Subject: random posts

Random, but interesting.  Some duplication, but not too much:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170816-the-monster-atomic-bomb-that-was-too-big-to-use

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/1961-russias-tested-the-most-powerful-nuclear-weapon-ever-19033

Just saw an ad for a pumpkin spice frou-frou coffee drink with “real pumpkin.” 

Seriously? Call in the content consultants. The ad writers need an education. 

Flo at Progressive Insurance has never been on a vacation. Really? Progressive treats it's employees like that?

I can find something wrong with every ad.

One of the more common, recurring clickbait ads on Yahoo's front page is "Plastic surgery gone wrong. Aging stars you won't recognize!!" I went through their photos some years back, and, yeah, some surgery was better than others. Now that people recognize the clickbait for what it is, the "luring" photos under the headline are getting worse. They started with exaggerated features, then changed to clearly photoshopped (errr.... AI) distorted faces. The latest one has this poor woman who looks like her face is made of soft wax that is melting in the sun.

It was good to hear that, at least in the words of a man of great influence, that domestic crimes should not be considered crimes at all. Stuff that takes place "in the home" should be considered petty family matters. Spousal abuse should be considered "a little fight with the wife", and battered children are probably just receiving the logical consequences of their disobedience.  

We're waiting with great anticipation for those magic words, "if you dress like that, you've got it coming," to downgrade another misunderstood non-crime. 

Food for thought: 

In light of recent events

This is not really what I'd call "random", but didn't really want to start a thread with this.  But pay attention:

Kissing bug: Chagas disease is now endemic to the US, scientists say | CNN

If Jimmy Kimmel had posted his comments about Charlie Kirk on this discussion board, it is unlikely they would have been deleted.

There are no other freedoms without freedom of speech.

Manrod.

Simultaneously relevant & impertinent...

"Disney+ cancellation page crashes as customers rush to quit after Kimmel suspension"

Disney owns 80% of ESPN

Who wants to cancel that for the cause? 

None of u I'm sure

I cancelled Disney and the associated groups immediately. And I haven’t liked Kimmel since Ben Stein’s Money. 

Can you cancel ESPN?  It's kind of there as part of any cable/streaming package.

I am a big fan of boycotts and the cancel culture. I have not swallowed a drop of Bud Light since their controversial sponsorship. 

(And don’t bother to remind me that I never drank Bud Light. I am not listening.)

Besides that, their news is the absolute worst garbage excuse for news.

(WARNING: the following post may contain flawed logic)

The decision to cave to the FCC was likely driven by Disney’s need to get a special exemption from the federal government concerning an upcoming acquisition that is clearly outside the regulations. ESPN needs approval for their agreement with NFL.com, but that one seems fairly ordinary. 

ESPN was struggling not to suck before being acquired by Disney, but they have seriously declined since. And, I really doubt that ESPN played much of a role in suspending Kimmel’s show. So, I have no problem watching their sports programs. (Yes, that’s a weak argument, but I warned you)

I'll keep High Potential, Will Trent and the iconic and legendary General Hospital, just now getting around to celebrating the life of the oldest iconic and legendary actress who passed away earlier this year. It will be awesome and legendary. 

I don't need pay TV so I don't have it. I get ABC with an antenna. Maybe some of those cancellations were also a way to cut down on frivolous spending, what with inflation and all. Total phone, tv and Internet still $40 a month. Watching Bagdad Cafe the movie, free on YouTube.

Kimmel will be back tomorrow night.

They took away the effing spectrum from the streets. Dug up bricks on the downtown streets of my college town because they were painted. Painted black over them in Key West, a historically gay hub. They even did it at the Pulse in Orlando.  Why are crazies in power?? 

Another one of those things that I can't really comprehend:

https://apnews.com/article/mountaineer-jim-morrison-everest-documentary-jimmy-chin-f95c2e1466881672df92c341e7fdbe65

This is a terrible thing to post on Thanksgiving, but here it is.  It's very long, but try to read a lot of it, at least.   And that last part is very depressing - as if it all wasn't.

So yeah............if you're one of those fortunate ones who doesn't live in a place where warfare is currently ongoing.............be very thankful. 

Growing up, it was right of passage for a lot of Chicanos to prove their machismo in joining the service and go Airborne. My brother and so did a cousin as well as an uncle who was one in Korea. Looking back, it sure seems predetermined. My only regret I gave up being stationed in Italy for it. North Khakilaki just doesn't cut it. It's not for everyone. My bunkmate quit on the very first day of training. As a matter of fact, a third didn't make the cycle. Either quit or recycle due to injury. It is a brotherhood to be sure. This short video shows the fun and games of jump school. Hit the hole pole man, hit the hole. No need to drop for ten.

Airborne

short take off and landing competition for specialized alaskan bush planes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPakbghLe38

  Al Higdon's pencil did him justice. Kind of takes you back.  

When asked "what is the longest word in english?", the Chat-GPT said this:

Longest word ever coined for fun:

• “floccinaucinihilipilification” (29 letters)

• Means the act of estimating something as worthless

We have a user with that name here, right?

Yes, and I've also posted my t-shirt - which I believe I've had since the date on it: 1978.  And we've discussed the word in this forum before, but only briefly.  And just to be clear, that player is not one of my "assistants".  There are other words that 'claim' to be longer, none of which I can recall at the moment, but not sure OED recognizes them.  Seem to recall they're medical terminology things maybe.

Freecell.net - play online competitive Freecell solitaire

[Addendum:  And.........back in the day..........some of my friends and I would engage in that, purposefully, to make sure we incorporated it into our lexicon.  Usually it was used when discussing other students or certain faculty members - *mostly* in a good-natured way.  And..........I've never forgotten how to spell it.]

✏️

We have discussed Belegeuse earlier in this thread, maybe multiple times - at at least a moderate level - wondering about when it was gonna go supernova.  Here's some new research about the dimming, etc.:

 Hubble observations add evidence of elusive companion orbiting supergiant star Betelgeuse | CNN

FROM STUD MUFFIN TO JUST MUFFIN 

"...myrmecologist E. O. Wilson had estimated in 2009 that at any one time the total number of ants was between one and ten quadrillion (short scale) (i.e., between 10¹⁵ and 10¹⁶) and using this estimate he had suggested that the total biomass of all the ants in the world was approximately equal to the total biomass of the entire human race."--Wiki

Well, if we take the max number of ants on the “robust” end of the ant biomass spectrum and divide that by 8 billion, the average human weighs 33 pounds. 

I guess that fits the scenario. 

I suspect >10k autos slip and slide off roadways nationwide next 48 hrs..

Not really possible to navigate through ice storms, even with today's advanced automotive engineering.

The autos that are merely in the ditch will be standard cars. The ones that have rolled onto their roofs will be the all-wheel and four-wheel drive. 

One of my favorite venues in the entire universe (and I am not alone on this) has been oddly transforming recently. Corporate sponsors have been plastering ads in a few places in the lobby. Acts that would have been automatic for this site have been shunted to the outdoor sister amphitheater. (I watched Tedeschi-Trucks in the rain). Billy Strings played in the sold out basketball arena (16,000+); the venue offered a second night in the smaller theater for $350 per seat and up. 

And now this: They just announced a blockbuster performance of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Sweet Jeebus. 

This town hates an entertainment vacuum. Two more seated venues of similar capacity have sprung in town, and they are featuring very cool acts for a reasonable price. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/4F5FvUchhxQ?si=ZFRj_zXXdS4DSnfw 

Dance keeps a person healthy.

I'm sort of gorging on like, a pound of sirimi...

Xerostomia side effect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6utq0GFZTA