we got an elf instead of a Christmas tree. then, the question was: "and does Totoro brings presents too?" well, yes, he has a magical Catbus to make deliveries. so then, the presents were around this 30 cm Catbus and similar sized elf.

I last had a car in 2010, and it was already at $750/mo. I cannot fathom what it would be now ( $250/mo for car insurance, back then). I presume the SF Bay Area would now mean $6.000+ for housing and cars. put student loans (mine were spread over some 25 years) on top of that... and yikes!

not gonna lie: I am inspired! this is my third, and watch this space for the next "over 100" posts tonight (with less than 5 hours left of Christmas day).

ohdang. who would have thought The Ramones would have influenced so deep into pharma marketing.

in the 25 years of living Silly Cone Valley-ness disorder personality, I never sensed that regret was a possible conclusion to any decision. also, never expected to be shown in the future. rather, doubling down, or as it is known there: "let's build it, and be legends, because people will come."

gonna tell my kids this is The 13th Floor Elevators

gonna tell my kids this is Neutral Milk Hotel

will anyone think of the car sales market for generals? also, the insurance biz. (if they don’t ride a car, the life insurance premiums should be very low.)

America First: Healthcare as a business. " [...]pushing some insurers to retreat from the government-supported market because it won't be profitable." (anecdote is not data, but neither are my reposts.)

it will be interesting how Dao operates on the delivery of letters. meaning, their limited access and a bit of a luxury to do letters. i’m the last decade there has been a good uptick on fountain pens and stationary, but even that relies very much on online biz.

ohman. this is going to kill the tourism of people gathering to witness these apologies, with a background of war on Christmas.

It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans. 🧵 1 of 9

this is the home with the highest move-in cost per square meter (make that centimetres). not sure if a single contractor could un-decorate this…

I guess they mean the redacted files. also, this conclusion can be reached if they look under all those black pages, and all the files being released. is there an undo magic button in the files?

Looknick: the price comes down to 11. Documentarian: why not bring it to 10, and make 10 cheaper. (pause) Looknick: these prices comes down to 11. Documentarian: inconceivable! Looknick: you can’t handle the truth!

the Trump Games will follow a similar script to « Logan's Run », but with athletes at the Carrousel and those not deemed pure will have to run for their lives and seek Sanctuary cities. OMG!1!! too on the nose, huh?

as with many groups, I have definitely drifted away from The National, after a good run of live concerts and albums. the Live Boxer album was a good get, and this one seems good too. one complaint: why didn't they get in touch for the cover of statue photographs? I mean... come on! nice surprise:

all bow to Finland. freedom is all well and good, but... I think it is good to derive another map where freedom is scaled by "Life factors": 1. life expectancy (freedom is good if alive) 2. affordability (not sidelined) 3. immigration ease (hurdles of foreigners to settle in w/o segregation)

show me how your 2025 went

"eulogies" in the USA, among a certain type of citizenry, have really gone off the deep end. reposting it here seems like unnecessary, and I have to train myself better. (the utility for screenshot warnings seem not to be working.)

is it too sardonic to think that it remains unfinished that the full quote is: “ I didn’t vote for this, but I would never vote for those others “ (in a 2 party, winner-takes-all polling)? sure, the Dems can take notice, but generally* stupid to put an effort. (* an effort of diminishing return)

every day, in one sense or another, all the news are overwhelming. relatable, yet often distant (or make it so to survive). but today, it is one of those... ' I read the news today, oh boy ' which in aggregate with the other news this weekend, it really kills holiday spirit.

Which movie quote lives rent free in your head? ‘ I’m drowning here, and you’re describing the water ‘

typical news that brings up a reminder: “but the other candidate was black and a woman”.

walking into 2026

my dishwashing gloves look quite a bit different. I do appreciate the glasses scrubbing thumb. perhaps they will be available in Europe next, since it’s America first.

this is worse than I thought. who is seriously going to go through this trouble? imagine going through this process to attend a conference, and if originating from a country that makes it risky for a "Kavanaugh Stop". who thinks of this shit? (rhetorical) also, Americans abroad: KTFO.

for a better economy, they should impose this to Americans returning from a trip: “can’t return if you’re below average” by not having a cool million in the bank. and one could think that MAGA red hats were a ripoff…

8 months: from screwing iphone screws to Ai Slop robot duties. just go for the data centres in space already.

Very sad to say that my old pal Phil Vinall has just died. I'll write more about Phil at somepoint - in the meantime here's a nice piece by Ian from Balloon. Rest in Noise Phil, dear friend.

font wokeness is a thing. I guess if one is looking at it, versus reading it, then fuck the font's readability for those that need it for actual reading. is this assholery deep seated, waiting to come out, or is it contagious? (or why not both)

it’s difficult to shut me up, but this would do it. speechless.

perhaps it will not a surprise that the (devoted Red/GOP/MAGA) states would be worse off if the chart is normalised by some metric of after tax income. then adjust further for getting net federal subsidy from taxes. ( a big reduction in statistical dimensions: though, still insightful.)

can you still say you hate maths? I mean, read the highlighted line and immerse yourself in such an experience.

(need to read the article, but…) until now, I don’t think comparisons to Germany are insightful, as are comparisons to segments of USA’s history and microcosms of its federation (in implementation/aspirations) with great incompetence. nevertheless, all the same troubling.

an entertaining subculture, most definitely. “buy them for the warm sound and warming of ears+shoulders” I love the no compromise due to mobility: bluetooth and compression are inconsequential to that subculture. amirite?

I welcome this approach. though a bit concerned that the chapter on Priors must be massive and densest for the baby to understand*— then again, nothing like enriching the priors from an early age. (* ok priors being something about the womb will be easy.)

this is actually hilarious: LLM is Jesus. it brightens my day. for its Judas (on this site), I propose @renrut-mas.bsky.social — in which this Judas is the actual deliverer from insipidness. (according to the usual snark, the computer is not the only virgin in the room.)

this is damning. indeed, I should retire from Social Networks. what is striking to me is the use of "indeed" showing up. indeed, it is puzzling. [ anisota.net/harvest/fall... ]

way to kill the plot and dramatic scene at the trial. the whole intent was to find out who called the Code Red. also, after a trillion dollars there is a Code Red? how does that play into the next trillion?

"How could you *not* hate maths!?" (the good is that once I am asked about profession, I know there will be only one more question, at most... or end of conversation.)

I really couldn't care less for guitarist virtuosos. yeah, Gilmour and Page I rather like and actually listen to their work... more so appreciating Gilmore's emotional playing. after all that, this is freakin' impressive and emotional.

I wish people will learn about modern criteria: it is rather standard procedure that if anyone aces a cognitive test, an MRI is needed to verify that the brain is still there (and activated). otherwise, there can be some Ai+LLM cheatin' happenin'

I used to write the Sunday Salons--essays about photographers as a prompt for #photography discussions. This piece, from 2007, is on Ralph Meatyard--one of those WTF photographers (which, okay, isn't an actual genre of photography, but ought to be). salon.utata.org/2007/08/12/r...

I submit that this statement be subjected to Miracle Max’s test. and he can take the chocolate cover pill to recover all of his credibility.

this. there needs to be a federalisation of multinationals, as it has been absurd in 10 years to build up apps/services in: .com (usa only) .fr .se .es (skipped using .ru )

(looking at this as the biggest shift in musical genre-- conveniently removing The Police's « Zenyatta Mondatta ») there was not one album: a epochal moment when a Freshman year roommate played Joy Division's « Closer », followed by Wire's « Pink Flag ». a bizarre double album, perhaps.

I have been quite on the sidelines of the "influencer" phenom. have they taken the place of previous (American-centric?) role-models? or commercials? or mix of both? if so, this is may be a plus: they have no skeletons in the closet for a downfall. well, yeah, they have no skeletons.

unexpected Top 5, but this is the right answer. (Take 3 is an elusive reference, but lost in the bliss.)

if you ask me, and nobody should, I think GoFundMe had a golden opportunity: surely Nvidia and all others could afford the fees. Ai slop is just the spoiled teenager or nepobaby.