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Here’s a NYT tracker of lawsuits against Trump. I remain puzzled why there are no lawsuits about emoluments.
Preliminary estimates suggest that the European heatdome/heatwave has caused 20,000 premature deaths.
An EV expert surveys recent advances in EV battery technology. (YT) Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) is significantly cheaper, and all cars are switching. It’s been around for a while, but it is being scaled up. China’s LFP has significant overcapacity in LFP battery. There are some new battery technologies (Sodium-ion, Lithium Manganese-Rich (LMR)Lithium-Air), but LFP is still going to dominate over the next decade.
I have actually tuned in to several FIFA World Cup games this year. Fun and exciting.
Highly recommend Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, a sleeper historical drama, starring Tom Hanks.
ROB REINER HAS A SURPRISE CAMEO! Surprised & Delighted to see Rob Reiner playing “George Washington” in a caustic political comedy sketch on Larry David’s new show. Have no fear. I predict within 24 hours it will be on YT and social media everywhere.
Becoming Human — a website that compiles information about the earth and the emergence of life and humanity on this planet. Related: The PBS Eons show, which is about the fossil record, paleontology and ultimately climate science. I am frighteningly ignorant about this subject despite my curiosity. Here’s a complete YT playlist. Sadly watching these episodes through the PBS app is awful because of the mandatory intros. (You would think that they would show only once or twice and never again, but no, for a 10 minute segment, you get 1 minute of promos). The YT playlist when played in a browser with an ad blocker is going to be less painful.
GENEVIEVE GUENTHER: What is more incompetent than pushing energy sources that underlie the high prices of food, electricity, housing, and health care? Coal, oil, and methane gas are expensive sources of energy whose pollution makes food scarcer, home insurance increasingly unaffordable, and collectively costs us $700 billion in health care bills annually. What was the point of the wars in Venezuela and Iran, but illegally securing oil reserves as payback for the American oil companies that gave him money during the campaign? What is more corrupt than the gutting of American science, once the jewel of the world, and destroying our capacity even to predict the weather for farmers, so that you can try to hide your lie that climate change is a “hoax”? What is more selfish and indeed criminal than knowingly destroying the only world we have for America’s children? (LInk). Guenther is a climate activist who wrote a great book (Language of Climate Politics) that combines climate science with rhetorical analysis.
Occasionally I go to FB just to see what the algo wants to suggest for me In the past minute I just scrolled past 3 Spice Girls vid shorts. Help, I can’t resist.
I used to be with ‘it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’ anymore and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary to me. It’ll happen to you! (This is a famous quote from the Simpsons by the Grandpa Simpson character)
Here are 2 compilations of Muppets acknowledging that they are puppets: (First, Second ). “A puppet is controlled by a person whereas I am an actual talking frog.” Here’s a fascinating video (YT) about the technical tricks Jim Henson did to make them do incredible things, like ride a bicycle.
NYT commenter about data centers: ” Data centers are not inherently toxic or irredeemably thirsty. The “water problem” is fundamentally an engineering choice dictated by local water pricing vs. local electricity pricing. When facilities are built with closed-loop systems or air-cooling, their direct local water impact drops close to zero. The friction occurs when large facilities rely on municipal drinking water and evaporative cooling in regions that lack the surplus water infrastructure to support them. So advocate for proper regulation of the construction of data centers. That is helpful. Opposing AI in general, based on water demands, is not well founded.”
Funny sitcom moments:
Frazier: I told Lilith she looked fat in the dress?
Norm: What is your punishment.
Frazier: I’m not getting any.
Norm: You got off easy.
Frazier: No, I’m not getting any.
Norm: You got off easy.
NETFLIX RECOMMENDATION: “Raise Hell: Life & Times of Molly Ivins” is a delightful look at this Texas journalist, columnist & humorist — and how such an odd bird arose in conservative Texas. I laughed and laughed and laughed the whole time (The answer is that she came from an extremely wealthy Houston family, attended Ivy League schools and could drink alchohol better than any (male) politician. I had the great privilege to see her talk at SXSW 2004 where she was hilarious! (More)
Philadelphia Story (1940). “Everyone had enormous fun on the movie. The days and nights were sweltering that summer of 1940, but nobody cared. Cary got along very well with Kate Hepburn. She enjoyed him pushing her through a doorway in one scene (so she fell over backward) so much that she had him do it to her over and over again. There was a scene in which she had to throw Cary out the door of a house, bag and baggage, and she did it so vigorously he fell over and was bruised. As he stood up, looking rueful, Kate said, “That’ll serve you right, Cary, for trying to be your own stuntman.” (Cameraman Joseph Ruttberg)(Here’s that lovely scene YT)
People speculate about the Boss is Coming Over for Dinner sitcom trope.
NOT A JOKE! Musicians are alarmed that Trump is announcing tariffs on brass musical instruments. FYI, my nephew Donnie Nagle plays tuba and trombone for U. of North Texas. Those instruments are not cheap!
Here’s a 20 minute introduction to hieroglyphics. Here’s a longer tutorial by British Museum Ilona Regulski. (YT)
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