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Not jinxing
Several times I prematurely celebrated the end of hell, only to be psychopathed down into deeper hell. In May 2020 I celebrated the end of lockdowns, which were instantly replaced by ballgags. In March 2022 I celebrated the partial end of ballgags, which were still continued on buses. The bus ballgags ended in May 2022,…
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Slightly more awareness
Berenson is taking the same naive approach to journalistic “objectivity” as Taibbi. = = = = = START BERENSON: Yet the New York Times is now on the verge of endorsing government censorship, or at least saying that it shouldn’t be dismissed, that its value is a “thorny question.” Does the Times even remember what…
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Speaking of Zenith
One of those old Hollywood gossip radio shows mentioned that Audrey Totter was taking driving lessons. The host said “Hope she doesn’t learn too well. I wouldn’t mind being nudged by Audrey’s bumper.” Hmm. Wonder what he meant? And speaking of Zenith: My old friend the Trans-Oceanic wasn’t seen often in movies.
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Zenith animism
Zenith always added life to its products. The fancier radios had ‘entertainment on all sides’, with active dials and Magic Eye tubes and lively controls. Their fanciest record changer in the ’50s had one uniquely analog feature. The speed was smoothly controllable. Other phonos selected 16, 33, 45 and 78. The Cobra-Matic could be set…
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Terrible fad
Suddenly all the “independents” are pushing gym class. I suppose it started with Joe Rogan, then jumpingjacked into prominence when Elon challenged Zuck to a duel. RFK has joined in. His uncle pushed gym class, and Bob Jr has been showing off his muscles. Gym class is NOT the way to regain usefulness. Weightlifting is…
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What ain’t it?
Rob Lowe makes the well-known point that most modern technology started with porn. How about older tech? Music and dance? Courtship rituals. Clear in our direct bird ancestors. Water and sewer systems? See bainea and thermae. Modern informal music unquestionably started with sexual connotations. Jazz means jism, and rock-n-roll means what you do in bed.…
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Always wait for experience
You shouldn’t try to think about areas where you have no experience. This week’s “news” includes a pop artist who stopped her show and lectured the audience for taking selfies in the crowd. I have ZERO EXPERIENCE with pop concerts or selfies, so I didn’t have a REAL opinion. My first STUPID inclination was to…
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Disney gets some competition!
A company that runs some of the Branson amusements is starting to build a MASSIVE new theme park with lodges and cabins near Vinita. This is an especially pretty area with lots of woods and hills and reservoirs. Disney and the casinos could use some ‘neutral’ competition in tourism. WPA would be proud!
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Returning to top form
The latest issue of Collectible Auto is returning to top form after a few years of lower quality, partly caused by the “virus”. The mag is based in Chicago, which was hard hit by the main symptoms of the “virus”, lockdowns and panic and riots. This month includes a satisfyingly detailed article on the ’39…
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Why did Endicott fail?
MindMatters reviews some newer research on brainwave resonance. This line of research is ‘controversial’ but seems pretty solid now thanks to MRI. The rule is: When intelligent critters are working ‘in sync’, whether in mating or hive activities, their brain waves are literally in sync. Telepathy unquestionably happens in some circumstances. Russian and American scientists…
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What’s wrong with Frank?
Hersh interviews Thomas Frank. They accurately describe the well-known realignment of D and R. In 1932 D became the HONEST voice of the working class and remained there as long as FDR breathed. Now both represent the plutocrats, with varying forms of dishonesty. D pretends to be about hippie shit. Before 2016, R was openly…
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Words are reflectors
EnidBuzz asks “What’s a habit that makes people seem old?” The answerers interpreted it two ways: (1) Physical habits like naps and groaning that are automatic results of aging in any era; (2) Language or cultural habits specific to earlier decades, like writing checks or using landline phones. One of the latter caught my eye…
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Would be interesting research
Super-random thought about mental jukeboxes. Lately I’ve noticed that my jukebox starts the day with a fresh piece. Sometimes it’s one of the regular buttons but not the top hits. Sometimes it starts with a song that is obviously stored in the cerebellum but never shows up on the buttons. A couple days ago it…
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Language update
Before 2010, I was listening to radio and TV, which provided plenty of material for new words and grammar forms. Since I threw away the TV in 2011 and the radio in 2020, I haven’t done many Language Updates. Finally we have two items worthy of mention. Both are verb forms. One has deregularized and…
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Whoda thunk it?
Actors get it. The rest of the public sphere, including “independent” journalists, doesn’t get it. Whoda thunk it? Hollywood understands the world better than anyone else with a public voice? I certainly never thunk it until a few months ago when I heard the Hollywood types at the Ankler talking plain truth about “the” “virus”.…
Polistra's Mill
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Polistra's Mill 