Steve

Really, I don’t know how any self-respecting journalist still works at WaPo. Just go write fake Amazon reviews or something.

(Lovely photo, though.)

An enduring monument to what as man of (inherited) wealth can accomplish when there’s no middle class.

Pre-ordered!

(Amazon search auto-complete only filled in up through “The Woman Inside from Outer Space,” which sounds like an entirely different kind of book. ;-)

YouTube video by mathyou9 Star Trek IV: "A little too much LDS"

Never mock someone for mis-reciting abbreviations; they might’ve learned it by reading and/or have come from the future.

Some Americans are taught to see themselves in the Hebrew narrative but wind up playing the roles of the ancient Egyptians.

Beautiful shot! However, I had to grab my readers because at first I saw a suspension bridge over Death Valley.

Maybe Canadians don’t have any of these issues? Could it just bea matter of adjusting the threshold for what triggers a ticket? (2/2)

Interesting. Speed cameras don’t discriminate; they just mail you a ticket. They don’t pull you over, intimidate you with guns and every other gadget on their belts. They don’t claim to smell cannabis. They don’t use a minor speeding infraction as an excuse to search your car. (1/2)

Funny… mine goes, “Don’t blink!”

Apparently it’s a common unsolved problem for Billionaire Bunker Builders: Once you assemble a team to run the place, how can you keep them loyal? I.e., after the apocalypse, when money means nothing?

Short answer: You can’t.

I wonder if they’ve asked the same question about their AI.

One has to admire the sheer audacity of hope that it takes to be bringing new planets into the universe in times such as these

The wearable:

@majnouna.com I just viewed your artist’s website; count me as intrigued and moved. In particular your words introducing the Veils of Mourning series resonated with me. So thanks for that, as well as for your apt guidance above. Best wishes, from Florida.

I stand corrected: The church in this picture is Lutheran. I was misinformed and should have double checked.

Still a good idea for Florida’s capital city, right?

Correct— see above. Thanks!

It does appear from Google Maps satellite view that the extension of the rainbow (almost) all the way up to the church was a more recent extension.

Re. the church, I was leaning on our Reykjavík city guide who related to us the above apparent irony. You’re right, I should have double checked.

bsky.app/profile/geek...

Shopping street in Reykjavik, Iceland in which the drivable portion is painted in broad rainbow stripes, receding to a modern cathedral tower in the distance

Skólavörðustígur, Reykjavik’s Rainbow Street, has been painted this way since 1999. It leads uphill through a major shopping street to a Catholic cathedral. (!)

Maybe the City of Tallahassee, Florida could do likewise with the stretch of Adams St. between the Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion.

Why do we still speak of “settlers” and “settlements?” Sounds like we’re promoting a narrative of peaceful intentions when the reality couldn’t be more obvious.

V., if you're reading this, thanks for a book that remains relevant 30+ years later. (3/3)

It's still available in physical form via OpenLibrary and as a 99-cent ebook on Amazon. For a time, the author had it up for free on Goodreads. (2/3)

Book cover of Wendel, His Cat, and the Progress of Man - an illustrated novel by v. campudoni. Cover illustration is of a simple pen and ink drawing of a black cat sitting on the floor, looking across an empty room at Wendel, a simple man dressed in a black suit.

Sample page shows a simple pen-and-ink drawing of Wendal in his black suit with three policemen in riot gear behind him. Dialogue on facing page reads: "Where is the riot?" asked the police. "There is no riot," said Wendal. "I have called you because I have lost my cat and I was hoping that you might help me find her." "Where are the bodies?" asked the police. "There are no bodies," said Wendal. "I have simply lost my cat. Her name is Gai Pan and she is small and dark." "Where are those who wish to be beaten senseless?" "There is no one here who wishes to be beaten." said Wendal. "I have lost my cat." "Are you planning to start a riot?" asked the police. "No," said Wendal. "Call us when there is rampage and murder," said the police. "Very well," said Wendal.

In 1994, this little gem appeared in bookstores, by little-known author V. Campudoni. It follows a man who tries to get help in finding his lost cat, from those who should care. Reading it in 2025 feels... interesting. (1/3)

Silent Treatment Against the Machine

Mother of Pearl Jam

Denting Pumpkins

Cute, but please don’t tease us with a print edition unless you’re offering one! :-)

Sydney who?

Dickens continues: “Mr. Bumble was fairly taken by surprise, and fairly beaten. He had a decided propensity for bullying: derived no inconsiderable pleasure from the exercise of petty cruelty; and, consequently, was (it is needless to say) a coward. This is by no means a disparagement to his character; for many official personages, who are held in high respect and admiration, are the victims of similar infirmities. The remark is made, indeed, rather in his favour than otherwise, and with a view of impressing the reader with a just sense of his qualifications for office.”

(2/2)