Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Saturday, February 6. 2021Saturday Links From All Over
Temperature, Humidity and Latitude Analysis to Predict Potential Spread and Seasonality for COVID-19
You're welcome. Again. Some more. Association of Daily Wear of Eyeglasses With Susceptibility to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection
Can't wait for Fauci to tell us to wear two pairs of eyeglasses. The Long Decline of Global Interest Rates
Paul Volcker was either a god or a devil, depending on who you ask. But he was certainly nowhere in-between. Christopher Plummer: Star of The Sound of Music dies at 91
He was Commodus before Joaquin was born, and better at it too. He was the definitive Rudyard Kipling, THE skinflint millionaire, Kaiser Wilhelm, more Rommel than James Mason, and more Barrymore than Barrymore. And still they hang the Sound of Mucus around his neck. Rest easy Sir Charles Litton. We'll remember you. Internet Archive’s Modern Book Collection Now Tops 2 Million Volumes
When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes -Erasmus Texas Republicans endorse legislation to allow vote on secession from US
Please keep in mind that secession is only cool when California threatens to do it. 'Coup Attempt' of Reddit's Wallstreetbets Forum Is Averted
Like campus politics, the fights are so vicious because the stakes are so small.
Huh. It turns out you have to know something about ice cream, and something about business, in order to run an ice cream business. Who knew? The Round Table: Fiction, Biography And The Use Of Power -Robert Caro and Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut was funny. Robert Caro wrote four books about Lyndon Johnson, which is another kind of joke entirely. Ford forced to cut profitable F-150 pickup truck production due to semiconductor chip shortage
Ahem. A pickup truck has one bench seat, a metal dashboard, three on the tree, and an AM radio. I have no idea what exactly an F 150 is anymore, but it ain't a pickup truck. Have a nice weekend, y'all. Or if you're Bird Dog, a nice weekend yawl.
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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05:54
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Ice storms, and Birches, reposted - not from todayWe had a lovely ice storm this week (only a few branches "pruned" by Mother Nature), reminded me of Robert Frost and swinging birches. Beautiful:
Related, here's Robert Frost reciting his Birches:
Friday, February 5. 2021Where do birds sleep?Friday Friggin Wacko Woke
Hey, It's Friday! I Think. I Really Can't RememberHey, remember normal American life? Me neither. China promotes education drive to make boys more 'manly' The Proposal to Prevent the Feminisation of Male Adolescents called on schools to fully reform their offerings on physical education and strengthen their recruitment of teachers. The text advised recruiting retired athletes and people from sporting backgrounds - and "vigorously developing" particular sports like football with a view to "cultivating students' masculinity". The American version is reminding the male students that they'll never be half the man their mother was. The pandemic is getting better all across the U.S.
Flu season in the US runs from October to February. It's February. You're welcome UK banks given six months to prepare for negative interest rates
Well, after giving away money doesn't work, there's nothing left to do but pay you to take it. 23andMe set to go public via a Virgin Group SPAC merger
If you're unfamiliar with 23andMe, they're like Facebook, but instead of spying on your browsing habits, they rifle through your medical waste if you're dumb enough to send it to them. Blue Check Homes. Get a Verified Blue Badge on your home
What a glorious hoax. Kia Motors Shares Jump After Report Apple to Invest $3.6 Billion
You can get it in any color you want, as long as it's... white? Found traces of antidepressants and painkillers in crustaceans on Svalbard
You know, I'd kinda noticed that my Svalbard mollusks seemed a tad taciturn recently. They've completely lost the urge to fetch sticks and dig in the garden, too. NY restaurant couple mistakenly served $2000 Mouton 1989 after ordering $18 Pinot
I remember this one time I was at a boring convention, but they had an open bar with a half-decent wine selection. I guess I sorta took advantage of the open bar thing. After my eighth trip across the auditorium to get another glass, a guy handed me a big trophy, a pretty girl kissed me, and the master of ceremonies announced over the public address system that I'd won the dance contest. Amazon plans to install always-on surveillance cameras in its delivery vehicles
Amazon should just install the driver's mother-in-law in a jump seat and get it over with. Corporations Listed In Fortune 500 More Likely To Commit Financial Fraud, Study Finds
I was walking down the sidewalk in New York once, when I noticed a stockbroker I'd met at a party recently coming towards me. "Hello," he lied. A GameStop Evangelist’s Videos Draw a Regulator’s Attention
This dude is in for an SEC enema with a Maxine Waters rubdown finish. He'll be used as a political football. If he's useful in their endless efforts to raise taxes, they'll call him a little guy and let him keep the vig. If he hurt the wrong hedgies, they'll stake him out on an anthill. But his real problem comes later. Some enterprising lawyer with a client who dumped their college money into GameStop and lost it all will sue him, and win. It's pit bull season, and he's wearing milk bone underwear.
Well, that's the links for today. Don't forget to shift your buttocks slightly on the couch at least once a day.
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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07:22
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Thursday, February 4. 2021Miles DavisWacko Woke Thursday
You Have Meddled With Primal Forces of Nature, Mr. Reddit, and I Won't Have It!Ned Beatty explains how the world really works to a doe-eyed crank in Network. A wonderful parable for our times, and still spot on 45 years after it was made. The Wall Street Bets kids will be cozened into Janet Yellen's boardroom shortly, and get Citadel's version of this speech. Hedge funds emerge mostly unscathed from Reddit trader drama
I'll explain the GameStop/Reddit/Wall Street Bets frenzy in the simplest terms possible. They've all joined a joint-stock Amway. How Billionaire Robert Smith Avoided Indictment in a Multimillion-Dollar Tax Case
His company manages $73 billion in assets for public pension funds. Public pension funds are about to get maybe a third of a trillion or so in bailouts, masquerading as aid to state and local governments. He won't be eating ramen anytime soon. IBM Blockchain Is a Shell of Its Former Self After Revenue Misses, Job Cuts
I guess IBM is being haunted by the ghost of Romettys past. You will be visited by three spirits. Listen to them, and do what they say, or your (block)chains will be heavier than mine. Who Built the Egyptian Pyramids? Not Slaves
Got that? "Researchers" say it wasn't slavery. It was "national service." Give them another couple years to research the topic, and they'll be able to explain it was just like playing Minecraft, only with real blocks. Loads of fun for the whole conscripted family! 'Their goal is to destroy everyone': Uighur camp detainees allege systematic rape
No sweat. Xi will just get some researchers to rename it "national service." Justice Department Drops Yale University Admissions Lawsuit
Pretty soon, we'll perfect bizarro world college admissions where the only way a white male can attend is to make the football team.
I've been accused of being a narcissist. But enough about me. What do you think about me? Chrome’s Cookie Update Is Bad for Advertisers But Good for Google
Cookies for me, but not for thee, says Google, and every toddler's mother. The Mystery Of India's Plummeting COVID-19 Cases
Flu season in India runs from October to February. It's February. You're welcome. Hybrid supercapacitor offers NiMH energy density, charges much faster
People mistakenly believe that designing electric cars is an electric car problem. But electric cars are about as old as gasoline-powered designs. They didn't catch on because the batteries sucked, and gasoline rocked, and was damn near free. The batteries still suck, and only work on a boondoggle basis. Supercapacitors are the future of electric cars and solar storage.
Well, that's the links for this morning. I hope you found them enjoyable or informative or amusing. But remember: It's the individual that's finished. It's the single, solitary human being that's finished. It's every single one of you out there that's finished. Because this is no longer a nation of independent individuals. It's a nation of some two hundred odd million transistorized, deodorized, whiter-than-white, steel-belted bodies, totally unnecessary as human beings and as replaceable as piston rods. I'm sorry. Did I say that out loud? I meant to say, "Have a nice day!"
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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06:38
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Wednesday, February 3. 2021About our winter JuncosThey are snowbirds around here. They are actually in the family of sparrows.
How to order adjectivesWhy is this wrong? "a rectangular silver French old little lovely whittling green knife…" How Non-English Speakers Learn This Crazy Grammar Rule You Know But Never Heard Of. Some of the most binding rules in English are things that native speakers know but don’t know they know.
Posted by The Barrister
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14:22
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Dumbbell workoutsA good thing about dumbbell resistance exercises is that you don't need a spotter. In addition, you can have them at home if you are still gym-phobic. For strength maintenance, you have to go heavy. Hand weights with high reps are calisthenics, not strength. Unintended ConsequencesToday I stopped at Costco after working at the food bank. I had to buy some things, but most importantly I had to return the laundry detergent I'd purchased. Naturally, not being aware of anything besides price, I'd bought a brand I was familiar with, but for some reason was on sale at a rate considerably cheaper than Costco's house brand. Seems like a deal. Until Mrs. Bulldog said "No, return it." So today was return day. As I stood in line, I noticed the 3 people ahead of me having their returns rejected, which I thought was odd. I've returned a few things to Costco, and it's rarely a problem especially if you have a receipt or plan to use the credit immediately (as I intended to). When I got to the desk, I was told that Governor Murphy had passed a "Hoarding Law" which meant certain items couldn't be returned because they were deemed "essential" and the government had worried in March that hoarders would purchase large amounts to gouge prices. Laundry detergent is on the list. Now, I really have no problem with price gouging. It's part of the natural turn of events in certain crises and will usually help increase production (which eventually drives down prices) and services to the areas which are impacted by a crisis. I don't even have a problem with hoarding. I'm not likely to do either of these things, but if others want to, that's their gig, not mine. But now I'm stuck dealing with this detergent and the ire of Mrs. Bulldog, clearly an event our governor, who is obviously kindly and greatly more intelligent than everyone else in the New Jersey area, doesn't care about. Actually, I'm less concerned with the ire of Mrs. Bulldog and really was more concerned with the people I noticed who were distraught because they'd purchased things they didn't want/need and just wanted to return them. I should be clear that my Costco isn't exactly in a really wealthy part of my county. Lots of locals, many who probably have been very adversely affected by Covid, shop here. So seeing them getting upset at the counter didn't surprise me. But it's just an annoying example of how politicians insert themselves into everyday lives and make life difficult. Sure they "mean well" - but they rarely realize they are hurting the people they are trying to help more often than not. Wacko Woke Wednesday
Once Again, the Conservative, Sandwich-Heavy Portfolio Pays Off for the Hungry Investor!
It's not kind to find amusement in other people's distress. So I won't. I'll just casually mention that it's a tremendous waste of money to send some people to college. So it's not that big of a deal that this money was dumped into a meme stock at a stratospheric high, shortly to make its way to the Pink Sheets. According to modern monetary practice, it's a much better allocation of the same money to send a stockbroker's kids to college. In a Porsche. On to today's links! Brokers of Reddit how crazy is it where you work/ on the trade floor rn?
Ah, GameStop remorse will become a thing now. Well, say what you want about the Tulip Mania, but at least you could grow some flowers with what was left of your investment. Experts suggested planting the bulbs point down in the smoking hole of your finances. Dante's descendant seeks to overturn poet's 1302 corruption conviction
They're also thinking of revising the book to be more topical. They're adding a tenth circle to hell. It has a bad internet connection. Australia’s PM Suggests Bing Adequate If Google Blocks Searches Down Under
There are only two ways to look at this situation. If there is no adequate alternative to Google, then Google is a monopoly, and it can safely be regulated into the ground. If there are adequate alternatives, then Google can safely be regulated into the hereafter. Simple. FTC says Amazon took $62 million in tips from drivers
I have no idea where the exact inflection point was, but somewhere along the way WalMart became a charming, plucky, mom and pop store compared to Amazon. Jeff Bezos Is Stepping Down As Amazon CEO Later This Year
He's going to retire to spend more time with his family and his employee's tips. Language Development During Interstellar Travel
I don't know what this dialect would sound like, but I know that no matter how far out into space they go, no one is ever going to be able to correctly spell loser, rein, definitely, compliment, it's, or their ever again. Exclusive: Suspected Chinese hackers used SolarWinds bug to spy on U.S. payroll agency
But I tholt it was the Lussians. Ancient Jersey teeth find hints at Neanderthal mixing
No word on modern New Jersey teeth, but after watching Jersey Shore, I have my suspicions. Exclusive: Wikipedia launches new global rules to combat site abuses
I can't imagine from what political perspective information will be determined to be "false or biased." It's a deep mystery. Manhattan Office Supply Hits Record High With Skyscrapers Empty
It's going to be really hard to get the working wealthy back into pants.
Have a great Wednesday, everyone.
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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06:26
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Tuesday, February 2. 2021Female orgasms
Many sorts of mammals use sex recreationally. Monkeys (and apes like us), especially. A blast of oxytocin and various endorphins is a nice thing regardless of whether it is a part of bonding or just for fun. For non-humans - and most humans now, it is not purposeful reproduction but a simple biological urge like thirst. Hence masturbation in various forms in mammals including dogs. It's a shame that so many female humans find orgasm so elusive or difficult to reach whether in an exciting new relationship or an old one. I have spoken with many women of all ages about this. (Yes, women in their 80s like sex.) While a lucky few are able to orgasm at the touch of a penis, most not. It depends on level of attraction and arousal - the psychological component; and stimulation - the biological component. Re the latter, I sometimes recommend vibrators. Why not? However, this is not a sex therapy post. I am skeptical about this theory: Why do women orgasm?
Two extraordinary free educations
The US Merchant Marine Academy Progressive school needs to go furtherThis school costs the parents $44,000/year. Wacko Wokery
So Much Tuesday. So Little Time
Well, the whole country is shoveling today. The West Coast is shoveling mud, the Midwest is shoveling snow, the Northeast is shoveling slush, and you know what they're shoveling in Washington. Hint: It's not shinola. By the way, our first item is an entire rundown of how that offal gets shoveled. Pay attention. The billionaire takeover of civil society
I hate to break it to you, but deplatforming conservatives from any meaningful place online was the last step, not the first. Act accordingly. The shirtless fellow with the Flintstones lodge helmet presiding over our impromptu congress has nothing on this woman SpaceX to Launch Inspiration4 Mission to Orbit
It's impolitic to say so, but America's trips to the moon were just stunts. Yeah, yeah, we got Tang and Velcro, and showed up the Soviets, but the moon is just a really boring Disneyland with a very expensive ticket. Well, pretty soon, you can buy tickets, too.
Recent attempts to unionize at Google are superfluous. Apparently everybody's got to be paid the same already. Or else. Ford, Google form 'strategic partnership' on cloud services, Android operating system
Ford and Google Cloud? I don't know why, but I'm reminded that two drunks often lean on each other to keep upright. Have fun with your new Woke dashboard. Reconstructing the Menu of a Pub in Ancient Pompeii
Pretty interesting, but if you're prone to telling the truth, the counter of the excavated food joint in Pompeii looks exactly like a Subway sandwich shop. Why this famed Anglo-Saxon ship burial was likely the last of its kind
Two women meet at the mall. U.S. Cuts $231 Million Deal To Provide 15-Minute COVID-19 At-Home Tests
It'll be fun to sneeze on your phone instead of just cursing at it. Naked shorting: The curious incident of the shares that didn't exist
Those crazy kids at Wall Street Bets have stumbled onto a real nest of snakes. They'll eventually be broken on the Wall Street wheel, of course, and blame the wrong people for their troubles, and the problem won't get fixed, but think of the demagoguery and additional taxes we can look forward to from all this! Spotify wants to suggest songs based on your emotions
Why does Spotify keep playing Rage Against the Machine songs over and over? I went as far as saying I liked disco and Wayne Newton, but it saw right through that ruse.
And Spotify will play it over and over and over and over...
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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06:37
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Monday, February 1. 2021Wake Up About Wacko Woke
Monday Morning What Have You
Bird Dog's at the vet, getting his teeth sharpened or something. Sorry, you're stuck with me again. I'm afraid I'm rather cranky this morning. On top of my general demeanor, I haven't read a newspaper or watched TV in over 20 years. That indicates that this isn't shaping up to be an informative session for you fine people. However, I'll do my best, because back in my day, we gave everything our best effort, even if it was doomed to failure. You know, like elections and public school. What went wrong with America’s $44 million vaccine data system?
Back in my day, a woman with a beehive hairdo and more eyeshadow than Cleopatra wearing eyeglasses on a chain would make our doctor's appointments, and we were too terrified of her to miss one. My 90s TV: You can browse 1990s Television Well, I didn't browse 1990s television in the 1990s, and I'm not going to start now. And back in my day, we used a compliant toddler to change the channel, not a remote. Amazon’s Ring now reportedly partners with more than 2,000 US police and fire departments
Why, back in my day, we made the Stasi build their own system of totalitarian surveillance. Lunik: Inside the CIA’s audacious plot to steal a Soviet satellite
Why, back in my day, we had to pay for our own LSD and prostitutes. Silver swept up by GameStop retail frenzy, prices soar
Why back in my day, we had to mine our own silver.
Why, back in my day, our parents encouraged us to sniff glue. This IoT Mesh Network Watches You As You Shop - Without Cameras
Back in my day, you had to shoplift something to get followed around the store like that. Access to vocational education can boost income over the long term
Why, back in my day, we'd greet research like this with a resounding, "Duh." And vocational training consisted of a very dirty plumber yelling at you to go get a Stilson wrench off the truck, and be back in two minutes or you're fired. Hedge fund Melvin sustains 53% loss after Reddit onslaught
Back in my day, you didn't have to hire an expert to lose half your money in the stock market. You could just buy ten shares of anything and vote democrat. Myanmar army seizes power in coup and declares state of emergency for one year
Back in my day, jokes about coups following stolen elections didn't just write themselves. And we called it Burma. And of course, back in my day, we told everyone to have a nice day. I still do, and mean it.
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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07:56
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Sunday, January 31. 2021Downeast-style boatsMrs. BD and I have a disagreement about boats. Maybe readers can offer us some marital help. She wants a Great Loop boat, a trawler with a couple of staterooms, galley, head, shower, etc. She prefers these Beneteau Swift Trawlers to the Grand Banks trawlers. She wants to do the Great Loop (in bits) but I'd rather do the Appalachian Trail (in pieces, of course) as an adventure, since travel is sort-of out this year. Those big trawlers, I feel, are just too much boat for my comfort and skill (even with bow and stern thrusters). I could learn for sure, but do I want to? In fact, I am more comfortable with sail than power even though most sail has accessory power too. I've had boats much of my life, and thought I was done with them. Less things to worry about makes me happy. Kayaks are great fun and good exercise, and zero worries. But when it comes to real boats, my preference is for jaunty Downeast-style boats. I can handle them just fine. They are ok for overnights, but not for lengthy cruises. I kinda like this old Dyer 29 Pics of a couple of Downeast boats -
Posted by Bird Dog
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17:08
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About Nabokov, and Lolita tooHis first job in the US was Professor of Lepidoptery at Harvard. This is excellent, from 1989
Posted by The Barrister
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16:17
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Why fruit makes you fatExcept for Blueberries. There is no reason to even think about this topic unless you want to lose weight, or unless the physiology is interesting to you. Fruit is a fine dessert because its main nutritional ingredient is sugars. Especially Fructose. There is nothing "healthy" about fruit or fruit juice. Fructose is metabolized in a different way than is Glucose. The very short story is this: All sugars are not created equal. Fructose is metabolized into fat. Glucose in moderate amounts is turned into glycogen for energy. Table sugar is Sucrose, which is metabolized first into its components of Glucose and Fructose. Corn syrup, the most common commercial sweetener, contains Glucose and Fructose. Thus eating a fruit, or drinking fruit juice, is equivalent to drinking a Coke other than the virtue signaling. No common sweeteners contain pure Glucose. Children are best off drinking milk or water. The Sound and the Fury
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