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December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas, everyone.
Also, happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah,
joyous debauched Pagan Solstice, and May The Force be With You.



And for your Holiday listening pleasure, click here.

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December 13, 2015

Tis the season to do something joyful.

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December 7, 2015

Science:

• A stunning photo montage from very deep orbit: The Moon Crossing the Face of Earth.
• How fast can a species evolve? Faster than we thought: Powerful 'Gene Drive' Can Quickly Change An Entire Species.
• Look in the mirror: The Evolution of Human Faces in Last 6 Million Years.
• What is The evolutionary benefit or purpose of having periods?
• As well as causing heart disease, Scientists Theorize Inflammation May Trigger Some Mental Illnesses.
• Tucked away so far into inaccessible backcountry that almost nobody ever visits it, Beartooth rockslide may be the biggest in North America.
• While they were spending millions (with a tax break subsidy for doing so) trying to tell everyone that climate change was "junk science" and "a liberal plot", they were circulating internal reports trying to prepare the company for a melted world. There may be a legal case here, because Exxon's "experts" testified before Congress -- several times. What Exxon knew about the Earth's melting Arctic all along.
• The disturbing things that happen to your body when you drink Coca-Cola. I drink tea. Actually, I also drink a 50/50 mix of fruit juice and seltzer water. Very refreshing, hydrating, relatively low sugar, and none of the horrific health effects described above.
• Have you been hiking, and got sick? Before you go to the doctor, check your symptoms online against the keyword "Ticks." So few people do outdoor recreation that doctors and hospitals often do not bother to screen for tick and biting insect-borne illnesses. The Lone Star Tick May Be Spreading A New Disease.
• Haven't seen it yet, but it looks like fun: New Archaeology Movie Poster: a must see.
• She is amazing, and my hero: She did it again! Anish sets self-supported Appalachian Trail hiking record and here's another link Anish Sets Appalachian Trail Self Supported (FKT) Record and here's an excellent post - hike interview.
• I live in Bear Country -- and by that, I mean Grizzly Bear Country. While there are more Black bear encounters than Grizzly, that's because Black bears live in much more densely populated areas. Either kind can be dangerous -- especially if habituated -- but Blackies don't scare me much. Still: Woman dies after being attacked by bear in her home.
• And here's another Bear Tale, this time involving a Grizzly, and illustrating why Montana People are Officially Bad-Ass: Hunter escapes attack by shoving arm down bear's throat.

Tech: 

• Some cool startup products: Solar Paper will make it possible to recharge devices while going ultralight.
• Emerging technology, at first, engenders a "Wow cool but what is it good for?" reaction. Later, people wonder how ewe ever lived without it. Touchjet WAVE: Turns TV into a Touchscreen Tablet and Pond - Touchjet Exploride - Turn Your Car into a Smart Car.
• Lose weight the cool way: Thin Ice: The Very First Weight-Loss Clothing Line.

Startups for coffee are fun to browse: they wax poetic about enabling caffeine addiction, and they go for broke with technology:

• Laptop interface, temperature control, grind, brew, beep and gurgle: Bruvelo.
• A hand-grinder with better control and consistency: Precision Coffee Grinder.
• Oscillating spout pour-over with temperature controls: Invergo.
• Prepacked disposable paper filter pour-over for backpackers and travelers: Kuju Coffee.
• A better hand grinder with burrs stabilized at both ends, for a more consistent grind: EvenGrind by Kuissential.
• Electric induction water heater, fast and accurate, pretty design, good brewing science, $500: La Fenice.
• A well-designed, one piece, ceramic pour-over basket: The Little Dripper Coffee Brewer by Constellation Supply Co.
• These guys freely admit that the very popular and cheap AEROPRESS® is frankly one of the best coffee makers out there, but they think you should buy their wooden lever holder : Spressa - Enhance your AeroPress experience.
• I use one of these, and it makes excellent espresso: Bialetti : moka express.
• Great coffee: Velton's Coffee Roasting Company.
• And, tea made from the dried outer fruit of the ripe, red coffee berry: Cascara 'Tea': A Tasty Infusion.

Education:

• The new high school in my area consists of a very large tournament gymnasium with lots of indoor stadium seating, multiple sets of locker rooms for gym class, junior varsity, varsity and visiting teams, concession areas, tons of parking,  halls packed with sports trophies -- and oh, by the way, it has a few classrooms in a small attached wing. It was built specifically to be a tournament sports facility; that's what the school board wanted, they said so straight out, and that's what the community got.  The Case Against High-School Sports - The Atlantic.
• So it should be no surprise that College Football Is Stealing Your Education. Did you know that about half of your tuition is going to pay for the school's football program? This is what you went into debt for: college football.
• And Did You Know You Can Lower Your Student Loan Payments?

Culture and Modern Life:

• I laughed the instant I saw this: Red Shirt Halloween costume.
• Read below the article for all the techie arguments, and make your machine more private: Awesome addons to stay secure online.
• Some of the worst computer news I have heard in a long time: Mozilla will let go of Thunderbird.
• Like I need help making a taller "to read next" stack: Whichbook | A new way of choosing what book to read next.
• Gorgeous, durable, distinctive, an affordable top-drawer luxury item: Playing Cards - theory11.
• A pretty funny comic: Palpatine and Sauron in the afterlife.
• Finally, Harvard Business School looks at assholes in the workplace: Toxic Workers.
• Snappy rejoinders. Memorize these and turn people that dislike you into lifelong enemies: Brilliant insults: Word war 5.
• Just watch -- it's worth the ten seconds: Cowboy Jousting.
• And now for some really minimalist footwear: FYF - #FreeYourFeet | Swiss Barefoot Company.
• I never knew it looked like this: Bowed violin string in slow motion
• A former member finally speaks out: Leaving Westborough Baptist Church.
• A stunning museum display: The Scale of Our War-Museum of NZ.
• Speak out now: sign the petitions, call your congress-critters, put up a fight: Leaked (final?) TPP Intellectual Property chapter spells doom for free speech online.
• Charter school, far from being the promised salvation of American Education, turned out to be made for fraud: CMD Publishes Full List of 2,500 Closed Charter Schools (with Interactive Map).
• Speaking of fraud, would you like fries with that "justice"? Arbitration: how America's corporations got their own private legal system.

Surveillance State Of America:

• Giving away your privacy, one "like" at a time: Facebook will be able to track down every single person in the world.
• Windows 10, a dream come true for the NSA: I've been telling people for months, now Forbes is telling you too. Welcome to Level 3 spying.
• Not so much hiding from the Government as protecting yourself from identity thieves and hackers. Encrypt, encrypt, encrypt: Edward Snowden explains how to reclaim your privacy.

Law and Disorder

• In the early 1970s, Nunchucks were considered as an issue weapon by the Denver Police Department, and after seeing a demonstration, they passed, because they were deemed far too dangerous and lethal. My how times have changed. Small California Town Gives Its Police Nunchucks As Non-Lethal Alternative.
• It's called "Swatting."  A Canadian teenager used America's militarized cops to terrorize women gamers for years.
• It's called "False Imprisonment." Massachusetts crime lab scandal worsens.
• Your Tax Dollars At Work -- on US citizens: Appeals court holds the FBI is allowed to kidnap and torture Americans outside US borders.
• You may not like lesbians in public, but it's really none of your business -- unless you're a cop: Lesbian Couple Files Lawsuit After Hawaii Cop Arrested Them For Kissing.
• We are used to hearing the banal lies of "It's just a few Bad Apples" and "it's actually very rare" and "it's blown out of proportion" and other flavors official BS. But this time, police claim that public accountability -- for police -- causes crime: Political Lies About Police Brutality.
• To serve and beat the hell out of anyone who does not meekly comply: Incident between Round Rock, Texas PD & High School Student Caught on Camera.

Tales from America's Booming Prison Industry

• The headline says it all: Man Jailed for Traffic Ticket Dies in Cell After 17 Days of Torture. Officers Watched It Happen.
• They lobby for -- and get -- mandatory sentencing. They lay waste to community budgets, destroy lives, kill people inside, enslave human beings, and do it all without oversight. And it's called "Privatization" -- the darling of the Neocon Right. MuckRock • Five myths of the private prison industry.
• And it leads to the sort of crap you would expect from a prison in Mexico:  Illinois prisons spy on prisoners, sue them for rent on their cells if they have any money.

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September 22, 2015
Microsoft's business model; if your customers don't want to buy your latest product, FORCE THEM!

A few months ago, my aging computer -- which is still perfectly viable -- started to become a wreck, thanks to Microsoft and their policy of "updating" an old operating system (XP, in this case) into oblivion.

And so XP has become, little by little, so weird and quirky -- thanks to Microsoft's continuous onslaught of deliberate degradation -- that many programs are now completely unusable. One of those is Firefox, which I love and which is the best browser for personal privacy and security.

Fortunately for me, Google Chrome still works pretty well on XP, which allows me to procrastinate on implementing my decision to switch to Ubuntu on my computer. I have installed Ubuntu on many computers, and people have always been very happy with the results; it's stable, almost crash proof, about five times faster than Windows, and FREE!

(So suck on that, Microsoft.)

But meanwhile, Google Chrome does not store its bookmarks in a way that makes them easy to copy with complete data, and then paste into another window, which is why my blog here at PapaVox has languished. It's a hassle. I apologize for that, and will try to do better in the future.

Science and tech:

• The headline says it all: The Point of No Return: Climate Change Nightmares Are Already Here
• Not on the market yet, but soon (and expensive): MSR Guardian Purifies Any Water Source
• Update your Android device: Major Flaw In Android Phones Would Let Hackers In With Just A Text
• It turned out to be a terrible idea (20 million people died): From 1958 to 1962 China killed insane amount of sparrows
• So slapping down scientists who don't toe the party line isn't just for America: Scientist Who Wrote Protest Song About Canada's PM Is Put On Leave
• "Tired of crappy software? Tell us what application you want to replace and we give you great alternatives, based on user recommendations. AlternativeTo"
• Very lightweight, very simple, inexpensive: Kickstarter: Solar Water Sterilization by Tortoise Gear ... but not terribly fast (3 to 6 hours at sea level, 90 minutes at 10,000 feet in clear sunlight.)
• An anthropocentric approach to defining extinct ancestors: What Is a Hominin? - Definition and Recent Studies
• TSA: Oops. Oh and also, we don't care. Lockpickers 3-D Print TSA Master Luggage Keys
• Mine? Not so much. But then again, it's always been really lousy pay: Will Your Job Be Done By A Machine?
• "Cyborg Unplug detects and kicks surveillance devices from wireless networks, breaking uploads and streams. Unlike a jammer, it only targets unwanted devices - leaving the rest alone. Cyborg Unplug is simple and legal." Cyborg Unplug
• What do you mean, "Had"? Report: AT&T Had Long, 'Highly Collaborative' Partnership With NSA
• Tales from inside a corporate communications beast: Part 1: Carriers
• Why don't we make Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors, which are vastly more efficient, and also very safe? Ross Clements - YouTube

Culture:

    America: we need to improve our education.

    Congress: We need another standardized test and more homework!

    Finland: Actually, we became one of the world's best education providers
    by getting rid of standardized tests and homework.
    Also, we pay our teachers more than you do.

    Congress: Better make that TWO more standardized tests!

• A great way for local search and rescue teams to raise much needed money, and a sure-fire success, because the sort of person who would buy the card is the sort who doesn't usually need rescuing: Buy Your Get Rescued Free Card
• Quiz: Name That Narcissist - The New York Times
• Schedule your kid to "high achievement" death: Today’s Exhausted Superkids.
• Speaking of the recent Republican Presidential Candidate debates: thinking of emigrating? Oh, Canada!
• Soothing environmental sounds for your desktop: A Soft Murmur
• Very pretty, and practical too (especially if you herd sheep): Sheep Wagons
• The world's top climbers take on Meru -- the unclimbable peak.
• Odds of a high school varsity football player getting into the NFL: 0.09%.
• The Doctor and Clara (and friends) out for a stroll on Abbey Road.
• Finally, an executive dirtbag gets treated fairly for the crimes he committed: Peanut Exec Gets 28 Years In Prison For Deadly Salmonella Outbreak
• Perspective:

 

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July 11, 2015

Time to do some catch-up.

Science and Tech:

• New information for me, and a really clear demonstration why: Reminder: Don't turn your wheels until you're ready to turn.
• But it sounded so good: The Golden Ratio: Design's Biggest Myth.
• Handy, and updated constantly: Microsoft Safety Scanner.
• This stinks: Peak Poop: The Feces Problem on Everest Needs a Solution.
• There actually is a reason: Why do we have allergies?
• Spicy and very sweet: Here's What 170-Year-Old Champagne Recovered From A Shipwreck Tastes Like.
• Is there a way for a knight to land on every square of a chessboard -- only once? Why, yes, there is: Knight's tour.
• Handy: Stolen Camera Finder - find your photos, find your camera.
• Free online speed reading software.
• How the NSA Converts Spoken Words Into Searchable Text.
• Huh? Your cyberpunk games are dangerous. What happens when you combine ignorance with heavy-handed Keystone Cops.
• Fascinating Relief Maps Show The World's Mountain Ranges.
• Cool Tools – iFixit 26-Bit Driver Kit.
• Why The FDA Has Never Looked At Some Of The Additives In Our Food.
• The FBI lied about hair samples for over 20 years.
• Save your eyes, and get to sleep easier: f.lux: software to make your life better.
• A "Dust Bowl" event: Haboob Alert! Giant Dust Storms Engulf Phoenix Area, Leaving Thousands Without Power.
• Ten+ sci-fi books that'll knock your socks off.
• Recently Spotted 103-Year-Old Orca Is Bad News For SeaWorld.
• Cuba Has A Lung Cancer Vaccine, And Now It Could Be Coming To The USA.
• 10 best plants to improve indoor air quality.
• Skepticism is good for you: Skeptoid: Critical Analysis Podcast.
• Turn down the heat, turn on your brown fat cells; ▶ Losing weight 'the cool way'.
• The coolest guy out there: ▶ StarTalk episode 1 Neil deGrasse Tyson.
• PSA: 10 drugs you shouldn`t use while driving.

Culture:

• Banana!
• Priorities: what we spend money on in California.
• Don't forget, this is still a problem: NASA / Pixar GIF
• Freedom: the distance between Church and State. Stone throwers.
• Perspective: Murders in America.
• Cool Tools – pStyle Female Urination Device.
• From 'Dragon Tattoo' To The 'Spider's Web': Stieg Larsson's Heroine Returns.
• A hard game which demands skill: In Bloodborne's brutal world, I found myself.
• On the Hugo Award hijacking.
• Stradivarius violin tops The Strad’s ‘blind test’ of old and modern instruments.
• Album on Imgur.
• The secret is sodium citrate: The best macaroni and cheese: traditional vs. Modernist.
• Trailer for a movie I'd love to watch -- if it ever gets made: DAWN OF THE..STUFF.

Politics:

• Corinthian Colleges Secretly Funded D.C. Think Tanks, Dark Money Election Efforts.
• The media’s reaction to Seymour Hersh’s bin Laden scoop has been disgraceful.
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sounds a lot like a Republican presidential candidate: Like GOP candidates, he thinks there is a religious war between Muslims and non-Muslims.
• Wyoming law against data collection: Protecting ranchers by ignoring the environment.
• Walmart raised its pay. But it's still so low workers qualify for government aid.
• Tea Party Tax Experiment Forces Schools To Cut The Academic Year Short.
• Congress is fed up with DEA chief Michele Leonhart.

Law and Disorder:

• State Knife Carry Laws: Know Your Rights.
• Sony sends pre-emptive threat letter to journalists.
• Airport workers, including TSA, raid unlockable luggage for valuables.
• Dead Canadians, Defrauded Californians, And Scientology's Huge, Weird Win In Court.
• South Carolina Officer Is Charged With Murder of Walter Scott.
• Good advice for hikers and African Americans.
• Maryland officials support 'Free Range Parents', say Child Protective Services went too far.
• New Canadian Counterterrorism Law Threatens Environmental Groups.
• The VA's Broken Promise To Thousands Of Vets Exposed To Mustard Gas.
• NEMLEC SWAT Documents Give Ugly Snapshot of Police Militarization.
• U.S. Police Have Shot Dead 385 People In Five Months.
• Kalief Browder, Jailed For Years At Rikers Island Without Trial, Commits Suicide.

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March 31, 2015

Science and Tech:

• I read up on science stuff all the time, but every year, I'm shocked at how much I missed: Last year (2014) in science!
• The Universe is way more complex that you may have thought. The Big Bang is going down. Maybe.
• If all the ice in the world melted, sea levels would go up by about 66 meters. But this map lets you look at a world with sea levels up to 800 meters higher: Flood Map: Water Level Elevation Map.
  
• Still, it's worth a long hard look at a world with no ice caps or glaciers: Rising Seas - Interactive: If All The Ice Melted because with the current trend in geopolitics -- which is to COMPLETELY ignore rising CO2 levels -- this is not at all a far-fetched future, and far sooner that previously predicted.
• "Perfectly safe." Yup. Sure. Monsanto Lobbyist Says Weed Killer Safe to Drink -- but only if you're an idiot.
• Medical science takes a giant leap forward by figuring out that our ancestors weren't totally ignorant. 900 - year - old medical potion kills MRSA.
• My mind reels with sarcastic and sexist jokes: Some women may see 100 million colors, thanks to their genes.
• Maybe we can get enough DNA to clone them, and sit back and watch them play football. Neanderthals in Europe Died Out Thousands of Years Sooner Than Some Thought.
• Very exciting, and promising: New Alzheimer's treatment fully restores memory function.
• It's coming; free internet from satellites, for everyone: Outernet: Humanity's Public Library.
• Just in care you are on the 10k steps craze: How Many Walking Steps Are in a Mile?
• Fast and completely true facts: TL;DR Wikipedia.
• Want a faster browser, which doesn't harvest your personal data and sell it? Download latest stable Chromium binaries. Of course, you will need to know Is my PC running the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows? Which is also helpful if you simply dump Windows altogether and go to Ubuntu.
• Unless you buy a new computer, which won't LET you go to Ubuntu: Windows 10 announcement: certified hardware can lock out competing OSs.
• Not available in my area, unfortunately. If it works for you, Loyal And Alert Reader, please let me know: Stop robocalls and telemarketers with Nomorobo.

Culture:

• Sad and touching: Postapocalyptic Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
• Now THAT'S a dress; Scottish Wedding Dress, 1785.
• Hilarious Amazon reviews for a ring.  (Not just any ring, mind you.) And it's still going.
• An amazing accomplishment: Hikers complete winter thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.
• A good read: Anish and Remy's 2006 Continental Divide Trail Journal.
  
• Just in case you are hence inspired; Continental Divide Trail complete map.
• I don't know about hammock camping. Advocates love it, but admit that it only works if you habitually sleep on your back. If that's you habit, by all means, give it a try. Here's the latest entry into the field, but a company that knows their stuff: Therm-a-Rest Slacker Hammock.
• Most sleeping pads won't work in hammocks; they are too stiff and the pop out sideways. This one by the excellent Exped company is designed to be extremely flexible and to cradle you in the hammock: SyncellMat. Available in various sizes and also an UltraLight version, it's not just for hammocks. Many testers say the innovative design makes for the most comfortable pad they've ever tried.
• Well, not "flaws" exactly, unless you consider "really expensive dream house" to be a flaw: Architectural Flaws.
• Are ALL of those "We Buy Gold" places a scam? Why yes, as a matter of fact, they are: We Buy Broken Gold.
• So bad they are almost good. Almost: Shinesty's appalling fashion collections.
• Excellent news, especially since Gillian Anderson is the sexiest woman alive: 'The X-Files' Is Returning To Fox After 13 Years.
• Now I realize that I missed a few, and I need to catch up:  The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, ranked.
• Another reason why I love my home state: Montanans fail to embarrass themselves on Google map.

Politics:

• A Chart of Federal Spending.  That is all.

Law:

• Very cute, and really handy for, like, driving on sidewalks: NYPD Smart Patrol Car.

And Disorder

• American men's risk of imprisonment by age 34.
• Anthony Hill, Unarmed, Naked Black Man, Fatally Shot By Police Near Atlanta.
• Victims of Chicago police torture fight for reparations.
• San Francisco Sheriff's Deputy ring accused of pit-fighting inmates.
• Take a lonely, confused kid, add evil, and stir: How the FBI Created a Terrorist.
• Ruin your life, get away with it: "State Secrets" Protect Shadowy Neocons from egregious libel charge lawsuit.
• TSA’s Secret Behavior Checklist to Spot Terrorists.
• How to spot "Suspicious people," according to American Airlines.  

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March 9, 2015

Happy Daylight Saving Time (just in case you haven't changed your clocks yet.) While I do hear some people gripe bitterly about DST, it mostly seems to be over the fact that they are incensed over the enormous personal inconvenience of it, which amounts to about zero for most people today. I asked around about changing clocks, and the most common response I got was "I use my phone for everything." Cellphones make the change automatically, of course. I had seven clocks and a watch to change (old-fashioned, that's me) and the adjustment took about two minutes out of my Saturday evening, during which time I was humming happily; for those of us who suffer from the winter light-deprivation blues, DST is a Godsend.
 
Science:

• The chances that the Internet will continue to be a safe, calm, happy place? Sort of slim, according to these guys. Cybergeddon: Why the Internet could be the next “failed state.” They predict an Internet where you take your (digital) life into your own hands whenever you go online; dangerous and shady, with  predators lurking behind every mouse click. Or maybe just so chaotic that it becomes unusable. I happen to be one of those antique people that started using the internet back in the Old Days, where most people never used a "browser" at all, and all the activity was in email and newsgroups. Since then, the internet evolved into a fascinating community of enthusiastic techo-nerds who freely and happily shared their considerable knowledge with the world, covering a wide array of all possible topics. Then, it evolved into a useless fire-hose of advertizing, filled with millions of merchants and seedy salesmen who stand in front of your face and make it almost impossible to research anything at all. The simplest search string on any topic now nets you hundreds of thousands of "results" almost all of which are attempts to sell you something you didn't want at prices considerably above retail plus overnight shipping charged much higher than actual cost, with the added bonus attraction of scams and hoaxes galore. You have to be an expert to write a usable search string now, and willing to spend hours combing through digital "junk mail" to find anything useful. 
• Ah, the ridiculous headlines that scientifically-illiterate journalists write: Aliens May Have "Seeded" Life On Earth. Wait, you mean you were serious about that? Is this picture a 'seed' sent to Earth by aliens? Or is it an actual seed, from a plant we didn't know existed? A tough, nearly indestructible metallic-coated seed, able to survive deep space? That could be one heck of a plant. (And does it sing, "Feed Me Seymore"?)
• A fossil discovered in 2013 adds to our knowledge about the earliest human members of the hominid club: Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo rudolfensis. About 2.8 million years old, this is the Oldest Human Fossil Unearthed in Ethiopia.
• Surprisingly accurate, this computer model allows you to see what body changes happen if you add, for example, a few hours of exercise per week, or a few pounds less weight: Body Builder.
• Interesting article, but also a totally cool video of NASA's satellite imagery time-lapsed over eight months: Why China's Pollution Could Be Behind Our Cold, Snowy Winters.
• When it comes to crows, it's called "A Murder" for a reason.
• Another fun computer simulation, this one on the spread of Zombies. You pick the bite lethality, and the rate of undead shuffle speed, and watch the contagion spread: Zombie-town USA.
• When you are driving around in a wildlife park with critters that can eat you, lock your damn car doors: Lion opens car door. And, she opens it like she's done it many times before.
• A Utah DEA agent explains the horrible danger from blitzed bunnies: DEA: If Utah legalizes pot, rabbits (and other wildlife) will get stoned. One wonders how dangerous a baked bunny is, and he tells us the frightening truth about a high hare he saw: "... his natural instincts to run were somehow gone." The horror.
• I do not know if grizzly bears would be any more dangerous when stoned, but perhaps the well-known side effects of lethargy and reduced ambition could help prevent this: Pedal faster. I hope that picture was Photoshopped. If not, that bike rider was about one second from a gruesome death, and very lucky to have escaped. Riding a bike in grizzly country is a chancy thing, especially riding alone. It makes a human look more like prey to a grizzly, and can trigger a pursuit response.
• The Kansas Senate just passed a law that could put teachers in prison for assigning books prosecutors don’t like. All the prosecutor needs is to consider the book to be "harmful." For a wacko conservative Kansas prosecutor, that is an awfully broad brush to paint with.
• Imagine the rim of the Grand Canyon. If you've been there, you already know. If you haven't, it's the most stunning and awe-inspiring landscape on Earth. Pristine, primeval, gorgeous, wild, and most important: not destroyed by the hand of man. "If an organization called Confluence Partners has its way, however, not long from now the next person to stand in that spot and watch the sunrise will be presented with a different vision: a 420-acre strip mall perched on the eastern rim of the Canyon, complete with stores, chain restaurants, a massive RV park, and a gondola to carry swaths of American laziness past all that natural beauty straight to the canyon floor..." The Wreckers' Grand Canyon Intentions.
•  Here are 43 kitchen gadgets you didn't know you needed. (And you were right; you don't need them.)
• Considering an alternative house? This couple has been living the dream for the last nine months:  Whitefish Montana Yurt. Note: the "dream" included carbon monoxide poisoning. But they have a better stove now.
• Typical: turn on the shower,  walk away and let the water warm up before you climb in. It's all too easy to let that warm up time go much longer than you need, and waste quite a bit of water and energy. So here's a showerhead that turns off as soon as you reach the right temperature, so when you are ready to shower, you just pull on a chain, and your water is "just right" without having wasted gallons, day after day, year after year. How much waste? 2oo billion gallons of hot water wasted per year in America. The valve costs $30, and will likely save you $75 per year, every year, forever. A better shower with a thermostatic shut-off valve.  Here's the company website: evolve showerheads

Ultralight Backpacking Gear:

• The new MSR FlyLite Tent tent from MSR weighs 1 pound 9 ounces and it has a floor, a zipper door, mosquito netting, and 29 square feet of space. This more than qualifies as an Ultralight shelter for two people. While the UL fanatics all carry a tarp, considering the fact that the average Ultralight tarp weighs about a pound, plus a ground sheet of some sort, plus you need a mosquito net for your head and face, the FlyLite is a real alternative. Also, even the die-hard UL folks admit that a tarp is generally inadequate for snowy conditions, or the winds you automatically expect around and above timberline. Look for it it in appropriate stores later this month.
• Instead of carrying the whole map, or instead of cutting your nice map into confetti, just print out the map section you need: CalTopo - Backcountry Mapping Evolved.

Politics:

• In Iowa, the 2016 election run has begun — at least for the Republican Party. And much of it will center around The Dangerous Candidacy of Scott Walker  and the specter of what another Bush in the Whitehouse would mean: The Bush foundation, corporations and education officials.

Law:

• The headline says it all: Hartford, CT says friends can't room together unless some of them are servants.

And Disorder:

• A New Estimate Of Killings By Police Is Way Higher — And Still Too Low. It's interesting how America's Police Departments love to throw statistics around -- except when it comes to how many Americans they kill.
• Asshole: Judge who invented Ferguson's debtor's prisons owes $170K in tax.

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February 27, 2015
 
Science:

• You HAVE seen the new Cosmos, haven't you? It's now on Netflix streaming. And one of the main driving forces behind the series -- both the original with Carl Sagan, and the new one with Neil deGrasse Tyson -- is Ann Druyan; scientist, author, amazing woman:
• Interview with Anne Druyan.
• DEET works, but can be, depending on who you read, scary stuff. Which is the Best Insect Repellent? Here's the genuine experts on the subject: Protection against Mosquitoes - CDC. A nice alternative to carrying bottles which are heavy -- and which can leak catastrophically: Natrapel 12 pack wipes.
• Or you can try this more natural -- but still effective -- approach: Lemon Eucalyptus 4-Ounce.
• Vitamin D. It's good for you, but if you get kidney stones, you can't take it in supplement form. But you can use The Vitamin D Lamp.
• Here's a letter from a mother regarding vaccines. And just in case you know someone who is an anti-vaccine nutjob, just tell them that Having the brakes removed from your car is a personal decision.
• Someone having "Just a Little Heart Attack".
• Here's a reason why all of that unnecessary cosmetic surgery performed on all of those Hollywood people was worth it: it taught plastic surgeons how to do this amazing facial reconstruction after fire injury.
• It's not hard: Gardens for everyone.
• Which grocery store produce items are toxic, and which are not: The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen.
• There's several ways it could happen: What kind of immortality would you rather come true?
• Let's be careful out there, people; Bears awakening early in Yellowstone.
• More archaeology news on the First Americans.
• Well, not better than some of us: Watch a robot play the violin better than you can. (I think Itzhak Perlman is safe for now.)
• Global warming = * kaboom * ...  "What was that?" The Siberian crater saga is more widespread — and scarier — than anyone thought. And some more cool photos: More Mysterious Craters Found in Siberia.
• The statistics say that you can stop being so paranoid now: "Stranger Danger" to children vastly overstated.
• What's sauce for the Goose: Scientists pledge to increase interference with the Church.
• Goodbye privacy: The Great SIM Heist: How Spies Stole the Keys to the Encryption Castle.

Culture, Gear and Food:

• I love these: Lunar New Year: Chinese Golden Balls With Walnut Paste. But they are a pain to make. So I did my own version in simple cake form, all baked in one pan:

Chinese New Year Walnut Sesame Coconut Rice Cake:

Put in Cuisinart with the large chopping blade, and process until the walnuts are fully pulverized and incorporated into the dry mixture:

1 cup walnuts
1 & 1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 & 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder

Add and mix in:

1 can (13 oz) Coconut Milk
1 whole egg

Butter the bottom and sides of a 10" round cake pan or quiche dish. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the buttered surface until it is completely coated. Pour in the batter, level gently, and sprinkle more sesame seeds over the top until it is generously coated.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, until barely set.

• A great photo: The truth about PETA.
• Fun website: Silk – Interactive Generative Art
• A map of where not to live: America's mega-cities.
• A distressing look at working for a living in America today: The Most Common* Job In Every State.
• Hints: it's much cheaper than you'd think, and people leap to conclusions. Surprising things about owning a used luxury car.
• Priceless tweets: Ghetto Hikes.
• What we automatically think a "typical" person is: Cognition, categories and oppression.
• The process of Natural Selection at work: Gun tips from Imgur.
• This could be a really big help to many people: New Tattoo Removal Cream Exploits Immune System.
• A good article on Why Everyone's Going Nuts Over The 2015 Jeep Renegade. And a handy PDF guide: 2015 Jeep Renegade: the mini-Jeep.
• Two words; Lifetime Warranty. Darn Tough Socks.
• A bit fussy, but what the heck: The Perfect Whiskey Glass.
• Cold-brewed cocoa: I have journeyed to the soul of chocolate and I bring you good tidings.
• Oh, for Crying Out Loud: Five-year-old misses friend's birthday party and gets invoice for £15.95.

Government:

• Mess with Vlad, pay the price: Putin Critic Boris Nemtsov Shot Dead.
• A frightening look at what was really going on during the cold war. Hint: Doctor Strangelove was not so far-fetched after all. ‘Command and Control,’ by Eric Schlosser.
• Oh, please: Isaac Latterell, South Dakota Lawmaker, Says Planned Parenthood Is Worse Than ISIS.
• And he wants to be President; Gov Walker caught lying about his rewrite of the U Wisc mission.
• And he wants us to all wear Burkas. Even the men: Montana lawmaker seeks to outlaw provocative clothing.
• Torture for fun and profit: your tax dollars at work. Doonesbury nails it.

Law and Disorder:

• Mess with Charlie, pay the price: Philly TSA supervisor Charles Kieser sent a traveller to jail for asking to file a complaint. Another article on the incident: Polaneczky: TSA jails innocent traveler when he asks to file a complaint.
• Hint: they just take it from you. And keep it. Police Stop You While You're Carrying A Bunch Of Cash. What Happens To Your Money?
• Oops. Highway Patrol Error Results In Hellish Roadside Experience For Classic Car Owner.
• First off, they do it so often that they now need a new policy: NYC Proposes Limits on How Often Schools Can Handcuff Students.
• Peace, love, harmony. Can't have that. It's a hazard. Missoula police to withdraw grant application citing Rainbows as 'hazard'.
• This has got to stop. 17 Year-Old-Girl Shot Dead By Three Cops At Police Station.
• Ditto: Exonerations Of The Wrongfully Convicted Hit Record High.
• Oh for GOD'S SAKE: Investigation finds Chicago police has off-the-record interrogation site led by GITMO torturer.