Bag of Randomness for Friday, September 11, 2020

Every September 11, former White House press secretary under Bush43 will tweet the events from 2001 as they happened. The first few years he did this I thought it was thoughtful and sincere way to honor what happened that day. Now, I think it’s an act of self-absorption.

I wonder what Marissa Mayer has been up to. She was a standout at Google and tasked with saving Yahoo!, but that didn’t quite work out. But I’m expecting a huge comeback, but not sure when. This is the latest on her Wikipedia page:

After leaving Yahoo! in 2017, Mayer started Lumi Labs with former colleague Enrique Munoz Torres. The company is based in Palo Alto and is focused on artificial intelligence and consumer media.

Lumi Labs, per their website, is stealthy.

I saw a new commercial from Disney promoting visiting their parks with a focus on masks and sanitation. But a lot of it was holiday themed, which I guess means it’s the first Christmas commercial of the year.

Dame Diana Rigg death was reported yesterday. I really not familiar with any of her previous work, but I adored her as Lady Olena in Game of Thrones. She had some of the best and most scathing one-liners.

Really, what’s the point of these short stubby screwdrivers? Why would someone prefer to use it over a regular-sized screwdriver? I’m no handyman, but never have I worked on anything in which I thought a short stubby screwdriver would function better than a regular-sized screwdriver.

Maybe I’ll change my mind one day, but it’s hard for me to believe anyone willfully working for the Trump Administration is doing it more so for love of country than they are for themselves. I’ve changed my stance on several Bush43 thoughts after the passage of time, thought and reflection, and being exposed to additional information and perspective, so I suppose it could happen.

The Woodward audio recording interviews are getting a lot of attention about what and when the president knew about COVID19 and how he mislead his subjects the country.One thing I haven’t heard is regarding this is Vice-President Pence’s involvement. He knows everything the president knows. This isn’t like the time FDR didn’t let Truman know about the bomb. Pence was also leading the COVID-19 task force and thus chose to mislead the public just like Trump.

Not too long ago, I mentioned I’m a sucker for AmazonBasics products. Yesterday, CNN posted an investigation into the safety of a lot of their products.

U2 has updated their Twitter profile picture. They used the heart-in-suitcase image in their All That You Can’t Leave Behind album and tour. That image has always fascinated me. The imagery of a trip to heaven and packing for it, there’s only one thing you can bring. Love. It’s the only thing that you can bring and leave behind. I’m not the type who would get a tattoo, but I’ve always told others if I were to get one, it would be of that image. It’s been my only Twitter profile picture since its inception in 2008.

I Accidentally Accumulated the World’s Largest Archive of ’80s Esprit Merch

Michelle’s archive (for which she created an Instagram account) is both an act of love and a valuable lesson in archival work. “Throughout the years I collected iconic Esprit garments from the ’80s,” she says about that work, “I became serious about the archive in 2017 when I received a personal Esprit collection containing over 1,800 artefacts from a friend and former Esprit employee who passed away. She knew how much I loved the brand and trusted me with her collection.”

President Trump is having trouble reading simple words and surprised at the things his teleprompter tells him to say. You can tell he puts in a lot of effort in things he has to communicate verbally. Both of these occurred yesterday.

https://twitter.com/CamJunior1972/status/1304162723903791111?s=09

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Bag of Randomness for Thursday, September 10, 2020

I’m predicting the only Texas high school football teams who will complete this season will be those 2A and lower. They aren’t as populated and can more easily social distance in school and within their own communities. I at least think 90% of all six-man schools will complete their season.

Tuesday was the first day students could physically attend class at WifeGeeding’s school. Later that evening we received word a teacher was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Trump just gotta Trump. Audio recordings of him admitting he knew how dangerous COVID-19 was going to be despite playing it down in public are released and he distracts by stating he’d like to nominate Ted Cruz to the Supreme Court. And his defenders just put ear muffs on and refuse to live in reality.

TMZ – President Trump Autographed Bible For Sale

The autographed Bible is going up for sale through the memorabilia company, Moments In Time — and they’re hawking this slice of Trump history for a cool $37,500.

Robot dogs join US Air Force exercise giving glimpse at potential battlefield of the future

Emerging from United States Air Force planes, four-legged robot dogs scampered onto an airfield in the Mojave Desert, offering a possible preview into the future of warfare.
But the exercise conducted last week, one of the US military’s largest ever high-tech experiments, wasn’t a movie set.
Flying into a possibly hostile airstrip aboard an Air Force C-130, the robot dogs were sent outside the aircraft to scout for threats before the humans inside would be exposed to them, according to an Air Force news release dated September 3.
The electronic canines are just one link in what the US military calls the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). It uses artificial intelligence and rapid data analytics to detect and counter threats to US military assets in space and possible attacks on the US homeland with missiles or other means.
Tech. Sgt. John Rodiguez, 321st Contingency Response Squadron security team, provides security with a Ghost Robotics Vision 60 prototype at a simulated austere base during the Advanced Battle Management System exercise on Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, Sept. 1, 2020. The ABMS is an interconnected battle network – the digital architecture or foundation – which collects, processes and shares data relevant to warfighters in order to make better decisions faster in the kill chain. In order to achieve all-domain superiority, it requires that individual military activities not simply be de-conflicted, but rather integrated ??? activities in one domain must enhance the effectiveness of those in another domain. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cory D. Payne)

 

In other dystopian news: AI Wrote An Op-Ed Convincing Humans That Robots Will Not Replace Humans

It cracks me up when Bo Jackson responds to highlight clips people post of him.

This a very short video, but be sure to notice how the moving circular dot becomes a moon.

South Dakota governor uses coronavirus relief funds for $5 million tourism ad despite COVID surge

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration announced Tuesday that it is using federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for a $5 million tourism ad campaign aimed at drawing people to the state. The move comes even as the state emerges as one of the nation’s top hot spots for COVID-19 infections.

The 30-second spot, which premiered on Fox News alongside Noem’s speech at the Republican National Convention last month, features the governor saying that “with our breathtaking landscapes and wide-open spaces, we’re a place to safely explore.” But the state currently ranks second in the country for new cases per capita over the last two weeks, with 439 new cases per 100,000 people.

https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1303819698438582273

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Bag of Randomness for Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Saturday morning started off with the burial of BoyGeeding’s guinea pig, Lilly Noodle. DaughterGeeding first noticed the lifeless critter and placed a small American flag over his body. She then spoke to me and WifeGeeding, and then we broke the news to BoyGeeding who just broke down in tears. I have this sweet photo of BoyGeeding wrapped up in his mother’s arms with tears and snot dripping down, but posting it would just feel wrong, a violation of boundaries of some sort which I can’t adequately articulate.

I’m not even a hockey fan, and I found this insulting. Our local NHL club, the Dallas Stars, played and won a game-7 playoff game. I watched the NBC5 10PM sports segment and the game wasn’t even mentioned. There was a brief story on the Cowboys, who are doing nothing but practicing, and high school football highlights.

Truth.

This Eastern Kentucky football player is an interesting-looking specimen.

I’m surprised this was even a consideration. I always used to pick up a copy when visiting what was then Carswell AFB.

Trump Says He Will Reverse Pentagon Plan to Close Newspaper That Informs and Speaks for Troops – The reversal on Stars and Stripes came as President Trump was in full defensive mode over reports that he had disparaged military personnel.

In select locations, Arby’s is selling meat by the pound.

News from across the pond.

Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham Estate Opens To Host Drive-In Movies

School that Boris Johnson visited to show was ‘safe’ closes due to coronavirus days after visit

Albany man rescued from Lake George by priests on a floating tiki bar

The video is available to watch in the article – President Trump Confronts Faux Barack Obama In Resurfaced ‘The Apprentice’-Style Video

President Donald Trump is shown firing an actor playing former President Barack Obama in a recently resurfaced video from 2012, when he was considering running for president.

The scene was reportedly made for the 2012 Republican National Convention, but was axed from the broadcast. There were reports that year that Trump would make some kind of surprise appearance on the first night of the convention. But those plans were scuttled because of the threat of a hurricane striking the Tampa region, where the convention was held.

Adapt and overcome.

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Bag of Randomness for Friday, September 4, 2020

My procedure went well, but recovery was tougher than I expected. I had a single steroid shot to my spin before, but not four in four different locations.

It’s hard for Texas to drop any traditions without a good fight, but I’m not spotting any cowbells.

A coworker and I were debating why a certain application time-stamped something in the Central time-zone. Normally, things are time-stamped in Eastern time. He reasoned it was because the server was in Tennessee and I said even if that was the case, Tennessee used Eastern time. Well, it turns out we were both right, Tennessee has two time-zones. The server was in Memphis, which is in the western part of the state, which is in the Central time-zone. #TIL

One of WifeGeeding’s friends is camping in Mineral Wells this weekend and asked me for suggestions on where to eat. I haven’t an idea. They asked about BBQ, and I know Shotguns has been around for about 50 years and currently owned by a someone who graduated a year ahead of me (he always sounded like he swallowed a jar full of rusted nails). I heard pleasant things about Coffee and Cocktails at 76067 which is owned by one of my first employers. I think Little China restaurant is still open, which was the first place I ever worked, it used to be located in a motel.

At least once a year, Blue Bell issues a press release about a new ice cream flavor. The local media like the light-hearted news about a regional staple and will do a minor story on it. At least once a year, LiberallyLean will claim it’s nothing more than a hidden paid advertisement. But then again, I’m the guy who claims the Texas Baptist Men always gets excessively covered on CBS11 whenever a national disaster happens while other similar local rescue organizes gets looks over probably because one Baptist is buddy-buddy with another who works at the station..

Sen. Mitt Romney Officially Ends 2012 Presidential Campaign Eight Years Later – Mitt Romney has officially ended his 2012 presidential campaign, eight years after losing to President Barack Obama.

On Tuesday, September 1, 2020, Romney’s presidential campaign committee filed termination papers with the Federal Election Commission, officially dissolving the organization.

Why a Civil Rights Veteran Thinks the Protests Are More Like 1963 Than 1968 – ‘We’re at an early stage of another era of grassroots activism to achieve political change,’ says historian Clayborne Carson in a POLITICO Q&A.

Tesla Gigafactory Texas’ Phase 1 area has taken shape with phenomenal speed

Updated footage of the Gigafactory Texas complex was recently shared by Tesla enthusiast and drone operator Jeff Roberts, who conducts daily flyovers of the site. Roberts’ videos provide a visual record of just how fast the work has been in the Giga Texas complex. The project is technically only on Day 42 as of September 2, 2020, after all, but the Phase 1 zone, potentially the site of the Tesla Cybertruck factory, is already coming together. Based on the pace of the site so far, it would not be surprising if the first pillars of the Phase 1 building are built sooner than expected.

Buzzfeed – TikTokers Have Been Shaving Their Teeth Down With Nail Files, So This Orthodontist Explained Why It’s A Bad Idea

The doctor is in Dallas, doesn’t look old enough to be a doctor, and considers himself to be an influencer.

Google Maps quietly rolled out one of its most-requested features

Google Maps has added a new feature to its app: traffic lights at intersections in a number of US cities.

The tech company made the change “to help people stay better informed on the road,” a Google spokesperson said. The new road icons are visible in the app at intersections throughout US cities on both Android and iOS.
Google’s latest redesign for its navigation app, was unveiled last month. The update includes a “color-mapping algorithmic technique” to help users more easily identify varying terrain types such as beaches and forests. The company said the Google Maps redesign also will include re-drawings of sidewalks and pedestrian islands for better navigation viewing.

Benjamin Harrison both succeeded and preceded Grover Cleveland as president.

Also, before signing North and South Dakota into statehood, he shuffled the papers around so no one would know which state entered the union first and proclaimed, “They were born together – they are one and I will make them twins.”

At 3:40 p.m. EST on Nov. 2, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed almost identical statehood proclamations that created North Dakota and South Dakota. No one will ever know which state was the 39th or the 40th to enter the Union because Harrison covered and shuffled the documents before and after signing them. He proudly declared, “They were born together – they are one and I will make them twins.”

It’s a good think King Solomon didn’t use the same approach with that baby. And that reminded me of a Facebook post that was shared with me.

Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’

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