In one easy lesson and two hard lessons.
My video watching habit is highly partitioned. I don’t watch video in my office. The computers there don’t even have speakers.[1] If there’s something I want to watch I download it to a USB key, bring it to my off-the-grid cabin, and set up a notebook computer and earphones.
But how do I download video?[2] I have three different techniques for three different sources.
Social Media
Where would we be without social media?[3] Without it I’d not have had the pleasure of watching a video of our own UnCivilServant and his gloves[4] assembling a Z80 backplane:
https://www.glibertarians.com/2024/12/building-a-z80-backplane-video/
But WordPress doesn’t source video[5] so UCS created a Rumble channel:
https://rumble.com/v5wirnk-z80-build-part-1-backplane.html
I use a free web service called “savevideo.me” to download video from social media sites:
It’s pretty simple. Copy and paste the social media URL into the text field and press the “Download” button. The site accesses the web page and extracts direct download links for the video often with a choice of image dimensions and quality. The direct download links usually have weird filenames so you will probably want to give the downloaded a file a new name.
Movies
I am a notorious video pirate[6] but I specialize in BBC documentaries and almost never download commercial movies.[7] One movie I have downloaded is an excellent fan edit of the “The Hobbit” trilogy where the combined eight hours of the extended movies were cut in half to produce a version that follows the book as closely as possible:
https://m4-studios.github.io/hobbitbookedit
There’s a torrent of the 24GB result listed on The Pirate Bay:[8]
https://thepiratebay.org/description.php?id=53926834
Instructions for downloading stuff by BitTorrent can’t be specific because there are many BitTorrent clients and their graphical user interfaces are different. I use one called Transmission:
The Pirate Bay listing has a small red magnet icon that downloads a “magnet link” which is a small text file that a BitTorrent client can use to locate the computers offering or “seeding” the file for download. On my computer Transmission is the default application for magnet links and when one is downloaded it’s automatically given to Transmission to open. Otherwise I’d have to save the magnet link to disk and open it in Transmission manually.
If you’re downloading something by BitTorrent you might want to limit the download and upload rates to avoid saturating your Internet connection. I generally limit the download rate to 500KB/s and the upload rate to 10KB/s. While you download something your BitTorrent client is also making the data available to other downloaders. This “seeding” is what makes the BitTorrent protocol so efficient but I don’t like dedicating too much of my upload bandwidth to it.
<shameless cue>
I really like The Hobbit M4 book edit. If only someone would do something similar to the Star Wars prequel trilogy!
</shameless cue>
YouTube
Part of my daily routine is to go to YouTube to see if any of my favorite reviewers[9] have released anything new. There used to be a Firefox add-on called “Easy YouTube Video Downloader” that inserted convenient download links in a YouTube listing but it stopped working when YouTube separated audio and video into different files. Now I use an open-source program “yt-dlp”:
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp
to download YouTube files and a common open-source media processor “ffmpeg”:
to merge the audio and video files into a single file. It’s a multiple step process that is the same on both Linux and Windows computers.[10] On my Linux computer I do the following:
Step 1
Run yt-dlp to see what audio and video files are available. Suppose I want to watch this Institute for Justice video ‘”Fish Cops” Flounder the 4th Amendment’:
Run yt-dlp with the “-F” option: (upper case)
$ ./yt-dlp.sh -F https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs5WEbit5Kg
This produces a long list of available audio and video files in different bit rates, image dimensions, and encoding methods. Two of the many lines of output are:
140 m4a audio only 2 │ 26.47MiB 129k https │ audio only mp4a.40.2 129k 44k [en] medium, m4a_dash
and:
137 mp4 1920x1080 24 │ 183.89MiB 899k https │ avc1.640028 899k video only 1080p, mp4_dash
The first is high quality audio in m4a format and and the second is high quality video in mp4 format. The first item on each line is a number in this case 140 and 137. This is how the files are identified.
Step 2
Run yt-dlp again to download the audio with the “-f” option: (lower case)
$ ./yt-dlp.sh -f 140 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs5WEbit5Kg
This creates a file called:
＂Fish Cops＂ Flounder the 4th Amendment [Xs5WEbit5Kg].m4a
Step 3
Run yt-dlp again to download the video with the “-f” option: (lower case)
$ ./yt-dlp.sh -f 137 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs5WEbit5Kg
This creates a file called:
＂Fish Cops＂ Flounder the 4th Amendment [Xs5WEbit5Kg].mp4
Step 4
Run ffmpeg to merge the separate audio and video files into a single file:
$ ffmpeg -i *Xs5*.m4a -i *Xs5*.mp4 -c:v copy -c:a aac Fish_Cops.mp4
This command needs some unpacking. The downloaded audio and video file names are long and poorly punctuated for Linux command line use so I take advantage of the command line processing “shell” to make things easier. The two “-i” options specify the audio and video files that ffmpeg are to use as inputs but instead of typing or cut/pasting the long filenames I use the wildcard “*” character to select just those filenames that contain the distinctive sequence “Xs5”. The token:
*Xs5*.m4a
expands into:
＂Fish Cops＂ Flounder the 4th Amendment [Xs5WEbit5Kg].m4a
and the token:
*Xs5*.mp4
expands into:
＂Fish Cops＂ Flounder the 4th Amendment [Xs5WEbit5Kg].mp4
The two “-c” options specify that the video is to be copied as-is and the audio is to be converted to “aac” format. In this case the audio is already in “aac” format but that may not always be true.
The final parameter “Fish_Cops.mp4” is the name of the merged audio/video file. It can be anything you want.
Footnotes
[1] I hate it when computers make unsolicited noises. Hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it.[11]
[2] I hear you cry.
[3] A lot happier and more productive IMHO.
[4] Come to think of it, UCS never appears in the video, just his gloves. Perhaps the gloves assembled the backplane by themselves?
[5] Or if you can no-one’s figured out how to do it.
[6] In my own mind.
[7] Because there hasn’t been a new movie I’ve wanted to watch in years.
[8] Go ahead and click the link. Seeing what’s listed on The Pirate Bay isn’t illegal, immoral, or fattening. TPB doesn’t serve any copyrighted material except possibly stuff cut and pasted into the torrent description.[12]
[9] My favorite YouTube reviewers are discussed here:
https://www.glibertarians.com/2023/05/now-thats-entertainment/
But none of them are as good as our own Mythical Libertarian Woman:
https://www.glibertarians.com/author/mythicallibertarianwoman
[10] One of these days I’ll write a script to automate it.
[11] This makes me a bit schizoid when my cell phone rings.
[12] Something I’ve been known to do.
Today’s act of blatant piracy was to download the latest episode of QI from a file sharing site and flip it over to The Pirate Bay. My dozens of faithful fans are downloading it now.
QI is my favorite TV show:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QI
My current favorite TV shows are:
Building Outside the Lines
Homestead Rescue
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
QI is ALSO in my Top Tier of shows. (Non-fiction favorites? QI and Top Gear, for-near sure.) Haven’t watched with Sandi Toksvig hosting. She’s damn funny and damn smart, but following Fry is such a leap for an audience to make. I’ll miss his semi-faux school-marminess.
Good to see you ’round, Richard. This info will be put to good use. Thanks.
For Youtube I use “4K Video Downloader“. Only 1 or 2 steps involved. I dunno what the “Plus” version they keep plugging is; probably “Plus money”. Mine is not “Plus” but it works reasonably well. I think there is a daily limit but that has never concerned me.
It is lately slow as mud processing a link you paste in – probably another nudge to go “Plus”. Youtube updates sometimes break it but they tend to keep up.
The “plus” version has a built-in browser, that you can use to search for videos, read comments, etc.
Imho, one of the biggest benefits of 4K Video Downloader is that it lets you “subscribe” to channels.
I did use it on a playlist once – yes that was useful too.
One thing I’ve found that’s the issue is trying to get downloads of things that I’ve purchased digitally from Google TV/Movies (before they folded it into Youtube), Amazon, and the like. Most were purchased with free credits, or on the cheap, but now that I’ve got a Plex server up and running, I’d prefer to have them there.
JDownloader2 can download YouTube files, then uses ffmpeg to merge them automatically. No need for typing on the command line.
FreeTube can also download YouTube, but combined video and audio is limited to low resolution. Which is fine for podcasts. For higher resolution, it can download the video and separately.
Um, “video and audio separately”
Hmmm. Tough crowd. How about a civil discussion on the virtues of the WordPress Block Editor?
Sorry. Just got back from troubleshooting an issue that wound up being the PC didn’t want to use that COM port anymore.
I will use the information in this post.
For YouTube video the programs mentioned by rhywun and Common Tater are much easier than my command line solution:
https://www.4kdownload.com/products/videodownloader-42
https://jdownloader.org/download/index
Sorry, it’s still a work day. I was otherwise occupied.
Been talking since 6:00 AM. Just stopped. I love this, and will use this information.
I also found you some theme music for downloading videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZeNYaTmVP4
Huh, not what I expected from the title.
Untrue! You can see my wrists from time to time, and at one point the cuff of my shirt gets into frame.
If your gloves can assemble circuit boards by themselves they’re certainly capable of obtaining some fake hands:
https://www.amazon.com/Medou-Halloween-Decoration-Realistic-Decorations/dp/B0BBVYXLM7
It sounds like you are accusing UCS of being Thing and a friend? I think this is unlikely. Thing was a servant but he was invariably civil.
Actually I was thinking of the Gloves being of the same nature as the Hat and the Hair.
UCS’ gloves speak in the same voice as their Master.
Otherwise they wouldn’t fit.
How about we discuss MKV?
In the days before most anime was legally streamed “the scene” needed something to capture multiple audio tracks and multiple subtitle tracks. They were one of the first users of the MKV format. Naturally nobody wanted to make this at all easy for noobs to understand or to actually play.
Once you understood that it truly was a container format it became easier to work with. You can encode the audio with just about any codex you want and the same with the video. The problem was your player needed to understand the both the container format AND the codices contained within. Hence the confusion starts again.
And so as to not put, heaven forbid, THREE links in a post my preferred multiplatform video tools are:
VLC for playback. This avoids having to use embedded codices in windows (aka filters that are supposed to be usable across Windows, but never ever fucking work right).
MKVToolNix for MKV.
You’ll still need a variety of tools to rip or download and encode or reencode.
I’ve had good results with MakeMKV with some truculent DVD’s.
MakeMKV is the only thing that can read BluRays on my computer so far.
Yeah, VLC rocks. Been using it exclusively on both PC and Mac for, shit, a couple decades?
Being an old fuddy-duddy I still use SMPlayer to watch video:
https://www.smplayer.info/
Occasionally I find something that SMPlayer won’t play. Then I fire up the VLC media player. I’ve never found anything that VLC won’t play.
My everyday player is Kodi.
I run it on a first generation Nvidia Shield TV. It runs just about 90% of anything you throw at it. It has the advantage of being in my TV room so you get the big screen and the AVR for Dolby 5.1.
The only thing that it chokes on is heavily compressed Blu-ray. However those codices and bit rates will usually choke even a mid-range PC.
I have.
It won’t play BluRays, and some files are just too broken.
I would have sworn that VLC played Blu-ray disks. So I got out a Blu-ray disk, put it in my Windows computer, launched VLC, and it wouldn’t play the disk. The stock VLC distribution lacks Blu-ray playback, probably for legal reasons. That can be remedied by following these instructions, which I just did:
https://vlc-aacs.whoknowsmy.name/
So long Bob Ueker.
https://x.com/MoogRogue/status/1879947157844947397
Also:
https://x.com/normposter/status/1879931956252848298
Finally:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_wc9JvTXGc&ab_channel=Movieclips
RIP Bob.
R.I.P., Mr. Baseball
Damn… Although, death today is so different as we can rewatch and hear him nearly anytime we wish to remember.
Also RIP, David Lynch.
Holy crap! He was only 78! That’s our median age!
We used to Torrent movies many years ago until our ISP, either AT&T or Comcast, posted a warning in our browser saying they were onto us and that we needed to stop.
Torrenting a newly released movie from The Pirate Bay or any other public torrent index will likely get you a “Naughty boy” e-mail or letter from your ISP pretty darn quick. I hadn’t heard of an ISP injecting warnings into web traffic before.
It crossed my mind that it could have been someone posing as the ISP, which worried me even more.
Always wear a condom
I used it more for books and music but yeah, I cut that shit out when I got the terrorgram that a couple weeks later turned out to be related to what I recall as The Incident at TOS. (Hi, Preet!)
At the time I had literally no clue what was going on so out of an abundance of caution I stopped doing anything, uh, questionable online. I also thought I was about to lose my job.
https://www.salon.com/2025/01/16/florida-ag-pledges-to-fight-for-trump-after-desantis-picks-her-to-fill-senate-vacancy/?in_brief=true
Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, announced at a press conference Thursday that he will appoint Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Marco Rubio, who President-elect Donald Trump has nominated to serve as his secretary of state.
Moody first entered public office in 2006, when she was elected to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida. She resigned in 2018 to run for Florida’s attorney general and won re-election in 2022. During her tenure, Moody supported efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act, opposed the legalization of recreational marijuana and joined a lawsuit that supported Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election results.
Just a friendly reminder that you shouldn’t download from pirate sites without at least a VPN to obscure your I.P. address.
Ideally you’d also go through Tor to further obscure things.
Also some things downloaded from pirate site will have viruses (virii?) embedded.
/safe surfing
You know, in olden days I wrote three articles and a nontrivial computer program on the subject of “The Perfect Featured Image” and got into an argument with Tonio on appropriate excerpt content. Now the newest articles are presented with their description plastered on top of the featured image and without an excerpt. I’m going to have to wait until this article ages out to see if my choices worked.
The excerpts are back now, just not for the top 6 stories.
The ones we set, or the autogenerated ones?
UCS:
The ones that people put in. If one isn’t put in, it’ll pull from the beginning of the article as it was before.
The excerpts I see still look like the first line of the article. The first line, or “block” of this article is:
I’m curious if it’s rendered as the excerpt in a few days.
🥳
“A bearded neo-Nazi thrown behind bars in Germany for inciting hatred has legally changed his name and gender in an apparent bid to be transferred to a women’s prison — because he’s afraid of “discrimination.”
Sven Liebich, 53, is serving an 18-month sentence in a men’s jail in Saxony after being convicted last year on a handful of hatred and defamation charges, local outlet Mitteldeutsche Zeitung reported.
But the right-wing extremist, who is in the process of appealing the sentence, recently opted to change identity and now goes by Marla-Svenja Liebich.
“I am afraid of discrimination,” the convicted felon said in a statement.
Despite the stunning twist in the case, the outlet noted that Liebich hasn’t changed appearance since the gender shift — and now even has a longer beard.”
https://nypost.com/2025/01/16/world-news/german-neo-nazi-jailed-for-inciting-hatred-changes-gender-in-bid-to-go-to-womens-prison/
WTF?
Now he’s just trolling.
Agreed. Master level trolling. Some loony judge will let him do it.
I works in California, might as well give it a shot.
If I ever have to go to prison, I’m transing like a mofo.
Hopefully that will work for the camps, too.
Well, this seems to be much easier than trying to teach someone how to wire a drum switch to an AC motor in order to have the reversing function on a metal lathe.
Seriously, some people just should not to anything that requires electricity.
Why is everyone looking at me?
Fun times in GA!
State senator arrested at Georgia Capitol while trying to enter House chamber
For blasphemy? What a bunch of fucking clowns.
That’s my read.
And the GSP should be fucking ashamed of themselves.
Sean, when do the stormtroopers ever do that? Just following orders.
Even better…the letter from the Speaker said he can reenter the chamber only after he *checks notes* enters the chamber and delivers an apology before Jan 16, 2025.
Uh…it appears that was a lie and nearly impossible to do since your jackboots just denied him entry.
Huh, I listened to these terrible words he dared speak. He called out his work as an attorney and politician. Didn’t call him names…just called out his overall shittyness.
Petty squabbles of small men.
He is a senator. He was blocked from attending the house meetings (for whatever fucking reason they want, that’s their authority). He was arrested for attempting to attend a joint meeting. He appears to be in the right on this matter.
He’s an elected member and should have the right to represent his constituents. Fuck these people.
Apparently Georgia Democrats loved the Speaker that Moore defamed. Draw your own conclusions on which Republicans are at fault here.
That tells me everything I need to know. Ralston would be a crooked politician of the highest order.
That tells me everything I need to know. Ralston would be a crooked politician of the highest order.
“Armed LA Residents Patrol Neighborhoods In Violation Of Evacuation Orders”
https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/armed-la-residents-patrol-neighborhoods-violation-evacuation-orders
Well good, nothing’s better than handling shit yourself if the gubmint won’t/can’t do it.
Posted this a few days ago.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/fires-armed-homeowners-hunt-looters-a40de302?st=QMJ92f&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
However, fuck everybody else.
Go fuck yourself Karen.
https://x.com/OfAthenry/status/1879936227778129984
Perfection.
If it was a skit..well done. If actually real and I were a restaurateur…homeboy would be hired in an instant on calmness and straight up undercuts to her ridiculousness.
“Corporate?!? This is ours!”
Totally a skit. Two camera angles gave it away.
Tell me the Lore of were we went wrong.
It was scripted, but not badly.
Citation needed. It would seem to be common sense that if you don’t prosecute people for committing these crimes you both enable and enabled them. But I’m not a barrister.
Paywall:
U.K. Announces Rapid Review into Scale of Child Sexual Abuse by Grooming Gangs
Not so much enabling as ignoring/covering it up via inaction (kinda the same thing I know). Starmer is a shitweasel no doubt).
Eh. Allowing it to thrive is enabling in my book.
Some people are wondering whether or not some of those trying to hush it up were partaking of the girls in question. UK’s version of Epstein Island and Diddy parties, make them complicit in crimes in order to compromise them.
Eh, this isn’t girls being brought to high class parties, this is girls brought to the mattress behind the liquor store. I am not going to claim one is worse or better than the other, but they are totally different.
No, this is a case of racism and classism run amok.
And not prosecuting is allowing it to thrive.
You know damn well the left would be up in arms if the situation were reversed.
Different cultures see this king of evil differently. In prison whites kill pedos without hesitation. Blacks are a little more tolerant of them…not tolerant but not as militantly murderous as whites. Latinos more tolerant than the blacks.
England has a long history of tolerating this kind of shit in schools, hospitals, orphanages etc. and now apparently in non institutional settings.
I remember some time back when Sweden was becoming the rape capital of Europe their EU minister shrugged it off by saying “It is just their (muslim invaders) culture and you are going to have to get used to it.”
I dont get it. Everyone who participated or enabled those grooming gangs should be hanged.
Whare is that shitweasel brit cop who said he will extradite me for saying that? He should come get me himself.
Not just Hanged – Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered.
I need someone to tell me how to create embedded links on WordPress lol.
On a real note “Kentucky students challenging whether the state is meeting its constitutional duty on education”
Link: https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-education-lawsuit-993fdf10e6d2e513e288aa1bd6ba000f
I’m not directly affected by this (Independent Schooler), but it will be interesting to keep up with it. From another article (Linked below), According to the release, the next steps are that they’re going to hold public hearings next year. It will be to gather ideas and insights from stakeholders in KY. The hearings will be used to gather recommendations to improve schools
Link: https://kentuckylantern.com/2025/01/14/students-sue-ky-for-failing-to-provide-adequate-and-equitable-public-education/#:~:text=Citing%20what%20it%20calls%20%E2%80%9CKentucky's,Franklin%20Circuit%20Court%20Tuesday%20afternoon
The final decision on this case will take several years to where I’ll probably already be out of both HS and college but I wonder what will come from it.
I also wonder what grievances the kids were facing, what in particular showed them that the state wasn’t living up it’s standard?
You have to use HTML, specifically, the a href tag. Or use one of the add-ons that people have developed to work with the site.
I’ll probably already be out of both HS and college
Hold on, who does this orphan belong to?
👀
Given the Democratic squealing, I’d say the Turner removal as House Intel chair was dead on target.
“Turner was a critic of what he called the influence of Russian propaganda over congressional Republican critics of providing military aid to Ukraine. Turner said in April that Russian propaganda had “absolutely” seeped into the Republican conferences.”
So, in other words, this was a good move. Anytime someone mention’s “Russian interference,” I automatically assume that they are either stupid or a shit weasel.
I would ask Turner how much money he’s laundered in Ukraine.
U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators
You know, of those three, if I were an Israeli, I’d probably trust the Egyptian the most.
So Joe can own this too?
An Israeli official told The Hill that there are still questions on which Palestinian prisoners are going to be released, where they will go, and whether they will be exiled somewhere other than the Gaza Strip.
This might put the Egyptian negotiator at odds with the Israelis, or not, if they can guarantee that none of the released will end up in Egypt.
I understand Alcatraz is currently available.
Don’t worry, Biden is still President. He can just make a few phone calls and everything will be fine.
as a romanian i know nothing of piracy i never did it especially not 15 years ago and there is no way i still have a few dozen TB of pirated stuff in my house
From the dedthred on Moj’s travails
“They have two competing goals here—for Mom to die and Susie get the house versus wanting Mom at home and well-ish—but I think I know why they want her home and NOT dead.
Mom does all their admin/clerking/life housekeeping stuff.”
Oh, I think they want her at home and not dead, which is to say, under their control, so they can get her signature on whatever they think they need to take the house.
If I was in Moj’s shoes, I would not let them be alone with my mother. Not that I think they would physically harm her but because they would try to bully her into signing something that goes against her interests.
This. 100%.
Great point. People can be manipulated. I’m thinking of my oldest daughter, who fought tooth and nail against the simplest rules at my house and my sister in law’s house, but is somehow fine living in a house with 7 adults where they take all her money, give her no privacy or freedom, and make her do prescribed chores.
Yes, we had already determined they would not be left alone with her even if just to shield her from the badgering.
Lesser Aunt Selfish Cunt Milly (because fuck you, too, Aunt Milly) called me today and we had a 20-minute recursive argument about why won’t I let my mother “come home” (meaning, their house). I had to remind her over and over that she DOES NOT WANT TO. Milly hinted that maybe she didn’t know what she was saying, and I said, “Are you saying Mom’s lost her mind?” “No, no! But, you know, all the drugs … ”
She wanted to know if they could come visit her at my house. I said absolutely, anytime, they were welcome in my home as long as she is here. She didn’t catch that.
She wanted to know if the church people could come. OF COURSE! I would never divorce her from her community. That would be inhumane. Possibly immoral.
“You know what we think of you, don’t you?” Yes, I do and I am totally okay with that. My mother trusts me to protect her and her assets, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m also going to protect her from Aunt Susie’s vicious tongue, which Mom acceded that she does, indeed, have one. I was just guessing.
I can’t tell if Mom’s hurt by all this. I half think she’s just too weak to be heartbroken. I told her she was being awfully phlegmatic about the whole thing, and she said it is what it is and it’ll turn out all right. Okie dokie then.
Lots more nonsense was spewed. 🙄
@RCDean, You have been really helpful. Thank you!
Thank you to everyone for listening to me. In a way, I’m using this as real-time documentation. I’ll collate this later.
Side note: Marrying my husband is the best decision I have ever made in my life.
That is all.
Well done.
Facts were checked
Some of his past online posts about climate change have contradicted the scientific consensus, including a video where he said, inaccurately, that global warming did not make more intense hurricanes, droughts and floods.
We cannot have an energy secretary who doesn’t nod in unison with the climate consensus experts.
Was it here, or somewhere else, that described those hearings as “struggle sessions”? Mostly the Dems spit out one of their talking points and asked “Do you agree, yes or no? YES OR NO?!?!”
The confirmation process seems designed to ensure that only power hungry weasels can be appointed. What decent human being who viewed public service as an honorable sacrifice to be made out of patriotism would put up with this nonsense?
I actually think the hearings are huge boon for the GOP. It shows how the Democrats are nothing more than a bunch of clowns who are trying to have their West Wing dramatic moment.
Theater kids.
Ed:
That would depend on people actually watching the hearings instead of just getting the updates from their insulated sources. Hell, there’s still people out there claiming that Biden won the debate against Trump.
@ Jarfax:
If I was questioned by Mazie Hirono, I would probably explode and call her a fucking moron every chance that I got. The confirmation process is basically just a whole day marathon of asshole politicians shitting on you and having to sit there and take it.
So far all the nominees have held up pretty well to this garbage. Unfortunately that’s part of the job. If confirmed they will be subjected to these same people in the future.
Don’t recall anyone saying Biden won the debate, but do recall one national columnist writing, just before election day, that “Harris wiped the floor with Trump” at their debate.
Nice. That is exactly what they are.
Raise blatant falsehoods and demand obeisance.
Marrying my husband is the best decision I have ever made in my life.
*toots horn, throws rice*
Dry wedding, Brooksie.
Last dry wedding I was at, an hour into the reception the bride’s aunt and both brothers were rolling a keg down the drive way.
I don’t remember much after that.
Watching the Biden Farewell Address in class today. I always think it’s hilarious when old people who have been in politics for half their lives talk about term limits about how crucial they are.
A lifelong career for me but not for thee.
That being said, it’s not a bad idea.
I don’t necessarily have a true opinion when it comes to term limits. Probably more of competency testing to stay in
Wright is a fossil fuel executive, and at the confirmation hearing, he pledged to support all forms of “reliable” energy – including solar, wind, nuclear and geothermal.
But Wright’s past social media posts drew controversy. In a 2023 Linkedin post he wrote, “The hype over wildfires is just hype to justify more impoverishment from bad government policies.”
Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California questioned Wright specifically over this post, referring to the Los Angeles fires. Padilla is from Los Angeles. “Given the devastation that we’re currently experiencing in Los Angeles, do you still believe that wildfires are just hype?” Padilla asked.
Wright said he has watched the fires with “sorrow and fear” and added when pressed by Padilla, “I stand by my past comment.”
“Get back to me when you learn to read, Senator,”
JFC I would go apeshit on these idiots.
A recent analysis by scientists at UCLA found that climate change made the region’s vegetation roughly 25 percent drier prior to the fires, boosting the chances of intense, fast moving blazes.
Of course it did.
Local headline (paywalled):
Aww, the world is a bit less strange
daed si hcnyL divaD
Oh, shit! That sucks, how old was he?
87
The first shot in the Great Fast Food Wars:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/steak-n-shake-to-use-100-beef-tallow-302353474.html
But they’ll still be serving their terrible shoestring fries.
Freddie’s has excellent shoestring fries.
I prefer crinkle fries.
I have never eaten at a S&S. I probably should.
I almost never eat ff, but I have find memories of the Days of Tallow.
From “Too Local” news (saw a great apartment in Caserta yesterday…really want to see about locking it in Monday – but they didn’t have power/utilities turned on, so I couldn’t validate security system or garage access so I’ll probably need another visit this week. Within walking distance of the Caserta palace, the train station, and my new church – drive to work doesn’t appear too bad depending on time of day/week).
https://www.casertanews.it/cronaca/denuncati-post-offese-vigili-urbani-social-santa-maria-capua-vetere.html
(translated using the built-in tool in Edge browser)
Way behind on reading up on this week’s threads.
From Ozy’s post – on the ship, all the aircraft mechanic toolboxes had stencils around where every tool was supposed to be placed – so it was obvious if anything was missing from it’s spot. Every now and then the Navy airstations in Norfolk auction off a stack of roller tool chests with fully functioning, complete sets of tools – a good buy if you can get it on time and drive them out yourself.
Re: the skydiving, I posted a few vids before – but my buddy Bobby (civilian I worked with in Charlottesville) does commercial skydiving for sports events all across VA, etc – he’s the guy who landed in the Gourmeltz parking lot (parallel to US 1) a few years ago. https://www.youtube.com/@3dpskydive/videos – think he’s partnered with a few active/former military folks based on what I’ve seen before.
UCS – the GW writing entry thing was for a 500 word limit…barely a paragraph. And for 40k it has to be on the Armageddon setting…worth a shot, but not getting your panties in a wad over. Tough to try and fit any real canon characterization into that at all.