2021-02-21

Cool

• 3,000 year old carrot colonies The Ancient Green Blobs of the Andes

Worthy

• Exponential growth is the baseline

• Reconstructing the Menu of a Pub in Ancient Pompeii - Gastro Obscura

• Using Blender in Game Development, by Embark — blender.org

  • with them right up until "hair particle systems" then my brain exploded.

• The modern packager’s security nightmare

etc

• Atheists warn followers of unholy data leak, hint dark deeds may have tried to make it go away • The Register

• The paranoia-disaffiliation hypothesis: How us shady geeks put others off security | Sauvik Das, Ph.D.

  We also happen to live in a culture that values openness and transparency — ”I’ve Got Nothing to Hide”, tired as it is as an argument against privacy, is seen as a badge of honor. But this notion of privacy and security being only for shady geeks is dangerous, and does more harm than good.

• Malcolm X family says letter shows NYPD and FBI conspired in his murder

• Sabine Hossenfelder: Backreaction: The Science of Making Rain

  I think that now that we know cloud seeding does work, we should think about how to regulate it, before someone actually gets good at it.

Horseshit

• Hypersensitive Profanity Filter Censors 'Bone' at Paleontology Conference | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine

• Students demand removal of George Washington statue ... from the University of Washington ... in the state of Washington | Not the Bee

• (2019) A controversial new treatment promises to make little people taller

• White People Aren’t Human | Frontpagemag

• Ross Ulbright / Silk road. One guy achieved more than the entire FBI. Using Google Search

  • That story is nice; there's another out there about how the FBI agent who led the investigation and bust also stole the bitcoins in the Silk Road account for his personal use. There were allegations it was an officially blessed operation and he fucked things up for a small score.

• Hockequality – make hockey more diverse, inclusive,accessible to kids in Canada

• People with extremist views less able to do complex mental tasks research sugges

TechSuck

• The Apparent Hackers Behind Kia’s Ransomware Attack Are Demanding Millions in Bitcoin

• Why hot new social app Clubhouse spells nothing but trouble

  . First, it’s only for iPhone owners; and second, it’s invitation-only. ... invitations are apparently so prized that they are being hawked on eBay for $89.

  This means, say the Stanford researchers, that “a user’s unique Clubhouse ID number and chatroom ID are transmitted in plaintext, and Agora would likely have access to users’ raw audio, potentially providing access to the Chinese government.”

  + [FSI | Cyber | Internet Observatory - Clubhouse in China: Is the
  data
  safe?](https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/news/clubhouse-china)
  

  • Clubhouse Chats Are Breached, Raising Concerns over Security

Economicon

• It’s cheaper because we pass the risk on to you! – Terence Eden’s Blog

• Covid Housing Boom Is Even Bigger Than Imagined - Bloomberg

• Texas officials are investigating outrageous energy bills in storm price surge

Politickles

• Steve Scalise Still Refuses to Admit the Election Wasn't Stolen

• ‘HUGE AMOUNT’ OF LAWMAKERS, STAFF SEEKING THERAPY AFTER CAPITOL RIOT

• Pelosi's Capitol riot panel aims to sell her pet conspiracy theories

• Read: Merrick Garland outlines priorities if confirmed as attorney general | TheHill

  Merrick Garland will tell senators on Monday that he will fight discrimination and domestic extremism if confirmed as attorney general, according to testimony released by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

• QAnon followers still think Trump will be inaugurated — on March 4. National Guard will be ready | Salon.com

  Pentagon official Robert Salesses said at the hearing that 4,900 National Guard troops will remain in D.C. through March 12 at the request of Capitol Police in response to "different missions" that the troops will support. He said there isn't a specific threat that the National Guard is tracking but the Pentagon will work with law enforcement agencies to evaluate any potential threats.

• Oath Keeper Claims She Met With Secret Service Before Capitol Riot

• Biden lies less than Trump, fact-checkers say. But he's not perfect

• US Starts Hostage Talks With Iran

World

• 95-Year Old Tennessean Deported From US To Germany After Admitting He'd Been A Nazi Camp Guard | ZeroHedge

  on Saturday a 95-year old "former Nazi guard" was deported back to Germany in a headline grabbing story.

  The DOJ statement said further: "In this year in which we mark the 75th anniversary of the Nuremberg convictions, this case shows that the passage even of many decades will not deter the Department from pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of Nazi crimes."

  Germany says it doesn't plan to prosecute him, citing lack of evidence for specific war crimes.

  • US Deports Former Nazi Concentration Camp Guard to Germany

• Facebook takes down main page of Myanmar military

• Somalia Is Headed Towards Another Tragic Collapse Despite Billions In US Funding | ZeroHedge

• Violence Erupts In Barcelona On 5th Night Of Protests Over Jailed Rapper

• Seven dead in Nigerian military plane crash, says air force

  • 7 Poll Workers Killed By Landmine Amid Historic Niger Vote

• Uighurs: 'Credible case' China carrying out genocide

Health / Medicine / COVID

• Calling for benefit–risk evaluations of Covid-19 control measures

• Delay a Shot? Skip One? Vaccine-Dosing Messaging Is a Nightmare

• As Israel Reopens, 'Whoever Does Not Get Vaccinated Will Be Left Behind'

• Israel: Pfizer vaccine prevents 98.9 percent of Covid-19 deaths

Climate / Green Propaganda

• Chemicals in plastics damage babies' brains and must be banned immediately

• Texas, California built different power grids, neither withstood climate change

• Texas freeze led to release of tons of air pollutants as refineries shut

Obit

• Wall Street 'Charging Bull' Sculptor Arturo Di Modica Dies at 80

• High Profile Developmental Biologist Lewis Wolpert Dies at 91