Surprise WebDom Links!

by | Jan 14, 2022 | Daily Links, WebDom’s Browser History | 275 comments

Hey hey there, Glibs! It’s been a while. I’ve been a little preoccupied with life, the universe, and everything these last few months. As time allows, I hope to be more present.

I have recently adopted a young kitty, and I spent last Thursday night assembling a cat tree. Kitty’s name is Merlin, and Merlin…Merlin be dumb. I’m not sure if he’s just dumb because he’s 2 months old, or if he’s a cat of little brain. But he is ultra sweet and cute, and totally in love with his new cat tree. He is not the most agile or dexterous feline I have ever known, yet he takes great joy in bouncing up to get to his food bowl.

He’s fairly hyper, mostly from being 2 months old, I think, but I have had to start drugging him to get him to sleep through the night. Otherwise he’s up every 90 minutes pouncing on my face. I tried kitty hemp for a couple weeks, which he really likes, and begs for his dropper, but I haven’t seen any noticeable effect in his behaviour. I am now trying catnip with valerian, and so far that seems to be going better.

He loves watching aquarium videos on the TV as well as Father Brown. He’s an odd kitty, but if he weren’t, he wouldn’t be mine.

Also from my browser history this week:

An appalling bill that got blocked in NY. (Full text here.)

Not even remotely vegan croissants that I want to make

The history of Haint blue

How to create herbal tinctures

Winter Fire Festivals around the world

Norse God Ullr

How to politely tell a coworker to fuck off

Modern art + Money laundering

Today’s “main story” is about the joy that is the Steak-Umm Twitter account. I, a vegan, even gave them a follow after falling down the rabbit hole of their account.

This…this is the screenshot that started my deep dive.

And then I was hooked.

    

And last, but not least, their thread about critical thinking skills is fantastic, but too long for screenshot. I am so glad I found this Twitter account. It’s one of the few that I have notifications turned on for now.

That’s it from me today. Hope to be back soon! Ta!

About The Author

WebDom

WebDom

WebDom grows Peyote buttons in the vast desert of her mind.

275 Comments

  1. The Late P Brooks

    I don’t care if he is the piano player, that photo screams “SHOOT Me.”

  2. Scruffy Nerfherder

    That Steak-Umm person is a god.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      Can we buy steak-umms with bitcoin?

    • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

      It’s rare for me to read the word “epistemology” online and actually see it used correctly. That frozen beef’s got it goin’ on.

      • Lackadaisical

        Clearly a philosophy grad who found a job in shit posting.

        Seems the liberal arts have reached their zenith.

      • C. Anacreon

        It’s rare for me to read the word “epistemology” online and actually see it used correctly. That frozen beef’s got it goin’ on.

        And here all this time I thought people were saying “he pissed on Molly G.”

    • pistoffnick

      Steak-Umm bless

      I might have to steal that as a signature. And I don’t even like Steak-Umms.

      • Web Dominatrix

        I love that sign off lol

  3. hayeksplosives

    Awwww… Merlin sounds sweet.

    I had a cat that I suspected of being a bit stupid, but when I observed more closely, I suspect she had poor vision. They led to her clumsiness and to her skittishness. She was a sweetie though.

    It stands to reason that humans aren’t the only critters who are nearsighted or farsighted. Probably we have a higher rate of vision problems than animals since human civilization has largely staved off natural selection.

    • Count Potato

      Or it could be the drugs?

    • C. Anacreon

      I had a cat that … her skittishness.

      I hope you called for her “Here Skitty Skitty Skitty!”

  4. Scruffy Nerfherder

    Within the winter skiing community of Europe, Ullr is considered the Guardian Patron Saint of Skiers (German Schutzpatron der Skifahrer). An Ullr medallion or ski medal depicting the god on skis holding a bow and arrow, is widely worn as a talisman by both recreational and professional skiers as well as ski patrols in Europe and elsewhere.

    The town of Breckenridge, Colorado has since 1963 held a week-long “Ullr Fest” each January, featuring events designed to win his favor in an effort to bring snow to the historic ski town.[24]

    Ullr, Thor’s slightly dimwitted brother who liked to strap boards to his feet.

  5. The Late P Brooks

    “question everything, my beeflings”

    Yes, Master.

  6. Certified Public Asshat

    Sorry for early stray from the links. I ran out of the podcasts I want to listen to, so I went back and played Jim Gaffigan on Joe Rogan.

    Gaffigan makes the claim that Biden is still an improvement over Trump, and Harris is absolutely an improvement. Joe pushes back and states how awful she was as an attorney general. You know, keeping people in prison unnecessarily and using free labor (what’s the word…) to fight wildfires.

    Gaffigan’s comeback is yeah, but Pence believes in pray the gay away.

    • juris imprudent

      Why is Gaffigan worried about that? Afraid it might work?

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I’d say Jim is subject to industry peer pressure just like the rest.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      And Gaffigan has gotten steadily unfunnier over the years. He wore out his schtick pretty fast.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        I thought he would keep it quiet after that twitter tantrum he threw over Trump, but no, still clinging on to Biden.

      • Enough About Palin

        You know who got* unfunny? Seth Meyers. I used to watch Late Night with Letterman and then Conan. Those guys were funny as fuck. I stopped watching after that, but about a month ago, I watched it because I saw a commercial for the show and a guest was scheduled that interested me. Might have been Aubrey Plaza. Anyway, the show was not funny. Not at all. Where they would have a comedy segment every single night. And the guy is literally seething while he’s doing it. WTF? I gave it up in less than a week.

        * Assumes he was funny at some previous point; I wouldn’t know.

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘Aubrey Plaza@
        Yum.

    • limey

      Oh no! He has personal beliefs not manifested in the execution of his office!

      Having said that, the football game stunt was pointless.

      • limey

        Ps – I don’t even know if that’s accurate or just a talking point made up by the media.

    • B.P.

      Gaffigan could have continued on with his affable midwestern guy schtick forever. But nope. Unsolicited, he decided the world needs some startling insights. As usual when it comes to the entertainment industry, the startling insight tends to be “that person is icky.”

      • C. Anacreon

        It’s interesting given the feature on Steak-Umm in today’s post that Gaffigan did many of his best routines about silly American food habits. His “Hot Pockets” bit may be his overall best.

  7. juris imprudent

    OK, “frozen beef brand on bird website” is a real winner.

    • Web Dominatrix

      Yeah, it’s officially “bird website” from now on.

  8. Fourscore

    Good to see you back, Web D. Been a while

    If you’re telling some one to F off why would politeness enter into it?. Straight forward in accordance with the event/person. No misunderstandings

    • Web Dominatrix

      Harder to do when you need them to keep working for you.

  9. Yusef drives a Kia

    Steak umms, it’s been years, but Meijer has em, must buy now, that thread is awesome!
    Thxs Web Dom!

    • rhywun

      They were a treat when I was a kid but when I tried them once a few years ago… blech.

      • Lackadaisical

        Must not have done it right. I think they’re delicious.

      • rhywun

        Maybe I’ll give it another shot.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        For some reason they get looked down on for the appearance of being a highly processed food product.

        But it’s just beef.

      • pistoffnick

        ^
        |

        Yes. Same thing with KFC

      • pistoffnick

        Either my taste has become more refined or the product has gotten worse.

  10. Ghostpatzer

    I love this site. Where else can I learn about self-aware frozen beef from a vegan?

    WebDom, do you have transportation? Heard there was a skidding incident a little while ago, hope that is sorted out.

    • Sensei

      Perfect summary!

  11. The Bearded Hobbit

    In that screenshot there is a reply from someone named “Fluffy”. There used to be a poster at TOS with that handle. I wonder if it’s the same guy?

  12. Gender Traitor

    Congrats on being adopted by a kitteh! Two months is still VERY young, I’d say. When our cats had litters when I was a kid, we’d never give them away until they were at least six weeks old. I’d give him some more time before you pass judgment on his cognitive skills.

  13. Count Potato

    “An appalling bill that got blocked in NY. (Full text here.)”

    That’s some straight-up nazi shit.

  14. hayeksplosives

    Hmm.. those links include voodoo, herbal remedies, Norse mythology…

    Never go full heathen.

    • Count Potato

      “With freedom comes nudity.”

  15. Ownbestenemy

    Making beef stock. Just done roasting the bones and some short ribs. That beef stock will be used in the brisket chili. Take that steak-ums!

  16. Unreconstructed

    The link about “haint blue” made me think of a song

  17. The Late P Brooks

    Doooooom

    The world needs more electricity. That will mean severe climate damage, unless something changes soon.

    A report published Friday by the International Energy Agency found that global demand for electricity surged 6% in 2021, fueled by a colder winter and the dramatic economic rebound from the pandemic. That drove both prices and carbon emissions to new records.
    The growth in demand was particularly intense in China, where it jumped by about 10%.

    IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said the report contained a stark warning for the future.

    Stock up on candles?

    • Lackadaisical

      We must destroy the economy to save it.

    • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

      “Adopt way more nuclear, or learn to enjoy watching your wife die in childbirth or your kids freeze to death inside your own home.”

      What? Too much?

      • Tundra

        No.

        Exactly right.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        Use the cleanest, safest energy available?

        But what about, CHERNOBYL

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        Commie atom-splitting.

        Need I say more?

      • Zwak, All dressed up in his ridiculous seersucker suit

        I think you identified the issue. The people who are against nukes are commie, and they just know they will fuck it up.

        Solution: private power plants!

    • Gender Traitor

      the dramatic economic rebound from the pandemic.

      Is “dramatic economic rebound” some sort of euphemism for sudden ’70s-style inflation?

    • rhywun

      OFFS a couple coworkers on the “weekly catch-up” meeting were just now going off on how we “need” electric cars now! We must replace all cars with public transportation now! I mean, the whole lefty schtick, hook line and sinker. I’m appalled at hearing otherwise intelligent people go off like this. Especially when politics almost never comes up at work – it’s jarring.

      • UnCivilServant

        “We need to end our dependence on strip-mined lithium batteries”

      • rhywun

        If I were a quick thinker I could have come up with something like that. But as always I just keep my trap shut when this sort of thing happens.

      • grrizzly

        Aren’t they afraid of catching the virus on the bus?

      • rhywun

        Good question. The ringleader of this conversation, quoted above, is a hard-core covidian – as is everyone else who has expressed an opinion on the matter, now that I think about it. Skeptics keep quiet.

      • Ayn Random Variation

        This woman I’ve been trying to get with for over a year recently went on a rant about the unvaxed and I’m now wondering how I ever liked her. Completely ended my bones for her.

      • Ayn Random Variation

        Umm, boner

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        I’ve been attracted to quite a few members of the opposite sex over my life who, once they opened their mouths, completely spiked any interest I had in them.

        Sometimes you just can’t overlook stupid/illogical.

      • Zwak, All dressed up in his ridiculous seersucker suit

        Stupid = ugly

        Like acid wash jeans ugly.

      • Ayn Random Variation

        What’s really awful is that she thinks she’s the smart one because she can vomit up the talking points. In part thanks to you all I volley these taking points back until people like her look like their heads will explode.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        God help me if I ever had to date again. I’ve got no patience for any stupidity.

      • Drake

        Meanwhile NY is replacing nuclear plants with fossil fuels.

    • Ayn Random Variation

      I thought it was getting too hot.

  18. Count Potato

    “Cy Twombly’s “Untitled” was created in 2005, over 200 years after Panini’s masterpiece. It’s just a big red scribble on a canvas, yet it’s valued at $46 million dollars.”

    Wow.

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        Ah, I see Canada’s “Voice of Fire” has competition.

      • Mojeaux

        I cannot stand that shit. Why is that valuable?

        Unless the art market really is a money-laundering scheme. Like mattress stores.

      • Count Potato

        I knew about art, but mattress stores are a money laundering scheme?

    • Enough About Palin

      I get the Barnett Newman. About 40 years ago I saw a documentary profiling a female painter of some renown. At one point in her career, her abstracts focused on the edge where two colors meet. Color is energy and things happen where energies collide. While not necessarily anything Newman considered when painting Voice of Fire, it’s definitely going on.

      • Mojeaux

        I’ve done that in my house. I can either use a good cutting-in brush or FrogTape, but I have made many energies meet flawlessly.

      • ron73440

        I have made many energies meet flawlessly.

        These euphemisms are getting weirder and weirder.

    • The Other Kevin

      As a person who’s created art my whole life, and wondered why such crap fetches so much money, I am both pleased and angered by this.

  19. Tundra

    WebDom!

    So nice to see you. And thanks for that amazing Twitter account. I honestly didn’t think I could love steak any more than I already did!

    Congrats on the kitty! Here’s one for him:

    https://youtu.be/CMRaSXh9-n4

    • Lackadaisical

      These drugs smell like ass.

  20. Nephilium

    It’s Friday, and some people (‘Sloper) have things to say! So, here’s the link for the Zoom/Happy Hour/Decompression from work session that I’ll kick off at 20:00 Eastern.

  21. trshmnstr the terrible

    That reddit link has reaffirmed my belief that reddit is a bigger disappointment than Twitter. Twitter, at least, has no redeeming value and can be written off as garbage. Reddit is structured in a way that should make for a diverse and interesting public forum. It’s the inherent horribleness of humanity that has made reddit into a wasteland.

    • Count Potato

      It’s also the people who run it.

    • Mojeaux

      Reddit was fine before it started censoring non-proggies.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        I didn’t like it even before then. It suffers from the same fatal flaw as all social media… Zero barrier to entry, zero barrier to idiots flapping their gums. The result is a low SNR and a bias towards confrontation and drama.

        There were once some subreddits that I found useful, but they were few and far between.

      • Mojeaux

        Out of curiosity, what barrier to entrance would you like? An IQ test?

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        None. I don’t think there’s a preventative fix without compromising the entire draw of the site. Also, it’s not about stupid versus smart, it’s about my distaste for social media culture. Everybody has to be a self-righteous smartass first and maybe they’ll eventually get around to being useful. It’s not stupid, it’s juvenile and and annoying.

        Reddit of old was like they condensed a bunch of hobbyist forums into a single site and then let a family of rats live in the cupboards. You could still consume the content, but it was somewhat unpleasant to partake because of the nibbles on the edge and the inevitable turds in the packaging.

        Reddit today has done away with the rats and replaced them with a thousand howler monkeys whose sole job is to fling shit and wreck things up.

      • Mojeaux

        That’s the nature of fora, though. Usenet certainly wasn’t a mecca of calmly presented sage wisdom.

      • pistoffnick

        *shows scars sustained from the Great Usenet Flamewars*

      • Mojeaux

        The most beautiful Usenet word in the world: “plonk”

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        *shrug* de gustibus and all that

        I don’t think that I wanted some academic discussion forum with formal debate rules or anything like that. I just wanted it to be somewhere that didn’t make me feel like I just wasted 30 minutes of my life reading a transcript from a middle school cafeteria.

        Maybe I was peering into all the wrong subreddits.

      • juris imprudent

        middle school cafeteria

        It seems to be that the majority of [American] humanity arrests social development right there.

      • Zwak, All dressed up in his ridiculous seersucker suit

        “The most beautiful Usenet word in the world: “plonk””

        Cheap wine?

      • Mojeaux

        For reference: I am against artificial barriers to entry for many things, and some barriers to entry don’t keep out those it professes to filter (see: doctors, lawyers, shit novelists). For things of interest to me, I’m willing to wade through dreck to find worthwhile stuff.

        This belief comes from my experience with self-publishing. Even though all the noise makes my work impossible to find, I am thrilled that GOOD writers who only lacked odds are able to get their work out there without one “professional’s” opinion gumming up the works.

        Likewise Reddit, Twitter, etc. You can either allow yourself to be dragged down by it or you can leverage its good parts to your benefit. Most of my early publishing success was because of Twitter and my most recent ebook formatting job came from somebody on Twitter who rec’d me. Reddit has given me valuable information.

        Even the stupidest of the stupid occasionally say something I find thought-provoking.

    • DEG

      Reddit is for porn.

    • rhywun

      It can be useful. I’m surprised how often my obscure technical questions have an answer on reddit and nowhere else. But yeah, I just land there from web searches, I wouldn’t like, “hang out” there or anything.

      • Mojeaux

        Reddit has been very useful to me professionally and philosophically. Some nice gems have come off Reddit.

    • Gadfly

      Twitter has some redeeming value.

      For example, funny tweets. Like this one, which has a joke tailor-made for your avatar.

  22. Enough About Palin

    “question everything, my beeflings”

    Are you certain?

    • pistoffnick

      What you did there was seen and noted with a smirk.

  23. Fourscore

    Serious question. I’m not Mr Manners but…

    As a kid we didn’t wear caps in the house, except for going in and out. When we came in the house my mother taught us boys that caps/hats came off if we were staying in. The same went for restaurants, thought we didn’t get too much experience along those lines.

    The Fourscores were at a fairly large Chinese buffet restaurant today. I was one of the very few that didn’t eat with my cap on. Old, young, didn’t make any difference.

    WebD, what is your preference at your place of business? Glibs, am I totally wrong? While it’s not a crisis I want to make sure I’m teaching my kids/grandkids the best I know how.

    Judging from those vandalized railcars in a previous post, some have not been taught proper manners at home. Broken window

    • Lackadaisical

      I’m not a hat person, but I’m inclined to agree with you 4×20.

    • Nephilium

      Me, I generally leave my flatcap on when out and about. It’s off at home.

      Now a cold weather hat I’ll remove inside.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Not totally wrong. Take the cap off. /has a cap on at this moment.

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      I don’t think many abide by that rule anymore. I’ve only seen the practice in very rural areas, and even then it’s rare.

    • kinnath

      I never wear a hat indoors. I always take it off and put it on seat or bench near me when at a restaruant.

      • Enough About Palin

        Wow! I do that with my underwear. Cultural differences rock!

      • kinnath

        I go commando. No problems.

      • rhywun

        Same. I don’t know if I was “trained” that way; it just seems natural, though.

        I’m terribly impressed with the “I always have to wear a hat/cap/whatever” look.

      • rhywun

        *not terribly impressed ugh

    • Brochettaward

      I have nothing but disdain for hats. All hats.

      • Enough About Palin

        Why do you hate good cowboys?

      • rhywun

        Exactly.

        A hat is just a tool for me, not a fashion statement.

    • Count Potato

      I think it depends on the restaurant.

      • C. Anacreon

        How about a cowboy hat if you’re at Golden Corral?

    • mikey

      Another sign of the decay of All Things Good.
      I’m appalled that even here, in the heart of flyoverlandia men my age (I’m half a score behind you) wear their hats indoors – even while eating. That’s just plain wrong. No, I won’t explain why – it’s just wrong.

      • Fourscore

        I saw well-dressed western attire in a very upscale restaurant in Indianapolis, 2 40ish guys (and lady friends). The men kept their new looking cowboy hats on for the entire meal. I wasn’t sure if lack of manners, worries about getting the sauce on the hat or trying to make a point. It did look a little bizarre, it wasn’t a fast food place.

        I take my cap off in the FF places too. My mother’s failed attempts at making me a gentleman but Mama tried.

      • R.J.

        Cowboy hats are super expensive and hence seldom leave the head. Although cheaper cowboy hats can be used as food bowls at Golden Corral. You can never have too much shrimp cocktail and a ten gallon hat holds an entire tray.

      • juris imprudent

        I believe Texans refer to those types as all hat, no cattle.

      • Fourscore

        You just described my son. He looks like a real Texan but doesn’t know which side of a horse to get on and has hardly ever been on a horse. He has a web site called “Traces of Texas” and lives in Austin.

    • straffinrun

      Honestly, why would I care if someone is wearing a hat?

    • creech

      I think most folks doff their hats in churches, though I been in a few in Europe where there’s been someone inside the door reminding gauche visitors of the courtesy. It’s been so long, I can’t remember what the military’s rules are. But posher country clubs usually have a “no covers” rule once you leave the golf course and head inside. But that’s just upper class white privilege!

    • Drake

      Uncover indoors unless you are carrying a rifle.

      • Fourscore

        Yep. Under arms, includes small arms

  24. DEG

    That Steak-umms twitter account is good.

    The Winter Fire Festivals look neat.

    • Nephilium

      One local community does a ice festival (story is from last year’s one). The girlfriend has already expressed interest in going back this year. Lots of really well done ice sculptures, and it looks like they’ll be bringing back the fire and Ice tower this year.

      • DEG

        Nice.

        I like the fire and ice tower.

    • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

      The Fyre Festival looked neat too, but look how that turned out.

      • B.P.

        I would love to ski Hokkaido. They get some serious snow.

  25. The Late P Brooks

    No backsies

    Beginning January 19 and continuing for at least two weeks, all flights from the United States to China have either been canceled or are likely to be suspended because of Chinese aviation regulations, according to CNN Business research of government announcements and published flight schedules. As of Friday, only two flights still appeared eligible to operate for that period, one of them with United Airlines (UAL).
    The Beijing Winter Games open on February 4, and participants are mostly taking special flights restricted to people with OIympics credentials as part of a strict bubble that authorities are implementing around the event.
    Since June, the Civil Aviation Administration of China has applied a so-called “circuit-breaker” rule to international flights. That rule means that a flight is automatically suspended for two weeks if five or more passengers test positive upon landing in China. If 10 or more passengers test positive, the suspension period increases.

    China is closing its borders to keep the plague out. Good luck with that.

    • Enough About Palin

      Karma’s a bitch.

    • juris imprudent

      U.S. decided to diplomatically boycott the games – China is reciprocating.

  26. DEG

    Article speculating on NH Secession

    For many years a group of Libertarians in New Hampshire have advocated for the Granite State to secede from the nation. This year the Legislature will formally debate the issue. Democrats and Republican leaders have condemned the idea of secession, but if 2020 and 2021 have taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. This article breaks down the mechanics and consequences of the unlikely proposal to form the nation of New Hampshire.

    • Tonio

      Texas: Gets a carrier strike group in the divorce.

      NH: Gets a leaky dinghy with dodgy British Seagull engine.

    • Gadfly

      Democrats and Republican leaders have condemned the idea of secession

      Condemning the very idea, if that is an accurate characterization, is a red flag. Secession may be a bad idea in any particular instance, but as a concept it should be supported by anyone who is pro-freedom or anti-imperialist. It is most ironic to have the members of a government that would not exist except for secession condemning secession outright.

      • Gender Traitor
      • Gadfly

        LOL!

      • Ayn Random Variation

        There used to be lots of talk about Staten Island seceeding from NYC. Even as a kid I was in favor it. Mostly suburban middle class borough had to pay more in taxes than they got back, and they were stuck with city’s garbage dump. Plus only one shitty subway line that you had to wait 20 mins if you were lucky.

  27. Yusef drives a Kia

    Sunday we play in the Ice Bowl at the Labrynth, highs of 27, it’s not a tournament for the faint of heart. A brutal course under brutal conditions, for charity, I can’t wait!
    /Brrrrrr

    • Tundra

      That sounds wonderful! Enjoy!

  28. UnCivilServant

    Morning, Glibs.

    Wait, you mean I was only asleep for an hour?

    *grumble*

  29. The Late P Brooks

    Just as long as they report the income and pay their taxes

    Instead of shoplifting from stores, some thieves are zeroing in on another target: Trains and delivery trucks full of packages on the way to customers’ doorsteps.

    UPS Chief Executive Carol Tome said Friday that one of the company’s 18-wheeler trucks was robbed in Atlanta in the early hours of the morning. She said thieves hijacked the truck after the driver left one of the delivery company’s largest hubs.

    ——-

    Organized theft has gained more attention from major retailers and trade groups, after brazen smash-and-grabs at stores like Nordstrom and concerns that thieves can steal and sell goods anonymously online. CEOs of companies, including Target, Neiman Marcus, Levi Strauss & Co. and Walgreens a sent a letter to Congress last month, urging legislation that makes it harder for criminals to “hide behind fake screennames and false business information” on third-party marketplaces.

    It almost makes you wonder what the cops do all day.

    • Enough About Palin

      You didn’t see the link mentioning Freddie Gray upthread?

      • Bob Boberson

        I’ve felt this phenomena personally. I’ve had my vehicle broken into three times since moving to the NW. My initial response was to rant and rave about the rampant homeless problem. My ex-cop buddy laughed at me and said “you think it’s homeless people? There is a whole bunch of people who sell stolen shit online for a living”

        Either way, fuck thieves…for my own sake I’m glad I never caught them in the act.

        Also, hello Glibs! It’s been a while…

      • Ayn Random Variation

        +1 dirty mike and the boys

      • DEG

        Welcome back!

    • rhywun

      Around here, they mostly spend all day driving around aimlessly.

      • Fourscore

        When there’s no parking space at Dunkin’ Donuts. DD is the dispatcher.

        The thieves are not like those crossing the border. The thieves are not looking for an authority figure to turn themselves in to. What can the cops do? Catch a few, the others run away. Those caught get out of the overnight and are back on the street training more. Cops can’t shoot them.

        There are serious social failures out there. Either those failures get eliminated or the society that we know and love will continue to break down.

    • Gadfly

      CEOs of companies, including Target, Neiman Marcus, Levi Strauss & Co. and Walgreens a sent a letter to Congress last month, urging legislation that makes it harder for criminals to “hide behind fake screennames and false business information” on third-party marketplaces.

      The worst possible response to this problem.

    • Ayn Random Variation

      According to the Documentaries Goodfellas and The Sopranos, this was a big part of how the mob made a living.

    • Ownbestenemy

      I am still trying to figure out this fear.

      The 5G wireless networks scheduled to be switched on by AT&T and Verizon next month will occur within the 3.7–3.98 GHz frequency range, close to the altimeters. As the FAA indicated in its Dec. 7 AD, while it has heard concerns from airlines, the FAA, and aircraft OEMs over the potential interference issues posed by the deployment of 5G in the C-Band, it has not yet been presented with data or information that shows altimeters are not susceptible to interference.

      But fear!!!!!!!!!

      • Enough About Palin

        IT’S Y2K…TIMES INFINITY!!!

      • Ownbestenemy

        WiFi does disrupt our weather radar a bit though, the 5 GHz network induces interference. However, you still can get good products.

      • Ownbestenemy

        For instance, we had our spectrum folks out this week and they had about 10 offenders where all they had to do was switch to a new channel on their security systems that utilized 5 GHz wifi.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Overblown

      5G is in the adjacent band, not overlapping so the interference would be from this e order intermodulation products. I suppose it’s possible under extreme conditions but the major concern seems to be in “remote areas” where 5G signals are not as prevalent nor are they as powerful.

      I’d like to see the analysis. My guess is somebody didn’t file the necessary paperwork on established services interference.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        From third order intermodulation…

      • Ownbestenemy

        This is as bad as your cell phone will cause a plane to crash if you don’t go to ‘airplane’ mode.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        5G is lower transmit and receive power than 4G as well with more antenna sector differentiation. I find it to be unlikely.

        The more interesting question is how easy it would be to disrupt major wireless services on a national scale. Far easier than most think. I’m sure you’re aware of the trucker who was blowing up the GPS services at a Jersey airport with a jammer because he didn’t want to be tracked by his employer.

    • Sensei

      “Could”

      But won’t be.

  30. Count Potato

    “Column: California should abolish parenthood, in the name of equity

    If California is ever going to achieve true equity, the state must require parents to give away their children.

    Today’s Californians often hold up equity — the goal of a just society completely free from bias — as our greatest value. Gov. Gavin Newsom makes decisions through “an equity lens.” Institutions from dance ensembles to tech companies have publicly pledged themselves to equity.

    But their promises are no match for the power of parents.

    Fathers and mothers with greater wealth and education are more likely to transfer these advantages to their children, compounding privilege over generations. As a result, children of less advantaged parents face an uphill struggle, social mobility has stalled, and democracy has been corrupted. More Californians are abandoning the dream; a recent Public Policy Institute of California poll found declining belief in the notion that you can get ahead through hard work.

    My solution — making raising your own children illegal — is simple, and while we wait for the legislation to pass, we can act now: the rich and poor should trade kids, and homeowners might swap children with their homeless neighbors.

    Now, I recognize that some naysayers will dismiss such a policy as ghastly, even totalitarian. But my proposal is quite modest, a fusion of traditional philosophy and today’s most common political obsessions…”

    https://news.yahoo.com/column-california-abolish-parenthood-name-181725030.html

    A modest proposal?

    • Ownbestenemy

      That has to be a joke. Has to.

      • Urthona

        It is. It’s absolutely A Modest Proposal type satire.

        When Democrats talk about inequality, what they are really complaining about is good parenting. Something conservatives have always mocked.

      • Raven Nation

        It’s right there in the last sentence…

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        It’s getting harder to tell

      • robc

        Yep, the brave new world reference at the end was the final clue.

      • Urthona

        Ah i just noticed there’s literally a wink and nod in there to it as well.

      • Urthona

        I mean figuratively

      • Gadfly

        Yep. “But my proposal is quite modest”. LOL

        But given Poe’s Law, there’s probably a non-satirical version out there somewhere.

      • Urthona

        I mean kinda they do want to take parents out of the equation, right? They’re just rarely so overt.

      • Gadfly

        True. The Virginia governor’s comments on education revealed he differed with the idea only in degree, not in kind.

      • Urthona

        If you were to suggest black people raise their parenting standards to certain Asian cultures you would probably be banned from all public circles for your racism.

        But bring others down is cool.

        The example that drives people most nuts is Nigerians who starting from the same poverty level wind up being more successful in education and prosperity? Why? The only difference people can find is strong parenting and education values.

      • juris imprudent

        But given Poe’s Law

        Does Poe’s Law have a corollary such that some sincere idiot would take the satire as a genuine proposal?

    • KSuellington

      Somewhere out there a proggie is getting excited reading that. True equity!!!!

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        Somewhere out there a proggie is getting excited a raging hard-on reading that.

        There you go.

  31. The Other Kevin

    This week Biden hit peak “if you’re not with me you’re racist”. It didn’t get him anywhere, and it seemed to turn off a lot of people. I noticed something. When he’s speaking off the cuff and fumbling over his words he seems like one person, and when he’s making these fiery angry speeches he seems like another. Those prepared speeches must be written by his handlers, who appear to be young, dumb socialists.

    • Ownbestenemy

      That is why at the end of his speeches, he sits quietly. Can’t have him off the cuff cause he is a very controlled president. Speak only when told, do not deviate, etc. They are treating it truly like a TV show.

      • The Other Kevin

        Tucker Carlson did a thing once that showed him giving two conflicting answers about paying immigrants who got separated at the border. One day he was more himself saying of course we wouldn’t do that, the very next day he was Angry Joe saying OF COURSE WE’RE DOING THAT!

      • B.P.

        I like it when he dramatically whispers.

      • The Other Kevin

        “Just get the shot, B.P.”

      • Fourscore

        Yeah, with that real serious look, as though he is speaking directly to you. Joe needs his own news summary show on late TV to explain what Jen has been telling us in the day time.

    • Annoyed Nomad

      I’ve been saying since early 2020 that Biden has a committee of young “woke” staffers who group-think what his messaging should be and that’s how his speeches are developed. That’s how they came up with the stupid idea of announcing that the US would be out of Afghanistan by September 11th.

      • creech

        Have these staffers ever been identified, credentials exposed, etc.? With the Trumpster in power, it seemed like everyone on his staff, right down to the gal who made the McDonald’s pickup, was mentioned in the press every time they interacted with Trump.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Surely you jest. We cannot understand the complexities of the most transparent administration ever.

    • KSuellington

      That is exactly what is happening TOK. And thankfully it bombed big time. Even the Stacey Abrams crowd, that would be the most receptive to that horseshit didn’t even bother to show up.

    • Ayn Random Variation

      My father started losing it over the summer and he has the same ticks and mannerisms as Biden. We don’t even let my father drive anymore and somehow Biden is our President. How anybody who actually cares about Biden still puts him out there shows how evil these people are.

    • The Other Kevin

      Two words: bad teeth.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Normalization.

    • Bob Boberson

      I guess if you prog hard enough you can have a years long relationship without ever removing your masks?

    • Urthona

      bullshit

    • Mojeaux

      Tex Avery called. He wants his schtick back.

    • Gadfly

      I guess they were ugly?

      Must be. A balanced study should find no effect, I’d think, as the face masks obscure the face and replace part of it with essentially a blank canvas, which should be neither ugly nor beautiful to observers. Therefor, a mask should theoretically make an ugly person look better and a beautiful person look worse, so in a study with an equal number of ugly and beautiful people the effect should cancel out.

      • Urthona

        Is the average person attractive or ugly in the face though? You might assume it would even out but there is no guarantee.

        Also keep in mind most people have an above average iq. How is this possible? Distribution. How are ugly and attractive people distributed?

      • Gender Traitor

        most people have an above average iq

        ::tries to think through logic of this statement::

        So…you’re from Lake Wobegon?

      • UnCivilServant

        If you have a skew with very few really smart people, and more really, really dumb people, the top of the curve could be above the mean.

      • Urthona

        Right.

        Let’s suppose there is an “Urthona Smartness” test. 100 people take it. 90 get 100%. 10 get 0%.

        What percentage of people possess above average Urthona Smartness?

      • UnCivilServant

        Zero, your mode is 100.

      • Urthona

        It’s because average says nothing about distribution. I think people assume falsely there is an even distribution of iqs.

        Technically the Lake Wobegon thing is meant to be a joke but not actually false.

        In fact , 90% of people could be above average at something. Completely possible.

      • Gender Traitor

        Well, you didn’t say “most people could have an above average IQ.” You said most people have an above average IQ. So my natural reaction is to say “Citation, please” or to ask what total population you’re considering within which “most” have above average IQ.

      • Nephilium

        Off topic, but the girlfriend and I are going to be down C-bus way the second weekend of February, thread over in the forum about it.

      • Gadfly

        So you are saying that the mean and median IQ are not the same? Interesting. I guess the same could apply to beauty as well. In fact, anecdotally I think I tend to see more average or beautiful faces than ugly faces IRL, but I don’t know if that’s true or a bias (either biased based on my own conception of beauty, which might skew low to make myself seem better in my own eyes, or based on subconsciously ignoring ugly people more often than beautiful people). But if we rate faces on a 0-10 scale, with 5 being plain (neither ugly or beautiful), and the average person has a face that is in fact above 5 (say, 6 or 7), then the effect of the masks should be to make people look uglier, I would think. But there may be more variables involved than I am considering (after all, obscuring the face may allow the imagination to fill in the blanks with a more appealing visage).

      • Urthona

        I was kind of being funny but I think there’s possible it’s not as simple as all looks being evenly distributed. Maybe.

        Perhaps there’s also some game theory involved where it depends on a scale of everyone else.

      • Gadfly

        I was kind of being funny

        Dammit. This will teach me not to take everything a talking pickle says seriously.

    • Not Adahn

      I guess they were ugly?

      Not quite.

      When the face is obscured, people often fill in the gaps with a fantasy. This is also why meeting your online dates in the days before ubiquitous digital cameras was usually disappointing.

      • Q Continuum

        “people often fill in the gaps with a fantasy”

        ^^^This.

        Additionally, it highlights the eyes, a feature that is usually pretty attractive by itself on most people.

      • straffinrun

        Did not expect that answer from Q.

      • straffinrun

        So odd. Lately, I’ve been seeing the word “ubiquitous” everywhere.

      • Ayn Random Variation

        This is why I wear a mask over my penis.

    • straffinrun

      This is definitely true here. Asian eyes > Asian teeth.

  32. Count Potato

    “Yachts To Be Exempt From EU’s Carbon Pricing Plan

    If there is anyone still confused why ESG, and the entire “green” movement is one giant, boiling cauldron of lies, hypocrisy and fraud, read on.

    Last summer, we reported that the European Commission – that murder of career bureaucrats – has proposed exempting private jets, the one most polluting form of transportation, from the planned EU jet fuel tax. A draft indicated that the tax would be phased-in for passenger flights, including ones that carry cargo. Private jets will enjoy an exemption through classification of “business aviation” as the use of aircraft by firms for carriage of passengers or goods as an “aid to the conduct of their business”, if generally considered not for public hire. It gets better: a further exemption is given for “pleasure” flights whereby an aircraft is used for “personal or recreational” purposes not associated with a business or professional use.

    This is odd because a recent report found that private-jet CO2 emissions in Europe rose by 31% between 2005 and 2019, with flights to popular destinations up markedly during summer holiday seasons. So if Europe was truly concerned about curbing CO2 emissions it would ostensibly go after some of the biggest culprits… but no…”

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/yachts-be-exempt-eus-carbon-pricing-plan

    Was this posted already?

    • Urthona

      European elites are even worse than American elites.

    • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

      If I understand it correctly, there is an exemption for boats under a certain size, and that includes most yachts.

    • Gadfly

      A draft indicated that the tax would be phased-in for passenger flights, including ones that carry cargo. Private jets will enjoy an exemption through classification of “business aviation” as the use of aircraft by firms for carriage of passengers or goods as an “aid to the conduct of their business”, if generally considered not for public hire.

      The logic doesn’t even make sense. Passenger and cargo flights aid in the conduct of business as much if not more than private jets. Talk about the aristocracy pissing on the serfs.

      • juris imprudent

        Talk about the aristocracy pissing on the serfs.

        Well they should be more attentive with the buckets if they don’t want to be pissed on! /adjusts monocle, saunters off to the bar

  33. Raven Nation

    “during Up Helly Aa, a Viking-themed festival that takes place at the end of January at Lerwick, at the north end of Scotland.”

    First, I would love to go to Shetland during Up Helly Aa but I doubt it will ever happen.

    Second, “Lerwick, at the north end of Scotland.” Umm, technically correct I guess. Lerwick is on Mainland, one of the Shetland Islands, 120+ miles from the northern tip of mainland Scotland. And even then, there’s a town 65 miles further north.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Viking themed festival better not have any horned helmets, but should have flyting cause then we can claim cultural appropriating to those silly rap battles.

  34. LCDR_Fish

    Hey Ron, sorry I didn’t have time to post earlier – re the stoicism on control/change. I do recall during our [cbt] sere training one of the things they emphasize for POWs is to recall the things you Do have control over – such as staying fit, adjusting bed, etc.

  35. Count Potato

    “BREAKING: Minnesota Bank and Trust moves to CANCEL MyPillow founder’s bank accounts

    The accounts in question are Lindell Management, Lindell Outreach, Lindell Recovery Network, Lindell-TV, Lindell Foundation, Lindell Publishing, Frankspeech, Michael Lindell Personal, and MyStore.”

    https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-minnesota-bank-and-trust-moves-to-cancel-mypillow-founders-bank-accounts

    https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1482106370182856706

    • Urthona

      I would be happy to hold the money for wealthy conservatives who are banned from things if this is a common problem.

      • slumbrew

        *indicts Urthona as a co-conspirator*

      • Ayn Random Variation

        Inshurextionist!!!!!

    • Q Continuum

      That has to be in response to outside pressure groups because from a business standpoint that is just epic retardation. A bank kicking out an individual with a 9-figure net worth is so beyond stupid that only activist morons would be receptive to it.

      And it’s not as though it’s going to affect the guy; there are plenty of other banks that will gladly accept his zillions.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Reads like they are going to get rid of his ‘foundations’ and other ventures, but not the MyPillow. So brave.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Ha! That won’t last long.

        I’m not a big fan of Lindell’s but I don’t think he’s stupid enough to keep his business accounts there now.

      • R.J.

        This can only go badly for the bank. Nobody is going to flock to them and say “Oh! It’s the bank that hates conservatives!”
        Instead, there will be a stark cooling of interest as many smaller accounts leave. Not a single normal person will look at that action and say “Wow! i trust them with my money now!”

      • Ownbestenemy

        Well, they may gain a 1000 accounts that have a max balance of $500 bucks from government checks now. So its a win!

      • Fourscore

        Me and Mike will be dealing in cash from now on.

      • DEG

        From the Post Millenial article:

        That executive stated during the call that the bank, a subsidiary of Heartland Financial, had concerns about being connected with “someone who could be in the news.”
        “Not that the FBI is even sniffing and looking, but what if somebody came and said, ‘Do you know what? We are going to subpoena all of his account records, and this and that.’ And then all of a sudden we make the news,” the executive said.

      • C. Anacreon

        “someone who could be in the news.”

        Do you remember when Saturday morning cartoons used to be interrupted by “In the News”, a minute-long video thing that started with a deep-voiced announcer and a spinning grid globe, then a few moments of film and breaking down big issues of the day to kid level, and ending with “and that’s what’s In the News!”

        I’ll bet that show wouldn’t have lost any bank accounts.

      • Ayn Random Variation

        That bill that failed in NY State must have been a test run for the big cities. I think that bill would pass in NYC, Philly, SF and DC.

      • Ayn Random Variation

        Oh I did a reverse Brooks

      • Mojeaux

        Gilmore’d.

      • l0b0t

        I’m pretty sure the early 1970s was the high-water mark when it comes to opening titles and credits. https://youtu.be/zvLzVTpnb5I

      • Q Continuum

        Because booting him certainly won’t put them in the news… kinda like how they are right now.

        Banking executives are clearly not familiar with the Streisand Effect.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Would love to see what their basis is. “We received mean tweets!!!! MEAN TWEETS!”

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        It had to have been done for woke points. Nobody’s that stupid.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Some exec’s wife was really embarrassed by being associated with Lindell.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Probably used one to prop up her favorite sex position

    • l0b0t

      This line stood out.

      …because the Jewishness of the character is so integral. I’m sure she will be marvellous, but it would never be allowed for Ben Kingsley to play Nelson Mandela. You just couldn’t even go there.

      Why not? He already played Gandhi, winning 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        Yeah, I thought the same thing when I read that. Kingsley made Gandhi a much more sympathetic character than he actually was in real life.

      • Ayn Random Variation

        “Allowed”
        Sigh

      • Count Potato

        Well, he is half-Indian, not that it should matter.

      • Festus

        Nonsense. His best role was in “Species”!

    • Brochettaward

      while Variety’s own Malina Saval also touched on it in an article about Hollywood’s anti-Semitism problem.

      Is it anti-Semitic to point out that Hollywood is run by wealthy old Jews and their children who are handed positions of power out of nepotism?

      • straffinrun

        Only on Saturdays.

      • Brochettaward

        “It is an antisemitic thing to say ‘Jews run showbiz’ or ‘Jews are everywhere in showbiz,’” Baddiel says unequivocally.

        I see I should have read ahead and had my question answered. I am an anti-Semitic bigot.

    • Ted S.

      Cassius Clay could never play a Muslim.

  36. straffinrun

    Does anyone truly like the band Chicago?

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      They’re a hard habit to break.

      • straffinrun

        ?

    • Ted S.

      Does anybody truly care?

    • Mojeaux

      Only at twenty-five or -six to four.

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        I’ve been up that late. Or that early. Whatever.

      • C. Anacreon

        Sounds like you are asking questions 67 and 68

    • juris imprudent

      First couple of albums, none of the hundreds thereafter.

  37. Scruffy Nerfherder

    Worth a read.

    https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/peter-daszak-well-yes-this-is-exactly

    this was an attempt to predict what viruses MIGHT one day jump from bats to humans and to work on vaccines for them. that’s why he speaks of “narrowing down the field.”

    this is literally: let’s find a possible risk and make it real. let’s see if we can add function and virulence to a pathogen until it’s a serious threat to humans and then see if we can immunize against it in case something like that ever happens one day.

    talk about a self fulfilling prophesy…

    This explanation also accounts for why they had a vaccine design ready to go. They were already developing it as part of the program to try to get a spike protein with human affinity onto a bat coronavirus. It was a package deal.

    • straffinrun

      It was never about protecting China from criticism. The lab leak hypothesis had to be squelched because it exposed the nasty shit govts everywhere do.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        He points out that China now has leverage on most of the NIH and other US scientific agencies involved. By denying the lab leak theory, they handed the Chinese the keys.

        It wasn’t a Chinese plot at all, but the idiots gave China an opening by lying. There’s no chance China wouldn’t use that to their advantage.

      • straffinrun

        Makes sense. Corrupt CCP and corrupt govts around the world got each other’s backs.

  38. straffinrun

    I’m down in Shibuya (downtown business/fashion area) today for the first time in 2 years. WFH is finished finally. Holy shit. I see closed shops all over the place and they never had a hard lockdown. I can only imagine how hard NY’s small shop owners must’ve gotten hit. Crime of the century.

    • rhywun

      The avenue next to me (Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn) is wall-to-wall small shops for miles in both directions.

      In good times there are rare vacancies. Now there are quite a few, but not as many as I might have expected – maybe 10%? Mostly restaurants, of course.

      • straffinrun

        I like the small shops that deal in obscure stuff. In good times they only had a couple of customers in at a time. But, yeah, the chain stores seem to be doing fine. Ugh.

  39. westernsloper

    The steak umms twitter account is way better than actual steak umms. Good read thanks webDom!

  40. Festus

    Present for any old school rock fans out there (esp. lolbot) https://youtu.be/W66td1l_ISQ Millenials can still do it and webdom, retarded cats are the best cats. That is all.