Category: geek

It’s Because They Want To Stay In Business By 2030

Volvo has announced it will be getting rid of its plan to sell only fully electric cars by 2030. 

The auto manufacturer announced on Wednesday, that it is now aiming for 90-100% of its global sales to be either pure electric or plug-in hybrid at that point. 

The Swedish company said this will “allow for a limited number of mild hybrid models to be sold, if needed.”

The latest move by Volvo comes after Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have both previously announced a shift in their respective EV strategies. 

“An electric car provides a superior driving experience and increases possibilities for using advanced technologies that improve the overall customer experience,” Jim Rowan, CEO of Volvo Cars, said on Wednesday in the written statement.

“However, it is clear that the transition to electrification will not be linear, and customers and markets are moving at different speeds of adoption,” he continued.

story

EV’s are just another version of Woke until they make an engine as good as a diesel. Also, almost nobody wants one.

Joey Chestnut Sets World Record by Downing 83 Hot Dogs – Unfinished Beef

Not only that, Kobayashi downed a personal best of 66 in this contest. Either would have won Coney Island this year by a mile.

Joey Chestnut defeated longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi in a hot dog eating contest on Monday afternoon in Las Vegas, chowing down a world record 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Chestnut broke his own record of 76 hot dogs in 2022. Kobayashi finished with 66 hot dogs, his personal record.

“This is amazing,” Chestnut said afterward. “I’ve been trying to hit 80 hot dogs for years. Without Kobayashi, I was never able to do it. He drives me. We weren’t always nice to each other, but I love the way we push each other to be our best.”

It was the first meeting between the hot dog eating champions in 15 years.

“I feel like I did everything I could,” Kobayashi said.

Chestnut is a 16-time Nathan’s hot dog eating champion in the 4th of July competition on Coney Island in Brooklyn, which he was disinvited from this year after signing with rival hot dog maker Impossible Foods and its vegan hot dog.

Netflix live-streamed Monday’s contest, billed as “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef.”

story

I got into competitive eating when Kobayashi was eating so many.

Does anyone else wonder about them having to take a dump the next day like I do?

Were You Born An Asshole, Or Did You Work At It All Your Life

Every time I hear this song, I think of people that I worked with.

My first job was relatively free of them, but then the list started.

At ICS, there was Gilbert/Carl Fiorentino – they went to jail.

The next job at Core was these two:

Robert Adamson and Sondra Arkin. Robert tried to screw people over out of sheer spite and Sondra was a loser who was a vindictive feminist. There were a lot of others like the head of software development, but he was more of a wiener.

I moved to IBM and there were plenty of people like:

Laura Knapp, Sandy Carter, John Callies, Amy Loomis, Ed Barbini, and a lot of New Yorkers, but the top of the list when I hear the song is:

Ray Gorman.

I always go to him as he was tied with Amy as my worst manager. No one continuously lied to me as much as Ray from day one. He also always tried to screw me but never could. He was mad that I made more money than him and beat the system continuously when he couldn’t. He thought I didn’t know what he was doing, but everyone told me what he was up to behind my back (not just to me, he fired a guy who had taken leave to serve in Afghanistan) so I was always a step ahead. It was funny that he could never get away with screwing me because everyone else thought he was an asshole also.

He’s really lucky that I didn’t actually kick his ass. I saw him in Vegas at a computer show after he got transferred to Lenovo and he tried to act like nothing happened. He thought we were friends after backstabbing me. It was all I could do to not deck him. I did the right thing and walked away, but not next time, he’s got an ass whooping coming . I dislike sniveling pricks and that’s why I think of Ray when the song plays.

Toilet Paper: The Biggest Scam to Ever Exist?

After I visited Japan, I’ve had a bidet to clean my ass. No more shit-stained undies or worrying that you might smell like shit if there was a chance of some oral satisfaction.

Now this:

Ah, toilet paper. That innocent little roll sitting quietly in your bathroom, innocuous, and oh-so-essential—or is it? If you ask me, my dear wicked ones, we might be staring at the greatest con in the history of mankind. Yes, I said it. Let’s dish.

Think about it. We’re paying good money for a product that we literally flush down the toilet. Every. Single. Day. We’re tossing away cash, wiping it on our behinds, and sending it to the sewage system like it’s nothing. Is this not the ultimate racket? The Charmin bears are probably lounging in their gold-plated forest homes, laughing at us all.

Let’s dive into the origins, shall we? Toilet paper is a relatively modern invention, but somehow, humanity has survived for centuries without it. A few leaves, a splash of water, a bit of cloth—crude but effective. Fast forward to today, and we’ve been brainwashed to believe that without this fluffy, overpriced tissue, civilization as we know it would collapse. Really? The ancients managed, and last I checked, they built the pyramids.

And don’t even get me started on the marketing. Those cute little puppies and bears in the commercials, selling us the dream of the softest, plushest experience for our derrières—oh please. It’s a game, my friends—a sly, cunning game. The manufacturers have you convinced that more plies equal a better life. But does your rear end really know the difference between two-ply and four-ply? I doubt it.

Of course, I’m not suggesting we all start using leaves again—after all, we’ve evolved past that (haven’t we?). But isn’t it time to question the necessity of this everyday item that’s silently draining our bank accounts and our forests? There are alternatives, from bidets to bamboo—dare I say, the time for a toilet paper revolution is nigh?

Here’s the rest which tells you why you should wash your ass.

I never had a problem during COVID-19 because my bidet did the job. I was laughing at people trying to find it at the stores.

Oldest Person Passes Away at 118

In a poignant turn of events, Kane Tanaka, recognized as the world’s oldest person, has passed away at the age of 118. Tanaka, who was born on January 2, 1903, in Fukuoka, Japan, held the title of the world’s oldest living person according to the Guinness World Records. Her remarkable lifespan spanned three centuries, witnessing profound changes in the world.

Tanaka’s long life was marked by her resilience and positive outlook. Despite her advanced age, she remained active, engaging in activities such as playing board games and solving puzzles, which she attributed to her longevity. She lived in a nursing home in Fukuoka, where she continued to inspire those around her with her vibrant spirit.

Throughout her lifetime, Tanaka experienced significant historical events, including two World Wars and numerous technological advancements. Her life was a testament to the extraordinary potential of human longevity, and her passing has prompted reflections on the progress of medicine and living conditions over the past century.

Tanaka was officially recognized by Guinness World Records in March 2019. Her achievement of living to 118 years old captured global attention, highlighting not only the advances in healthcare but also the importance of lifestyle and genetic factors in extending human life.

story

I don’t know if I want to live that long.

I asked AI who is the new oldest person:

Following the death of Kane Tanaka, the new oldest living person is Lucile Randon, a French nun also known as Sister André. She was born on February 11, 1904, making her 120 years old as of August 2024.

It’s always the females. I think they kill off the men

Sayings I Used For My Email Closing At Work

I kept this file hanging around and thought I’d share it, YMMV:

L’esprit de L’escalier – things you wish you could have said after you leave an argument

Talk to a fool and he calls you foolish

“Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.”

Vous-avez le cerveau d’un d’un sandwich au fromage –you have the brain of a cheese sandwich

“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” (Sign hanging in Einstein’s office at Princeton)

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
– Dale Carnegie

Robert Frost – “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

Arrête de ramer, tu attaques la falaise. (you can stop rowing now, you’re on the beach)

It is easy to lose one’s perspective in a mass of details.

Failure is but a paragraph in the book of each human life. It is the pages that follow that ultimately define us

Laurence J. Peter – “An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn’t happen today.”

“Racing is Life.  Everything before and after is just waiting.” Steve McQueen from the movie LeMans

Albert Einstein open original article “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former

Joseph Heller -“The enemy is anybody who’s going to get you killed,
no matter which side he’s on.”

Sidney J. Harris – “A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.”

Abba Eban-“History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.”

When you win, say nothing, when you lose, say less. -Paul Brown

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. -Michael Jordan

Every game is an opportunity to measure yourself against your own potential. -Bud Wilkinson

Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly. -Shaquille O’Neal

“Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” Winston Churchill, as quoted in The New American Newspeak Dictionary (2005) by Adrian Krieg, p. 96

 Rudeness is a weak person’s imitation of strength – Oscar Wilde

“What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Losers quit when they’re tired. Winners quit when they’ve won

370H-SSV-0773H – read upside down

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so [are] the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

— Ecclesiastes 9:11,12 —

“Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.” – John Kenneth Galbraith

If guns kill people, then pens misspell words, cars make people drive drunk, forks make you fat, and TVs make you watch porn.

Listen to people. If they are worth talking to, they are worth listening to first.

You can’t change what happens to you in life. All you can change is how you deal with it.

I think I’m emotionally constipated because I haven’t given a $hit in days.

Liberalism: Moochers electing looters to steal from producers

Political Correctness – A term used by whiny pussies that need stuff sugar coated

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein

 “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” Abraham Lincoln

“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” Elmer Davis

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.”  John F. Kennedy

“Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I’m not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be.”  John Wayne

“We must always remember that America is a great nation today not because of what government did for people but because of what people did for themselves and for one another.” Richard Nixon

“There is no limit to the greatness of America!” George W. Bush

“Liberals become indignant when you question their patriotism, but simultaneously work overtime to give terrorists a cushion for the next attack and laugh at dumb Americans who love their country and hate the enemy.” Ann Coulter

“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Nathan Hale

“Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” Adlai E. Stevenson

“One, if you attack my integrity, I will defend myself. If you attack my patriotism, I will defend myself. If you come after my family, I will counter-attack viciously, I will destroy you.” Scott Ritter

“The American patriots of today continue the tradition of the long line of patriots before them, by helping to promote liberty and freedom around the world.” John Linder  

“Patriotism is easy to understand in America. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.” Calvin Coolidge

“This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” Theodore Roosevelt

“You cannot spill a drop of American blood without spilling the blood of the whole world…. We are not a nation, so much as a world.” Herman Melville 

A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.

– Ariel Durant

“Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.” – George Eliot

Quote du jour

But isn’t it always that way with liberals? The only time they seem to make any sense at all is when they’re drunk or you are.

–Burt Prelutsky

Ya gotta be tough if your gonna be stupid.

“Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece of shit by the clean end.”

Laurence J. Peteropen original article

“Against logic there is no armor like ignorance.”

“Never judge a book by its movie.”

“Liberals are very broadminded: they are always willing to give careful consideration to both sides of the same side.”

“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
— Benjamin Franklin

“Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.”
— Vladimir Lenin

“When an opponent declares, ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already… What are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community.’”
— Adolf Hitler

Never take advice from women about women.

And the last one was when I retired:

If the phone doesn’t ring, it’s me – Jimmy Buffett

Racisim At Apple

They are eliminating a tremendous talent pool so that they can become woke like Bud Light, Target, Tractor Supply, John Deere, and the Ivy League.

Look how well that worked out for them.

I want my technology built by the best minds, not diversity.

Woke ruins everything it touches, every damn time.

Literally, like what is a word you feel that too many people use, it’s amazing? (see what I did there?)

What is a word you feel that too many people use?

Literally

Amazing

Like

Basically

Just

Actually

Really

Obviously

Honestly

Apparently

Kind of

Sort of

In my opinion (IMO)

At the end of the day

To be honest

You know

I mean

Definitely

Absolutely

Bonus, a list of phrases I felt were overused also

Maybe You’re Just Not Smart

You’ve probably met or heard of someone who claimed to be ‘bad at tests,’ to be ‘anxious about test-taking,’ or some other euphemism for ‘I score poorly.’ The typical explanation for poor scoring is self-serving and naturally has less to do with the person being unintelligent and more to do with anxiety interfering with their ability to show their skills or with tests being unfair.

The anxious tend to do worse on tests not because anxiety interferes with test performance, but because they tend to have lower levels of ability. A possible explanation for the association is, therefore, that living the life of someone with low ability gives people a life of learning experiences that rightly promote anxiety about test performance, even if that anxiety doesn’t play a role in how well people test.

Now there are some gaps in the literature, but thanks to the size of the stereotype threat literature, I think it’s safe to argue those gaps are small.

The biggest gap has to do with the representativeness of sampling and the presence of anxiety as an interfering versus deficit-representing variable in high-stakes settings. Since high-stakes setting tend to see reduced stereotype threat—an anxiety-based hypothesis—I’m going to say ‘anxiety probably has reduced impacts in testing environments that matter.’ One down.

Since we see invariance most of the time in representatively sampled comparisons of demographic groups proposed to be differentially impacted by stereotype threat, I’m going to argue even further that the deficit account is probably right if there’s any truth whatever to groups varying in their anxiety levels. Since invariance generally applies to male-female comparisons and women definitely tend to be more anxious, I’ll wager the support is strong.

Or in other words, it’s not that you’re bad at taking tests5, it’s that you’re just not that smart.

story

Things That Will Never Happen – ‘Star Wars’-Killer Kathleen Kennedy Waiting to Retire on a ‘Win’

She ruined multiple franchises and changed the story. While she completely misunderstood that the audience was a bunch of geeks who enjoyed the fantasy that the series gave us. It was not just the feminism and gay crap, but rather the reality that men win the wars and saved the universe.

If the woke Olympics gave us nothing, it showed the reality that girls can’t beat men in battle.

So retire and quit ruining our lives with the crap movies that you touch (every one of them). Your equation for movies will never give you a win.

She goes down in history with the Bud Light girl who ruined that franchise.

Woke ruins everything it touches and it’s too bad that Star Wars was a victim

Here’s the story.

Lucasfilm chiefstress Kathleen “Franchise Killer” Kennedy is ready to retire but wants to go out on a win rather than slink away after destroying forever two franchises that were once seen as bulletproof: Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

At this point, one can only wonder what blackmail she might hold over Disney Grooming Syndicate chief Bob Iger. Her Lucasfilm reign has been catastrophic, to say the least. Under her woke and hammy hands, Star Wars has alienated a fan base that was once so fervent they forgave the Lucas prequels.

According to the Chief Medical Examiner, the slow death of Star Wars was caused by a dreadful trilogy of sequels and a half-dozen wretched Disney+ streaming series—the latest being The Acolyte, which was laughed (lesbian witches birthed the Jedi or something) off the planet. All of this garbage was poisoned by spell-breaking identity politics, left-wing lectures, and an obvious hatred and contempt for the fan base that made Star Wars a cultural phenomenon.

Star Wars is so broken, what was supposed to be an ongoing film franchise that would deliver two movies a year has now gone five years without a new release. The only news around Star Wars movies today is all the projects that get canceled.

Kennedy did the same with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Instead of delivering for the fans, she produced a box office catastrophe by teaming Indy up with a sexless girlboss.

Oh, and let’s not forget Willow, which she turned into a streaming gay-fest so hated by the fans Disney removed it from its streaming service.

Were Kennedy to exit Lucasfilm today, it would be covered in the disgrace she deserves. But thanks to affirmative action she remains in a job a white guy would’ve lost five years ago, and based on this report she intends to stay until she can walk out, head held high.

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

A Swiss Army knife of life tools. I couldn’t narrow this down to just one so here’s some. I bet bocopro has the best answer though. Maybe others want weigh in.

Your wits, self-control, belief in God, knowledge you’ve learned from the hard lessons in life, pattern recognitions, martial arts skills, situational awareness of your surroundings, and perhaps a 1911.

Externally, I’m never without a knife of some kind and breath mints which are always in my truck.

The Woke Olympics

–

There could be no single example underscoring what is wrong with the international woke movement than what occurred during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Paris, France, on July 26. What happened there was wokeism “run amuck.” It totally ignored two simple rules that should govern human behavior in free societies to nurture fairness and civility.

Let us examine what occurred at the opening ceremonies.

Many observers were shocked to see the famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci of the Last Supper of Jesus with his 12 apostles grossly mocked, depicted in a scene involving sexualized drag queens. Some advertisers were so repulsed by it – such as Mississippi’s largest telecommunications company C-Spire – that their advertisements were immediately pulled.

While the Olympic Committee issued an apology the next day about the depiction and removed their video of the event from the internet, its statement was somewhat shocking in itself. It claimed the depiction was not intended to “be subversive or shock people or mock people.” As much time as the committee had to prepare for the opening ceremonies and with Catholicism being the world’s largest religion, it is absurd to believe committee members gave no thought as to whether any offense would be taken by the depiction.

One can only imagine the violent fallout that would have resulted had Olympic organizers decided instead to portray the world’s second largest religion – Islam – in such a light by having Prophet Muhammad depicted by a drag queen. Obviously, more thought was given as to why that should not be done, remembering the 12 staff members of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo who were killed in 2015 by Muslims upset about Muhammad’s depiction on its cover.

story

Let’s not forget about biological men beating the crap out of girls in boxing and actual pieces of shit floating in the Seine during the triathlon.

Have (big) Dick, Will Travel

French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati’s bulge might have played a role in costing him Olympic gold — but now it’s given him the chance for some major green.

After Ammirati’s bulge clipped the crossbar during his pole vault heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics on Saturday, August 3, the image spread like wildfire on social media as viewers marveled at his endowment, while lamenting what it had taken from him. 

As it turns out, Ammirati’s misfortune also caught the attention of adult entertainment company CamSoda who offered him $250,000 in exchange for a 60-minute cam show.

In a letter obtained by Us Weekly, CamSoda Vice President Daryn Parker made the offer to Ammirati, 21, to show off his “goods” in exchange for the big payday.

story

He could go Onlyfans with a hog like that

Friday Dick Humor With Meme’s To Steal And Share

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Women Share Their Red Flags On Dating Apps

I asked a Facebook group of 58,000 women to tell me their biggest dating app red flags.

What is one thing on a man’s dating profile that will instantly make you swipe left or un-match?

I got hundreds of responses, but they all boiled down to the same seven answers.

And — perhaps surprisingly — none of them had anything to do with looks, height or holding a fish.

So let’s get to it.

7. Kids In Photos

This doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t want to date a man who has children. They just feel it’s irresponsible to put your child’s face on a dating app.

“I understand loving your children and making it very clear that they are a part of your life,” one woman wrote. “But also, it’s an app where hundreds of people can just access your stuff and keep on keeping on. Like I’ve seen what people do to grown women’s posts on the Internet. I would never put a picture of my child on Tinder or any other app.”

6. Photos With Women

Other than maybe your mom.

One time, a guy told me he includes photos of himself with hot girls on his dating profile because it sends a subliminal message that he’s a catch “since he can get hot women.”

And if that’s not the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, it’s in the top 10.

Just like your wife or girlfriend doesn’t want to look at pictures of you with your ex, potential matches don’t want to feel like it’s a competition before they’ve even gone on a first date.

5. Can’t Hold A Conversation

I think one of the reasons dating apps could not keep my interest is because many of the men simply could not hold a stimulating conversation.

Just an endless stream of, Hey, wyd? Sup? How was your day? over and over again until we both lose interest and quit talking to each other.

I’d say about 99 percent of dating app matches never make it out of the chat.

4. “Not Into Drama”

This was a new one for me, but A LOT of women said it. So clearly, it’s a common line on men’s dating profiles.

“If he has ‘not into drama’ in his bio, it means he IS the drama,” one woman wrote.

Apparently a lot of men also don’t like women who “take themselves seriously.”

3. They Want To Talk On Snapchat

“What’s your snap?”

Three words that will make any woman’s eyes roll to the back of her head — and not in a fun way.

If a grown man only wants to communicate on Snapchat, he is in a relationship or married. Every single time. You might as well write “I’m a cheater” on your forehead and call it a day.

2. Shirtless Photos

This one was my answer, and I’m glad to see I’m not alone. Because this got the second-most mentions out of all the red flags.

A fundamental difference between men and women: If a very hot woman posts a half naked selfie on a dating app, every single man is swiping right. If a very hot man posts a shirtless mirror selfie on a dating app, women are repulsed.

The shirtless mirror selfie (or maybe worse, the pulling-up-my-shirt-to-show-my-abs selfie) is the dead giveaway of douchery. I don’t care if the guy is built like a renaissance statue — I want nothing to do with the level of narcissism he brings to the table.

And — drum roll — the No. 1 answer from the Facebook group. The BIGGEST red flag…

1. Getting Sexual Too Quickly

The ladies have spoken.

If a man immediately starts talking about sex or — God forbid — sends an unsolicited dick pic, it’s game over.

“Not only is it annoying if a guy goes immediately to sex, but it also tells me he’s talking like that to any woman who will entertain it,” one woman wrote.

Just so the men know: If a woman has ever played along with your sexting, then she really likes you. Because that does nothing for us. Dudes get so worked up and horny when they’re sexting. Meanwhile, she’s in the kitchen microwaving noodles in her baggy flannel jammies.

story

on the other hand, too many piercings, lots of tattoos, unnatural hair dye, a lot of cats, overly emotional outbursts, and being a feminist are red flags the other way. If they generalize that “all men are”, your clue is that all men should be out of there.

So That’s Why The Gen Alphabet’s Are Idiots

(STUDY) Excessive Internet usage impacts key parts of the teenage brain

A 2023 Statista survey found that U.S. teenagers spent an average of 4.8 hours on social media platforms every day, with girls spending an average of 5.3 hours compared to 4.4 hours for boys.

“Being as excessive and addictive screen use is routinely listed as one of parents’ biggest concerns for children, I think it’s overdue that we start educating children as early as possible about the dangers of unhealthy and mindless screen use,” Anthony Anzalone, a clinical psychologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told The Epoch Times.

A systematic review from the University College London, published in June in PLOS Mental Health, looked at 12 studies involving 237 youths aged 10 to 19 who had a formal diagnosis of internet addiction between 2013 and 2023. All the studies were conducted in Asian countries.

Researchers defined internet addiction as an inability to resist the urge to use the internet, which negatively affects mental well-being, as well as aspects of social, educational, and work life.

story

Google, Biased As Ever, Censoring Elections And Propping Up Liberals

Google started interfering in the 2024 presidential race by redirecting people searching for Donald Trump’s name toward news about Kamala Harris.

The MRC NewsBusters’ findings supported reports from different people, including Elon Musk, who pointed out that when users search for “Donald Trump” or “Trump rally,” the banner with news results listed Harris’s name.

When searching for “Donald Trump” on July 30, 2024, the news source discovered that Google displayed a “knowledge panel” about Trump, including his name and former title. Google also provided a panel labeled “News about Harris·Trump.”

“Harris keeps calling Trump and Vance ‘weird.’ Here’s why,” reads the headline of the Associated Press propaganda piece. Google also showed a Washington Post headline, “Trump, with a history of sexist attacks, again faces a female opponent.”

On July 31, 2024, the news source searched for the term “Trump Rally,” prompting favorable news panels to Harris. The first news panel’s title read, “Kamala Harris rally in Atlanta.”

On the other hand, when searching for the term “Kamala Harris,” Google showed the results about her. As expected, Trump’s name is not mentioned in either the first or second Google news panels in the resulting search.

story

Hell, I Wouldn’t Fly On It – Astronauts On ISS Stuck Because Of Boeing

I don’t want to get on anything made by Boeing, now this:

Is someone at NASA getting cold feet? According to a NASA posting today, the review that was supposed to happen this week to determine a return date for Starliner and its two-astronaut crew has been postponed until next week as engineers continue analzying the results of the recent thruster hot fire tests, both on the ground and on ISS.

The wording of this posting is intriguing, to say the least:

Teams are taking their time to analyze the results of recent docked hot-fire testing, finalize flight rationale for the spacecraft’s integrated propulsion system, and confirm system reliability ahead of Starliner’s return to Earth from the International Space Station.

Forward work for the team also includes finalizing the spacecraft’s undocking procedures and operational mitigations that could be used in flight, if needed, to build further confidence in the system. Meanwhile, Starliner ground and mission support teams are continuing to prepare for undocking by participating in integrated simulations with space station operations teams.

story

Everything they touch is turning to shit. Amazing that it started when they pushed DEI as a priority.

Get woke and go broke, every damn time

Paying For Votes When You Aren’t Cool Enough To Earn Them

Harris Campaign Is Paying People to Make Kamala Look ‘Cool’ to GenZ Voters

The Harris campaign’s reliance on social media to make Vice President Kamala Harris appeal to GenZ has taken a desperate and cringe-worthy turn. 

As Harris positions herself to be the Democratic 2024 nominee, the campaign has taken a pivotal shift in its political strategy to boost her votes. 

Harris’ TikTok account, initially used to make President Joe Biden appear more relatable, is now flush with memes trying to make Harris seem “cool.” CNN commentator Van Jones pointed this out, saying that Harris has gone from “cringe to cool.” 

In an even more desperate attempt to gain the votes of the younger generations, social media influencers are reportedly being offered money in exchange for posting content that makes the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee seem more appealing. 

Comedian Steve McGrew shared an email he received from a company called “Launch Viral,” offering a “paid post-collaboration opportunity” to support Harris. The offer includes a “$150 cash paid bonus incentive.” 

story

I wonder if the Z’ers are smart enough to see through this

Common Themes In Mensa Test Questions

The actual questions are secret unless you are taking the actual test, but here are some themes to think about.

If you are feeling brave, here’s the link to the practice test.

Number sequences: Finding patterns and completing number sequences.

Word problems: Solving logical or mathematical word problems.

Logical reasoning: Questions that test your ability to draw logical conclusions.

Pattern recognition: Identifying visual or numerical patterns.

Spatial awareness: Questions involving shapes, rotations, or spatial relationships.

Verbal comprehension: Understanding and analyzing language-based questions.

Family relationships: Determining familial connections based on given information.

Word associations: Finding words that are least like others in a group.

Mathematical calculations: Solving math problems, often presented in word problem format.

Visual puzzles: Analyzing and completing visual patterns or sequences.

Time management: The tests often have time constraints, requiring efficient problem-solving.

Progressive difficulty: Questions typically increase in difficulty as the test progresses.

Multiple-choice format: Many Mensa test questions are presented in a multiple-choice format.

Diverse subject matter: Questions can cover a wide range of topics to test general intelligence rather than specific knowledge.

I’m well acquainted with the Mensa community. Like all people, they come in many flavors. Just because you are in the top 2% of the population in terms of IQ doesn’t make you any better or worse than others. Some of those people are truly amazing people. A couple were royal fuck ups in life.

21 Signs That Confirm You’re an Introvert

One clear sign you’re an introvert: You feel lonelier in a crowd than when you’re alone. Solitude feels good to you.

Have you always felt different? Were you the quiet one in school? Did people ask you, “Why don’t you talk more?” Do they still ask you that today?

If so, you might be an introvert like me.

Being an introvert means you lose energy from socializing and gain energy by spending time alone. That’s it. Introversion is not a flaw, a disorder, or a diagnosis. It’s a healthy personality trait that comes with many strengths.

Keep in mind, that nobody is completely introverted or extroverted — we all show both traits at different times, though we tend to lean more in one direction or the other.

Here’s the list, it’s pretty convincing.

Competitive Eating Update – Joey Chestnut Eats 200 Wings In 38 Minutes After Inhaling 57 Hot Dogs On The Fourth Of July; Nathan’s Runner Up Caught Cheating

First the positive:

Joey Chestnut doing Joey Chestnut things!

While most Americans were trying to figure out how to get through their Monday back to work after Fourth of July weekend, legendary competitive eater Joey Chestnut was right back to throwing down at the table and setting records.

During the holiday weekend, the official Twitter account of Buffalo Wild Wings issued a challenge to Chestnut to smack 200 boneless wings — challenge accepted.

Normally, Chestnut is getting some relaxation in after winning another belt at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, but he ended up getting banned from the event after inking a contract with Impossible Foods, a grower of fake meat that Nathan’s didn’t want any part of.

But B-Dubs did!

“hey @joeyjaws if you eat 200 boneless wings tomorrow at all you can eat, i’ll extend it to 8/14,” wrote Buffalo Wild Wings in a Sunday morning tweet.

Story

Now this. I didn’t think you could cheat, yet here we are:

The competitive eating world has been completely shaken up after a cheating scandal has rocked the 2024 edition of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest that takes place every Fourth of July, with a contender being hit with allegations of trying to crank up his score by using hand trickery.

Nick Wehry, the husband of women’s hot dog champion Miki Sudo, allegedly used sleight of hand trickery while the contest was happening in an attempt to fraudulently increase the number of hot dogs that he ate to become a part of the elite contenders of the sport, according to insider sources who told this information to the New York Post.

“100% he cheated,” one source said Tuesday to The Post.

Originally, Wehry had a score of 46.75 hot dogs eaten, however, that figure got bumped up to 51.75 later. According to the outlet’s sources, he ended up getting credit for eating five more wieners than what he actually did. On top of that, Wehry is also being knocked with accusations of “stealing plates” from a fellow competitor, stacking them in his area to bring his tally over 50. Oh! And he asked for a recount after the original scoring from the judge.

story

I’ve Seen More Star Trek Than William Shatner

I, like a lot of Trekkies, have seen almost all of the episodes of the good series. I don’t include Discovery in that and I’m struggling to finish Picard. That includes seeing some episodes double-digit times. I saw The Original Series when it was first aired in the 60’s. Heck, I’ve met him and talked about it.

I maintain that The Wrath of Khan and First Contact are the best movies. They stayed true to the TV series and brought in characters like Khan Noonian Singh.

Well, it turns out that Captain Kirk doesn’t watch it much. Read and weep.

At 93 years old, William Shatner continues to surprise us.

In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 93-year-old actor — who portrayed Capt. James T. Kirk on the original “Star Trek” TV series from 1966 to 1969, and reprised the role in various films — revealed he’s actually only seen a “few” episodes of his work and has “never seen” any of the spinoffs. 

“I’m gonna tell you something that nobody knows. I’ve never seen another ‘Star Trek’ and I’ve seen as few ‘Star Treks’ of the show I was on, I’ve seen as few as possible,” he said. “I don’t like to look at myself, and I’ve never seen any other. I love it, I think it’s great. I just don’t, you know, I don’t watch television, per se.”

“I’m watching documentaries, I’m watching the news, I’m watching sports, I’m watching things that were, documentaries that were made, but I don’t watch television for some reason,” he added. “I’ve been urged to watch certain shows by my family, ‘You’ll love this,’ and I just never get around to it.”

In May, while promoting his documentary “You Can Call Me Bill,” Shatner told The Canadian Press it’d be “an intriguing idea” to reprise Captain Kirk today. 

“It’s almost impossible, but it was a great role and so well written and if there were a reason to be there, not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it,” he said.

The rest of the story.

Live long and prosper

Aibohphobia – The Fear Of Palindromes

Aha, I was looking for a gag that would refer to a list of palindromes. Wow, being a dad, did ewe (you) ever think of this? Mom would have been proud of me for this gag.

I started writing at noon, but it took me to the eve to finish.

It’s a saga that I refer to, but wow it was just a deed that was tit for tat.

Count the palindromes.

Planet Rains Glass That Blows Sideways In The Wind

A study published Monday detailed the discovery of how a nearby “hell” exoplanet stinks of rotten eggs, and scientists are absolutely thrilled.

An exoplanet best known for nightmarish weather (literally worse than Great Britain) also reeks, according to a study published in the journal Nature. The catchily-named HD 189733 b is a Jupiter-sized gas giant and contains trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide, one of the stinkiest molecules ever.

“Hydrogen sulfide is a major molecule that we didn’t know was there. We predicted it would be, and we know it’s in Jupiter, but we hadn’t really detected it outside the solar system,” lead researcher Guangwei Fu told Eurekalert. “We’re not looking for life on this planet because it’s way too hot, but finding hydrogen sulfide is a stepping stone for finding this molecule on other planets and gaining more understanding of how different types of planets form.”

The study used data gathered via the James Webb Space Telescope that was analyzed by Fu and his team at John Hopkins University. HD 189733 b was first discovered in 2005, gaining notoriety for it’s insanely high temperatures (1,700 degrees Fahrenheit). (RELATED: ‘Universe Breakers’: The James Webb Telescope Is Seeing Things That Shouldn’t Exist)

As if that isn’t appetizing enough for real estate investors, HD 189733 b is also known to produce some pretty messed up weather. Apparently it rains glass that blows sideways in the wind, reaching up to 5,000 mph.

I simply can’t wait to visit! Said no one, ever.

story

Clone Wars, China Set To Use Killer Robots In 2 Years – Robots Always Kill The Humans

China is on course to deploy killer robots into battle within two years, it has been claimed. The warning came as the Communist state revealed it had developed robotic dogs equipped with machine guns.

Defence analyst Francis Tusa said China was not hindered by fears over AI, which would see them come up with “new ship designs, new submarine designs, new fighter aircraft designs, at a rate which is dizzying.

“They are moving four or five times faster than the States.”

He said: “We’re at the start of a race in truly autonomous systems. I would be surprised if we don’t see autonomous machines coming out of China in two years.”

The robotic gun dog, made by Chinese firm Unitree Robotics, was unveiled last month during a military exercise with the Cambodian military.

Mr Tusa said being ahead of the West will appeal to the country’s leader Xi Jinping — and embolden Vladimir Putin.

He said: “For the Chinese, it’s the issue of have we beaten the Americans and the UK in getting a fully autonomous fighter aircraft

“There’s huge prestige. I think they’ll go all out on autonomy and harnessing AI and I think Russia will follow suit.”

Story

It sort of looked like clickbait until I saw the robotic dogs. I saw them and they are real. My work with China in the past at least tells me that it is within their moral judgement to try this.

If you see any of the movies, the robots always kill the humans. It’s been that way since Nomad.

2)

3)

4)

Report: 42% of Internet Traffic is Generated by Bots

Nearly half of all internet traffic can now be attributed to AI bots, a new report revealed late last month, with two-thirds of those bots functioning for malicious purposes. The report, compiled by cloud computing giant Akamai Technologies, highlights the ever-escalating threat that automated web-scraping bots pose to the online retail industry.

According to Akamai’s annual “State of the Internet” report, entitled Scraping Away Your Bottom Line: How Web Scrapers Impact E-Commerce, malicious bot activity has skyrocketed in recent years as the internet becomes increasingly automated. As the company states, “bots compose 42% of overall web traffic, and 65% of these bots are malicious.”

While online bots can be used by businesses for legitimate reasons, they are far more commonly used for “competitive intelligence and espionage, inventory hoarding, imposter site creation, and other schemes that have a negative impact on both the bottom line and the customer experience.” This is particularly prevalent in the e-commerce sector, where revenue-generating web applications are often left open to high-risk bot traffic.

While 42 percent bot activity is actually lower than what was discovered in previous studies, the key issue is the widespread use of AI botnets rather than human-controlled internet traffic farming. AI can discover and scrape unstructured data in a less consistent format or location, and its ability to incorporate gathered information into its learning process makes it a more formidable threat. Additionally, AI’s advanced decision-making can make it more difficult for humans to detect.

story

If I check my spam folder for comments, you’d think it was even higher

The 4th Of July Hot Dog Eating Contest Enters A New Era, Loses A Champion

I became enamored with this contest by phenom eater Kobayashi, a skinny kid from Japan who revolutionized competitive eating. It also grosses out my wife. That means I’ve been watching for decades.

Kobayashi was defeated by Joey Chestnut who will not defend his championship this year because of a conflict with the sponsor, Nathan’s hot dogs and others (see below). I’ll still watch, but we will be in the 30 or 40 dog range to win, versus the 60 to76 that we’ve been treated to by Chestnut.

his Fourth of July, Joey Chestnut will be doing what Joey Chestnut does better than any human being alive:

Eating hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog after hot dog…

And on and on, down the hatch, with stunning pace and a strange sort of grace. 

Chestnut—aka “Jaws,” the Michael Jordan of competitive eating, the Picasso of Pork, the Federer of Frankfurters, the GOAT of bloat, a man who once ate a world record 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes—will spend the holiday competing casually alongside members of the U.S. military at Fort Bliss in Texas in a quickly-assembled event airing on his YouTube channel.

Though Chestnut is honored for the opportunity, the stunning news is where the 40-year-old won’t be–parked at a table outside Nathan’s Famous in Coney Island, N.Y., dominating a legendary hot dog eating contest he has won a staggering 16 times.

“Bittersweet,” Chestnut told me in an interview this week.  

Behind Chestnut’s absence is a dispute involving his nascent relationship with Impossible Foods, the plant-based food maker. The partnership chafed the powers behind Major League Eating and the Nathan’s Famous competition, who felt Chestnut was getting cozy with a rival. 

So Chestnut is out, casting a footlong shadow over the annual beachside showdown—and riling a fan base that can’t believe the iconic competition will happen without its signature stomach. 

No Joey Chestnut in Coney Island on the Fourth of July? It’s like asking a bald eagle to stay home in the nest.  

“Stop being such weenies!” New York City mayor Eric Adams wrote in a pun-tastic tweet. 

“The entire country’s [expletive] bummed,” said ESPN’s biceps curl Cronkite Pat McAfee. “I don’t even know if people are going to light off fireworks now.”

“Let the guy suck down dogs!” McAfee pleaded.

Chestnut, who won his first Nathan’s event in 2007 and parlayed his talent into global fame and a full-time occupation, sounded plenty bummed by the conflict. He doesn’t see his relationship with Impossible Foods as a deal-breaker–he’s still a devoted carnivore who sees plant-based food as a supplement to his meat diet, not a replacement. 

He compared it to Tom Brady endorsing Under Armour cleats and also Ugg boots–an interesting choice, given that Tom Brady would sooner eat an Adirondack chair than a meaty hot dog. 

“You can eat meat and you can also eat plant-based meat,” Chestnut said. “I feel like that should be OK with people.”

Impossible Foods had no issues with Chestnut consuming meat products at the Nathan’s event–or anywhere else, said the company’s CEO, Peter McGuinness.

“He’s a flexitarian,” McGuinness said. “He is our target audience. We’re not a vegan company and we need to be appealing to meat eaters.”

Major League Eating’s president, Richard Shea, echoed Chestnut’s term to describe the situation: bittersweet. The issue was a brand conflict, he said. He went on to rave about Chestnut’s talent and indelible mark on the annual competition, which is televised by ESPN. 

“We love Joey, we wish he was there, we support his choice and think it’s a cool tribute, what he’s doing with the troops in Texas,” Shea said. “He’s a great champion.”

After the initial dust-up, MLE and Nathan’s Famous offered to put aside their issues and allow Chestnut to participate in 2024 – but the offering couldn’t bring the hot dog Hoover vac back to the table. 

The relationship may need further repair. Chestnut believed his team was still negotiating when the controversy spilled into view with a Major League Eating statement that they were “devastated” at Chestnut’s decision to partner with “a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs.”

Having the impasse go public felt like a gut-punch to Chestnut, the contest’s most identifiable winner, long ago surpassing the competitive eating godfather Takeru Kobayashi of Japan. 

“It’s hard to rebuild trust once bridges have been burned a little bit,” Chestnut said. 

Chestnut trains like an endurance athlete, with vigorous eating sessions to prepare him to push his physical limits. He practices breathing techniques to stay calm and loose and even asks people to come yell at him in practice to try and simulate a noisy contest environment. 

The champion felt on pace for a potentially record-setting Fourth of July. 

“It was definitely my best training in years,” he said. 

While consuming even a half dozen hot dogs would curl me into a fetal ball for a month, Chestnut said he’s in good health. He said he gets his blood regularly checked, and that his doctor remains comfortable with his career choice. 

“He told me whatever I’m doing, I can keep doing it,” Chestnut said. 

After the event at Fort Bliss, Chestnut will turn his attention to a brand-new event–a showdown with storied rival Kobayashi to be shown on Netflix. Billed as “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef” the mano-a-mano gulletpalooza will go down on Labor Day, Sept. 2. 

“I want to make him uncomfortable and he wants to make me uncomfortable,” Chestnut pledged. 

As for a future return to Coney Island, the champ is trying to stay optimistic. 

Can it really be the Fourth of July without Joey Chestnut dogging dogs near the Brooklyn boardwalk? 

“I love that contest,” said the hot dog gawd. “I would do anything reasonable to make it back there.”    

story

Tech Companies Going For Nuclear Powered AI

Now there will be less electricity for cars and other things that shouldn’t be electrified. For the rest of us, we’ll just get a bigger power bill for our houses.

Tech companies are increasingly looking to nuclear energy to meet their evolving power needs, potentially at the expense of grid reliability and ordinary American ratepayers, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The owners of about one in every three American nuclear plants are negotiating with technology firms to reach deals in which the plants would sell tech companies nuclear-generated electricity to operate their power-hungry data centers, key infrastructure that the tech firms need to support the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, according to the WSJ. The trend could divert reliable energy generation away from the rest of the power grid at a time when grid watchdogs are warning of longer-term reliability problems as electricity demand is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years due to the proliferation of data centers, electric vehicles (EVs), advanced manufacturing facilities and more.

For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is close to reaching an agreement with Constellation Energy to buy electricity from an East Coast nuclear plant, and AWS also spent $650 million on a nuclear-powered data center in Pennsylvania earlier this year, according to the WSJ. The Pennsylvania data center can receive enough electricity to keep the lights on in hundreds of thousands of households, and its purchase spurred tech sector interest in similar deals that allow companies to buy power directly from plants without needing to spend much on additional grid infrastructure to access that electricity.

Data centers may end up accounting for as much as 9% of all power consumption in America by 2030, according to the WSJ, and some officials — such as Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate Patrick Cicero — are concerned that the tech sector’s union with nuclear energy could hurt ordinary consumers by driving up prices and commanding a large share of the nation’s reliable carbon-free power.

Half Of EV Owners Want To Switch Back To Standard Cars

More sheep have woken up I suppose. There is no good reason or argument for them in their current configuration. They are expensive, hard to charge (compared to an ICE), cost more to insure and are limited in range. I’m not going to get into the socialistic forks in the road like the government kill switch because it just isn’t a very good product yet. There isn’t enough electricity for what they have planned along with AI and all of the restrictions on energy sources

Most buyers thought they were helping the environment or being progressive or tech savvy. I’ve got news for you. This isn’t the answer you were looking for, just money thrown away to feel or look good.

So now we have buyers remorse.

My wife’s nephew in Europe is a big show off with these. For being an engineer, he hasn’t thought this one through, but I’ll always think of him as a jag off. It’s easy to be smart when the pool of people in your country is only 5 million, but then he didn’t think through that either.

Nearly half of American electric vehicle (EV) owners want to buy an internal combustion engine model the next time they buy a car, according to a new study from McKinsey and Company, a leading consulting firm.

Approximately 46% of Americans who own an EV want to go back to a standard vehicle for their next purchase, citing issues like inadequate charging infrastructure and affordability, according to McKinsey’s study, which was obtained and reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The study’s findings further suggest that the Biden administration’s EV push is struggling to land with American consumers, after 46% of respondents indicated that they are unlikely or very unlikely to purchase an EV in a June poll conducted by The Associated Press and the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.

Moreover, 58% of Americans are very likely to keep their current cars for longer, and 44% are likely to postpone a possible switch to EVs, McKinsey’s study found. Consumers’ concerns about EV charging infrastructure are notable given the slow rollout of the Biden administration’s $7.5 billion public EV charger program, which has so far led to the construction of only a handful of chargers in nearly three years.

More

give me the sound and smell of a big V-8, or if I was in Europe a V-12 any day. That is a real engine. Grunt that can be felt by all of your senses.

How To Override A Hotel Thermostat

modern hotel thermostats are, in a word, a pain. Well over a decade ago, we noticed the kind of thermostat where you were supposed to put your room key into a slot to keep the air conditioning (and sometimes the electricity!) running, which meant when you were out of the room, your A/C wouldn’t run and when you got back, the room would be uncomfortable. That one was easy to override because just about ANY card worked in the slot ;-).

As modern technology got more advanced, they started building motion sensors into hotel thermostats, which meant that not only did you have to be in the room for the A/C to work, you had to be moving around…so if you were sleeping and woke up in the middle of the night, the room could be uncomfortable because unless they were sleepwalking, no one had moved around in several hours.

And then there are the thermostats with upper or lower limits that you can’t bypass so the room won’t get warmer or colder than the hotel wants. Oh great, that way we can be uncomfortable in our room while we’re wide awake, too!

Fortunately, electronic-savvy travelers have made it their business to figure out how to override these nuisance thermostats so we can be in our hotel rooms more comfortably. Here are some hacks we’ve found (only found; we haven’t “invented” any) for some of the most popular brands at some of the more popular hotels:

NOTE #1: Of course, the hotels don’t want you to mess with their thermostats. Besides potentially using up more energy than the hotel intended, you run the risk of breaking their thermostat, like these people did – and frankly, the hotel may or may not hold you responsible for the repair bill. Your Mileage May Vary as to whether it’s a good idea or not to try to bypass the controls set by the hotel – but if you think it’s OK, here are some ways to do it.

rest of the instructions by a/c type

How Did I Want To Retire? Early

How do you want to retire?

I knew in my 30s that I wanted to retire early. I enjoyed my work, but it was getting in the way of my life. I had stuff to do I still do.

So I had to prepare and live my life accordingly by these principles. Now I’m the king of retirement. I love waking up, knowing I don’t have meetings, email, texts, presentations or travel for business. Everything is paid off, and I can enjoy life more.

My mom told me she taught each of her kids financial independence, saving and spending. The rest of them are broke or died broke.

I respect people who love to work. I had a lot of other things to do in life also. I’m taking care of that now.

“One Of The Most Disappointing ‘Star Wars’ Episodes Ever Made.” Or….. This Is Why You Fail: Makers of ‘The Acolyte’ Brag About Creating ‘The Gayest Star Wars Yet’

It’s overused, but so applicable that it matters. Here’s another get woke, go broke. Just look at who’s in charge below and you can see it isn’t the people who thought up A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back.

Back when Star Wars was a franchise people cared about, one of the most beloved characters in the movies and shows was everyone’s favorite 900-year-old Jedi master, Yoda. That’s quite an accomplishment for a small green muppet, who somehow became an icon of the galaxy far, far away. 

Yoda is known for the nuggets of wisdom he would impart — in backward English — to his pupils. One of his most famous quotes is what he said to Luke Skywalker to warn him against the temptations of the dark side of the Force, of seeking quick power and strength, as opposed to learning the Jedi way of discipline, patience, and tradition: 

‘Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you, it will.’

After listening to the producer and one of the actors in Star Wars’ latest installment in a franchise that has turned itself into a joke and a dumpster fire, it’s clear that no one at Disney ever bothered to pay attention to Yoda. Watch:  

More here and here

What are you passionate about? That one has changed over my life.

What are you passionate about?

I will say this, when I’m passionate about something I go in Well more than 100%. It’s probably why I’ve burnt out on a lot of stuff.

Let’s see, there was the tennis phase followed by fishing and hunting, karate, competitive bike, racing and let’s not forget a bunch of mini stuff that happened between.

I did learn the lesson about passion when I was working. If you could find someone that was passionate about a subject, you didn’t need to motivate them. It was there all along.

My Favorite Season Of The Year?

What is your favorite season of year? Why?

Look, I grew up in Central Florida without air conditioning. It was summer 51 of the 52 weeks of the year.

One of the best things in life for me was getting out of that state. It may have a great political climate, growth, no state taxes and other positives, but dreading to go outside because it’s so hot isn’t worth it.

Any of the other three seasons is great for me.

The Introvert Hangover And The Signs You May Have One

My go to page for this stuff is Introvert Dear. They nailed it on this one. Link below

An introvert hangover can leave you feeling physically and mentally exhausted, making you just want to be alone in a quiet place.

Does this sound familiar?

You’ve spent the whole day with your friends or family. You’ve had a great time eating, playing games, and catching up. But now, you’re so exhausted you can barely see straight, while everyone else seems as energetic as ever. In fact, they’re already setting up the next game as you’re wondering how you can slip out the door.

The next day, after the event is over, is no better. You might have a headache, and your body may feel sore and drained, almost like the onset of the flu. You’re tired — so very tired.

If this resonates with you, you might be experiencing something we call an “introvert hangover.”

What Is the Introvert Hangover?

Introvert, Dear writer Shawna Courter coined the term “introvert hangover” in this article to describe the exhaustion she felt after celebrating Christmas with her in-laws. She writes:

“An introvert hangover is a pretty terrible thing to experience. It starts with an actual physical reaction to overstimulation. Your ears might ring, your eyes start to blur, and you feel like you’re going to hyperventilate. Maybe your palms sweat. And then your mind feels like it kind of shuts down, building barriers around itself as if you had been driving on a wide open road, and now you’re suddenly driving in a narrow tunnel. All you want is to be at home, alone, where it’s quiet.”

Yes, the introvert hangover is real. It’s a funny term that describes the serious social burnout many introverts experience, marked by significant mental and physical fatigue.

Here are 12 signs that you might have an introvert hangover, which I discuss in more detail in my book, The Secret Lives of Introverts. You don’t need to experience all these symptoms to have one, and your symptoms might vary.

Here are the 12 Signs You have an Introvert Hangover

I never understood this for the first more than 5 decades. I did know that I’d instinctively look for a place to be away from the group once the event was over. I connected better with pets than strangers. I get it now and protect myself with time alone, sometimes before the event to make sure my battery is full

Pat Sajak Finished As Wheel Of Fortune Host

Sad news, Wheel Watchers! After 43 years, today is Pat Sajak’s final episode hosting “Wheel of Fortune.”

I’m a Jeopardy fan, but Wheel comes on right before or after (depending on where I am) so I’ve occasionally watched.

I’ve known about it since the Vanna scandal. I think I was in college it was so long ago.

Well, he’s had a good run and can enjoy retirement and can let loose on the leftards. Alex Trebek died as host of Jeopardy but had pancreatic cancer.

Here’s why I’m not really a Wheel fan though.

The Baby Names That Are Dying

They’ll be no singing “Happy Birthday” to little Myrtle any time soon. 

The once-buzzy baby name — along with Al, Bess, Cathy, Vern, Wally and more — is in the top 23 newborn names on the verge of virtual extinction. 

A foul fall from grace, the run-of-the-mill monikers were the bees knees during the Baby Boomer generation, between 1946 and 1964, per a 2024 report via baby-naming experts at Namesberry. 

A June 2024 analysis from online parenting hub, BabyCenter found that ultramodern mommies and daddies are crowning their kiddies with names from hit feature films and streaming series such as “Dune: Part Two,” and “Bridgerton.”  

Classic titles like Liam and Olivia have, too, maintained their high-rank in the baby name realm. In 2023, both topped the list of most popular boy and girl tags in the U.S. for the fifth year in a row, per recent data from the Social Security Administration. 

However, names facing annihilation were nowhere near the number one spots. 

Here’s the list

In an alternate world, it would be James T Kirk or Steve Rogers

If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?

Since I’m in the real world, I’m happy with who I am.

But since the question was asked when I could be the guy that saves the world or the universe, there you go. If you can be a superhero at it, that’s just icing on the cake.

Latin For Ungrateful Dickhead


It is from the species Adelotypa annulifera or latin for ungrateful dickhead.

I have no idea if this is right or not. I’m not even going to put it through the Latin translator. It’s because my level of humor lets me get the joke that there really could be a Latin name, especially because I know so many in this species.

Actually, this came from some old writings of mine and I was talking about one of my wife’s relatives. I have many that are in this species. It’s why I avoid family stuff as much as I can.

The Real Reason Introverts Hate Small Talk

Now, if you’re an introvert like me, you might hate the small talk ritual. Jon Baker, a business coach for introverts, found that 74 percent of introverts said they dislike small talk, as opposed to only 23 percent of extroverts who said they dislike it.

Why do the majority of introverts hate small talk?

By definition, introverts are people who feel drained by socializing and recharge their energy by spending time alone. Because small talk is neither emotionally nor intellectually stimulating, it can feel like an inefficient use of their limited social energy. In other words, if introverts are going to use up their energy, they want to spend it in ways that really count.

(Not sure if you’re an introvert? Here are 21 signs that confirm you’re an introvert.)

Also introverts tend to enjoy delving deep into topics and exploring ideas on a meaningful level. It’s more energizing to talk about things that feel important and relevant to them. Small talk, by its very nature, remains at a surface level.

But those aren’t the real reasons introverts might hate small talk.

Why Introverts Hate Small Talk

It’s not that introverts hate socializing or people. Even though we’re introverts, we still need close, healthy relationships to thrive.

As my friend Dr. Laurie Helgoe points out in her fascinating book, Introvert Power, “Introverts do not hate small talk because we dislike people. We hate small talk because we hate the barrier it creates between people.”

Small talk doesn’t bring people closer. Quite the opposite — it can create a barrier that prevents the kind of genuine, intimate connections we all crave.

Think about it. When two people get stuck in small-talk mode, discussing only “safe” and polite topics like the weather, they don’t really learn anything new about each other. They don’t get to know the other person or understand who they are. They miss discovering that their conversation partner, for example, wakes up early to go birdwatching, hates the color yellow, or grew up on a family farm.

As a result, the relationship doesn’t grow in a satisfying way. In general, introverts are interested in understanding people’s thoughts, feelings, life lessons, and experiences, which isn’t usually achieved through small talk.

more

The Top 20 Lies of the 2020s

Lying is an epidemic even worse than COVID.

Our president and his press secretaries seem to lie with every word they say and deny facts that anyone with a pair of eyes can see for himself.

Scientists and doctors, formerly among the most trusted members of our society, lie to foster popular environmental theories and get government grants, or to promote Big Pharma and deter people from effective treatments.

Our news media no longer report the news; they shape the news as instructed.

Here is just a sample of commonly promoted lies starting in 2020.

Covid has a 4% death rate.

Masks will keep us safe from COVID.

COVID vaccines are safe and effective.

Oil and natural gas are going to destroy the planet.

Electric cars are going to save the environment.

Electric cars are safe.

Our justice system is fair for all.

Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation.

Trump stole classified documents.

Boys should compete in girls’ sports.

Men can have babies.

Search engines give honest results.

Protecting Ukraine’s borders is in the interest of the United States.

Our borders are safe and secure.

Israel is guilty of war crimes.

Inflation is under control.

The 2020 Election was the safest and most secure in history.

More lies found here

Twelve Reasons Why I Don’t Believe There’s a Climate Emergency

  1. Looking back through history, there have always been doomsday prophets, folk who say the world is coming to an end. Are modern-day activists not just the current version of this?
  2. I look at some of the facts – CO2 is 0.04% of the atmosphere; humans are responsible for just 3% of CO2; Britain is responsible for just 1% of the world’s CO2 output – and I think “really“? Will us de-carbonising really make a difference to the Earth’s climate?
  3. I have listened to some top scientists who say CO2 does not drive global warming; that CO2 in the atmosphere is a good or vital thing; that many other things, like the Sun and the clouds and the oceans, are more responsible for the Earth’s temperature.
  4. I note that most of the loudest climate activists are socialists and on the Left. Are they not just using this movement to push their dreams of a deindustrialised socialist utopia? And I also note the crossover between green activists and BLM ones, gender ones, pro-Hamas ones, none of whom I like or agree with.
  5. As an amateur psychologist, I know that humans are susceptible to manias. I also know that humans tend to focus on tiny slivers of time and on tiny slivers of geographical place when forming ideas and opinions. We are also extremely malleable and easily fooled, as was demonstrated in 2020 and 2021.
  6. I have looked into the implications of Net Zero. It is incredibly expensive. It will vastly reduce living standards and hinder economic growth. I don’t think that’s a good thing. I know that economic growth has led to higher living standards, which has made people both safer and more environmentally aware.
  7. Net Zero will also lead to significant diminishment of personal freedom, and it even threatens democracy, as people are told they must do certain things and they must not do other things, and they may even be restricted in speaking out on climate matters.
  8. What will be the worst things that will happen if the doomsayers are correct? A rise in temperature? Where? Siberia? Singapore? Stockholm? What is the ideal temperature? For how long? Will this utopia be forever maintained? I’m suspicious of utopias; the communists sought utopias.
  9. If one consequence of climate change is rising sea levels, would it not be better to spend money building more sea defences to protect our land? Like the Dutch did.
  10. It’s a narrative heavily pushed by the Guardian. I dislike the Guardian. I believe it’s been wrong on most issues through my life – socialism, immigration, race, the EU, gender, lockdowns and so on. Probably it’s wrong about climate issues too?
  11. I am suspicious of the amount of money that green activists and subsidised green industries make. And 40 years ago the greenies were saying the Earth was going to get too cold. Much of what they said would happen by now has not happened. Also, I trust ‘experts’ much less now, after they lied about the efficacy of lockdowns, masks and the ‘vaccines’.
  12. I like sunshine. I prefer being warm to being cold. It makes me feel better. It’s more fun. It saves on heating bills. It saves on clothes. It makes people happier. Far few people die of the heat than they do the cold.

source

Good, Maybe The Pictures Of Some Of The Dumb Shit I Did Got Lost

The internet is disappearing, study says

Almost 40% of webpages from 2013 no longer exist a decade on, research finds

The internet is disappearing, a new study has suggested, as web pages and online content is lost.

The web is often thought of as a place where content lasts forever. But vast swathes of its are being lost as pages are deleted or moved, according to new research.

Of the webpages that existed in 2013, for instance, 38 per cent are now lost. Even newer pages are disappearing: 8 per cent of pages that existed in 2023 are no longer available.

more

I’ve been blogging since 2004. I lost a bunch of stuff in the 2008/9 range, but it was mostly work related, work that I don’t do anymore.

Still, cached stuff on facebook or if you had a MySpace page, it might be good to lose that

What Sci-fi Guns Would Actually Be Useful In The Real World?

I’m big on guns for personal defense, but at the same time, I’m not a big fan of killing people. That may sound contradictory, as shooting someone to defend yourself can easily (and often does) involve death. But, we have to keep in mind that the goal of a legitimate defensive shoot isn’t to kill. The goal is to incapacitate, and hopefully cause them to stop what they’re doing (trying to kill you or someone else) before they’re done doing it.

Sadly, today’s technology doesn’t give us a lot of alternatives to shooting if it’s rapid incapacitation we need. Pepper spray and tasers are the obvious alternative, but pepper spray relies on pain compliance an emotional or drug-addicted person can fight through, and tasers aren’t good against deadly force because there’s no guarantee that both darts connect and complete the circuit. So, we’re stuck with having to stop the action through the pain of getting shot, rapid blood loss or through damage to neural tissue. Given the time constraints of a defensive encounter, we don’t usually get to choose which one we go for.

But, in the world of science fiction, we have other options. It may seem silly to compare fictional weapons (even if that’s fun), but we have to keep in mind that many things that are real today started out as fake things on the TV or movie screen. By comparing these weapons, we can figure out what things are worth pursuing and what things really don’t help us defend ourselves better.

More

The Ultimate Book List

I don’t know if you are a reader like me, but love books and am always looking for another source of recommendations.

Granted, my tastes don’t always go with the crowd, but here’s the crowd’s pick for a good book list.

EV’s Cancelled At Mercedes And VW

The German automaker’s limousine customers care as much about comfort and status as saving the planet

Bloomberg reports on how Volkswagen’s EV fantasy has just collided with reality. Volkswagen walks back EV or bus strategy that rankled rivals. CEO Oliver Blumer is turning to hybrids and striking partnerships as EV sales slow. Volkswagen AG’s all-in on electric vehicle plan is no more. The namesake VW brand, which pitched its ID family of electric cars as central to its future, admitted last week it will need more plug-in hybrids as EV sales decelerate. This marks just the latest adjustment VW has made to its electrification strategy after the company botched several model releases and fell behind in China, where local brands now dominate. The manufacturer has also shelved efforts to seek outside investors for its battery unit and scrapped plans for a 2 billion Euro ($2.2 billion) EV factory in Germany. In fact, the automaker is selling so many cars still running on combustion engines that it’s on track to overshoot its emissions allowance next year, leading Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blumer to ask European regulators for leniency.

And Mercedes has dumped an entire EV platform after a woeful sale of its larger EV models. As Top Gear reports, Mercedes has reportedly cancelled an entire EV platform, and apparently, slow EV sales are to blame. Farewell, MBEA; we hardly knew you. Mercedes is putting the kibosh on the development of its MBEA large electric vehicle platform, having apparently been put off by the EQE and EQS’s slower than expected sales. OD Deia first reported by Handelsblut, the move will supposedly save billions in development costs as Mercedes rethinks its future luxury car strategy.

more

Give me the sound and smell of an internal combustion engine, somewhere between 8 and 12 cylinders.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Oops: First Neuralink Brain Implant in Human Malfunctions

The first human to receive a Neuralink implant experienced a malfunction when several threads designed to record neural activity retracted from the brain, as revealed by the Elon Musk-owned startup. The incident occurred in the weeks following the surgery in late January that implanted the Neuralink hardware in 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic.

As a result of the retraction, the number of effective electrodes was reduced, which in turn limited Arbaugh’s ability to control a computer cursor with his brain. In response, Neuralink modified the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to neural population signals, improved the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and enhanced the user interface.

story

At some point, we shouldn’t play God

Job For Just One Day? Be A Super Hero

What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?

It would be cool to be Captain America or Superman for a day.

Having to wake up and save the world all the time would be too much responsibility, but it would be cool to be a bad ass and protect others.

Either that or be Captain Kirk.

The Decline Of Star Wars And Star Trek

There may be bigger Trekkie or Star Wars fans than me, but they are at conferences and cos-play. I have been disappointed in TPTB who made both woke. Read below and weep for those of us who have been shit on by the movies and TV shows that have been put out lately.

For those who do not follow science fiction, Star Wars and Star Trek have been on the decline since 2005, at the very least. 

Things did not come to the forefront until George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney in 2012 and Kathleen Kennedy took over as head of Lucasfilm.  Kennedy loudly announced “The Force is Female” while Disney executives while Disney executives proudly proclaimed their “Not so secret gay agenda.”

Although Trump-supporter Manny Coto was the showrunner for the last season of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005, the series as been on the decline ever since the Berman/Braga Era.  This was after Gene Roddenberry, the coke-addicted alcoholic who abused the staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation through his attorney, Leonard Maizlish, was forced out in 1989.

Alex Kurtzman took over after the 2009 Star Trek film, and things went downhill from there.  Star Trek: Discovery is one of the most widely-mocked shows in history, and Star Trek: Picard was an overall terrible production.  Star Trek: New Worlds even had January 6 as a “major event.”

Flaming Examples Of Times Facebook, YouTube Amazon Were Threatened by The Biden Government

They did what they said Trump would do. This is the most duplicitous regime run like the Gestapo and SS.

Oh, but we can’t have mean tweets.

Social Media And Mental Health For Females

Most of the time when we talk about social media being bad for us we mean for our mental health. These platforms make us anxious, depressed, and insecure, and for many reasons: the constant social comparison; the superficiality and inauthenticity of it all; being ranked and rated by strangers. All this seems to make us miserable.

But I don’t just think it makes us miserable. I’ve written before about how it makes us bitchy. And self-absorbed. And over time I’m becoming convinced that our most pressing concern isn’t that social media makes us feel worse about ourselves. It’s that social media makes us worse people.

Social comparison, for example. This is one of the main problems people mention when talking about the harms of social media. Constantly comparing our beauty, our success, our lifestyle, our popularity, to infinite streams of other people makes us feel anxious and inadequate, yes. But I also think it makes us resentful. Bitter. Competitive. Quietly wishing for others to fail. We talk constantly about what like, follow and comment metrics do to our self-esteem—but don’t they also make us so shallow? We hate when people judge us by numbers on a screen, but aren’t we doing it all the time, to everyone else, even subconsciously? We talk endlessly about how editing apps and filters give girls and young women anxiety and body dysmorphia, which is important, but never about how they make us competitive, envious, vain. Sometimes it’s not my self-esteem I’m worried about. It’s who I become when I obsess over my profile and image and what everyone else is doing. Sometimes I lock my screen and don’t like who is looking back at me in its black reflection.

more

All mRNA injections, including cancer vaccines, may accelerate the development of cancer

Four days ago, The Guardian reported that there was “excitement among patients and researchers” in the UK as “personalised mRNA vaccines” for cancer entered their phase 3 trial. On Monday, In Your Area published an article about a personalised mRNA skin cancer vaccine that may also be effective against lung, bladder and kidney cancer.

However, patients may be less excited about these “groundbreaking” injections when they read a paper published last week.

On 23 April, a pre-print paper (not yet peer-reviewed) was published in the journal Authorea that reviewed oncogenesis and autoimmunity caused by mRNA injections.  It found that repeated mRNA injections reduce immune surveillance for cancer while at the same time inducing autoimmunity.

The paper found that post-vaccination, the subsequent spike protein expression “may lead to a harmful influence on the immune system of vaccinees, and subsequent accelerated development of cancer and autoimmune disease.”

More

You shouldn’t play God with gene editing. It doesn’t turn out well. It is too complex for humans

I refuse to use Emoji’s

What are your favorite emojis?

Everybody has their own preferences. I find them annoying and superfluous. It just seems like clutter instead of saying something directly.

Here’s how I really feel

My experience has been that females are more likely to use them. It also seems like they are for a younger generation than mine, so I don’t use them.

They also can be misinterpreted to mean the wrong thing, something I avoid at all costs.

They add color to the text, but not always meaning. My world is black-and-white.

Anything deep, I’m an introvert and avoid small talk.

What topics do you like to discuss?

I’m not afraid to discuss anything that’s interesting. I can cover a large range of topics and do when prompted.

What is difficult for me is small talk. The banality of it is a painful exercise that I have to go through.

So my talking skills are good with deep conversations and any distraction to end small talk and my having to suffer through it.

How do you use social media?

How do you use social media?

Very restrictively. For informational purposes only, and for here, it helps me discover patterns the ongoing 4D chess of the world.

I cut out most of the childish nonsense. People posting meals, and especially the past that I already said goodbye to once.

My best move was eliminating Facebook.

Dear Tiktok Users, Here Is The data TikTok collects On You, Somewhat Shocking

When you agree to TikTok’s terms of service after downloading the app, you’re handing communist China the keys to the kingdom. I dug up all the creepy things TikTok tracks and how it does it. Plus, how to quickly find red flags in the terms and conditions.

From fingerprints to file names

Think the TikTok paranoia is overblown? It’s not. Here’s the laundry list of data you give up every time you scroll. It’s a lot:

  • Your name, age, username, email address, password, phone number and location.
  • Your IP address, cellphone carrier, time zone, the model of your device and the OS you use.
  • Biometric identifiers, like facial IDs and voiceprints. Yep.
  • The content of your messages, plus exactly when you send, receive and read them.
  • If you buy stuff from the TikTop shop, your purchase information, including your credit card numbers, billing and shipping addresses.
  • Your activities on other websites and apps (or in stores), including info on what you purchased.
  • File names and types.
  • Your keystroke patterns and rhythms.
  • Objects and scenery that show up in your videos, including tourist attractions, shops and other landmarks.
  • The web pages you visit the most and how you interact with them.
  • Any text, images and videos on your clipboard.
  • Information about your videos, images and audio.

Seem like a fair trade for cute kitty videos and a new dance challenge? Didn’t think so.

But wait, there’s more

TikTok also embeds data into images and ads to track the time and date you view a page, complete with a description. The amount of data TikTok collects is so extensive that it can come dangerously close to cloning your entire phone. Where TikTok stores its data is also a major red flag for Congress. Information collected in the U.S. is connected straight to servers in China. 

Read that fine print

I’ve been warning you about the communist China app for a while now, but scanning any app’s terms and conditions too quickly could put you at risk. Here’s how to quickly spot red flags:

  • Use Ctrl + F on Windows (or Command + F on a Mac) to search for buzzwords like “purchase,” “messages” and “third party.” Pay attention to vague words like “may,” which is when they’re trying to get away with something sneaky.
  • Search for sections like “How we collect your personal data” to see what an app collects on you and how they do it. 
  • Look for words like “geolocation” and “geotargeting” to find out if your location information is collected. 
  • Check out the Terms of Service, Didn’t Read tool. It flags shady language in privacy policies on today’s top apps and gives them a rating. TikTok got an E. I also give it an E: Egregiously greedy, don’t download.

Don’t forget to share this article with family and friends so they know the risks using TikTok poses.

Source

I wouldn’t touch it like I won’t use Google or Facebook