New posts from the.micro.blog


🔗 Today’s Articles: Tue 05.Mar.2024

“News that belongs to you.” — CBC


UPI: Diver has found about 200 Apple Watches in Indiana lakes

An Illinois diver who has recovered about 200 Apple Watches from the bottoms of lakes has a warning for owners: Don’t go swimming with the original watch bands.


Investor’s Business Daily: Stock Market Today: Dow Jones Falls As Apple Tumbles On iPhone Sales, Warren Buffett Risk; Cathie Wood Sells Coinbase

Shares of Apple sank 2.8% on reports of a steep drop in iPhone sales in 2024 in China. Counterpoint Research found that Apple’s China’s smartphone sales have fallen 24% in 2024 from the prior year amid fierce competition. According to the research firm, the comparison with an “abnormally high” sales record in January 2023 may be part of the reason.

But the iPhone maker also faces a risk as a top holding in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway(BRKB). According to reports, Berkshire sold 10 million shares of Apple stock in the last quarter of 2023, according to its latest 13F filing, and could sell more.


NYT: The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping: A Grisly Theory and a Renewed Debate

New speculation about the toddler’s death and pressure to force DNA testing of evidence have revived scrutiny of what was known as the “crime of the century.”


Atlantic: How Trump Gets Away With It

4.Dec.2023

If reelected, he could use the powers of the presidency to evade justice and punish his enemies.

via Patrick Rhone


The Takeout: The Phillies’ $1 Hot Dog Is No More

Spring is rolling around and we’re looking forward to baseball season. There’s nothing like munching on a ballpark hot dog and washing it down with cold beer in the stands, and it’s even better when the dogs are cheap. But fans of the Philadelphia Phillies’ popular “dollar dog night” promo at Citizens Bank Park must kiss their best concessions deal goodbye this MLB season, thanks to a bunch of rowdy spectators last year who ruined things for everyone.

This fiasco occurred last April, when a bunch of Phillies fans present on dollar hot dog night decided it would be a great idea to chuck a boatload of hot dogs at each other in the stands. The food fight quickly spiraled out of control, with some attendees eventually tossing bottles of water down from the upper deck, causing a safety issue. Though no injuries were reported, several fans were ejected from the game, and the event became a national news story.


NYMag: Apple, Tesla, and the Dying Dream of Self-Driving Cars

Every firm in the race to build a self-driving car was running into the same few real-world obstacles (and, occasionally, other cars), namely unpredictable drivers and wildly diverse environments and road conditions. The range of possible scenarios that a self-driving car might face on a single trip to the store is astronomically huge, and the risks of failure include death. For other automakers, revising plans around autonomous cars was expensive and embarrassing. For Apple, it ultimately meant retiring the entire project. The closest thing the public saw to an Apple car was a Lexus SUV with a big Apple-y sensor array on top: [Twitter link]

If anything, Apple’s move is a pretty late signal that the self-driving bubble has burst, but it’s a clear one. Apple isn’t a start-up or an automaker trying to catch up with Elon Musk’s tweets. At the end of 2023, it had more than $70 billion in cash on hand. It wasn’t running out of money to invest in a problem it had nearly solved. It’s a highly motivated firm with existing connections to the automotive industry and nearly infinite resources realizing that its plan might not be feasible for the foreseeable future.


The Verge (YouTube): Lisa: Steve Jobs’ sabotage and Apple’s secret burial | Full Documentary

30.May.2023

Sabotage, hired goons, and a landfill in Utah: this is a story about the life, death, and afterlife of Apple’s most pioneering flop, the Lisa computer. How it inspired generations of computers to follow; how Steve Jobs championed it, then turned against it; and how an outsider gave it another chance…before Apple closed the door on the Lisa forever.


Last Updated: 05.Mar.2024 22:01 EST

Monday’s articles

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2024-03-06


🔗 Articles: Wed 06.Mar.2024

“News that belongs to you.” — CBC


NYT: Trump’s Victory Speech After Super Tuesday Conjures a Dark Vision

As he dominated the Super Tuesday battlefield, former President Donald Trump warned of dark days ahead if President Biden were to win a second term. “We’re a third-world country,” he said repeatedly.


CleanTechnica: EVs At 24.8% Share In UK — Tesla Back On Top

February saw plugin EVs at 24.8% share of the UK auto market, up from 22.9% year on year. Full electric volume increased by 1.21× YoY, with plugin hybrids up by 1.29×. Overall auto volume was 84,886 units, up 13% YoY and the highest February in 20 years. Tesla was the UK’s leading BEV brand.

February’s results saw combined plugin EVs at 24.8% share, with full electrics (BEVs) taking 17.7% and plugin hybrids (PHEVs) taking 7.2%. These compare with shares of 22.9% combined, 16.5% BEV and 6.3% PHEV, year on year.


Electrek: The best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in Feb 2024

Here at Electrek, we’ve spent countless hours doing detailed hands-on testing of hundreds of electric bikes. Through thousands of miles of riding, we’ve learned these e-bikes inside and out, top to bottom and front to back. That dedication to real-world e-bike testing has helped us find the best electric bicycles on the market for just about any budget.


Last Updated: 06.Mar.2024 17:07 EST

Tuesday’s articles

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2024-03-07


🔗 Articles: Thu 07.Mar.2024

“News that belongs to you.” — CBC


NYT: Profound Damage Found in Maine Gunman’s Brain, Possibly From Blasts

A specialized laboratory examining the brain of the gunman who committed Maine’s deadliest mass shooting found profound brain damage of the kind that has been seen in veterans exposed to repeated blasts from weapons use.

The lab’s findings were included in an autopsy report that was compiled by the Maine chief medical examiner’s office and released by the gunman’s family.

The gunman, Robert Card, was a grenade instructor in the Army Reserve. In 2023, after eight years of being exposed to thousands of skull-shaking blasts on the training range, he began hearing voices and was stalked by paranoid delusions, his family said. He grew increasingly erratic and violent in the months before the October rampage in Lewiston, in which he killed 18 people and then himself.

The findings have grave implications for the military, because Mr. Card never saw combat, and had never been exposed to explosions from enemy fire or roadside bombs. The only blasts that hit his brain came from training that the Army said was safe.


AP: Uvalde parents angered by new report that clears city police of missteps during Texas school attack

An investigation Uvalde city leaders ordered into the Robb Elementary School shooting put no blame on local police officers and defended their actions Thursday, despite acknowledging a series of rippling failures during the fumbled response to the 2022 classroom attack that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Several family members of victims walked out in anger midway though a presentation that portrayed Uvalde Police Department officers of acting swiftly and appropriately, in contrast to scathing and sweeping state and federal past reports that faulted police at every level.


CP: Canadians paying billions of dollars in ‘excess’ bank fees: report

The report by the Alberta-based firm compared fees at the Canadian Big Five banks — RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC and Scotiabank — with what consumers face in the U.K. and Australia.

It shows that Canadians pay much more per month for bank accounts, as well as for fees for non-sufficient funds, overdraft charges, and accessing ATMs at competitor banks.


Axios: Biden slams GOP on abortion and immigration in State of the Union address

Biden didn’t take long to take aim at former President Trump, without naming him, for his comment inviting Russia to attack NATO allies who don’t spend enough on defense.

  • “My predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, ‘do whatever the hell you want.’ That’s a quote. A former president actually said that – bowing down to a Russian leader. I think it’s outrageous, it’s dangerous and it’s unacceptable.”
  • He also slammed Trump’s record on abortion – blaming him for the “chaos” after Roe v. Wade was overturned – and guns, arguing that while Trump said people should “get over” a mass shooting, “I say, ‘stop it.’”

Biden faced heckling from Republicans as he turned to immigration, challenging them over their refusal to pass an immigration reform bill that included increased border security.


Last Updated: 07.Mar.2024 23:58 EST

Wednesday’s articles

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2024-03-08


🔗 Articles: Fri 08.Mar.2024


NYT: George Santos Says He’s Running for Congress Again

Mr. Santos, who was expelled from the House in December, filed paperwork to run in a different district held by Representative Nick LaLota, a Republican.


TorStar: Ford government backs down in scrap over Womens’ Day

Bowing to pressure, the Ford government granted Liberal, Green and Independent MPPs time to speak about International Women’s Day in the Ontario legislature after initially denying them the opportunity.

On Wednesday, government House Leader Paul Calandra said no to a motion that would have allowed the group of female MPPs five minutes — in total — to address the importance of the day. But after an outcry — which was backed by the Official Opposition NDP — and a news conference Thursday morning by seven MPPs to denounce the move, the Tories backed off.

The Conservatives continue to work on their image as misogynists.


TorStar: Ontario jail inmate numbers spike in last year, now well over capacity, data shows

Ontario’s jails have seen a dramatic increase in the number of inmates over the past year with the majority of the facilities well over capacity, new data obtained by The Canadian Press shows.

Here’s an idea: build more courts and hire more judges, crowns & court staff and reduce long delays before trial in Ontario.

CBC Ottawa had this on the noon news on March 8 but has no story on their website.


PBS NewsHour: Takeaways from Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address

Hours before delivering the address, Biden posted on his X account a video of him getting advice on delivering the big speech from actors, including Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, and Geena Davis, who have played president in the movies and TV.

Wait! He’s still on Twitter?! That’s not very “woke”…


PBS NewsHour: ‘Dragon Ball’ creator Akira Toriyama dies at 68

Akira Toriyama, the creator of the best-selling Dragon Ball and other popular anime who influenced Japanese comics, has died, his studio said Friday. He was 68.

Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga series, which started in 1984, has sold millions of copies globally and was adapted into hugely popular animated TV shows, video games and films.

Toriyama died March 1 of a blood clot in his brain, Bird Studio said in a statement.


TorStar: ‘Judges do not take orders from government’: Ex-chief justices ring alarm over Doug Ford wanting ‘like-minded’ judges

6.Mar.2024

Former chief justices Sidney Linden, Brian Lennox and Annemarie Bonkalo do not name Ford in their statement, in which they express concern with “potential political influence” in the appointment of jurists to the provincial court, which handles the bulk of Ontario’s criminal caseload and a large number of family matters.

“The suggestion that there be a political litmus test for judicial appointment would return the court to practices that we would have thought had disappeared years ago,” they wrote.


9to5Mac: Ivory for Mastodon adds quote posts on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Tapbots is out with a new version of its popular Ivory for Mastodon client on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. With this week’s update, Ivory now supports quote posts for the first time.

As a platform, Mastodon itself doesn’t support quote posts, but this solution from Tapbots is a clever workaround. If a post contains a link to another post on Mastodon, Ivory will show you that post directly instead of just the link. Additionally, you’ll see a new “Quote” option on Mastodon posts inside Ivory.

Monthly or annual subscriptions.


TheStreet: Shipping company files surprise Chapter 7 bankruptcy, liquidation

The covid pandemic forced companies to consider their supply chain in ways they never had to before. Increased demand showed the weakness in the trucking industry and drew attention to how difficult life for truck drivers can be.

That was an issue HBO’s John Oliver highlighted on his “Last Week Tonight” show in October 2022. In the episode, the host suggested that the U.S. would basically start to starve if the trucking industry shut down for three days.

“Sorry, three days, every produce department in America would go from a fully stocked market to an all-you-can-eat raccoon buffet,” he said. “So it’s no wonder trucking’s a huge industry, with more than 3.5 million people in America working as drivers, from port truckers who bring goods off ships to railyards and warehouses, to long-haul truckers who move them across the country, to ‘last-mile’ drivers, who take care of local delivery.”

The show highlighted how many truck drivers face low pay, difficult working conditions and, in many cases, crushing debt.

“Hundreds of thousands of people become truck drivers every year. But hundreds of thousands also quit. Job turnover for truckers averages over 100%, and at some companies it’s as high as 300%, meaning they’re hiring three people for a single job over the course of a year. And when a field this important has a level of job satisfaction that low, it sure seems like there’s a huge problem,” Oliver shared.


Wired: General: ‘My Career Was Done’ When I Criticized Flawed Warplane

Don Harvel thought he was cruising to a well-deserved retirement after 35 years flying cargo planes for the U.S. Air Force. Then in the spring of 2010 he was tapped to investigate the fatal crash of a high-tech Air Force tiltrotor aircraft — and everything changed.

The Osprey V-22 was just returned to service.


NYT: Steve Lawrence, Who Sang His Listeners Down Memory Lane, Dies at 88

With his wife, Eydie Gorme, and sometimes on his own, he kept pop standards in vogue long past their prime. He also acted on television and on Broadway.

Not a fan of either the headline or the URL, given the facts. And “in vogue long past their prime”? What does that even mean?!


DP Review: Firmware update brings Pixel Shift and bird detection to Nikon Z8

Nikon has released firmware version 2.0 for its Z8 high-end mirrorless camera, adding features for still and video shooters.

Fans of avian photography will be pleased to see the addition of a dedicated bird detection mode. As with the Z9, Nikon claims improvements in recognition, tracking, and AF performance in various circumstances. The mode (distinct from that included as part of animal detection mode) should be able to recognize a wider range of birds in a wider array of poses, even against complex backdrops.

A new Auto Capture feature will take a photo or video when one or more specified criteria are met. Those criteria are distance, motion, and subject detection so, for instance, as soon as that deer enters the frame headling right to left, the Z8 can go to work.

The Pixel Shift feature first seen on the Zf has also arrived. The camera can take 4, 8, 16, or 32 photos by shifting the sensor by 1/2 or 1 pixel and then saving them as individual NEF files. The 4 and 8-shot modes provide improved color resolution and less noise at the sensor’s native 46MP resolution, while the 16 and 32-shot modes produce whopping 180 Megapixel files with even more detail. The files must be merged in NX Studio before they can be shared or edited.

A new Picture Control mode has been added for portrait photographers. The “Rich Tone Portrait” mode retains skin details while preventing highlights from clipping, making it ideal for wedding and portrait photography.

The camera also gains a wider choice of shutter sound effects to indicate the firing of the camera’s silent electronic shutter. Options include sounds that mimic the shutter of the Nikon F5 or S-series rangefinder, rather than the default DSLR-style sound effect.


DP Review: Nikon is acquiring RED Digital Cinema: Digital Photography Review

Nikon has just announced it will be acquiring US cinema camera manufacturer RED Digital Cinema. Founded in 2005 by Jim Jannard, RED has produced cinema cameras that were used in the production of over 25 percent of top-grossing films in the mid 2010sas well as Oscar winners like 2021’s Mank.


Museum of Science (YouTube): Being a Woman in STEM with Bernadette Dineen

“I think I was born a scientist” Meet Bernadette Dineen, a graduate student at Tufts Chemistry Department. In this inspiring interview, Bernadette shares her unique perspective on being an autistic woman navigating through academia. From her undergraduate experience at a small liberal arts college to her current work on astrobiological and astrochemical projects, Bernadette’s story highlights the importance of inclusivity and representation in the sciences. Despite facing obstacles as a first-generation college student, Bernadette’s determination to break barriers in STEM shines through. Join us as we explore her journey of resilience, perseverance, and the pursuit of a world where authenticity is celebrated in academia.

Isn’t she great!


Last Updated: 08.Mar.2024 23:50 EST

Thursday’s articles

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2024-03-09


🔗 Articles: Sat 09.Mar.2024


The Atlantic: Biden’s candy-bar crusade

Sesame Street characters have had their fuzzy fingers on the pulse of American life lately. First, Elmo triggered an avalanche of despair when he asked on X how everyone was doing. Then his castmate the Cookie Monster proclaimed earlier this week, “Me hate shrinkflation!”

In his punchy, confrontational State of the Union speech last night, Biden conveyed a similar feeling. After outlining his accomplishments and his plans for the economy, the president denounced the way snack-food makers have been putting fewer chips in each bag. “No, I’m not joking,” he said, as the audience laughed. “It’s called shrinkflation.”


The Atlantic: Everything Can Be Meat

Recently, a photo of rice left me confused. The rice itself looked tasty enough–fluffy, well formed–but its oddly fleshy hue gave me the creeps. According to the scientists who’d developed it, each pink-tinged grain was seeded with muscle and fat cells from a cow, imparting a nutty, umami flavor.

In one sense, this “beef rice” was just another example of lab-grown meat, touted as a way to eat animals without the ethical and environmental impacts. Though not yet commercially available, the rice was developed by researchers in Korea as a nutrition-dense food that can be produced sustainably, at least more so than beef itself. Although it has a more brittle texture than normal rice, it can be cooked and served in the same way. Yet in another sense, this rice was entirely different. Lab-grown meat aims to replicate conventional meat in every dimension, including taste, nutrition, and appearance. Beef rice doesn’t even try.

The basic science of lab-grown meat can be used for more than just succulent chicken breasts and medium-rare steaks. Cells grown in a tank function essentially like ground meat, imparting a meaty flavor and mouthfeel to whatever they are added to, behaving more like an ingredient or a seasoning than a food product. Hybrid meat products, made by mixing a small amount of cultivated-meat cells with other ingredients, are promising because they would be more cost-effective than entire lab-grown steaks or chicken breasts but meatier than purely plant-based meat.


Undecided with Matt Ferrell (YouTube): Why This NASA Battery May Be The Future of Energy Storage

Is this the perfect battery? What do you do if a satellite runs out of batteries? It’s prohibitively expensive to send a team into orbit and pop in some new AAs, and as a result many satellites use very efficient, reliable and long-lived nickel-hydrogen batteries. We’re talking about batteries that last decades. That sounds like the sort of battery that could revolutionize grid-scale energy storage and really help out renewables back here on Earth, which is why EnerVenue is backing nickel hydrogen batteries as the next step forward! But if batteries rugged and powerful enough for spacecraft already exist, then why haven’t we used it back here on Earth until now?

And they’re very close to production for grid-scale storage!

Note the coupon for a discount on a ticket to the Everything Electric Canada exposition in Vancouver Sep 6-8, 2024


Guardian: ‘I welcome our digital minions’: the Silicon Valley insider warning about algorithms – while embracing them

It is the first Monday of March and Kowalkiewicz is hours from launching The Economy of Algorithms: AI and the Rise of the Digital Minions. In his debut book, the QueenslandUniversity of Technology professor argues that a new age powered, in part, by non-human agents has been gradually reshaping our economy and society for years — in ways that are not always visible and little understood.

Until recently, Kowalkiewicz admits that even he — the founding director of QUT’s Research Centre for the Digital Economy — could not see it for what it was. Algorithms, he then believed, could not be thought of as agents in our world, simply pieces of code following human instruction.

“I was wrong,” he admits in the book.


CNN: Colorado Bureau of Investigation finds Yvonne Woods manipulated data in hundreds of cases over decades

A now-former forensic scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) manipulated or omitted DNA test results in hundreds of cases, an internal affairs investigation found, which prompted a full review of her work during her nearly 30-year career at the agency.

The CBI released the findings of the investigation into Yvonne “Missy” Woods Friday, which concluded Woods’ handling of DNA testing data affected 652 cases between 2008 and 2023, including posting incomplete results in some cases. A review of her work from 1994 to 2008 is also underway, according to the CBI.

The CBI internal investigation, which was conducted in collaboration with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, did not find Woods falsified DNA matches or fabricated data. It revealed Woods had omitted material facts in official criminal justice records, thus tampering with DNA testing results, and violating agency policies ranging from data retention to quality control measures, the agency said.


CBC: B.C. springs forward, more than 4 years after move to adopt daylight time

Premier David Eby has said change will be enacted once Washington state, Oregon, California also make the move.

After you, Alphonse!


Last Updated: 09.Mar.2024 22:59 EST

Friday’s articles

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2024-03-10


🔗 Articles: Sun 10.Mar.2024


CleanTechnica: Wave Energy Is (Really, Finally) Coming For Your Fossil Fuels

“Now proven at commercial scale, at the exposed Atlantic test site, CorPower Ocean’s C4 device has demonstrated unique ability to tune and detune according to varying sea states, limiting response to extreme storm waves (up to 18.5m) while amplifying motion and power capture in regular waves using novel phase control technology,” CorPower reported in February.


MSNBC: Congress to probe Elon Musk’s Starlink over allegations Russia is using its technology

Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Robert Garcia want answers after Ukrainian officials claim Russian invaders were found using Musk’s satellite-based internet service.

In early February, Musk responded on his X social media platform to the news reports on the Ukrainians’ claims, saying that they are “categorically false” and that “To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia.” But as the Guardian noted, many people have wondered whether Russia could have used digital trickery to access Starlink in Ukraine. A few days prior to Musk’s post, Starlink addressed the reports, stating that when such accusations are made, “we investigate the claim and take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed.” (For what it’s worth, a Russian spokesperson also denied to the BBC that the country was using Starlink. SpaceX does not appear to have responded publicly to the letter.)


WashPo: Dana Milbank: Mike Johnson asked for ‘decorum.’ Republicans ignored him.

The day before President Biden delivered his State of the Union address, House Speaker Mike Johnson, in a closed-door meeting with his Republican caucus, urged his colleagues to observe “decorum” and not to act like hooligans during the speech.

He might as well have asked them not to breathe.

Just minutes into the president’s address, as Biden was talking about the Trump administration’s failures during the covid pandemic, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) bellowed from the back of the chamber: “Lies!”

When Biden spoke about forcing the wealthiest Americans to “pay your fair share in taxes,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), wearing a red Make America Great Again baseball cap autographed on the bill by Donald Trump, shouted out: “Tell Hunter to pay his taxes!”


UPI: Vatican responds to criticism after Pope Francis says Ukraine should raise white flag

Francis recorded a full interview Lorenzo Buccella of the Radio Télévision Suisse show “Cliché” in early February that will air on March 20. In a portion of the interview released Saturday, Buccella asked him about calls whether Ukraine should have the courage to wave the “white flag.”

“I believe that the stronger one is the one who sees the situation, who thinks of the people, who has the courage of the white flag, to negotiate. And today, negotiations are possible with the help of international powers,” Francis said, noting that Turkey has offered to mediate an end to the war.

The Vatican was forced to clarify the pope’s remarks after backlash started rolling in, with Holy See spokesman Matteo Bruni pointing to the fact that the language of the “white flag” — the universal symbol of surrender used by Francis — had been first used by Buccella.


NYT: Katie Britt Seeks to Defend Her Misleading Border Comments

Katie Britt, a Republican senator from Alabama, suggested on Fox News that viewers should have parsed her wording to determine that a sex-trafficking case she referred to wasn’t recent.

Senator Katie Britt of Alabama on Sunday sought to defend comments she made in her response to President Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday, when she described the experience of a woman who was sexually trafficked in Mexico between 2004 and 2008 in a way that falsely implied it had happened in the United States under President Biden.


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Well, that looks like fun!


Last Updated: 10.Mar.2024 23:55 EDT

Saturday’s articles

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2024-03-11


🔗 Articles: Mon 11.Mar.2024


BBC: Indonesia’s Batik Air faces probe after pilots fall asleep mid-flight

Indonesia is investigating local carrier Batik Air after both pilots were found to have fallen asleep for 28 minutes mid-flight.

The two men - who have both been temporarily suspended - fell asleep during a flight on 25 January from Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta.

One of them was reportedly tired from helping care for his newborn twins.


Sulluzzu: Review: My Secret Brexit Diary

This book is written by the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator and details his involvement with a series of British ministers after the Brexit vote in 2016. What this book really highlights is that the critical and more fundamental negotiations were taking place in London, within the Conservative Party, over what level of disengagement from Europe’s institutions was acceptable.

He’s an intelligent observer of UK politics. It’s significant that the paragraph below follows-on from a description of an intervention by Jacob Rees-Mogg.


Sulluzzu: The One

I was listening to a spin-off episode of the Thoroughly Considered podcast where they take a single designed object chosen by a guest and consider its design. It started me wondering what object would I choose.

And then it was obvious…

The Platonic Ideal of the  calculator

I bought this calculator in the summer of 1983 just as I went into my second year of studying engineering. I think I’ve changed the batteries three times over that time!

I can think of examples of designed objects that are arguably the one – the best examples of their type. My Kyocera ceramic cook’s knife, Airpods Max, Happy Hacking Keyboard, Gekkoso pencils from Japan. Or maybe a Jens Ansø Monte Carlo pocket knife?

When I asked myself what is the designed object I’ve been using the longest and have no desire to change, this HP-15C was the obvious answer. I’ve used it for over 40 years — sold it, bought it back again, seen more capable successors come and go — but this is one that I will hang on to and keep using.


NYT: Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies

LexisNexis, which generates consumer risk profiles for the insurers, knew about every trip G.M. drivers had taken in their cars, including when they sped, braked too hard or accelerated rapidly.

LexisNexis is a New York-based global data broker with a “Risk Solutions” division that caters to the auto insurance industry and has traditionally kept tabs on car accidents and tickets. Upon Mr. Dahl’s request, LexisNexis sent him a 258-page “consumer disclosure report,” which it must provide per the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

What it contained stunned him: more than 130 pages detailing each time he or his wife had driven the Bolt over the previous six months. It included the dates of 640 trips, their start and end times, the distance driven and an accounting of any speeding, hard braking or sharp accelerations. The only thing it didn’t have is where they had driven the car.

Gift link to full article for non-subscribers

Big Brother?


Manton Reece: Recommendations and blogrolls on Micro.blog

Today we’re introducing a new feature: blog recommendations. This was inspired by recent interest in bringing back blogrolls, including posts from Dave Winer, his service FeedLand, the recommendations feature in Ghost, and feedback from Micro.blog users asking for new ways to discover people to follow. It’s a way to curate a list of favorite sites to link to from your blog.


Daring Fireball: Roku Locks Devices Until Users Agree to New Terms of Service

Scharon Harding, reporting for Ars Technica: …

To opt out of Roku’s ToS update, which primarily changes the “Dispute Resolution Terms,” users must send a letter to Roku’s general counsel in California mentioning: “the name of each person opting out and contact information for each such person, the specific product models, software, or services used that are at issue, the email address that you used to set up your Roku account (if you have one), and, if applicable, a copy of your purchase receipt.” Roku required all this to opt out of its terms previously, as well.


Last Updated: 11.Mar.2024 17:26 EDT

Sunday’s articles

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2024-03-12