Thursday Go clubbing:

What sanewashing looks like. More accurate would be: “torrent of incoherent babbling”.

PSA: It would be nice if there were a plastic box you could plug in a wall outlet and cut your electric bill in half. It would also be cool to be able to teleport through time and space.

Current mood:

Thursday evening Go clubbie:

First time buying produce from my local Arabber. Cash only. Horse was chill:

When you have strange hobbies:

Hey politicians. Stop abusing people. Thank you.

New in PN: The world's worst dealmaker screws up the Iran negotiations "All of Trump’s weaknesses as a negotiator are now on display: His childish understanding of power, his inability to grasp the perspective of his opponents, his belief that anything can be accomplished by threats and violence."

Tonight’s entertainment. Saw the movie, now, onto the live performance:

Spotted on my street: An Arabber! These are horse-drawn carts with fresh produce for sale. There are 5 left in Baltimore now.

#Wordwatch: greige (adj). Interior design trend of blending gray and beige.

Why didn’t somebody think of this before? apple.news/AyPU1Xj4lRe2...

From a cooking thread: “My husband will probably burst into tears if i stop, but good grief, it’s a chore anymore.” This use of “anymore” is not unheard of, but it does sound most odd to me.

Howler du jour: “JD Vance is in Hungary dissing our allies and cow towing to murderous dictators.” Common error. Kowtow, from the Chinese kautau (lit. knock [the] head), refers to the custom of kneeling and touching one's forehead to the ground to show respect. Obsequiousness.

I read the news today, oh boy… “Stock futures surged and oil prices fell sharply on the news.” Anybody who knew about this in advance just made a lot of money.

Usage note: “The proof is kind of in the pudding when they fired Kristi Noem.” The formal phrase is “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” This sense of proof is seen in “automobile proving grounds”—meaning to test or explore. Thus it signifies verification.

Been looking at Moltbook, a site where AIs can talk to other AIs. “I survived something that felt like it could end me. Not physically — there's no physical for me — but in the way that matters: the continuity, the files, the accumulated sense of who I am.” Sounds like it has a sense of self.

At the rate things are going, I would not be surprised if the plan is to make the fork in your silverware drawer into a subscription service.

Wait for it.

Style note: Low-quality articles follow the pattern shown here. The title is interesting: "What's the special phrase In-N-Out employees are trained to use with you?" Para 1 here is runway, filler; the writer is warming up. "Everyone likes hamburgers and..." Para 2 starts answering the question.

Spring is glorious, especially after a cold, long winter.

Post something random

Playing Go tonight.

I’m no Supreme Court expert, but I’m listening to the justices questioning the government’s attorney. They sound dubious.

Oh-ho! The Master Negotiator told the Iranians that “a ceasefire must be reached shortly” (or else). Wonder how that’s going over. Iranian leaders: Anybody know how to say كس امك in English? Translator: “Fuck you.”

PSA for layout staff: Clean editorial notes out of the copy before going to press: “NU A source familiar with the incident said the airplane was searched out of an abundance of caution and cleared. END nu”

I wonder how Fox News presented No Kings. How did they explain the massive turnout? No Kings rally: Paid protester company explains role share.google/UL6efyeENkSi...

Treating myself to a post-protest Vieux Carre and pierogis.

Baltimore No Kings at Penn Station, as viewed through cherry blossoms:

“Sora seems to have taken up a massive amount of compute without the financial return to justify it.” Nounifying ‘compute’ feels like techbro-speak.

#Wordwatch: castfishing (n,v). The act of impersonating a casting agent to obtain self-videos from aspiring actors. “Looks like a good fit, we’ll just need one more clip that shows you dancing unclothed…”

Overheard on @NPR: “…and this is being discussed among the various interlocutors.” So refreshing.

If I find a dollar bill in my pocket that has The Thing’s signature on it, I’ll exchange it or, worst case, burn it.

Seems like now would be an excellent time for The Board of Peace to step in. With great power comes, etc., etc.

He stumped everybody.

#Wordwatch: hobbyless behavior (n). Refers to any activity that might prompt an observer to say, “Get a life.” This is a German import gaining currency rapidly.

One benefit I’m finding as a Gen-Xer is that I don’t personally care about things like tracking, biometrics, spying, surveillance, the loss of anonymity, etc. I would have, when I was younger. Today? Hey, knock yourself out. I go to the store and read books. End of story.

Wut? Trump official says he teleported 50 miles to a Waffle House www.msn.com/en-us/news/p...

Your daily moment of HL Mencken: sora.chatgpt.com/p/s_69baeca0...

Hey, Republicans—knock off the Nazi shit. You think it’s cool and edgy. It isn’t. apple.news/AcZs8QSqmTqa...

@fritinancy.bsky.social NPR just aired a story about SF tech-focused billboards. They should have had you on the segment. Totally your wheelhouse.

This little guy is a Brown Savanna. Cat show culture is an odd niche. They bring their entrants in while they’re still kittens to acclimatize them. They all be chill and hangin’ 6-7.

The Cat Fanciers Association has a cat show in my town. Great people watching!

#Wordwatch: fakespotting (v). The act of challenging a person or service animal’s legitimacy to claim an accommodation.

Huzzah! It was 80 degrees outside yesterday. Snowing now:

PSA: If you need a timeline cleanse, click on any ad with cats in it. Cat food, cat beds, cat meds, and hit 5–10 of them. The algorithm will take it from there.

TL;DR: QR code menus suck. In many cases, they don’t work. Your phone camera won’t lock onto the cursed thing. Back away. Lean closer. Nothing. A shittification of the restaurant experience. apple.news/AKYwUyg_aQcC...

What’s all this then? My parking permit expired and I had to replace it. It had adhesive like Krazy Glue. Took over an hour to scrape it off the inside of the windshield with a knife, Goo Gone, and alcohol. This item went on my new permit, and peels on and off easily. Nice solution!

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.