2025-07-28

Horseshit

• A viral claim says the world will go dark on Aug. 2. It won’t — but a record-breaking solar eclipse is coming in 2027.

  It may seem like hyperbole, but the total solar eclipse on Aug. 2, 2027, is being dubbed the "eclipse of the century" for good reason. It will bring the longest totality on land of the entire 21st century (since 1991, in fact) and will be the longest remaining totality until July. 16, 2114. So while the "won't happen again for 100 years" assertion is false, 2027's totality is the longest for 87 years.

  The path of totality will cross parts of 11 countries, mostly across North Africa and the Middle East. The total solar eclipse will be visible in Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia. A partial eclipse will be visible across most of Africa, Europe and southern Asia.

• Boeing Predicts the Future, Foresees 50k Planes by 2044

• Why in-person dating is making a comeback–and why Gen Z is struggling with it

• Why Are Quiet Spaces Disappearing?

  Not long ago, even the humblest public library shared in this aura of reverence and sanctity. You didn’t need to be a duke or Oxford don or billionaire Bruce Wayne to enjoy it—it was now provided to everybody at the city’s expense. So the shushing librarian became a cultural meme and comedy trope—and maybe even served as the unfortunate origin of the annoying Karen stereotypes of the current day. For example, when Bill Murray tries to talk to a librarian’s ghost in Ghostbusters, the apparition responds: Sh-sh-sh-sh!—before mounting a full-fledged paranormal attack. That’s great for a laugh, but I now miss those shushing librarians. Libraries are no longer quiet places. They’re as noisy as the pub after a football match. Books are removed, and replaced with coffee bars and spaces for socializing. In case people don’t get the message, librarians now put up signs discouraging quiet study.

• Barbie's new pink (insulin) pumps – help children with type 1 diabetes

• Don't give children under age 13 smartphones

• Robots eating other robots: The benefits of machine metabolism

• Pedestrians now walk 15% faster and linger less in city public spaces

• Where did all the Las Vegas tippers go?

celebrity gossip

• Astronomer's 'clever' PR move embracing CEO scandal – featuring Gwyneth Paltrow

• Jamie Lee Curtis lets rip on plastic surgery, power, and Hollywood's age problem

Obit

• He put all his work in the public domain a while back: Tom Lehrer Songs – Songs and Lyrics by Tom Lehrer

  • Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist with a Dark Streak, Dies at 97

  • Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97

  • Satirist Tom Lehrer dies at 97

Rank Propaganda / Thought Policing / World Disordering

• Wikipedia editors, unsung heroes, keep it one of the last best places online

• RT Employees Funded Videos in Furtherance of Russian Interests

  According to the court documents, RT, formerly known as Russia Today, is a state-controlled media outlet funded and directed by the Government of Russia. Over at least the past year, RT and its employees, including Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva, deployed nearly $10 million to covertly finance and direct a Tennessee-based online content creation company (U.S. Company-1). In turn, U.S. Company-1 published English-language videos on multiple social media channels, including TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube. Since publicly launching in or about November 2023, U.S. Company-1 has posted nearly 2,000 videos that have garnered more than 16 million views on YouTube alone. Many of the videos posted by U.S. Company-1 contain commentary on events and issues in the U.S., such as immigration, inflation, and other topics related to domestic and foreign policy. While the views expressed in the videos are not uniform, most are directed to the publicly stated goals of the Government of Russia and RT — to amplify domestic divisions in the United States.

Musk

• Elon Musk opened a diner in Hollywood. What could go wrong?

• Elon Musk's Tesla Diner Is the Cybertruck of Restaurants

Religion / Tribal / Culture War and Re-Segregation

• Missionaries using secret audio devices to evangelise Brazil's isolated peoples

  A joint investigation by the Guardian and Brazilian newspaper O Globo reveals that solar-powered devices reciting biblical messages in Portuguese and Spanish have appeared among members of the Korubo people in the Javari valley, near the Brazil-Peru border.

• Bishop in dressing gown interrupts church concert asks crowd to 'leave my house'

Edumacationalizing / Acedemia Nuts

• Doctor's note no longer excuse for absences at TN school district

  A local school district said doctor’s notes will no longer excuse your child’s absence. The Lawrence County School System said the policy is aimed at improving the district’s attendance rate, but many parents are against it. Under the Lawrence County School System’s new attendance policy, doctor’s notes will no longer excuse an absence. Students will now just be marked absent or present. The policy states that after three absences, schools will start intervention. If the student keeps missing school, eight or more days, there will be a juvenile court referral. “You can fail the grade,” Director of Schools Michael Adkins said during the district’s June school board meeting. “You can fail the course. You are going to be petitioned to court. You are not going to participate in graduation, get your driver’s license or permit.”

Info Rental / ShowBiz / Advertising

• Ham Radio Users Clash with Starlink Rival AST SpaceMobile over Spectrum Use

• Remembering Descent, the once-popular 3D 6DOF shooter

• Credit Card Companies Are Hurting the Future of Video Games

AI Will (Save | Destroy) The World

• Attempt to outlaw AI that jacks up prices based on what it knows about you

• Sam Altman warns there's no legal confidentiality using ChatGPT as a therapist

• Apollo's chief economist warns the AI bubble worse than the 1999 dot-com bubble

• The end of work as we know it

  CEOs call it a revolution in efficiency. The workers powering it call it a "new era in forced labor." I spoke to the people on the front lines of the AI takeover.

Space / Boomy Zoomers / UFO

• How US Space Command is preparing for satellite-on-satellite combat

Crypto con games

• Crypto kidnapping: How armed gangs are hunting the internet's high rollers

Economicon / Business / Finance

• Mastercard and Visa Under Fire as Petition 'Not Police' Legal Content Blows Up

• Company developing Paducah laser uranium enrichment hits regulatory milestone

• Americans See Their 401(k)s Not Just as Nest Eggs but as Rainy Day Funds

• Bezos Wraps Up Amazon Share Sale, Netting $5.7B

Gubmint / Poilitcks / Law Making

• A mysterious LLC is using a 300-year-old law to target D.C. sports betting

Trump

• Gabbard 'lying' about Intel on Russian interference 2016, ex-CIA official says

• 'I’ll Never Be the Same': Bongino Dishes on FBI Secrets That Shook Him – PJ Media

  Bongino’s recent statement on X is raising eyebrows. In a powerful and emotional message, Dan Bongino pulled back the curtain on what he described as deeply troubling revelations during his time at the FBI, vowing accountability and transparency in the face of corruption. “During my tenure here as the Deputy Director of the FBI,” Bongino began, “I have repeatedly relayed to you that things are happening that might not be immediately visible, but they are happening.” He emphasized a top-down commitment to justice, writing, “The Director and I are committed to stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization of both law enforcement and intelligence operations. It is a priority for us.” But what he’s uncovered, Bongino said, has changed him forever. “What I have learned in the course of our properly predicated and necessary investigations into these aforementioned matters, has shocked me down to my core. We cannot run a Republic like this. I’ll never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.”

Democrats

• Inside socialist Zohran Mamdani’s posh wedding bash at secluded Uganda compound — complete with phone jamming system, armed guards

• These Democrats believe Kamala won the election – in an alternate universe

  According to a growing number of spiritually-inclined Democrat supporters, 4am on Nov 6 2024 is the moment the universe “split”, leaving us on an alternate timeline where Mr Trump is president. In reality, they claim, Ms Harris was installed in the White House, and it is only a matter of time before we all collectively realise our mistake and jump back to the “correct” timeline.

Left Angst

• Doge uses AI tool aiming to cut 50% of federal regulations under Trump

• NASA slashing over 20 percent of workforce

• 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

• Doge is suggesting an AI tool that puts half of federal regs on a 'delete list'

• Trump's AI Action Plan is a blueprint for dystopia

• Your Country Didn’t Change Overnight. You Just Weren’t Paying Attention | The Walrus

  Authoritarianism doesn’t begin with a dictator. It starts when the idea of justice quietly disappears

• What Will It Cost to Renovate Trump’s ‘Free’ Air Force One? Don’t Ask. - The New York Times

  President Trump makes no secret of his displeasure over the cost of renovating the Federal Reserve headquarters — around $2.5 billion, or even higher by the president’s accounting .But getting the White House to discuss another of Washington’s expensive renovation projects, the cost of refurbishing a “free” Air Force One from Qatar, is quite another matter. Officially, and conveniently, the price tag has been classified. But even by Washington standards, where “black budgets” are often used as an excuse to avoid revealing the cost of outdated spy satellites and lavish end-of-year parties, the techniques being used to hide the cost of Mr. Trump’s pet project are inventive. Which may explain why no one wants to discuss a mysterious, $934 million transfer of funds from one of the Pentagon’s most over-budget, out-of-control projects — the modernization of America’s aging, ground-based nuclear missiles.

• The early career scientists planning to leave the United States

• The Federal War on Animal Welfare

  How the federal government is trying to stop state-level pig and chicken torture laws

  Pigs are smarter than dogs! Does a pregnant mother deserve this? We wouldn’t treat serial killers this way, and we should not treat innocent animals that way either, whose crime is only having body parts that taste nice. America does not suffer from an excess of burdensome animal cruelty laws, but from a shocking absence of animal cruelty laws.

External Security / Militaria / Diplomania

• Why the United States Should Not Fear a Space Pearl Harbor

• The EU and the US have reached a trade agreement

  • US and EU strike trade deal setting 15 percent tariff

  • EU, US Reach Deal to Avoid Trump Tariff Hike Before Deadline

  • Trump announces EU trade deal with 15% tariffs

World

• Canada's outdated elevator rules are adding to the housing crisis

• UK facing 'significant' volume of cyber attacks, security minister warns

• Germany sees loneliness epidemic among young people

• Rachel Reeves considers overruling Supreme Court in £44B car finance scandal

• Is Australia's bloated property market destroying the middle class?

• How Did a Pair of Football Buddies from Utah Join a Coup in the Congo?

• 'Japanese First': The deep roots of the rising far right

• More Canadians may be thinking of a staycation this summer

• Elite police squad to monitor anti-migrant posts on social media

  An elite team of police officers is to monitor social media for anti-migrant sentiment amid fears of summer riots. Detectives will be drawn from forces across the country to take part in a new investigations unit that will flag up early signs of potential civil unrest. The division, assembled by the Home Office, will aim to “maximise social media intelligence” gathering after police forces were criticised over their response to last year’s riots. It comes amid growing concern that Britain is facing another summer of disorder, as protests outside asylum hotels spread. On Saturday, crowds gathered in towns and cities including Norwich, Leeds and Bournemouth to demand action, with more protests planned for Sunday.

• Germany: Several Killed in Train Accident

• From Bali to Iceland, 165,000 Britons work remotely from another country

China

• Has the Qianfan satellite network – China's Starlink rival – run into trouble?

• The game is almost over for one of Hong Kong's last mahjong carvers

Health / Medicine

• Why we need to talk about periods, breasts and injuries in women's sport

• Woman says faecal transplant saved her and could help many more like her

Pox / COVID / BioTerror AgitProp

• Study Suggests Covid Shots Saved Fewer Lives Compared with Prior Estimates

Environment / Climate / Green Propaganda

• How Old Dubai's historic streets beat extreme heat

• Climate groups call for wealth tax to make super-rich fund sustainable economy

• A Food Reckoning Is Coming

• Turbulence is increasing. The aviation industry is trying to smooth things out

• Community air monitors give Detroiters new power against pollution

• Researchers planned test to dim sunlight, wanted to avoid scaring public

• Grizzlies Were Raiding Montana Farms. Then Came Some Formidable Dogs

• The Climate Alarmism Grift is Dying

  Their message is simple: CO2-driven warming poses no danger to the planet, while the net-zero policies designed to reduce CO2 do more harm than good. It takes a paper of serious complexity to validate such a simple message. They contend CO2 is not destroying the planet; it’s enhancing life on it. Across the globe, elevated CO2 levels are supercharging plant growth and delivering bountiful crop harvests at unprecedented rates. They then explain that hypothetical climate models rest on a long sequence of assumptions, many of which are either weak, invalidated, or demonstrably false. As a result, the outputs of these models are of questionable value and cannot be taken as reliable evidence. Climate activists reacted to this paper as expected: they want its authors arrested and jailed.