I withdraw my previous comment about God sending Trump and his cabinet of Ku Klux Klowns to destroy America. That kind of talk is despairing, and despair is not an outlook we can afford.
These buffoons are incompetent and doing serious damage. They must be removed from office and prosecuted to the maximum penalty allowable by law.
In the middle of a war, the Secretary of Defense, whose previous experience was as a weekend anchor on Fox News, bans press corps photographers because they make him look gross. And the director of the FBI, who formerly raised funds for people who attempted the violent overthrow of the U.S. government, is bringing in UFC fighters to train agents.
I’m not a religious man but I am coming to the conclusion that God sent Donald Trump to bring the United States to its knees and make us humble. Or maybe God is just plain done with us and wants us gone.
When you’re watching TV show set in or around 1970 and Doors music comes on, something bad is gonna happen. When the Doors song is “People Are Strange,” somebody’s gonna OD.
Fresh Air remembers Neil Sedaka. He had a great career.
Currently reading: Derby Dugan’s Depression Funnies by Tom De Haven. I’ve reread this a few times. I love this book. 📚
Inside the secret meeting that led to the AI political resistance. Strange bedfellows, uniting progressives, conservatives and MAGA: The Pro-Human Declaration has been signed by the American Federation of Teachers, the Congress of Christian Leaders, the Progressive Democrats of America and Steve Bannon.
Oh great, here comes 6G. A good explainer.
Tokyo University graduate student Takatsugu Kuriyama built an accurate three-dimensional model of Tokyo’s incredibly complex subway system “using multi-colored tubes strung with wire. Different color liquids pulsate throughout all 18 lines, creating a staggering picture of what goes on below the streets of Tokyo every day.”
Looking at this diagram, I realized that I visualize subway systems (like Tokyo’s, New York’s or London’s) operating on a single plane. Flat. But Tokyo’s, at least, is tall as well as broad. It’s like an anthill or termite’s nest.
Having contingency plans beats agility for emergency preparedness. “In an unexpected and urgent situation you don’t rise to the occasion. You sink to the level of your training.”
Tucker Carlson’s latest baseless conspiracy blames Iran war on Chabad movement. A dangerous anti-Semite — and Candace Owens is right there with him.
The View From RSS. What the web looks like when you subscribe to 2,000 RSS feeds. I am not tempted to try this.
Cory Doctorow: The web is bearable with RSS. Also, a brief history of Google Reader, Google+ (which Cory doesn’t think much of but which I loved and still mourn), and tips for customizing Firefox for avoiding nag screens and other annoyances. I’m using a Chrome-based browser; hopefully the plugins he recommends have parallels in the Chrome universe.
I am a die-hard RSS user and have been for more than 20 years. I have a love-hate relationship with Inoreader — I am perpetually looking for alternatives and keep coming back to it. Right now, I’m actually looking to use RSS less, and unsubscribe from high-volume feeds, viewing those websites in the browser instead.
Regarding breaking news, I used to say that if I don’t hear the helicopters circling over the house, I can wait to find out about it.
A fun read about Burger King president and viral video star Tom Curtis, who presents a down-to-Earth image: The Burger King President Who Took a Bite Out of McDonald’s. Also a fun read, about the viral McDonald’s video that Burger King responded to. Here’s the video of Curtis taking a big hearty bite from a Whopper. And the McDonald’s CEO takes a prissy nibble from the Big Arch. He calls it a “product!” Good grief!
Meet your new phone away from phone
A roundup of phones designed to be used as second phones, to minimize distraction. By Allison Johnson at The Verge.
This is an idea that seems stupid to me at first, but now I find it intriguing.
I do not see something like this as a solution to the distraction problem. If you’re distracted by your phone, the problem is not with the phone, it’s between your ears. (Says the guy who is 100% too distracted by his phone.)
But maybe we’d be better off with something limited-purpose but elegant, like these devices, to use as phones, and something like an iPad mini for video, gaming, apps, etc.?
It would be better for my mental health if I did not check the news as often as I do. Surely I am the first person ever to have had this insight.
What do you use for breaking news? I check in with a few sources a few times a day to see what the latest crisis is. I check Google News, Apple News and my RSS reader. How about you?