Link round-up for 10 May 2025

Various interesting stuff I ran across on the net over the last week.

o o o o o

That's what you get for being stupid.

Beauty pageants are about skills, not just looks.

Some people really shouldn't be around water.

There's such a thing as fish you can never catch.

This family doesn't like the rain.

These restaurants serve up meals of puns.

I'm ready to start working on this car..... oops.

Here's a collection of strange little animated clips.

You need huge balls to do this.

I don't think they quite meant to say that.

What would a zombie apocalypse actually be like?

Here's how to make a..... whatever this is.

It's as steady as a rock, as the saying goes.

Try to bite his head off, and you'll face the diarrhea of death.

The giant claw works delicately.

See some beautiful British bridges.

Check out the metalwork art of Cal Lane.

Blogger Annie discovers a new literary interest.

France's golden owl treasure hunt ended in acrimony and accusations of fraud.

A few inspirational quotes here.

You're never too young to appreciate music.

Behold the wine-dark sea.

This flock of birds behaves almost like a single organism.

"Arrête, c'est ici l'empire de la mort....."

This is what a CT scan machine looks like without its outer casing.

Stay right away from this stuff.

CIDRAP, based at the University of Minnesota, will provide science-based standards for US vaccine use, since the government can no longer be depended on to do it.

Scientists in Singapore have developed a way to generate electricity from rainfall.

For the first time, China's wind and solar power-generating capacity exceeds that of coal.

The measles vaccine also prevents SSPE, a rare but usually fatal syndrome.

US science is being censored for ideological reasons by ignorant politicians (almost all politicians are scientific ignoramuses, but the smarter ones have enough sense to know how much they don't know, and leave science to the scientists).

A lot of American kids can't read very well because many schools still use outdated, non-phonics-based methods for teaching reading.

Here's a deep assessment of the economic potential of "AI" (basically, there isn't any). It's a long article, so here's a short summary, but the whole thing is worth reading.  Yes, this "technology" is going to wind up costing a trillion dollars and there's still no evidence that it will ever produce any substantial return.  More here.  People who understand technology and economics, at least, seem to be coming to their senses about this idiocy.

Formerly eradicated from North America, screwworms are on the march again.

Kseniia Petrova's expertise is critical to an important cancer research project at Harvard.  Unfortunately she's been stuck in an ICE detention facility for the last two months, and may be deported.

If you're in the northeastern US and you see something that looks like a ketchup packet lying on the ground, leave it alone.

This Firefox add-on can hide those annoying "AI" overviews on Google.

Certain people in the US would love to have this gadget.  I don't think it would fool the cops, though.

Assholes are flooding social media with "AI" junk to trick elderly people and make money.

If you have a business, watch out for money-wiring scams.

Here's a current Gmail scam to watch out for.

Apparently some people consider this to be funny (warning: really disgusting).

This looks like it might be staged, but I hope it's real.

Don't date an "AI" user -- you might end up like this.

Use plain, clear language, not wimpy euphemisms.  And the same goes for this stuff about never using Trump's name.  He's a very ordinary, boring, stupid asshole.  Don't build him up into lord Voldemort.

This guy truly dodged a bullet.  Just imagine living with a partner who subjects you to an endless barrage of ideological litmus tests.

Some tips here for spotting "AI"-generated text.

Finally, some ads that I don't mind seeing.

How will JK Rowling be remembered?

If you're using Duolingo to learn a language, get rid of it -- it's no longer reliable.  Another option is Mango.

Thousands of unsellable cybertrucks are piling up on Tesla's hands.

Why would a man choose to "be" a woman?

It's getting harder and harder to tell satire from actual news (link from Chief Squirrel).

This, on the other hand, is obviously not real -- the Catholic Church would never tolerate such a heresy.

Dildos reveal the true spirit of Texas.

JD Vance is a man who gets results.

A new book analyzes MLM cults.

This is madness.  Any person has an absolute right to turn down any other person as a sex partner, for any reason.

Whenever this happens, you know you are in the presence of undiluted evil, the hatred for the mind (NSFW blog, requires Blogspot login).

Chatbots are sabotaging education.  I doubt this is true of everybody at university today -- when I was there I actually liked reading and writing for their own sake, and I'm sure there are students today who do -- but nevertheless we seem likely to be saddled with an increasing number of people who get degrees but can't actually do anything or think.

"And Jewish history is littered with graves dug by people who thought a lie, told often enough, could bury the truth.  It never does.  We're still here."

John Bolton has some interesting assessments of Trump's second term.

Younger workers are increasingly choosing trades over college.

Always remember that the system has only limited resources for suppressing protests.  Activists in Belarus suggest how to exploit this.

Anonymous has hacked GlobalX Air, the main airline being used for deportations.

No harm in shooting assholes like these.  I'd consider it pest control.

Trump has backed down on renaming Veterans Day, and on a crank US attorney nomination.  His DoJ is also opposing a lawsuit that seeks to restrict abortion pill access.

"Do not trust your brain to someone who didn't bother to use theirs."

Here's why a tariff on foreign-made movies is unworkable.

Men don't get to re-define the word "lesbian".

If you move to a rural area, you'll quickly find out why people all over the world are flocking to cities.

The US economy recovered from the 2008 Bush recession and from the pandemic, but Trump's bungling will probably do irreparable damage.

"The most important cause in the world is making sure men can pretend to be women and force everyone else to agree and act accordingly, no matter what."

New construction in my city is petering out as the economy stagnates and businesses flee.

Schumer promises to kill the SAVE Act, which would make it harder for some women to vote.

Stop trying to make everything about race.  It just makes you look stupid.

This sounds disturbing.  I like Fetterman, but if there are signs that he's developing mental-health issues, the party needs to start thinking about what to do.

75% of Americans now oppose letting men participate in women's sports.

Bill Gates wants to give away most of his money (can I have some, please?) -- he doesn't want to "die rich", so he expects to have a mere one billion dollars left when he goes.

"Yes, this is exactly what you voted for."

Robert Prevost, just elected pope by the conclave this week, has been accused of helping to cover up several sex-abuse cases in both Peru and the US.

DOGE's buggering up of the air traffic control system is starting to have serious consequences.

Massachusetts's millionaire tax doesn't seem to be driving rich people out of the state.

The resistance to Trump is working.

Vile Kafkaesque abuses are being committed in our name.

".....that pretending to believe these things has become an elitist badge of virtue."

The Los Angeles Times lost fifty million dollars last year as its billionaire owner's pro-Trump stance drove away subscribers and advertisers.

Abortions have resumed in Wyoming after a judge suspended the state's new forced-birth laws.

The stock market has recovered somewhat since Trump backed down on most of his tariffs, but imploding traffic levels at US ports tell us where the economy is really going.

Harvard has released its final report on anti-Semitism on campus.  It's horrifying.  There's no more urgent issue facing our universities than tackling this problem.

Trump's mental decline is becoming impossible to ignore.

Thanks to a changed media environment, the racist and misogynistic practice of Karen-calling is losing its power to ruin lives.

Marjoreene could save Jon Ossoff's Senate seat next year.

Here's a reminder from general Mark Milley about the character of the US military.

Fetishizing Palestinians is just a gimmick to make Jew-hatred seem virtuous.

Republican officials don't give a shit that you're suffering from higher prices due to tariffs.

"It sounds like what it is: men flatly refusing to take women's "NO" for an answer."

The EU is offering €500 million in incentives to lure US scientists being defunded by the Trumpazoids.

Trump's threats are driving Greenlanders to cling more closely to Denmark.

This attack on a Russian bunker illustrates the maneuverability of drones under remote control.  They're ideal for precision hits on small targets.

New details about the sinking of the Moskva highlight the Russian military's incompetence and decrepitude.

Israel is setting up a new aid distribution system in Gaza to ensure that aid actually gets to civilians instead of being stolen by Hamas.  So of course the UN and the usual run of Israel-haters are against it.

Muslim men in Bangladesh show their level of respect for women.

The US gives China's gangster-regime a forceful reminder to keep its hands off Taiwan.

More links at Red State Blues and WAHF.

My posts this week:  some truths and inspirations, a musical tribute to evolution, and India strikes back.

o o o o o

I AM SO GODDAMN FUCKING SICK OF EVERY GODDAMN FUCKING THING BEING ABOUT GODDAMN FUCKING TRUMP!!!

o o o o o

When one of those smartphone addicts spoils your road trip:

o o o o o

For the new pope, a tribute in the style of Star Wars: