The Verge: “Dune: Prophecy hits HBO in November. The series is a prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s films, and it just got a fresh trailer.” I didn’t love the movies but I loved the original books. Sure, I’ll give the series a try.
Ask a Manager: “let’s discuss napping at work.” We can talk about it as soon as I have my nap.
PoliticalWire: Trump says “God was with me” during the failed assassination attempt. I guess God must have hated Corey Competore.
Competore, 50, was a volunteer firefighter who was shot by the assassin who aimed at Trump. Competore died protecting his family.
I’ve been warming to the idea of Kamala Harris for President and I just now realized why: Kamala has powerful Chrisjen Avasarala energy.
CBS Austin: Texans are assaulting and threatening linemen working to restore electrical power after Hurricane Beryl.
HOUSTON – Drawn guns. Thrown rocks. Threatening messages. Houston’s prolonged outages following Hurricane Beryl has some fed-up and frustrated residents taking out their anger on repair workers who are trying to restore power across the city.”
Ryan Broderick at Garbage Day: You May Not Realize It Yet, But You’re Already Forgetting About The Trump Shooting.
Today I learned that “Dogs Playing Poker” refers collectively to 18 paintings by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, comprising one each in 1894 and 1910, and 16 commissioned in 1903 to advertise cigars. Individual paintings have been auctioned for up to $658,000.
Balloons to hoist tourists 100,000 feet into the stratosphere — With ticket prices starting at $50,000 for a six-hour ride, this is a shameful example of decadent conspicuous consumption and if we had that kind of spare money I would do it tomorrow.
GenAI sinks into the ‘trough of disillusionment’. GenAI faces growing skepticism as it struggles to deliver on high expectations. Terrific article by my colleague Julia King.
Cats are adorable little angels with fur
Lulu, one of our cats, likes to creep up on me when I’m sleeping soundly at night, put her sweet lips against my ear hole, and meow as loud as she can. She’s got a hell of a set of little lungs. Last night, I incorporated it into a dream and woke up abruptly, thinking I was hearing a human baby screaming in agony and terror.
Wait, does America really still employ a ton of news reporters? [Andrew Van Dam / The Washington Post]
I did not intend to write four posts about Overcast today
Overall, the latest version of the Overcast podcast player has been buggy for me. This seems like a beta 1 product, not production software.
That said, I credit Marco with quick action staying on top of bugs and customer service. He already has distributed a bug-fix beta.
As I recall, he’s a coffee connoisseur and I hope he has plenty of the good stuff.
I use Overcast for its audio quality rather than its user interface. The audio quality remains first-rate, and I remain a satisfied customer.
Danger Will Robinson! Stills from “Lost in Space”
No, Facebook. I wasn’t doing that, you idiots. Not even close.
This is the second warning I’ve received in two days, when any fool could see that I wasn’t doing that at all.
Remind me again why I’m still on Facebook? Oh, yeah, it’s because most of my friends and family who are online are there.
One more thing about Overcast
Reading this post it seems if you lose your playlists or podcast lists, force-quitting the app should fix the problem.
I’m pretty sure I tried that last night, but I think the developer changed the back-end afterward.
So far, I’m satisfied with the new version, but I’m also finding it a bit buggy. For example, changing filter settings on playlists doesn’t work until I force-quit the app.
The new version of the Overcast podcast app seems to be working OK for me now after a bad start.
It initially failed to show me any of my custom playlists or my list of podcasts.
Here’s what I did: I reverted to the beta, then deleted it, restarted my iPhone, and downloaded the new version. It seems good now.
Marco Arment, who developed the app, advises force-quitting it and says that should fix it, but I’m pretty sure I tried that alone, and it didn’t work.
The new version of the Overcast podcast player is completely unusable for me. I have filed a bug report and reverted to the previous beta.
RIP James Sikking, who played the gung-ho militaristic Lt. Howard Hunter on “Hill Street Blues." He also played Doogie Howser’s father.
I loved that show so much. I want to be Frank Furillo when I grow up.
Today’s fashion hate-reads
Sock height is now a “fierce controversy.. No-show socks make you look old. Crew socks are now fashionable. Unless you’re already old, in which case crew socks make you look old too.
This article has it all, including gratuitous Boomer-bashing and a grown-ass man who is devastated that teenagers are making fun of his socks at Disney World.
I take great pride in not caring about socks. As long as they’re approximately the same color, that’s good enough for me.
Also: Carolyn Hax advises a woman who is aghast that her sister-in-law wore white jeans to a wedding reception, when the invitations SPECIFICALLY SAID “festive cocktail attire.” The only person in this letter who is NOT horrible is the woman in white jeans.
If someone asked me to wear “festive cocktail attire” to an event, I would have no idea what that is. I guess that’s a big reason why we never get those kinds of invitations.
Good profile of J.D. Vance, Trump’s VP pick, in the form of a 55-point list at Politico.
TL;DR: Vance is a crackpot conspiracy theorist and LGBT-phobe motivated strongly by a desire to pwn the Libs. Also, he either had a 180-degree change of heart about Trump, or he’s a sociopathic opportunist; in 2016, he said Trump is an “idiot” and might well be America’s Hitler.
I would not bet on Vance surviving long. Trump tried to have his last VP whacked.
Something I noticed re-reading Roger Zelazny's "Doorways in the Sand"
I recently re-read Roger Zelazny’s “Doorways in the Sand,” which I last read when I was a teen-ager. I loved it as much today as I did then. One of my favorite Zelazny books, which makes it one of my favorite books.
In that novel, a character in his 60s is looking back on his life and says that the world goes through one massive change after another—but they happen one at a time, spaced out at long intervals, and after each change life goes back to pretty much what it was before, so you can convince yourself nothing has changed.
Then you look back over the course of 40+ years and the world is completely different from when you were 20 years old.
I glided over that passage when reading it first as a teen, but re-reading it again over the past few months it hit me hard.
In my adult lifetime, we’ve seen the emergence of he Internet, smartphones, the rise of China, the end of the Cold War, Covid, Donald Trump, the fall of the USSR—after each of these events, we could say, “That was a big deal but still our day-to-day lives are not much different than they were before” And yet you put it all together and the world is very, very different than it was in 1981.
This rule does not apply if you or someone close to you is personally affected by any of these global changes. And these changes can affect hundreds of millions of people — that’s what makes them global. But billions of people are not directly affected by these changes. For them, each individual change is a jolt and then life goes on mostly as it has done before.
Meet the thing I've been working on for three months: Fierce Network Research
I’m excited to unveil what I’ve been working on for the past three months: Helping to launch Fierce Network Research, the research arm of the Fierce Network technology news portal.
Fierce Network Research is dedicated to delivering insights on the impact, benefits and challenges of the new era of smart networking for communications service providers (CSPs) and enterprises.
We call this new-era networking Smart Cloud. It combines cloud, observability, automation, AI and security to build communications infrastructure essential to global economic and societal transformation.
We’re seeing the entire built world become intelligent — smart transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, automation, healthcare, energy and more. Everything that drives the economy and society is becoming connected, saturated with sensors and using artificial intelligence and automation to make smart decisions that improve productivity and efficiency.
None of that works without Smart Cloud connectivity.
I’m part of the Fierce Network Research team as Chief Analyst, defining the research business’s point of view and taking overall responsibility for its research into the latest global trends.
About me: I’ve been covering enterprise and telco technology for more than 30 years, including leadership positions at Light Reading and InformationWeek. I also helped drive content marketing in a full-time position at Oracle and as a consultant for business-to-business technology companies for the data center, cloud platform, networking and security spaces.
For more information on our current and upcoming reports, go here: It’s time to meet Fierce Network Research
And here’s the website: research.fierce-network.com
I searched the house for my glasses this morning. Eventually, I found them on the ground outside in the backyard, where they had been all night.
I took them off to read the phone while standing in the backyard waiting for the dog to do her business so we could both go to bed. Usually, when I take off my glasses to read, I tuck them into the neck of my shirt. But I wasn’t wearing a shirt, so I tucked the arm of my glasses into the pocket of my shorts, and then I promptly forgot about them. They fell on the ground while I was putting the dog to bed.
Eyeglasses are amazing engineering. They are made of glass and fragile wire, but they’re tough little tanks. I abuse the hell out of mine and they’re fine.
Al Sharpton should write the defining op-ed in the NYT, not George Clooney, who is very pretty, and a great choice to cast in movies like Up In The Air or Michael Clayton, but we don’t know anything about his political judgment.
Today I learned about Benford’s Law, which can be used to identify financial fraud and other dodgy statistics. It figures in the 2016 Ben Affleck movie, “The Accountant.”
Elon Musk’s Plan to Put a Million Earthlings on Mars in 20 Years [Kirsten Grind / NYTimes] — SpaceX employees are working on designs for a Martian city, including dome habitats and spacesuits, and researching whether humans can procreate off Earth. Mr. Musk has volunteered his sperm.
Hamilton Nolan: There’s a hole at the heart of the Democratic party, and Labor needs to fill it.. (Thanks, Cory! @pluralistic@mamot.fr)
A fast-read explainer: What Is Project 2025? Inside the Far-Right Plan for a Second Trump Term
Molly White launches FollowTheCrypto.org to track cryptocurrency spending to influence the 2024 elections.
The crypto industry has spent more on the 2024 US elections than oil, pharma and more than the energy sector and the health sector combined.
Remember: The only purposes for crypto are gambling, money laundering and ransomware.
The true, tactical significance of Project 2025 — Cory Doctorow @pluralistic@mamot.fr: Despite its legitimately scary and terrible proposals, the Project 2025 document reveals schisms in the conservative coalition, which can be exploited by a Democratic party led by workers.
Republicans: Democrat Party rhetoric is to blame! Republicans, previously: Trump-Endorsed Candidate for Governor: ‘Some Folks Need Killing’
Republicans: Democrat Party rhetoric is to blame!
Republicans, previously:
I occasionally think that while my daily walks are great, I should soon start doing strength training
But I don’t want to vary a successful routine.
Then I saw this idea on Reddit: Weighted vest.
I have started wearing a knapsack with water bottles for me and the dog on weekends, when I get out for my walk a little later and the weather is warmer. That’s a start.
“I have always been a sucker for ideas I find aesthetically pleasing.”
— Roger Zelazny, Doorways in the Sand
The mystery of consciousness is deeper than we thought [Philip Goff / Scientific American] — We lack even the beginning of an explanation of how the brain produces our inner world of colors, sounds, smells and tastes. A thought experiment with “pain-pleasure” zombies illustrates the mystery.
We’ve watched 7 episodes of the 13-episode first season of the 2004 “Battlestar Galactica” and I’m underwhelmed. It’s fine. Entertaining, but not living up to the fan enthusiasm.
I feel like B:G is a first draft of “Expanse.”
Does the series get better?
I’m drinking coffee after 4 pm.
Two theories about Biden, comprising four strained metaphors
There’s a conspiracy theory going around that billionaires are pulling the strings to destroy Biden so he doesn’t raise their taxes. I’m more than halfway to believing this theory.
A less tinfoil-hat theory: Leading Democrats and journalists pushing Biden to resign are caught up in inside-the-Beltway elitism combined with getting swept up in the dominant narrative.
Inside-the-Beltway elitism lends the afflicted person to engage in five-dimensional chess when all they need to do is keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Voters knew who Biden was when they voted for him in 2020.
I extended my @macstories@macstories.net subscription after seeing this article by nileane@macstories.net, followed by this post from @viticci@macstories.net.
It’s literally the least I can do to support trans rights.
I’m in this photo and I don’t like it.
Julie and I are in a YouTube rut — the algorithm keeps throwing videos I don’t want to watch. What are some YouTube videos and channels you like. Under 15 minutes per video because life is short and rounded with a sleep and who has time for long videos not me.
My newsletter migration is complete! (I think)
I think I have successfully moved my mailing list from Mailchimp to Micro.blog. If you’re reading this in email, you’ll know I did it right. If you don’t see this post, please message me and I’ll get it straightened out (hahahahaha — I make a funny, yes?).
Here’s where you can subscribe to my newsletter. It’s a daily digest of posts I make here.
Micro.blog is the service that I use to host mitchw.blog. I recommend it.
Thanks to @manton for making the process (relatively) easy. A couple of bumps but probably nothing at all to someone with a bit more skills than I have.
A colleague was working in a library and got shushed by the librarian and a fellow patron.
I was immediately impressed and jealous. I haven’t been shushed at a library since I was 17 years old.
The small, prosperous Parsi community of people in India leave their dead out naked in the forest to be consumed by vultures. [99percentinvisible.org] — Learning about this tradition horrified me at first — but only for an instant. The Parsi tradition is no weirder than burying dead people, burning them up, or chucking them in the ocean. The Parsi tradition just seems revolting to me because I’m not used to it.
I’m in Inoreader several times a day, every day, workdays, weekends and holidays. It is one of those products that makes me wonder if the people who build it actually use it.
I spoke bluntly at an internal team meeting this morning. I fear I am so not invited to the presenter’s Bat Mitzvah.
… lesson one from pilot school was “fly the plane.” Strange noises? Fly the plane. Zero visibility? Keep flying the plane. Stomach bug kicking in? Fly the plane. Whatever was going on, first you had to fly the plane. Then you could try to address everything else. He saw that as something of a life lesson. Whatever is most important is what you have to do first, despite distractions, interference, or a powerful desire to be elsewhere at the moment. And while you can be on autopilot a lot of the time, when things demand your complete attention, they have to get 100% of your attention.
Om Malik: The future of writing: How AI will shape our tools.
AI doesn’t write for me, but it helps me write and I expect more of that.
“Mayor of Kingstown” is like if Scorsese made a TV series and decided his movies were too family-friendly and sunny.
We watched three episodes, and we’re done. It’s a fine series, but the news is depressing enough.
Garbage Day: “Project 2025 is the policy paper-equivalent of a school shooter manifesto…. The Republican Party is full of weird men that talk like The Joker and all you really have to do is hold a mirror up to them and they fizzle. My most steadfast view of American politics is that it’s not about having coherent political beliefs or clear policy objectives, it’s simply about not being a huge fucking weirdo.” Yes.
AOC and a group of House progressives unveiled articles of impeachment against Thomas and Alito. Hell, yeah! Good to see that at least some Democrats have spines. Not like the party leadership.
Also, Clarence Thomas took a free yacht trip to Russia and a helicopter flight to Putin’s hometown, “among a slew of other gifts and loans from businessman Harlan Crow.” This article includes a list of bribes from the impeachment papers. It’s quite a list. Thomas is as corrupt as a Tammany Hall politician; he should have a cash register next to his seat on the Supreme Court.
The fediverse does not exist
What exists now is Mastodon, which is tiny compared with siloed social media, and also a few other platforms, which are tiny compared with Mastodon, and which partially interoperate with each other and Mastodon through ActivityPub. But only partially.
Among these ActivityPub-compatible platforms is Threads, which is already a bajillion times bigger than Mastodon.
Also, hanging off this tiny ActivityPub archipelago is the island of BlueSky, which is I guess not part of the fediverse because it doesn’t use ActivityPub idk why isn’t it connected to Mastodon?
The only people who care about this kind of thing are a few foolish nerds, among whom I include myself.
“Any one can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.” — Robert Benchley
I think tonight will be the night that I introduce Julie to the wonderfulness that is “Severance.”
I watched it without her when she was visiting family in 2022, and I am definitely up for a rewatch. Season 2 drops in January.
“The Cat Creeps,” a 1930 lost film. Only two minutes of footage exist today.
My Mimestream subscription expired a couple of weeks ago, and I thought I’d skip renewing. Gmail is no longer my primary email service because I am no longer self-employed. However, I dislike the Gmail web interface. And while Apple Mail works, it’s not as nice as Mimestream. So I renewed. $50/year isn’t nothing, but I still use Gmail a lot, and Mimestream is worth it.