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| Breaking news headlines |
The original, breaking news trumpeted the fact that the perp had a hit-list and named names.
Later re-writes either omitted the names on the hit-list or buried the names in the 9th paragraph.
It is clear that the politicians in question understand that crazy people are vulnerable to suggestions and don't want the words "hit-list" and "Their Lastname" posted in 24 point font on every news-feed.
If those same politicians and news media outlets wanted to squash school shootings they would exercise the same degree of restraint in releasing details.
If society were a pile of graphite blocks and rods of radioactive material, this event might be seen as the initial rise in alpha radiation emitted.
Search engine algorithms
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When the Google search engine first came out, it took the world by storm.
The order of the "hits" were not curated by paid experts like other search engines. Rather, Google cloud-sourced the curation. If a large number of searchers clicked on a link that was relatively far down the list, Google floated that link closer to the top. If a link became relatively less popular over time then it drifted down.
An enterprising young fellow with a fine sense of humor realized the system could be gamed. He created the page captured above and listed the key-words "French Military Victories"
Then he asked every person on his floor (he lived in a college dormitory) to find HIS page using Google and then click on it. He asked that they do it once a day.
Since Google was still in its infancy, there was not much traffic and his spoof page quickly floated to the top. History was made.
Do you ever wonder why you always get "glamor shots" of politicians when you do an image search on their names? It is because companies with 'bots are hired to do what the college kid asked his buddies in the dorm to do. The 'bot firms are given a list of flattering images to float to the top.
Of course the same tools are available to John Q. Public should he be motivated enough. I am reasonably sure there is 'bot software in the public domain. Less flattering photos (for instance) could be moved up the list or foto-shopped images could be flogged. Embarrassing news items (Pelosi drinking, Biden praising KKK Grand Dragons, etc.) could be floated to the top.
Cabbages
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| Half of the cabbage plants were in the ground before I thought to take a picture. Cabbage on lower-right, Happy-rich broccoli in the center and a sampler pack of sweet peppers on the left. |
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| A miserable photo. The greens show poor saturation. There are about 30 cabbage plants (bluish-green) in the photo. |
Steve Solomon, author of Gardening when it Counts, is a big fan of large-framed, late cabbages. He is also a fan of not crowding plants.
That is something I like about the nursery where I bought these, the owner is not unduly optimistic about how closely to plant and prints realistic planting distances on the plant labels. What works for a commercial farmer with million dollar irrigation and sensors is too aggressive for a home gardener, especially in places where they might restrict your access to water.
Grafting watermelons
I learn something new every day.
Grafting watermelons on top of (butternut squash seedlings) reduces their need for fertilizer and provides resistance to Fusarium Wilt. Yields of approximately +20% per acre occur even with lower fertilizer application. Grafted watermelons are common everywhere except North America. Presumably because of labor costs.
You will own nothing
You will not need pans or forks or a refrigerator or a place to store food or a kitchen because you will be fed wholesome foods in a cafeteria.
You will not need a dog or a pet or a man in your life because you will have nothing worth stealing.
There will be no doors or locks for the same reason.
You will not be burdened with an address because every apartment is the same. When you get tired you will find an empty place to sleep.
You will not need to turn the lights on or off. It will be done for you.
And when the government tells you it is time to move, it will be to a place so wonderful and so filled with amusement that you will never go back and never even be tempted to make contact with your old friends.
I find these posts fascinating.
ReplyDeleteParticularly the concept of 'restricted access to water for gardening'. I live in (soggy) Britain (where if it doesn't rain at least once a day we have panic in the streets and hose-pipe bans) and being perverse, literally the wettest part of it, and my only issues with my garden (re water) is ensuring my plants don't either drown or float away.
I've been trending towards reducing my cabbages, and planting half Kohlrabi and Celeriac. Kohlrabi is reputably the most drought resistant of the brassicas. Ever thought about trying them?
Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset or Wales?
DeleteBritain definitely has a wet and a drier side.
I briefly thought about growing Kohlrabi. I hear it cuts well for coleslaw and has very low storage losses.
"Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset or Wales?"
DeleteHah, light-weights. Nope, Cumbria (where you run a room/house dehydrator 24/7 or any uncoated metal rusts as you watch ... inside your house - think rain-forest humidity levels just without the extreme, or for that matter any, heat. Where ‘summer’ is, if we’re lucky, usually the afternoon of the second Wednesday in July … every other year. We hear rumours of some great yellow ball in the sky, but discount it as obviously a lowlander lie, never having seen it).
I tend to harvest (like my potatoes) only as needed, and store (root cellar) what’s left over winter without any issues (certainly better than cabbages – mostly savoy (ormskirk), ball (golden acre) or red (kalibos)).
Like most ‘non-traditional’ veg, how it used ‘here’ is limited. It is certainly good for coleslaw and salads, but having spent a bit of time over the years in Germany and Hungary I prefer it in soups/stews and steamed (it’s arguably more used than cabbage in those areas). A friend on the other side of the border (we reiver types barely acknowledge it really) has taken to using it instead of neeps (turnip) with his haggis too.