College of Hard Knocks presents: This outdoor power outlet stopped working. I tried the GFI circuit reset button but that didn’t work. Fuse box OK. Electrician came over, checked it out. “Did you turn the switch on before resetting the GFI?” Oh. Cost of learning to flip a switch: $386.

Currently waiting for the electrician, or someone like him.* *Some of y’all GenXers will get this.

“It wouldn’t have been the first time that AI films have been allowed to imbrue the silver screen.” I had to pause at “imbrue.” To stain or drench in noxious liquid or blood.

I commissioned a stained glass piece for the transom. Adds a dash of character.

You say “Khomeini,” and I say “Khamenei…” The chattering class is confused this morning.

“I hold that this elevation of politics to the plane of undiluted comedy is peculiarly American, that no-where else on this disreputable ball has the art of the sham-battle been developed to such fineness...” — HL Menken Still salient. Laugh at the buffoons who pretend to be our “public servants.”

Hope is a thing with feathers.

At an art show

"Prompt engineering is so 2023. It's all about skill-engineering now!" This is agentic AI wrapped in the jargon du jour. Ah well, those greasy-haired marketing chippies from New Jersey need fresh material to present in all those boardrooms.

Who wore it better?

There is no doubt: American culture is liberal culture. Live and let live. Our established media does its best to say, “This happened.” The Bari Weiss “Dark Web” crap feels more like a rearguard action. They are losing because their best media people are numptys.

Hey Newsweek, do you lean left or right? “In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it’s not ‘both sides,’ it’s sharp, challenging and alive with ideas.” Lawdy!

“Lopez ran conferences where he shared what he said were his secrets for getting rich.” His secret is getting people to buy tickets to his talks. That so many people fall for this grift is disheartening.

“Nothing was going to happen to him. He knew he was going home.”

Look at all the tangled up paws Jynx has!

Corey Lewandowski, currently providing services to Kristi Noem, would prefer that you not talk about Corey Lewandowski.

“Maybe you think AI won’t usher in the end of the human species, but it might make the most beautiful things in life — art, movies, human relationships — more slop-filled and shitty.” This appears to be the timeline we’re on. The Back to the Future II version, with Biff Tannen in charge.

So. First they fire most of the scientists, cancel almost every research grant in the pipeline, and dissuade foreign researchers from coming here. That’s OK! The Thing has ordered the government to “unleash the power of AI” to do all the science-ish stuff. www.theregister.com/2026/02/13/t...

“Many of the Constitution’s authors did not trust the public, considering them liable to ‘temporary errors and delusions,’ as James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers.” Let’s hope this was temporary.

Age verification? SNL launches with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

Not sure they have their target market dialed in: www.usatoday.com/story/money/...

How it’s going in Baltimore:

I used to be all messed up on drugs. Then I found Richard Feynman. Now I’m all messed up on Richard Feynman: youtu.be/B_GyGXW-gAs?...

In this clever bit, the woman exclaims that she’s tired of the man’s “whinging” and later his “whining.” I thought this was a UK/US difference, but now I’m not so sure. youtube.com/shorts/qFzDt...

It’s an ibis, not a youbis.

Saw an amusing play this afternoon: “The Shark Is Broken.” Recommended!

Over on Tiktok, a new fad is the Peanuts “Happy Dance,” and I’m here for it: www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8axfafT/

“If I wanted to watch someone inconsequential doing nothing for two hours, I could make popcorn at home and stare at myself in the mirror.” Solid review.

Since they went viral today, Reddit’s r/catbongos is using their considerable platform for social justice. And the cats are digging the break. www.reddit.com/r/catbongos/...

Jynx took my seat. Of course I can’t disturb him. Poe will have to wait.

In Russia, when the state performs an extrajudicial killing of a person, they say, “He fell out of a window.” Thankfully, we’re in the States, where the government has to say, “Officers’ lives were in danger.” Huge difference.

Time to practice hygge:

I just bought this item. It’s a silicon tape with a sticky edge. You run it along your door frame, sealing off any drafts getting in. I don’t expect it to last very long, but it’s definitely worth trying out. Already, the living room is warmer.

Tonight I made Mandy’s pork loin and pepper sauce recipe. A true “rice killer.” youtube.com/watch?v=o_wo...

Fun in home ownership: Had a plumber come by today. The problem was that the kitchen faucet was taking too long to warm up. It cost about $1,500 but the issue is fixed. Sometimes the small things make a big difference.

Edit note: “James Fishback, a Florida governor candidate, suggested that the US state introduce a 'sin tax' for those…” My kingdom for a gubernatorial!

Cookware Chat! Most of my pans are Calphalon Select, but I recently added 2 new contenders: a Hexclad and a Misen. After a first trial, I’d say both perform as well as Calphalon, with the bonus of being able to use metal utensils with them.

They tossed a flash-bang into a car with 6 children inside. For laffs: bsky.app/profile/cjze...

This thing:

And one more from today’s tour. Circa 1500, this manuscript shows a feline playing a kind of harpsichord. That’s right—keyboard cat is more than 700 years old.

In 1470, a cat decided to illuminate this manuscript:

At the Walters Museum viewing Egyptian animal mummies, as one does:

Last night I tried Nepalese Jhol Momo soup. This is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Hands down. Now I have to learn how to make it: junifoods.com/spicy-tomato...

#Wordwatch: humanizer (n). A type of software used by students that introduces errors into AI-generated essays and such, to make the work less suspicious.

Fresh batch of chili crisp. Best ever. Added a touch more sugar this time and that balanced everything out. The Sichuan peppercorns are de rigueur.

I feel seen:

In Europe, he is known as Kilometers Davis. (pace)

On Her Majesty’s Anodyne Service