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Month: December 2017

Friday links

  • Hahaha. The eeeeeeeeeevil NRA, no doubt using its malign superpowers, singlehandedly hijacked the Fix-NICS bill — though if you ask me, it was more like the Fix-NICS fans hijacked concealed-carry reciprocity.
  • The adopted black baby who got sent back. The story doesn’t end as we’ve been taught to assume.
  • This one is flat-out murder-by-cop — who was just acquitted. So much for yesterday’s hint of real justice. 7 Comments
  • Well, alrighty then, PayPal

    Since I had the afternoon off from home improvement (thanks to the Monk’s malfunctioning truck), I thought I’d get a few useful things done. Ava and I have walked in the sunshine and I’m headed to the drug store shortly to get myself shot up a pneumonia vaccine. Meantime, I finally — almost — talked PayPal into doing something I badly needed it to do. Now before I explain this PayPal something, let me reiterate that I am not-not-not soliciting donations. I’m sitting quite pretty at the moment (thanks to the usual help from my friends) and won’t be having…

    9 Comments

    The return of the Monk

    The Wandering Monk returns later this morning. I have him here for two ambitious days. We’re going to try to: Insulate 500+ square feet of attic; Prepare the ground for a new propane tank; Frame the closet for the bedroom-to-be; Finish drywalling the bedroom (just one more sheet) and drywall the new closet, both inside and out (the back of the closet also being a wall in the laundry room); And I’m going to attempt to finish the bedroom ceiling as the Monk interrupts his other work to help with tricky cuts and removing/solving various weirdities that are interfering completion…

    5 Comments

    Thursday links

  • Shining a light on law enforcement use of facial recognition. Half of all Americans are now in facial-recognition databases and potentially in the resulting “virtual lineups” of criminal suspects.
  • And here I thought Pamela Anderson was just another blonde actress with big boobs. Nope. Also a smart lady with guts to hold her own against the disapproval of SJWs.
  • How black markets helped establish Spain as an an artisanal cheese-making powerhouse. 10 Comments
  • A heads-up to my Patreons

    You should hear this from me before you hear it from them (via an email you’ll receive tomorrow). I’ll also be posting this on my Patreon page. As of December 18, Patreon will be adding a surcharge of 2.9% plus $0.35 to your monthly pledge. I realize this isn’t what you signed up for and that it will seriously change the picture, especially for some of you $1 or $2 patrons. I’ll understand completely if you withdraw your pledges. This isn’t actually a new fee, believe it or not. Previously, we Patreon creators have been charged a 5% flat fee…

    15 Comments

    Good day and other ruminations

    I’m still basking in the glow of last week’s great gift, which enabled me to pay off last summer’s construction loan, budget money to insulate the attic and restore my propane service, do a little paying forward, and still put plenty aside. Yesterday another of my angels flew in and I immediately put his contribution to good use, also. In fact, three of Living Freedom’s biggest angels have been involved in all this. (And Patreon made its monthly payout, also put to good use, thank you.) Is there a word for a band of angels? Flock? Pride? Flight? Gratitude? A…

    18 Comments

    Monday links

  • Scott Greenfield has more on F*c*b**k’s plan to have its robots send cops to “help” FB users they judge to be suicidal. I hope FB and its robots get sued — and sued hard — by all those who survive such “help.”
  • A biomedical researcher makes the case that animal lovers should support experimentation on animals. (If only the critters could give consent!) (H/T ML)
  • You may be glad to know that New York City has solved its rat diversity problem. 14 Comments