Mitch's Blog

Data Centers Are War Targets Now (Matthew Gault / 404 Media) — American towns with planned data centers are taking notice of attacks like Ukraine’s bombing Russian facilities and finding additional reason to oppose construction.

Looks like there’s a new Stargate series in the works. Maybe. Woo-hoo!

I don’t suggest clicking the link to the article, btw. It’s a lot of twaddle and speculation

Thomas L. Friedman at The New York Times:

Donald Trump, meet Neville Chamberlain. When future students search online for “sellout,” “appeaser” or “traitor to his country’s core values,” their two pictures will come up first, side by side. And deservedly so. At least Chamberlain was trying, in what proved to be lethally misguided fashion, to avoid a world war.

Trump and his supporters are traitors who have disgraced America They must face the full penalty of the law. Because if that does not happen, aspiring American tyrants will look at what Trump has done and see that there is no significant penalty for failure.

I disagree with Friedman when he says he never believed Trump as an agent of Putin. Of course Trump is an agent of Putin. Oh, I don’t know the mechanism — I have no idea if Trump is outright in Putin’s pay — though Trump does have significant investments in Russia. I don’t know if Putin has kompromat on Trump, or whether Trump is simply a useful idiot. But those are details to be worked out later — the most important thing is that Trump is Putin’s dog and when Putin commands, Trump falls on his belly and does his master’s bidding.

The White House put out a statement saying that it will protect people and companies that gave Trump $330 million in bribes and “relentlessly pursue those responsible” for “cowardly” leaking the bribers identities.

Which is, of course, a lie. Trump shows no loyalty, even to his subordinates, and the White House is too incompetent to identify the leakers.

She lasted 0.45 scaramucci.

What was life really like in Renaissance Florence? A podcast interview with the always fascinating historian Ada Palmer and journalist Adam Davidson. YouTube link. I listen to the audio podcast like a civilized person. Search “Beforecast” in your podcast app.

JWZ writes a an introductory playlist of classic Hammer horror movies:

You’ve seen the t-shirts even if you haven’t seen the movies. At the time these were considered low budget trash, just a hair shy of pornography, BUT / AND they are fantastic! They have a look that is so consistent and when someone in this modern world references it, you are immediately “guy pointing at TV meme”, it’s such a thing. There’s something so distinctive about their lighting and color. When you see that particular too-bright red blood on the lips of a bouffonted showgirl in a negligee, you know what you’re in for.⁠⁠

I’m not a horror fan and was not a fan of Hammer movies but I’m a jwz fan so here you go.

Is the world getting uglier? My childhood friend Debbie Millman talks with Ezra Klein.