’t? (I know it’s good business for proprietors of said business, but still.)

Why can’t we live by these simple guidelines:

• Help others
• Live your life and let others live theirs
• Don’t hurt anyone

Is that so hard?

Also, if you’re ever in the Cincinnati area and you’re looking for some delicious pizza, take a trip right across the river to Newport, KY and find a little place called Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria.

The restaurant is located in a house from the 1800’s, which happens to be the third oldest structure in Newport, KY. They make and/or purchase all of their ingredients the day of, so everything is fresh.

We had a large pepperoni and sausage pizza and a warm apple pie pizza for dessert, and could not stop raving about it. So frickin’ good. We might even stop in next weekend when we come pick Brian up!

Visited Great American Ballpark this afternoon in Cincinnati. The Reds beat the Marlins 10-6 in the tightest of pitcher’s duels. But much like every ballpark we go to, I love walking around and seeing what it has to offer. We’ve been to Cincinnati before, but that was Riverfront Stadium in the summer of 2001, and this ballpark was just being built that year.

A charming park, but showing its age a bit. It took me a bit to realize they were modeling the structure after the bridges along the Ohio River near the stadium. Our own Truist Park looks newer (probably because it is) and a bit more polished. I’m sure it benefits from seeing all of these other newer parks.

Anyway, there is an old time charm that greets you as you walk the corridors under the stands. The Reds lean into the fact that they are the oldest baseball club in the country. Their mascot looks like Mr. Met meets a baseball fan from the 1910’s, complete with mustache. And the “retail row” vendor huts look like an old downtown facade.

Like I said, charming.

But like every ballpark, the higher you go in the seating, the more it’s just a basic baseball stadium. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but it’s a fact. Cheap seats and basic ballpark fare is universal, apparently!

Windmills blow away Trump’s denial of Project 2025 involvement

Project 2025 is conservatives’ vision for an American society that’s a result of gutting all the gains made by the civil rights, abortion rights, LGBTIA+ rights, voting rights and environmental rights movements in order to establish an authoritarian government run by loyalists committed to serving a white, Christian nationalist agenda. 

This is so on point, I can’t even adequately express it.

And I can hear (self-described) “good people” getting on board with the concepts outlined in this doctrine because they don’t want “things to change”. And by that, they mean they don’t want to feel uncomfortable with people living lives outside of what they think is “right” and/or “proper”.

Hat tip to Jason Kottke

Chasing YouTube, Spotify adds comments to podcasts | TechCrunch

With support for podcast comments, Spotify aims to give its creators more ways to build communities, which in turn could lead to better retention of its listener base and increased consumption of podcasts.

What could go wrong?

Ammo vending machines placed in grocery stores in the South

This is probably the most American thing you’ll hear today: People in a handful of small towns can now buy gun ammunition from vending machines in grocery stores, the Associated Press reported this week.

What could go wrong?

Systems: How the Ultra-Wealthy Think About Money - Anil Dash

For you, money is a stock, a bucket of dollars you can carry, and that you try to make sure isn’t empty. For the ultra-wealthy, money is a flow, it’s just a hose of dollars that you can point at anything that isn’t suiting your preferences.

Fascinating viewpoint of what I’ve always thought, but never had the words to properly express. As Anil points out, It’s the fundamental difference between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of us. And it’s part of the self-serving cycle that is peak capitalism.

It wouldn’t be 7/4 without “ID4”. The tradition continues.

We’ve had to add treads on the stairs. In recent weeks, Sadie has slipped a couple of times on the stairs, which she did not like. She had gotten to the point where she would not walk (really hop) down the stairs because she was scared. She would stand on the landing and just whimper, shake, and get frustrated.

Also, it’s going to kill me that these move independently, and will therefore never been aligned properly.

Just finished the BBC series “Sherlock” (2010 - 2017), starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. What a wonderfully weird adventure. It’s funny. It’s witty. It’s mean at times. But there is a lot of heart and soul. One might even say moving.

So well done. Bravo.

One more thing…

I’ve read many reactions to Joe Biden’s problematic debate performance last week. But the ones that get to me most are the ones that mention stuttering. And how stuttering, just by itself, implies that he’s “losing it” or “his faculties are failing”. Because, clearly, stuttering means you’re disabled in some way. Not smart. Faulty. Failing. Bad. Not fit. And any other classification they want to engender with their words.

It offends me. And it just reinforces the inner voices (demons) in my own head that chastise me whenever I stutter in my everyday life.

It just proves to me that, again, that people don’t really understand stuttering at all.

In one of our adventures in Costa Rica, we encountered this flower, which Juan Carlos called “Women’s Lips”. It was so distinctive, I had to share.

Love, Death, and Computers

In addition to birthdate, there should be a deceased date field in Contacts. That data can be used for both memorial purposes and to prevent Siri suggestions about making a posthumous birthday call.

Couoldn’t agree more. And I think he’s right. When we build software, we always come at it from the perspective of our users, who are (hopefullyy) alive. But those users also deal with data re: people that are not. It is a hidden trap that we should address.

So, let me get this straight: The President can do whatever they want as long as it is deemed an “official act”. The people who decide if an act is official or not are the courts, ultimately decided at the level of the Supreme Court. And the Supreme Court is nominated by…the President.

Yep, that checks out.

I feel this more than most.

Living with kids

Obvious travel advice

I love this entire list, but I can’t get this one out of my mind:

Mindset matters more than where you go.

It’s so true, and such simple, direct, and (might I add) correct advice.

They say it gets harder to heal as you get older…so very true. We went kayaking last Friday morning, and I was still paying for it as late as yesterday (Monday). Lordy.

I have that phantom feeling of ants crawling on my legs. #costaricanjungle

Went to my coffee shop this morning, now that we’re home. And I forgot my glasses. And I had to stop halfway through because I could tell i was straining my eyes too much. #old

It seems like no matter where I go, when I fly back, I always get in my car around 8:45pm. Which means all of the restaurantsnts are starting to close.

I love watching passengers who arrive at the origin airport vs after the 4-hour flight. It’s very funny.

Movies for the plane ride back:

• “Leap Year”
• “The Equalizer 3”

Irony of ironies, the location I was bitten the most on this outside activity-filled vacation was in a restaurant. Go figure.

For our last vacation activity, we went kayaking near Quepos. An unbelievably gorgeous morning for it, too.

Another interesting backyard friend: Known as the Great Curassow, he’s one of the native “turkeys” of Costa Rica. This guy just wondered in the back yard and then couldn’t seem to find his way out for a good 10 minutes.

Why yes, yes I am watching an Argentina game, being played in my own hometown, from Costa Rica.

Also, the roots of this tree look like they could be from The Upside Down.

I can’t decide on the best caption for this photo.

Option 1 Stranger Things, Season 5: The Upside Down Strike Back

Option 2 Heads on Pikes for the Flower World

In reality, it’s a flower related to the banana plant that is native to Costa Rica. Very weird to the touch, by the way.

I Will Fucking Piledrive You If You Mention AI Again — Ludicity

But We Need AI To Remain Comp-

Sweet merciful Jesus, stop talking. Unless you are one of a tiny handful of businesses who know exactly what they’re going to use AI for, you do not need AI for anything - or rather, you do not need to do anything to reap the benefits.

I love everything about this post…

Apparently, my reptilian friend is called a Plumed Basilisk. It is also known known as the Jesus Christ lizard, because it runs across water. Fantastic.

An oldie, but still one of my absolute favorites. Happy Father’s Day, Buzz!

I’ve always wanted to ask the “Jesus Saves” group T-shirt wearers this: “Really? How? Show me.”

Microsoft’s all-knowing Recall AI feature is being delayed - The Verge

“We are adjusting the release model for Recall to leverage the expertise of the Windows Insider community to ensure the experience meets our high standards for quality and security,” says Microsoft in an updated blog post. “When Recall (preview) becomes available in the Windows Insider Program, we will publish a blog post with details on how to get the preview.”

Consider my pearls clutched.

Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era ban on rapid-fire rifle bump stocks | AP News

The high court took up the case after a split among lower courts. Under Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama, the ATF decided that bump stocks didn’t transform semiautomatic weapons into machine guns. The agency reversed those decisions at Trump’s urging. That was after the Las Vegas massacre and the Parkland, Florida, shooting that left 17 dead.

This could be a first. I found something that I applaud for Trump’s administration. Hell is feeling really cold right now.

Also, if you’re applauding this recent decision, what in the actual fuck is wrong with you?

I always wonder if people know just how loud they are when speaking to a companion in a coffee shop. I didn’t intend to follow your conversation, sir, but you’ve made it kind of impossible to ignore.

Always enjoy waking up in the middle of the night to the dog’s triple play of pee, poop, and puke.

Sigh.

Daring Fireball: The New York Times: ‘How the Humane AI Pin Flopped’

The above paragraph exemplifies the sort of catch-22 corner the media is trying to portray Apple as having been painted into regarding AI. It’s just stated as fact that Apple “has fallen behind in the AI arms race” (that’s from yesterday in the WSJ) but the AI features from the companies Apple has supposedly fallen behind are, on their own, described with words like unpolished, embarrassing, hallucinating, untrustworthy, and even baffling. Like I wrote two weeks ago, isn’t “behind” where you want to be when those who are ahead are publishing nonsense? What is Apple behind on, embarrassing itself and confusing its users?

The chairman nails it again.

Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums

Here’s the top 10:

1. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
2. Thriller by Michael Jackson

No disrespect to Ms. Hill, none at all. But they got this wrong. There will never be another “Thriller”.

To borrow from Forrest Gump, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

At some point, you have to wonder what’s actually in the $1….

Costco sells more hot dogs annually than every MLB stadium combined.

I literally had to read that twice before it sunk in. A remarkable stat.

Reductress » Should Employees Be Paid? Why People Think It’s Time

“Socialists have taken it too far this time,” one respondent, Jeff B., wrote in. “Wage theft is the constitutional right of every billionaire CEO. Workers requesting a ‘living wage’ is a threat to the American way of life and super scary for those of us who may or may not make our money off the backs of exploited individuals. What’s next? Poor people being able to lead happy and fulfilling lives? I don’t think so.”

How long did it take you to confirm that this was satire? Longer than it should, I gotta tell you.

How to buy a house with no down payment

In the first quarter of 2024, the average homebuyer put down $26,000.

I’d love to see the median down payment in 2024.

The most useless stat in any sport. How can you have an expected goal number of anything that’s less than the goals you have ON THE SCOREBOARD!?!

Are they coming on to me?

Trump campaign nets $34.8M in donations after guilty verdict

Do I believe the conviction has any consequences in terms of him winning the Presidency? No, I don’t. Because, again, people who are voting for him don’t care. And are basically ride or die atg this point. Full stop. Doesn’t matter what happens. What pieces of democracy are destroyed. They don’t care.

They. Don’t. Care.

This is just 34.8 million reasons why I’m right.

Trump found guilty on all 34 counts

Donald Trump can still run for president, but he might not be allowed to vote. The former president and presumptive 2024 Republican nominee was convicted of all 34 charges of falsifying business records by a Manhattan jury in his criminal hush money trial yesterday.

There’s a lot that could be said about the Trump conviction, and I may get to some of them later on. But the excerpt above is the most ridiculous. He might not be able to vote, but can still be President!?!

What are we even doing here? Honestly.

Don’t fine sports stars $10k. That’s not hurting them. Fine them $150K. See how quick they stop their prima donna bullshit.

Can you imagine if Sotomayor had flown her American flag upside down?

They would have lost their fucking mind.

Is it too much to ask that these so-called “news shows” have a segment where they interview someone, and if that someone spouts lies, they come back in the next segment and say “After researching, these n things that our guest said were incorrect. Here’s the actual truth…”

Why is that difficult?

Basically, the television equivalent of this:

Such a small thing, but it’s that little bit of joy and whimsy that makes me smile.

Also of note, Jason, one of the best bloggers/follows around.

Got it, great human interest. Love that he’s a good guy. But…

He’s a terrible umpire, and needs to go. Full stop.

Most of America thinks we’re in a recession (we’re not)

…And stupid

News Corp., OpenAI strike ‘multi-year partnership’ deal to improve ChatGPT

We’re so fucked.

The dog seems to like her morning meditations outside before going back to bed.

Must be nice.

My head is too big to look like Steve Jobs, but I’m too small to be The Rock. Always a bridesmaid, and all that.

(Photo generated via Gio)

Merlin spouting wisdom again:

You may not always get to choose what makes you emotional, but you have more agency than you might think about what makes you irrational. Which is really kind of the point when you think about it. Which you should.

I’ve entered, and am fully ensconced in, my athleisure era. And I’m unapologetic for it.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

“Candle in the Wind” is the first heavy lyrical fantasy, the tune is prettily solemn and unbelievably corny, a necrophiliac erection for Marilyn Monroe, despite the disclaimer: “Goodbye Norma Jean/From the young man in the 22nd row/Who sees you as something more than sexual/More than just our Marilyn Monroe.” Oh, bullshit.

This didn’t age well.

Oh, and the next line derides “Bennie and the Jets”, one of Elton John’s biggest hits ever. Wow, did this miss the mark.

The End of the iPad Smart Keyboard Folio — Basic Apple Guy

However, the mention of one product was noticeably absent: The Smart Keyboard Folio. Apple has removed all mention of the keyboard from its page dedicated to iPad keyboards and removed any product imagery across its iPad websites.

RIP, Smart Keyboard Folio

I’m literally typing this on one :(

Favorite bit I heard today:

“Back in my day, the only way to tell what time it was in a car was to drive by a bank.”

Google Infuses Search With AI in a ‘Fully Revamped’ Experience - Bloomberg

The act of “Googling,” which has been synonymous with search for the past two decades, will now become supercharged with the technology from Alphabet Inc.’s powerful AI model, Gemini, the company said at its annual developer conference in Mountain View, California.

Mark my words, this is NOT good news.

17% of Voters Blame Biden for the End of Roe - The New York Times

I have absolutely no words.

I guess Apple was listening, to some extent. The new iPads look really impressive, and I am still probably in the market for a Pro (I have had my Pro for 6 years now). But only because the Airs don’t have FaceID. Being honest, if they did, I’d get one of those.

Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names to two schools | CNN

It’s almost like you can hear them scream ”The South will rise again!!”

Dublin’s ‘portal’ celebrates its commitment to smart tourism - The Hustle

Truly fascinating

No one ever told me that getting older meant:

• When you’re done peeing, you’re not really done peeing.
• Sleeping is measured not in hours, but in degrees of difficulty.
• You get hot for no reason whatsoever, especially at night.
• Hearing becomes purely an exercise is noise isolation.

It’s humbling to see the guys I grew up watching in a Braves uniform with gray hair.

Such a gorgeous day!

I’m finishing my every two years “Preventing Harassment in the Workplacee” course. Every time I take it, I still think they shoud rename it “Don’t Be Shitty to Other People, full stop”

The grays always start in the eyebrows.

Did a Tiny Texas Town Misuse Arrests to Silence Critics?

Having not even read the story, or know anything about it…

Yes, yes they did.

sleepbaseball.com

I LOVE this concept!

Why Americans stopped buying convertibles - The Hustle

Pollen.

Next question…

Would love to see this! The first one is one of my favorites.

Good advice!

I have to say, I do enjoy the “It’s gonna be May” memes

I understand that my bias shows quite a bit here, but I do wonder what non-Biden fans point to in his presidency and classify as “this is why I should NOT vote for him”. And no, I’m not even going to mention the other guy’s name. As I’ve said before, his supporters will never be convinced otherwise.

ESA - Webb captures iconic Horsehead Nebula in unprecedented detail

It’s things like this that make me turn to people who believe we didn’t go to the moon and ask “Do you really think there are this many people, this much money, time, resources, etc spent just to pull one over on you? Really?!?! To what end?”

“When you’re in a love affair, you don’t care what other people think. You only care about the person you’re in love with.”

• The Rest is History Podcast (Episode 435)

Preferring a white* king to a Black* president

The headline alone makes it worth a read.

Quote of the night last night: “I’m Bugs Bunny, bitch!”

So want to visit this place one day.

Saw my first Cybertruck in the wild today. What a dumb-ass looking vehicle.

The building-behind-a-building look is very Paris.

Instagram begins blurring nudity in messages to protect teens | AP News

The social media platform said in a blog post Thursday that it’s testing out the features as part of its campaign to fight sexual scams and other forms of “image abuse,” and to make it tougher for criminals to contact teens.

The testing/debugging of this “feature” is probably the most requested project at Meta right now.

It’s official, we are Volkswagen’s bitch. I called them yesterday to set up the auto-pay for Brian’s Jetta, and they listed all of the cars we had with them. There are 4 of them. 🤦🏻‍♂️

People FaceTime (video call) SO much more than I ever do. Is that a generational thing?

When it comes to the DOJ’s ire, can we not point that at Ticketmaster, a service NO ONE likes, and dare I say everyone HATES with a passion? Instead, we’re wasting our time with Apple? Come on.

They just showed a graphic of this week’s MLS match day, and only one road team (out of 12, maybe?) won. And that was Sporting KC of all teams.

I’m sorry, but I couldn’t abide if my partner was taller than me. Just saw a couple walk out of the coffee shope shop, and she was about 5’11”, and he was about 5’7”. I just couldn’t.

There’s a reason I don’t normally stay up past midnight. Because around 1am, I get hungry again. Bad decision.

The pollen is certainly out now.

Good reminder for all who ask me the question “How hard would it be to…?”

Apple may bring Google’s Gemini to its products

What’s in it for Apple? It could help shift investors’ perception that the company is an AI laggard. Tim Cook said last month that the company is “investing significantly” in AI…but Apple’s products are inferior to the leading models, according to Bloomberg.

Am I missing something? Why does this matter? Apple is NOT an AI company. They’ve never claimed to be. No, they don’t have an “AI offering”, but are they supposed to? When did that expectation happen?

The idea that Apple’s products are inferior than the leading models assumes Apple has a product, which they don’t. Just stop.

When people walk into the coffee shop now, I raise my eyes (over my glasses) and I feel just like my father. I can only imagine how close it looks like him.

I can’t seem to park straight anymore. What is wrong with me?

(To be fair, I’ve never been able to park gay, either.) 🤣

Boeing’s problems can’t stop, won’t stop

A whistleblower who raised concerns about the company’s production line in 2019 was found dead on Saturday.

What the actual hell…

Opinion | The radicalization of the Republican Party is not ‘polarization’ - The Washington Post

Can’t argue with anything in this piece. It’s scary that this is “accepted” in today’s society.

I think life can be summed up with the following phrase:

“🤦🏻‍♂️…the shit we choose to care about…”

🤣😂

I can’t argue with the logic, but it doesn’t seem to matter. There is a cult mentality at work here. Godwin’s Theory is pretty popular and was status quo…until NBC promoted a bully as entertainment, and we elected him President.

Why can’t people use turn signals when they’re, you know, turning?! It’s infuriating.

Coffee shops are the best. They’re so versatile. And are hosts to all sorts. Love it.

France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in constitution (cnn.com)

France became the world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in its constitution on Monday, the culmination of an effort that began in direct response to the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Lawmakers from both houses of the French Parliament voted 780 to 72 in favor of the measure, easily clearing the three-fifths majority needed to amend the French constitution.

America has been called out by the French. Good.

What a fantastic example of a “slice of life” image. This is from a scanned Kodachrome slide by Brad Mohr, recently posted on Mastodon. This seemingly “normal” shot of life educates the viewer, whether they were alive (and there) or not. It’s fascinating stuff. And it makes me wonder how many “normal” shots I have in my collection that will be looked at 50 years from now and used as an example of “how it was”.

Happy 17th birthday to my (not-so anymore) baby boy! Love you, buds!

My older dog is about 15. She is losing her sight, and she’s already lost her hearing. Like I said, that’s a blessed thing when it comes to the doorbell ringing. 😀 But it did make me think why those two are the senses we lose as we age. Like, does smell ever go away? Is that a thing? Touch?

Hard-hitting journalism. Thanks, guys.

I’m going to need the guy sitting next to me to wear larger shorts. This is a family establishment, sir.

A regular at my coffee spot told me this morning “you are one of the most routine guys I know”.

It me.

Tonight, Brian played his first at compete varsity game. 2-0 win. Proud of that kid.

I’m so glad my older dog can’t hear anymore and my younger dog just doesn’t care when the doorbell rings. My anxiety level is better for it, too.

I mean, is it really all that unreasonable? Clearly, qualifications for being president have been completely thrown out the window.

My real-life white balance must be off.

I think part of my love for “The West Wing” comes from the fact that I want to believe in the power of a good speech to change hearts and minds. I want to be moved. I want to be inspired.

The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels, but every time we think we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and we’re reminded that that capacity may well be limitless.

• President Josiah Bartlet

And when you have done that, you can go back to Seattle, and Boston, to Miami, to Omaha, to Tulsa and Chicago, and Atlanta with your head held high, and say, “I am a member of the Democratic Party.”

• Rep. Matthew Santos

And that’s not what we have in today’s politics. Obama was the last one that could do it effectively. It’s negative vibes all the way down now. It’s depressing. And it’s stirring hate day after day after day.

Talking with a buddy of mine this morning, and our sports attendance here in Atlanta is so skewed from normal. At least, in the current era.

Example The Columbus Crew (who won MLS Cup last year) regularly sells out their stadium. At 22K people. That’s their capacity. In Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta United regularly draws 35K+ fans. 22K would be considered a disappointment. And at United’s height of the league, we had a playoff game that was north of 70K fans.

Similarly, the Atlanta Braves (our MLB team) regularly draws 45K+ fans. On a normal regular season game. When the Braves are in playoff contention, that number rises to 53-55K, per game. Those are staggering numbers considering the MLB regular season consists of 81 home games.

Crazy high.

It just occurred to me that my mom is 10 days older than Steve Jobs (would have been).

Woke up this morning feeling utterly overwhelmed by my todo lists with work. All the while dealing with things on the personal front (example: one multi-million $$ company pointing fingers at another multi-billion $$ company and me stuck in the middle) that just pop up because…well, reasons.

The road to the Handmaid’s Tale world is lined with smiling people telling you to stop overreacting.

• Mastodon post from @Strandjunker

These ridiculous sports contracts are hurting their (respective) games. And they hurt the reputation of the player. Just sayin’.

Not an uplifting day yesterday for Georgia’s top 2 universities. Three student deaths between Tech and UGA. Two suicides and one murder. Sometimes, the world can be cruel. Care packed up and headed home for the weekend. I don’t think it was because she was scared, necessarily. I think she was nervous and unsettled. And honestly, I’m glad she has the wherewithal to recognize it.

Anyway, hug your kids. Hug your partner. Hug your parents. Hug anyone you can. There is love in the world. Give it and receive it. It’s the best we can do.

The American Music Awards used to have a category called “Favorite Black Single”. Wow. Alrighty then.

Today is my 18th work anniversary. And to celebrate, I’m going to have a drink! 🍸

It’s possible Ken Griffey, Jr. has the best swing of all time. So pure. So efficient. So powerful.

Trump hawks $399 branded shoes at ‘Sneaker Con,’ a day after a $355 million ruling against him (apnews.com)

As he closes in on the Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth.”

I’m sure his batshit followers will spin this in whatever way that makes them feel better. But in the end, he’s a carnival barker. Plain and simple. The fact that he has been the President in the past is beyond embarrassing. The idea of him being President again is downright terrifying.

Time zones suck. I’m on a 1pm ET call, and we start the call off with “Good morning!” Meanwhile, I’ve been up for 7 hours.

Rewatching “Studio 60”, and I can’t help wondering if Matthew Perry’s actual life was wrapped up in the storyline of the show. Was it art imitating life or the other way around?

Lindsey Horan, USNWT captain, just wants to talk soccer (theathletic.com)

To illustrate her point, Horan brings up that many viewers will take a television commentator’s analysis at face value.

“American soccer fans, most of them aren’t smart,” she says. “They don’t know the game. They don’t understand. (But) it’s getting better and better.”

She takes a brief pause, sensing that those words, too, will cause a stir.

“I’m gonna piss off some people,” she continues, “but the game is growing in the U.S. People are more and more knowledgeable, but so much of the time people take what the commentators say, right? My mom does it!” She breaks into laughter. “My mom says, ‘Julie Foudy said you had such a good game!’ And I’m here, just going, ‘I was f—ing s— today.’”

She’s not wrong. And I admire her for being so candid. In the era of spinning (out-of-control sometimes) PR-speak, she was refreshingly honest. She spoke from a player’s point of view, which was exactly the point of the interview.

If anyone, U.S. fans included, read the quote in context, it’s hard to find fault in her logic.

Yet, she gets blasted for it. To the point where she (read: her PR team) felt she had to publicly apologize. Sigh.

Delta flight turns back after maggots fall on passengers from overhead bin (theguardian.com)

Unhappiness with air travel took a new turn when maggots rained down on passengers on a Delta flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on Tuesday.

I have no words…

(Except to say that while I applaud Delta for apologizing, I don’t think this is on them in any way, shape, or form. They don’t scan passengers. They don’t look in people’s bags. That’s on the security team at the airport.)

I lived through the pandemic, and I’m still struggling with hearing/understanding what people say behind a mask.

It is surreal to sit in a system training session where the leader is explaining the system decisions I made years and years ago.

Possibly unpopular opinion: I do expect you to answer me whatever day of the week it is. You have a smartphone, and I know the connectivity apps work on the weekends, too. Having said that, you have every right to expect me to be judicious in when I ask you to respond.

Bottom line: it’s on me (as the boss/co-worker) to not abuse the privilege. But you have the responsibility to respond when I deem it needed.

Honestly, because that’s what the (salaried) money is for.

There are some times that I wish I cared about the Super Bowl. But they are few and fleeting. As they are this morning.

What do you do when your daughter calls you at (the equivalent of) 3:30am from college, and you MISSED the call?

Panic, that’s what!

What do you do if the person in line in front of you at Victoria Secret writes a check?

I want to be Danny Concannon when I grow up.

Technology rules, doesn’t it!?!

In all seriousnessss, the gestures the host of the video is using to control the Vision Pro, and therefore the Bluetooth-connected devices, are pretty damn cool. Think of the possibilities! 😂

South Dakota tribe bans governor from reservation over US-Mexico border remarks | The Seattle Times

A South Dakota tribe has banned Republican Gov. Kristi Noem from the Pine Ridge Reservation after she spoke this week about wanting to send razor wire and security personnel to Texas to help deter immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border and also said cartels are infiltrating the state’s reservations.

Fair enough. But I have to ask this of the governor: Why come out so strong when you are the governor of SOUTH DAKOTA?!?

Meta’s record-breaking stock rally follows a hot earnings report

These two passages say it all:

The stock rally is going to pay for a lot of hoodies: As the owner of ~350 million shares of Meta, Zuck added $28.1 billion to his net worth yesterday and stands to gain ~$700 million each year from the dividend.

He decided to make some major changes and labeled 2023 the “year of efficiency”—doubling Meta’s operating margin and reducing expenses by consolidating offices and laying off 22% of workers.

I’m not going to go off on a rant here. But suffice it to say, the juxtaposition of him making an extra ~$700M dollars while the company laid off 22% of their workforce (that means people lost their jobs), is really concerning. It’s not something to praise anyone over. Full stop. And yet…here we are.

Fani Willis' court filing confirms romantic relationship with lawyer on Trump case but denies any conflict - CBS News (cbsnews.com)

In an affidavit by Wade submitted Friday with Willis' court filing — both obtained by CBS News — Wade stated, “In 2022, District Attorney Willis and I developed a personal relationship in addition to our professional association and friendship. I have no financial interest in the outcome of the 2020 election interference case or in the conviction of any defendant. No funds paid to me in compensation for my role as Special Prosecutor have been shared with or provided to District Attorney Willis.”

Can I ask a relatively simple question: Why the fuck does it matter?!?

Ever had a poop so bad that it actually made you ask yourself “Am I sick?”

I had one of those moments this morning. Brian walked down the stairs, loaded with both school and soccer bags. The realization that this seemingly adult man is my son, one who I’m extremely proud of.

‘Seismic shift’: driving unaffordable for many in US amid push toward SUVs

A replacement car is out of the question, because she barely has enough money for rent. But even if Luna had the funds to go shopping, it’s unlikely she would find anything remotely reasonable. The average new car today sells for nearly $49,000, and the average used car lists at more than $26,000 – representing a 31% increase for new cars and nearly 40% increase for used cars since 2020, according to data from the industry group Cox Automotive.

The premise is sound.

So, let me see if I’m getting this right. You’re teling me that multi-national, multi-billion dollar corporations are NOT our benevolent saviors?

Got it.

I’ll circulate the memo.

And what I prefer the neatness of the old way? I should also say that even the “old” way is relatively new to me.

(Tangentially-related, get off my lawn.)

Amidst the Mac’s 40th anniversary celebration, I’m reminded again that this might be the sexiest machine I’ve ever seen. Everything about it screams “the future” in the best way possible…even 22 years after it was announced.

Why is begging for your life some indication of a lack of dignity?

(Random, right?)

I was listening to Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons” (comfort listen, to be honest), and the assassin mocks the father of one of the characters because he “whimpered and begged for his life”.

Ok…I mean, wouldn’t you? If it works, I’m going to do whatever I can to, you know, stay alive. Just another example of toxic masculinity, if you ask me.

Chipotle is offering new benefits to Gen Z workers

The chain plans to…Give employees six free sessions with a mental health professional.

People can, and probably will, smirk at this. But I applaud it. Mental health is no joke, and we should stop treating it as such.

I know it represents the latest and greatest in technology, but I can’t help but look at this image and think the goggles from the Hoth rebels.

I notice how often quiet people are told to cheer up and join in with noisy people in noisy places, and how rarely noisy people are told to shut up and join in with quiet people in quiet places.

Put that way, true story!

I KNEW it!

Look, I get it. Apple is a storm of hypocrisy these days. Especially as it comes to the developer experience. I don’t like it any more than anyone else does. But I would caution everyone to stick to things that matter, and that are BAD decisions that were well thought-out. The 27% cut for out-linking decision comes to mind. But things like this, they are human errors made by employees. Everyone makes mistakes. Comment on the process being messed up or the lack of transparency or any of the litany of other problems Apple has created, but cut the (lower on the totem pole) people who are doing the work day in and day out a bit of a break.

Just saying…

Did I miss something? Are we moving away from milking cows now? Is it because they fart too much?

Consumer prices pushed up mostly by corporate profits, new Groundwork Collaborative study finds | Fortune

Shocked! Shocked, I tell you!

More Americans have a positive outlook on their own lives than on their fellow Americans' | YouGov

Interesting…I guess I always just thought the opposite.

Quote of the night: “I don’t know if you yawned or farted, dog, but you stink!”

The good thing about the cold weather is that I get to wear hoodies. How many other things will allow you to sit however you want, however you want, and not have to worry about about the belly fat hanging out :)

It’s so cold outside that it angers me.

Ahh, my soft workout-as-going-out pants! I’ve missed them.

Flying home this evening, I had the window seat. Not normal for me, to be honest. I decided to open the shade and watch our descent. The city of Atlanta, especially the heart of the city) in the 9 o’clock hour is beautiful from the air.

Biden administration unveils new rules aimed at reducing overdraft fees | Thestreet | news-journal.com

“He just works for the elites”, they say. “What does he ever do to make my life better?”

Hey, whiny bitches, shut the fuck up.

Harsh change when I land tonight!

PHX (Delta in PHX, specifically) never fails to be the slowest fucking airport in the world.

The amount of things that I have to juggle in my mind on a daily basis is staggering to me.

Love at the Canyon

Hello from the Grand Canyon!

Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” will always be THE Skate Center song. No question.

Two-Thirds of Iowa GOP Caucus Voters Believe the 2020 Election Was Stolen: MSNBC Exit Poll (mediaite.com)

And over on MSNBC, it was obvious how pervasive Trump’s election lies have become according to an exit poll conducted by the network, as 66% said they do not believe President Joe Biden was legitimately elected in 2020.

If this doesn’t scare you, I don’t know what will.

The kids are arguing about the merits of Youtubers, and I think my dentures just fell out.

I’ve officially reached the point in my life where I have to zoom the interface on my phone.

When I was little, I always thought it was spelled “hyda bed”. It’s one of those things I never really saw written down. Even now.

Something that makes me laugh every time I listen to Stephen King’s “11/22/1963” is the narrator’s voicing of the word “Cockboy”.

No podcast has infuriated me more than the latest episode of “Hear Me Out” featuring author and professor Frank Buckley, who himself is a previous Trump voter. The premise of the episode was to have this guy explain to listeners (assuming mostly liberal) that Trump voters are not crazy people.

But he turns out to be a defensive, reactionary, false-fact-spitting, stereotypical apologist for a group of people that refuse to listen to anyone else’s opinion. Ironically, displaying the exact behavior he’s accusing the “other side” of participating in.

It was annoying at best. And offensive at worst. Far from achieving the goal of the episode, it only angered me more.

We all seem to have a year where we stop paying attention to “new” music (at least in the broad sense). We think of “our” music as anything from our childhood to a given year. And anything after that is “for the kids”. That’s what I think of when people ask me “Have you seen the latest language changes in C# version x?”

Perfectly surmised.

A joke, but not by much:

Never realized how much President Bartlet looks like my dad. As will I, eventually.

Is it there so a friend can help you think?

Other than long-term lovers, the person (/people) that touch your body the most (both frequency and by volume) is your masseuse.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

From @waldoj on Mastdon:

The right is using asymmetrical shame warfare against the left. Trump has taught Republicans to never be ashamed of anything they’ve done, no matter how heinous or indefensible their actions. Democrats, OTOH, still have consciences. So Republicans can hound somebody like Claudine Gay out of her job, knowing that the same attack will not work against their own. They will repeat this playbook as long as it keeps working.

There’s a lot of truth in this, I must say.

Three clients…all needing something…at the same time…is a lot. That is all.

I miss Peter Jennings.

Ricki Lake (remember her?) seems to be Marta Kaufman’s doppelgänger.

It is time!

I feel attacked.

> Be gracious when someone points out a dumb error that you made. Especially when it comes from someone whom you respect. They’re doing it because they like you, and because they pay attention to stuff that you do.

Also very well said, Merlin!

Take a break, or keep working — if that works for you (lexfriedman.substack.com)

But sometimes we cause work stress by inaction. Sometimes, you put people’s minds at ease by sharing, by sending the email, by giving the information. If you’re the boss — or frankly, if you’re simply the sender — it’s your job to craft a workplace (or an email) that makes clear no immediate response is needed; you’re just sharing the info you can, while it’s top of mind for you, so that the other person has it.

Well said, Lex. The quote above. The whole post. Just all of it.

Absolutely nailed the ziti tonight! Now, tonight’s Christmas movie is “While You Were Sleeping”.

You know who the real winner is in the “Who is the biggest bozo in all of tech? Oh wait, we already know it’s Musk” contest is?

Jess Bezos.

That dude could be getting away with murder and no one would even know right now.

Anything happens all the time.

• From 2014’s “This is Where I Leave You”

PornHub reveals what users searched for most in 2023 (thepinknews.com)

This is my favorite story of the year! And probably my favorite infograph ever! 🤣

Yes, Teams, I did mean “Probbly” to read “Prebaby”.

Yeah, we’re ready for AI! 🤦🏻‍♂️

“Reliving My Memories in Apple Vision Pro Almost Brought Me to Tears” (inverse.com)

I kept tilting my head a lot, almost in disbelief at how surreal it was to see my mom talking, laughing, and eating in spatial video. My mom was who got me interested in technology and I don’t think I would have a career writing about new consumer tech if not for her interest in it. To me, these convos are very precious to me, so to see them replayed with a sense of presence really tugged at my heartstrings.

This is why this product matters. Put the techno mumbo-jumbo and the pricing and all of the other market potential crap aside for just a second. It’s allowing people (not just customrs) to hold onto, and even experience again, something that they treasure from their lives.

That’s magical.

I often frustrate people when I ask them 1-10 follow-up questions for any given request. From their perspective, it’s always “why do you need to know this?” From my developer mindset, it’s ensuring I have the details needed to implement whatever is being asked of me. I’m here. I’m a developer. Get used to it!

Perfect! (And good advice!)

I think Democrats are not vibing with Biden because he doesn’t inspire them like Obama did. And I get that. I really do. But as many have pointed out, it will be between Biden and a known (and still promising to be) authoritarian facist. What are we even talking about here?

First Falcons game for Brian and only my second (that I can remember)! Good times! (And thank you to our partners at AT&T!!)

Calgary traffic reporter goes viral after response to body shaming comment (cbc.ca)

The usually unflappable host, who has been at Global Calgary since 1995, was about to give a live report on the morning show when she decided to read out a message she received during a break. “I’m just gonna respond to an email that I just got saying, ‘Congratulations on your pregnancy. If you’re gonna wear old bus-driver pants, you have to expect emails like this,"’ Horton said.

What the fuck is wrong with people?

Honestly….Where are you manners? Your decency? Your humanity?

The iPad Pro gets a lot of shit (I think unfairly) from a lot of people, but I have to tell you, mine has proven indispensable. I use it every single day, and it’s the perfect bridge between a full-blown “computer” (macOS) and my iPhone. I hope Apple doesn’t kill it in favor of something like the VisionPro. I think that would be a mistake. Just my two cents.

By the way, do we depend on one softwaree feature more than we depend on the mute functionality in phone/conference calls?

I know why books like Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs” and Jacqueline McNish and Sean Silcoff’s “Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry” are written the way they are. They’re designed for mass market audiences (read: non-nerd audiences). But just once, I wish there was a more technical telling of these stories that actually spent the time to get the technical details right. John Siracusa famously argued a version of this point in November 2011 on his “Hypercritical” podcast episode 42, entitled “The Wrong Guy”. John argued that Isaacson wasn’t the right guy because he didn’t care about the details enough to get them right. I don’t know that it’s the same argument with the BlackBerry story, but the details are still too vague to satisfy my taste.

”America today is a proud, free nation. Decent and civil. A place we cannot help but love.”

• George H. W. Bush (1989)

Can we honestly say that nowadays?

I get the motivation behind the post, I really do. But I would like to know the income-to-tax ratio of each of these individuals compared to someone making $80K combined household income.

I honestly don’t know what it would be, but my hypothesis would be that it’s that number that angers people much more than a “wealth” number.

Has there ever been a more universally loved artist than Taylor Swift? (I wasn’t around black then, but) The Beatles? Elvis? Michael Jackson?

Tonight, I learned what a motif is, and it differs from a theme, thanks to my high school junior son. That is all.

It angers me that take out places now make you actively select “No Tip” when you’re checking out. Every Time. I’m not tipping you for making the food. That’s what the money is for!

Arghh!!!!

Rewatching 2016’s “Arrival”, and I’m reminded of Kay’s quote from 1997’s “Men In Black”:

A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.

Having coffeee this morning, and overhearing a business meeting where the phrase “dig ourselves out of the SalesForce mess” was used.

Sounds about right.

On a much lighter and funnier note:

I had a dream last night that I was diagnosed with colon cancer and was given 3-6 months to live. It’s utterly sobering to wake up trying to figure out how you’d spend your last months on Earth. Who you’d visit with to say goodbye. How you’d live those last months. Tim McGraw literally wrote a song about this, and it makes me cry almost every time. Like I said, heavy way to wake up.

(And now looking at the calendar to see when my next dr appt is)

I was listening to “Reconcilable Differences” and John says the following:

People of faith never admit there could ever be anything different, but a scientist must admit that. They must offer that.

I know John said that in a throw-away manner in discussing the 1997 movie “Contact”, but he’s more right than he may know. The implied “that” in the quote is the idea of doubt. The person of faith seemingly never has to concede that they might be wrong. They feel personally attacked at the mere mention. Why is that?

(By the way, the movie successfully jumps back and forth on its debate of rationalization vs. faith.)

Hot take: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story may be the best Star Wars movie ever made. I’m just sayin’.

I captured this while I was waiting to board my flight out of Toronto this afternoon:

When would I need to buy condoms at the airport, getting ready to board a flight?

I mean, I know the whole mile high club trope, but come on. I guess some people live far more adventurous lives than I do.

My lonely, forgotten bag

Pro tip…

Whatever terminal you fly into in ATL, if you came from outside of U.S., your bag will go to Terminal F (the International Terminal).

I arrived in E (a domestic terminal), and I (almost on auto-pilot) took the plane train to the domestic terminal baggage claim. I followed the signs just like I ways do. Yet, my bag went to F.

And the notification that Delta sent me:

Super descriptive guys, thanks!

And now I’ve added two extra hours to my airport fun today.

I’ve flown to two different Canadian airports in the last month, and I’ve found exactly the same thing:

It’s anywhere from 15-30 degrees outside the airport, and 178 degrees inside.

Why is that? Am I missing something?

I’ve come to realize that the quietest part of the airport is the bathroom.

A song that is very problematic on listenings in 2023…

I love this!

I don’t wear 🌈 items to tell you who’s in my bed. I wear 🌈 so the family across the street knows they are safe. So the couple in the restaurant know they aren’t alone. So the boy who sees me notice him looking at dresses knows I won’t judge. I wear because you make them hide.

Skinny roads save lives, according to a study on the width of traffic lanes (npr.org)

Skinny roads save lives. That’s the verdict of a new study on the width of traffic lanes. NPR’s Adam Bearne explains.

I’ve got to think that the difference between 2 lane roads and anything higher is pretty drastic. Fewer options = Fewer complications = Fewer opportunities for people to make boneheaded decisions on the road.

Today, I learned that “mid” means average, but with a negative connotation.

That is all.

I do find it funny that all off these people are shouting “Finally!” at the idea of Apple adopting the RCS protocol for messaging. And yet, knowing, that the protocol is not even as good as their own protocol. Apple is not doing this because it’s better, people. They’re doing it for legal reasons. Plain and simple.

A thought snuck up on me, and solidified when I was listening to the latest ATP Member Special. The web framework you start your career with is almost always the web framework you stay with. Switching, while certainly possible, is so painful the longer you use your original framework, it’s normally not worth it.

It’s become apparent to me that most of my adult life has been spent realizing the following truth:

You will fit into people’s lives on their terms, and not by the sheer will of your own.

WeWork might be dead, but coworking lives on (thehustle.com)

While many WeWork locations were in busy downtown areas, today’s hybrid and remote workers are looking to minimize lengthy commutes by finding coworking space closer to their homes.

Pre-pandemic, 30% of the Industrious locations were outside of major business districts. Today, it’s 70%.

This means the future of coworking might look more suburban, with spaces increasingly springing up in residential areas — like your local coffee shop, but better.

This actually makes so much sense. The vast majority of people who don’t want to come back to the office are people with the long and crappy commutes. Get them working closer to their home, and it would help tremendously.

A season of ups and downs comes to an end, but I’m still with ‘em!

See you next year!

I don’t think it’s out of line to propose giving red cards to time-wasting in soccer matches. I’m just saying.

A pastor’s suicide brings grief, warnings of the dangers of outing amid erosion of LGBTQ+ rights (apnews.com)

“I just want to ask you people who thought it humorous to publicly ridicule him. Are you happy now? What crime did he commit?” Larry DiChiara, a former school superintendent who knew Copeland from when he served on a county school board, wrote in a pointed Facebook post.

He’s not wrong.

It’s sad that we (collectively) can’t seem to recognize that there is a large group of people that still think homosexuals are an abomination and want them to “die off”. It’s NOT a great setting for someone to be outed. I know that’s shocking! (he says dripping with sarcasm)

The ridiculousness of streaming rights and pulling shows when they “expire” is exactly what feeds in to my really bad habit (I’ll expand on at a later time) of collecting things.

Messed up, man. Just messed up.

Seen on the streets of Bentonville, AR

Straight outta Compton… Compton Gardens, mother fucker!

Call me “old school” or just “out of touch”, but the word “doula” is so poorly crafted that it makes the meaning of the word, hence what it represents, feel not valid. Fair? Probablyy not. But that’s what’s in my brain.

I’ve seen so many TikTok videos asking African Americans what country song they might like. It’s remarkable the amount often of time “Tennessee Whiskey” comes up. I wonder why that is.

Dear Republicans…

I tell you, the Artax scene from “The Neverending Story” was brutal. I sobbed like a fricking baby. It was rough.

I have to say, looking back now, that scene achieved what it set out to do…it left you low with little to no hope. Even though you aren’t even a character in the dang movie. Touché, movie. Touché!

Daring Fireball: Apple Q4 2023 Results

Services, at $22.3 billion, is now just over half the net sales for iPhone ($43.8 billion). And Mac + iPad + Wearables/etc. combine for $23.3 billion, so Services seems on the cusp of soon eclipsing all non-iPhone hardware combined.

Wow. While I shouldn’t be surprised, I am.

(Source: The Morning Brew newsletter)

So…bribery. Got it.

My Recent Media Diet: Fall 2023 Edition (kottke.org)

I’m fairly sure I want to be Jason Kottke when I grow up.

Is there any more appropriate ad during an Arizona/Texas World Series than boots?

I think not.

That tiniest of ghosts has now been set free.

I received 22 phone calls today, 0 of which were legitimate. This only started on Monday. Has there been some lapse in No Call lists over the past couple of days?

As the World Series goes to Game 4 tonight, I’m still hearing about the baseball playoff system and the Braves’ pitching woes and injuries there at the end of the season. The Braves didn’t lose to the Phillies because of pitching. They lost because their bats went ice cold. Stop pinning it on the wrong thing.

In the battle for restaurant reservations, it’s diners vs. bots (thehustle.co)

Have you ever finished reading a list about the hottest new restaurants in your city only to find that you can’t get a reservation at a single one? It’s because someone — or something — already booked them. And it’s making the restaurant industry a lot less fun.

Really?!? We now have to worry aboutt bots when making reservations for a frickin’ restaurant. Christ. 🤦🏻‍♂️

I can’t believe it took me this long to get into this podcast. Big old hat tip to @hotdogsladies@mastodon.social for mentioning/borrowing from the podcast over the many years. You were so right!

Woke up to 27 degrees outside. Will go to bed at 72 degrees outside.

When did cell carriers (in this case, AT&T) become gas stations? One price for cash vs. a different price for credit? What’s next? Will we have to enter our cell phone numbers at some station to pay for our cell phones?

THE AFTERMATH OF A MASSACRE IS ALWAYS THE TIME TO PUSH FOR GUN LEGISLATION (daringfireball.net)

Could not agree more…it’s repetitive. Frustratingly so. Yet, here we are again. Because, as a country, we are too chicken-shit to stand up to the gun lobby and funding organizations and say with one (American) voice:

“ENOUGH”

Feels all too true. We can’t seem to break this devotion to the almighty firearm. Sad.

The United States of Guns (kottke.org)

I have nothing to add to what Jason says. He’s spot on (as usual).

I’ve been in Winnipeg, MB in Canada the past few days. And I’m sitting here eating lunch and they have last night’s Toronto Raptors basketball game on, but it’s not the actual broadcast. It’s a tight 30-min “summary” broadcast with no timeouts, no commercials, and no crappy play.

This is GENIUS!

This is how all sports on television should be!

Why do writers think that people can’t hold (and believe in) two thoughts at the same time?

It really pisses me off.

I know my kids bristle at the notion of Life360 and it “tracking” them. I get it. But from the parent perspective, it’s a great way to to keep informed, without having to bug them by calling or texting. I hope they realize the benefits of that aspect to them. It is up to us (Jayme and I) to not abuse that. And we are hyper-aware of that fact.

Because in the end, their safety is paramount, and why we pay for the service.

In Outlook’s mobile app, I wish there was a “shortcut” to move messages back to Inbox (specifically) if they land in other folders due to rules.

From Aaron (@hosford42@techhub.social) on Mastodon:

It’s expensive to be poor. It’s ironic but true. You get charges and fees for everything. Higher interest rates. Overdraft fees. Late fees. Having only enough to buy what you need right now instead of buying in bulk. Losing your job because you can’t afford to get your car fixed. Losing your car because you don’t have a job. Even your mental faculties are drained, as you are forced to continually eat low-nutrition foods, “sleep” in miserable conditions, and be exposed to toxins and lack of medical treatment. The lack of liquidity wipes you out. Life really does kick you while you’re down.

You can’t tell someone trapped in that vicious cycle to “just” get a job or “just” make responsible decisions. Sometimes, no amount of good decision-making can stop the vortex sucking them down. So the next time you are tempted to place moral judgment on someone who lives in poverty, think twice.

Signed, someone who has been both a Have and a Have-Not.

I have thought this for YEARS! The bank fee thing is the worst offender in my eyes. Does the bank really think I have the money to pay fees if the balance is that low?! It’s so counter-intuitive that I have no words. Just a deep sigh.

Tinder Matchmaker Lets Your Friends and Family Play Cupid (gizmodo.com)

On Monday, Tinder added a matchmaking feature that gives users’ friends and family members autonomy to hand-pick who they should date. The move aims to streamline the process of getting other people’s opinions and allows them to recommend potential matches within the app.

Huh?! Why in the…? What…?

You know what, never mind.

I agree with 3 of 5

Can concur

The most dependable thing on Earth? Gravity.

Getting rid of the penny…still a good idea (even 22 years later)!

Merlin on this week’s “Reconcilable Differences”:

Now that they’ve banned 200W bulbs, I guess I’m just not going to see stuff in my house anymore.

🤣🤣🤣

Same.

Relative Time Labels (mjtsai.com)

Anything longer ago than yesterday should just say the actual date. It’s absurd that I sometimes need to subtract 9 or 12 days, and “borrow” from the previous month, to figure out when something actually happened. (Sometimes it’s in the tooltip or URL slug, but not always.)

I cannot agree any fricking more with this entire post. Just tell me then the fricking content was posted. It’s that simple! Stop tryinng to be cute about it.

I adore gothic architecture, and Pitt did not disappoint with its Cathedral of Learning (actually not a church in any way)!

Imagine my surprise when one of the classrooms inside was like a scene from “Dead Poet’s Society”! Love things like this!

Pittsburgh The River outside of PNC Park

Roberto Clemente Mural

Do people really not walk into presentations and ensure their phone is on silent?!

Honestly.

“Help me!!!”

Ok, I get raising pricess on goods- or people-based services and merch. But come on, parking?!

Somewhere in the C-suite:

“We need a few more points somewhere…anybody got any ideas?”

“Ummm…raise parking prices?”

“It’s not costing us anything different, though.”

“So?”

“Genius! Make it happen!”

The top 5 teams in the MLB this year are a combined 1-12 (as I’m writing this) during this postseason. 2 of the 4 teams with byes didn’t win a game. The 3rd is currently down 2 games to 1 in their NLDS round, on the edge of elimination.

Is this really what we want in a playoff system?

Here’s a thought…since the divisions don’t actually matter anymore, why not take the top 8 teams in each respective league and put them in a bracket? Or better yet, go back to 3 division winners and one wild card team.

The byes have to stop.

Again…really!?!?

I’m doing work at the desk and suddenly I’m blasted with air conditioning. Why?? Why can’t it be moved somewhere else? Who designs these fricking rooms?

As I said, visited the National Constitution Center this afternoon, and was pleasantly surprised at how good and informative it is. Definitely recommend.

Brian and I visited the Constituion Center this afternoon and one of the exhibits shows different Presidents taking the oath of office. They showed Trump taking his, and it arrived at the part where he is supposed to vow to uphold the Constitution. And I honestly had a pit in my stomach. Because he has done everything but.

It sickens me, really.

I’m not saying anything, but…

It’s awfully convenient that two west coast teams are playing in the NL and two east coast teams are playing each other in this round.

That would have absolutely nothing to do with lining up perfectly for TV markets, would it? 😉

It’s bananas to me that we make people wait until they’re 25 years old to rent a car. For what? We make men (at least) sign up for selective service at 18 years old. But no, you have to wait 7 (!!!) more years to rent a vehicle. Seems crazy.

Brian about to enter munk mode during the game this morning:

Bear with me…the photo will be a long, vertical scroll. But this is design I love. It’s responsive at its core, and it’s beautiful. It’s colorful, clean, and minimal (in the right places).

Love it:

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of Michael Jordan retiring from basketball (aka the first time). Here’s a question to ponder: Would we consider Michael Jordan to be Michael Jordan had he stayed retired in 1993 and not come back a year and a half later? Would three straight championships have cemented him enough, or did he need to do it again to gain that prestige? Guess we’ll never know.

I know most people are terrified of public speaking because it’s you (and only you) standing in front of lots of people and having to talk or lecture or whatever. The ironic part of me wishes that was the reason I fear it so much. No, in my case, the terror comes from the stuttering.

E.B. White’s Beautiful Letter to a Man Who Had Lost Faith in Humanity (themarginalian.org)

Dear Mr. Nadeau:

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

Sincerely,

E. B. White

What a fantastic and inspirational message from one of the great writers in history. At least in this country, we all need to be reminded that mankind can be good. And kind. And resilient. Perfect pick-me-up for a morning read.

How the Elon Musk biography exposes Walter Isaacson (theverge.com)

The thing you learn after a while on the Musk beat is that his most self-aggrandizing statements usually bear the least resemblance to reality. Musk says a lot of stuff! Some of it is exaggeration, and some isn’t true at all.

Imagine that. A self-aggrandizing megalomaniac lies about almost everything he does. I’m shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

(And this isn’t even about the one who’s running for President!)

A MAGA gunman in New Mexico and ‘the end of politics’ in America (inquirer.com)

He is becoming the Wolfman Jack of political violence and strongman fascism in America, blasting his hate-filled rants at the 21st-century equivalent of 150,000 watts, on a frequency that clears the mighty Mississippi and hurdles the Rocky Mountains and lands in small towns and far-flung cities — his ugly riffs on executing U.S. generals or threatening judges or shutting down news outlets cheered and shared by an audience that’s counted in the millions.

Can’t argue with that description.

Don’t love the search engine, but do love the background!

House GOP’s impeachment witnesses say there’s no evidence yet that Biden committed a crime (nbcnews.com)

Some Republicans were also unhappy about how the hearing went. A senior GOP aide said that Comer’s strategy of feeding Fox News impeachment stories is not working and that “we are losing the media narrative game to the White House right now.”

“Calling witnesses that say the opposite of your narrative on impeachment is equally a bad strategy,” the aide said.

Well, that’s got to sting.

Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service bows out as its red-and-white envelopes make their final trip (apnews.com)

The curtain is finally coming down on Netflix’s once-iconic DVD-by-mail service, a quarter century after two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs came up with a concept that obliterated Blockbuster video stores while providing a springboard into video streaming that has transformed entertainment.

RIP to a real one…

It also occurs to me that the Party that hates “elites” is so adoring of (and supplicant to) someone who is actually an elite!

In 2016, I heard arguments from (real-life) people that they were tired of the “politicians” running things, and that Trump would be a new voice in that space. A refreshing change. Not a “Washingtonton insider”.

So, the question I have for those same people, here in 2023, is are you satisfied with the chaos he (and/or people like him) has brought to (and continue to bring) to the table? Has our level of debate been raised by his presence? Are we “better” for their influence?

Honestly asking.

Why Don’t Cars Have Hood Ornaments Anymore? (mentalfloss.com)

To some, hood ornaments held an incredible amount of subtext. “’[It’s] certainly some kind of sex symbol, a symbol of virility,” sculptor Elizabeth Hansell told The New York Times in 1972. She also likened it to a kind of portable artistic expression. “Art objects should be out among the public, not just on museum walls,” she said.

But practicality was conspiring against the ornaments. As cars evolved and highways spread throughout the country, aerodynamics became an ongoing concern: a sleek hood might reduce drag. There were also consumer safety issues at play. If a car struck a pedestrian, that person might incur more injury as a result of a foreign object set to impale them. (No doubt more than a few luxury car owners also fretted about what a pedestrian would do to their ornament.)

A shame, really. Personally, I love the idea of hood ornaments. They are a status symbol. In fact, if you asked me 20 years ago, I would have told you the idea of “making it” was having a car with a hood ornament.

Guess I’ll have to figure out what “making it” means now. When I find that out, I’ll let you know. (Pro tip: don’t hold your breath!)

The change to USB-C with the new AirPods Pro is great and all. But can’t we get something that locks the case if it detects it’s falling? So many times I’ve come oh-so-close to losing one of them as they spill out in every direction as it hits the ground.

I’ll be waiting for your call, Apple.

Woudn’t it be nice if we could all get on board with the following: If you are on a phone call with someone, and you know they have you on speakerphone in public, it’s socially acceptable to simply hang up on them.

It’s been 7 years, and I feel like it would go exactly the same way today.

Gentle reminder:

Oh my god: Somebody about to be fired…

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman calls on New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez to resign amid bribery charges (cbsnews.com)

Earlier this week, Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey along with his wife were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of bribery. The indictment comes after a yearslong investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice looking into public corruption.

Time to go, bro. You fucked around, and now it’s time to find out.

Of note, you don’t (recently, if ever) hear Republicans say things like this when one of their own is in the same situation. Just sayin’.

Biden will travel to Michigan to ‘join the picket line’ with UAW workers on strike

President Joe Biden on Friday said he will visit Michigan next week to support strikes by the United Auto Workers. “Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create,” Biden said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

You would think a story like this is what the “heartland” actually wants to be a part of. You would think the empty promises of a “billionaire” trying to “speak for them” would be antithetical to what they say they stand for.

And yet, I can almost guarantee that’s not how this is taken.

Somebody better check the maps…

It’s complicated…

My answer? On a daily basis:

• Windows
• macOS
• iOS
• iPadOS

Thankful this morning for the “Content Warning” post classifications inside Mastodon (and/or Ivory…I realized I don’t know which platform is utilizing this, maybe both 😀).

I absolutely plan on watching the show, but I want to wait until the full season is out. And this type of thing helps tremendously to prevent spoilers.

Donated to St. Jude via relay.fm, and happy to do it!

They’re slowing gaining more spots…

No, Apple shouldn’t cave to Google’s pressure to adopt RCS – not yet, at least (bgr.com)

Since RCS is essentially just carrier messaging, the messages are only delivered to a single carrier phone number, which means there isn’t any encryption as a base standard. So why is Google pushing end-to-end encryption as a big selling point for putting RCS on iPhone? Well, it all comes down to Google’s proprietary version of RCS.

Wait, Google is not being entirely upfront about a technology they would control for “end-to-end encryption”, so they can shame someone else into getting in bed with them for the sole purpose of ultimate control?

I AM SHOCKED! Shocked, I tell you!

I’m constantly amazed at the data density on display in the “main” pages of our system. I see (and review) so many data design ideas for ERP solutions like ours, and none of them come close.

Anti-Glasses Influencer Samantha Lotus Says She Can Heal Your Eyesight (readwise.io)

I guess someone’s got to fight (?) the good fight(?)

🤦🏻‍♂️

And by that, I’m a little jealous of the guy. Not that I would want to pursue anything with whomever. But you know, it would be nice to be asked. :)

Sitting at my coffee spot this morning, and a lady walked in, looked at this guy sitting two tables over, and walked over. She proceeds to talk up her friend. She flat out asked the guy if he would be into talking to her (friend) a little “more”. Said her friend had mentioned him multiple times.

Flabbergasted that people do this (in real life), but it did make me smile. Matchmaking attrmewpts before 8am. Wow.

Loving the AppleTV feature of side by side. I can watch my Atlanta United play, while keeping an eye on Messi.

September morning

Katy Perry Sells Catalog Rights to Litmus Music for $225 Million (variety.com)

multiple sources put the price at $225 million. The deal includes Perry’s stakes in master recordings and publishing rights for the five albums she released between 2008 and 2020: “One of the Boys,” “Teenage Dream”, “Prism,” “Witness” and “Smile.” Universal Music Group continues to own the masters to those albums.

Admittedly, I know nothing about how the music industry works. My only recent knowledge comes from the Taylor Swift situation where she is releasing her own (new) recordings of her music. Hence, cutting out the previous rights-holders of the original recordings. Having said that, it surprises me to read this kind of article. I would think these artists would want to hold on to these rights as long as they could. As it is, literally, the cash cow.

But maybe I’m wrong.

Apparently, lots of artists have been doing this. Large acts like Paul Simon, Dr. Dre, Justin Bieber, Phil Collins/Genesis, Keith Urban, Justin Timberlake, and Sting.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023 winners (rmg.co.uk)

(Photo credit: The Running Chicken Nebula by Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang)

Simply stunning! Kudos to all of these winners!

(Hat tip: kottke.org)

I was thinking about the following for the 814th time yesterday. It amazes me that the same people who cite scripture and verse the Constitutiuon and the Bill of Rights like it’s their last possession on Earth for the things that they care about. And yet, they are the same people who would lay down their lives to protect and re-elect the (shit-for-brains) who wants to subvert the very foundation they so desperately cling to.

Why tech companies are wrong to think electric cars are a solution to climate change (euronews.com)

The priority should therefore not be to replace every car with its electric equivalent but rather to rethink mobility in general.

I wish this was more focused on and implemented everywhere in the world. Especially in the U.S. We’ve been to large European cities multiple times, and I’m always insanely jealous of the fact that we don’t have to have a vehicle to move around the city. And then we get home, and we’re right back into the notion of hopping in the car at the drop of a hat.

And I don’t blame us for doing it. We do NOT have the infrastructure to support mobility solutions here. For one, no one will risk political suicide to raise taxes to do it. Because we are, collectively, cowards.

The iPhone should have levels on its flashlight capabilities. The normal mode should stay, obviously. But it should be able to intelligently switch to a dimmer mode when it’s pitch black and my old ass can’t see in the dark to walk down the stairs.

My main takeaway from Atlanta’s convincing 5-2 win over Inter Miami was the rather subdued first appearance by Josef Martinez in another team’s uniform. While he’e been gone for close to a year, it was his first visit back to Mercedes Benz. It hit me, and I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but he wears #17 with Miami. And that makes me smile.

(theguardian.com via morningbrew.com)

Ok, but what did these new moms see before 1954? Duke Ellington? Beethoven?

Messi ain’t walking through the door, boys! Let’s go United!

Confirmed: The iPhone 15 is the most affordable iPhone since 2007 (perfectrec.com)

We decided to take a look at the inflation-adjusted price of every iPhone. Here’s what we found: The iPhone 15 is the most affordable base model since the original iPhone was released in 2007. The iPhone 15 Plus is the most affordable large iPhone ever. The iPhone 15 Pro is the most affordable iPhone Pro ever.

For all of the Apple haters who love to spout on about how Apple is always raising prices, and are just in it for the money. Turns out…

‘Up close and personal’: LensCulture street photography awards – in pictures

Love seeing these kinds of “real” images.

✅ Playoff Spot

✅ NL East

✔️ NLDS

✔️ NLCS

✔️ World Series

(cnn.com via The Morning Brew)

Who would have thought that the company that literally profits from people’s delusion that they can win quick money (also known as a gambling habit) would suffer from morality lapses?! Shocked, I tell you!

Let’s pause for Lee to yell at the cloud like an old man…

When did a small milkshake become $6.75? I mean, I know it’s not the 20th century anymore, but come on!

There is nothing like the day that the cleaning service comes. Things are clean. Everything is in its place.

For about 15 minutes. Tops.

Can someone please tell me why Matt Olson is not leading the MVP race in the National League?

Yes, you read that right. Through 6 innings of the game he’s currently playing in, he has 24 more RBIs and 6 more HRs than anyone else in baseball!

Someone’s got to explain that to me.

(theathletic.com)

Good.

(See previous posts here, here, and here)

Sometimes, the toughest part of collaborating is deciding what you can divvy out to others vs. what you can do quicker on your own.

✅ Playoff Spot

✔️ NL East

✔️ NLDS

✔️ NLCS

✔️ World Series

It happened this morning. I opened the garage and felt it. I walked outside and breathed in a sigh of relief. There was, in fact, the first chill of fall in the air.

God bless.

Driving to the coffee shop this morning, I saw a dead squirrel in the road in front of me. It’s not a abnormal sight, to be sure. What is abnormal is that he started shaking his body, raised his head, and scattered off to the side of the road. So, either this was Job reincarnated (again), or this squirrel was actually just digging something out of the crack of the road. Either way, I was slack-jawed.

Diplo has successfully escaped the arena (garbageday.email)

If you want to see what the next 25 years are going to be like, Burning Man is it. Millionaires and managers ignoring huge structural problems until it starts to impact their libertarian freak fests and then escaping to somewhere safe when they get the chance. Well, until there aren’t any safe places to escape to, I guess…

Seemingly accurate…

(Found via kottke.org)

(theathletic.com)

Let’s set aside the end result here, and focus on the principle. I find it abhorrent that the business of college football, and all sports really, has the audacity to punish players for gambling.

DraftKings exists. FanDuel exists. The newcomer BetMGM exists. These are “sports books”, as they call them, so as to avoid the “bad” word: gambling. But let’s be real, they are nothing more than gambling hubs. And they have the same “Play responsibly” bullshit tag lines that alcohol manufacturers adsvertise use with their ads. It’s ridiculous in that context, and it’s ridiculous in this one.

That’s not even mentioning the way that every media outlet out there, including the television broadcast you’re watching the fucking game on, is benefitting from their existence and usage. It’s about money. That’s it. That’s the list.

It’s seemingly fine for Joe Public Gambler, but not these guys. Because they’re supposed to be better than everyone else? STFU.

I’m so angry at this type of hypocrisy, I can hardly put it into words.

Side note: I agree with punishments for betting on games these guys are playing in, or have inside knowledge of. But betting on other games? Nope.

New report says cars have worst privacy policies of all products surveyed (morningbrew.com)

That means your car and the services you use in it, like GPS or satellite radio, can collect data such as your contact info, race, or immigration status, and any other personal inferences the systems can make about you based on where you go.

Ok, that’s generic. Don’t love it, but I get it.

Nissan admitted that their vehicles collect data on drivers’ sex lives, but didn’t explain what data or how they get it.

Wha?!?

I can’t ponder what is more disturbing here: that they can (seemingly with confidence) report this, or how they would ever know this.

Got a point. Just sayin’

Deleting code is a programmer’s great delight. That is all.

(parallels.com)

Am I missing something? What exactly does $30 extra per year get me? Charity?

Ah yes, this is a great way to turn “Can I see your driver’s license?” into “Can you hand me your unlocked phone so I can rifle through it?” at a traffic stop. Yes, it’s more convenient than having a separate card, and it may serve as a great backup in case your physical card is lost or damaged. But please don’t use this as your only driver’s license, especially if you are an often-targeted demographic.

I had to check my own privilege when reading this post this morning. I had never even thought about the fact that if my driver’s license is on my phone, that the cop would ask me to hand them my phone. Umm, no. I’m not handing you my phone.

While I have mine on my phone now:

• I don’t live in California, and
• From my examination of the difgital “card”, it doesn’t seem to lend itself to be looked at (there’s no information visible on the “front” of the card)

Like so many things, just hoping this doesn’t become a thing that we look back on and regret.

Visual Studio for Mac Retirement Announcement (devblogs.microsoft.com)

Informed by ongoing user feedback and usage patterns for Visual Studio for Mac, we’re focusing our efforts on optimizing Visual Studio, accessible through Microsoft Dev Box on any operating system, and the C# Dev Kit for VS Code, which is accessible on any OS.

Maybe it’s me, but VS Code (and equivalents) seem disjointed to me. The beauty of Visual Studio was that it encapsulated everything and helped the developer do more quicker by handling all of the fiddly stuff. I did actually try to switch to VS Code at some point, but all of the tutorials and help articles I looked at started at the command line. I can do command line, but why would I want to?!?!

Honestly, it’s the first step I’ve seen from Microsoft in the opposite direction of “look how cross-platform we are!” It’s a little weird to trumpet that message (which I’ve been all for, by the way), yet discontinue the development path on said platforms. Even in the post, one of the alternative workflows was “just virtualize Windows!”

Sigh.

Google and HTTP (this.how)

Many of the sites they will label as “not secure” don’t ask the user for any information. Of course users won’t understand that. Many will take the warning seriously and hit the Back button, having no idea why they’re doing it. Of course Google knows this. It’s the kind of nasty political tactic we expect from corrupt political leaders, not leading tech companies.

Written over 5 years ago (updated 3 years ago), and still spot on. Blogs, for example, don’t need HTTPS. Web commerce, absolutely. But posting data/text on a webpage is the simplest form of information exchange. And highlights the simplistic beauty of the web.

Couldn’t agree more

I love how they always show these big ass vehicles by themselves near an ocean or sea. With so much space around it. No parking lot. No parking deck. Never in the middle of an actual city in any type of realistic scenario.

Continued American consumer extravagance with no consideration for the future.

Too real!

There’s not a lot that frustrates me more when using apps on a phone than the red badge thing NOT clearing when I can confirm that all things have been taken care of inside the app.

Looking directly at you, Teams:

The Tombstone of Democracy (kottke.org)

Yesterday, there was yet another school shooting on a college campus, this time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A UNC graduate student walked into a classroom building and murdered a science professor with a gun. The campus was on lockdown for hours.

This is the front page of the The Daily Tar Heel:

If that doesn’t humble you, I don’t know what will. It is a sad and sick state of being when this is accepted as “normal”.

And yet…here we are. Again.

Ken Griffey Jr. works Inter Miami vs. Nashville SC match as a photographer

Wearing his signature backwards cap, Griffey was in attendance for Inter Miami’s MLS match against Nashville not as a mere spectator but as a pitchside photographer. Griffey has taken up photography since retiring from baseball in 2010. He’s photographed Monday Night Football games, a variety of MLB events — including this year’s Home Run Derby in Seattle — and even an IndyCar event for ESPN in 2016.

Love seeing things like this!

Side note: I’d love to do something like this when I retire from my desk job!

I’m reminded for the umpteenth time that The West Wing is what we should want in our government.

Biden takes on Big Pharma to lower drug prices (morningbrew.com)

The Biden administration took its biggest step yet to lower drug costs for Americans, dropping the highly anticipated list of 10 prescription drugs that will first be subject to negotiations with Medicare…Pharma companies are having kittens over this move—one of the most substantial actions ever taken against the industry—and are assembling an army of lawyers to stop it from happening.

It’s hard for me, someone who is NOT well-versed in the politics of this subject, to not look at this as “big” government stepping in to help Americans against runaway capitalism.

Am I wrong? Having already admitted my ignorance, I’m genuinely asking.

Coming in at #1 in the “No shit, Sherlock” category…

50 years of tax cuts for the rich failed to trickle down, economics study says (cbsnews.com)

But the analysis discovered one major change: The incomes of the rich grew much faster in countries where tax rates were lowered. Instead of trickling down to the middle class, tax cuts for the rich may not accomplish much more than help the rich keep more of their riches and exacerbate income inequality, the research indicates.

Really?!?! You don’t, say?!?!

Biden speaks with DeSantis about Jacksonville shooting and hurricane threat (gazette.com)

“President Biden spoke to Governor DeSantis this morning. He told him that he quickly approved the Emergency Declaration for Florida as they prepare for Hurricane Idalia. FEMA has pre-deployed personnel and assets, including multiple Incident Management Assistance Teams, in preparation for response efforts,” White House officials said in a statement. “FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center has also been fully activated to support any requests for federal assistance. President Biden said Florida will have his full support as they prepare for Idalia and its aftermath.”

The President, doing presidential things.

Focus on the Stakes, Not the Odds (kottke.org)

Come on, this isn’t the goddamned Oscars red carpet. Tell us what the candidates' plans are and how they will affect how Americans live their lives. What experience do they have in governance? Or if not governance, in leadership? What do they believe, what actions have they taken in the past and what consequences have those actions had on actual people? What motivates them…power, money, fame, service? Many many people will not give a shit about any of this, but if we want to retain a functioning democracy with a press that’s not primarily about entertainment, voters need to know what they are getting into.

Well said.

At the elite’s summer camp, the workers allegedly get bunk (thehustle.co)

For the last 150 years, your invitation to Bohemian Grove has been lost in the mail. But your absence hasn’t slowed the party at the ultra-exclusive summer camp for powerful American men.

That should tell you all you need to know, in and of itself. Just wow.

The club has already issued a statement brushing off the case as nothing more than a nuisance.

Of course they did. Bros unite!

🤦🏻‍♂️

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Enterprise, the company’s biggest announcement since ChatGPT’s debut (cnbc.com)

One key differentiator between ChatGPT Enterprise and the consumer-facing version: ChatGPT Enterprise will allow clients to input company data to train and customize ChatGPT for their own industries and use cases, although some of those features aren’t yet available in Monday’s debut.

OpenAI noted in a blog post that “We do not train on your business data or conversations, and our models don’t learn from your usage,” adding that clients’ conversation data would be encrypted both at transit and at rest. The company does, however, log aggregate data on how the tool is used, including performance metadata and more, as is relatively standard, Lightcap said.

I’m going to continue to watch this, but this sounds a lot like Zuckerberg saying “we don’t use your data for Meta’s good!”. Of course they do! I just can’t bring myself to trust that. At least not right now.

Spain’s regional soccer chiefs call on Luis Rubiales to resign over unwanted kiss with Jenni Hermoso (cnn.com)

All 19 regional presidents are unanimously supporting the interim RFEF president, Pedro Rocha, “to lead a new stage of dialogue and reconciliation with all of the football institutions,” the statement read. Rocha replaced Rubiales after his FIFA suspension.

Good to see

Earlier, Rubiales’ mother locked herself in a church and went on hunger strike to protest the “inhumane, bloodthirsty hunt” of her 46-year-old son, Spanish media reported. Ángeles Béjar reportedly said Monday that she would remain in the church in Motril, near Granada in southern Spain, “indefinitely, day and night” until justice was served toward Rubiales.

It just gets weirder.

Unwanted soccer kiss sparks Spain’s #MeToo movement (morningbrew.com)

#SeAcabó, Spanish for “It’s over,” is trending across Spanish social media after a nonconsensual kiss following the women’s World Cup win has spiraled into a broader conversation about women’s equality in the country.

It’s time for the men’s side of the Federation (both staff and players) to step up and do the same.

The fact that my baby sister is about to turn 40 just makes me feel ancient.

This story is so gross and so emblematic of the hubris and entitlement that men (especially in sport) feel and act upon. It’s disgusting, to the point that I can’t believe it’s even an issue in today’s society.

In the Slate Plus segment from the latest “Political Gabfest”, John Dickerson goes off on a rant on calendar invites and how he hates them so. I loved it:

I think your affection for them is because you are a person in a position of power who is often sending out invites to people you are gooning into your meetings. And my view is that an invite that is sent to you that is not a part of a mutual, pre-arranged agreement beforehand is an act of battery. And it’s basically assaulting me and my time by trying o force me into this slot. And there are people who will send you these things without you ever saying “I’m free” or whatever. And those people must be stopped. Also, they should stop texting. Which is what they do all the time. The text is an absolutely sacrosanct form of communication. If it’s not urgent, send it by emai…And this is the penalty of what life is like in this moment of despair.

For what it’s worth, I do think we mix texting and work too much.

New rumored iPhone 15 models (both normal and Pro):

I want that one!

Trump’s Prosecutions Are About Repairing Our Social Norms (kottke.org)

It’s not a new thing for the powerful to place themselves above the law, but the pace and openness with which it’s happening right now is alarming.

Same.

Are robot umpires ready for their MLB debut? Not so fast (theathletic.com)

Now that hundreds of minor-league players, managers and coaches have spent a season living on Planet Robo-Ump… they’ve decided that they don’t want to live on that planet. Oh, they still want The Big Calls to be 100 percent correct. They definitely don’t want games decided on calls like this. But do they want every pitch to be called by non-humans, strictly by the rulebook strike zone, in, say, a 17-2 game? Or when it’s the eighth inning and ominous dark clouds are gathering? No, they do not! They almost unanimously prefer a challenge system, in which (theoretically) only The Big Mistakes are addressed with technology.

Worth a read from Jayson Stark. Seems that baseball players want the technology they want when they want it, and how they want it. And only then.

Shocker, right?

Still, something to watch.

Our Second Summer Snaps Photo Contest Winners: Night Views (atlasobscura.com)

We were dazzled by the beautiful nocturnal imagery our readers submitted. We saw landscapes gently reflecting moonlight, trails of stars etched into velvet skies, and dreamy views from windows. The most popular feature in the entries, by far, was the Milky Way in all its glory.

These are absolutely beautiful images. Please give it a visit.

I will say that I enjoy the 3rd place winner more than the first two. This image is gorgeous, and one that I can only hope to imitate in the future.

Katie Steig’s photograph of the Milky Way with an Iridium satellite flare over The Rock at Lake Superior in Hovland, Minnesota.

I’m watching a YouTube walkthrough of .NET 8 Blazor changes. And the presenter is using words like “traditional” and “classic” when referring to MVC and Razor pages.

God, I feel old.

I’m working in WebForms here, bruh. The only thing more “traditional” in my world is ASP. That’s right, before ASP**.NET** even existed.

Get off my lawn!

Brilliant!

Do dating apps decide who we get to date? (thehustle.co)

I’m sorry, what?! These servicess can be $20+ per week? I had no idea these things were that much. Wow.

My little girl called me this evening. Just to talk. Not looking for her mother or asking me some tech question. She just wanted to share what was going on in her new life at college.

Made my night!

Fun thought of the day:

Every child born is a step closer to the ever-approaching premise of The Truman Show.

I just heard on a (Slate) podcast that the University of Kentucky took in 70% more in tuition and fees than it did 20 years ago, and that’s accounting for inflation during that time.

That number is staggering.

Same.

In 7 games, Messi has put MLS on the map (morningbrew.com)

On Saturday night, Messi scored his tenth goal in seven games, and his team, Inter Miami (which was really bad before he joined), won the Leagues Cup tournament in penalties. With his 44th trophy, Messi became the most decorated soccer player ever.

His impact has been nothing short of remarkable. Truly.

I love the idea of trying to soften the idea of gambling (bad) by simply calling it “sports book” (I guess good?).

It’s ridiculous.

I’m realizing now that 50% of the showers taken in the master bathroom are now UGA’s problem.

‘The Peripheral’ Canceled at Amazon Despite Season 2 Renewal (variety.com)

The news comes despite the fact that Amazon renewed the show for a second season back in February. The series, based on the William Gibson novel of the same name, debuted on Amazon on Oct. 21, 2022.

It starred Chloë Grace Moretz and hailed from executive producers Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan under their rich overall deal with Amazon. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the decision to not move forward with the second season was heavily influenced by the ongoing writers and actors strikes. In essence, even if the show was to go back into production soon, Season 2 would not be available until close to if not into 2025.

Damn it. I really liked season 1, and was looking forward to season 2. Very smart sci-fi. A shame.

I saw a reel on Instagram today with the following:

Adult life is constantly saying to your friends “Let’s do something soon!” And suddenly 6 months have gone by.

That is more true than anyone wants to admit.