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Not convinced it’s better
After one week with this new Win 11 computer, I’ve managed to work around SOME of the stupid shit, but it’s still a worse machine in every way than the old Win 7 computer. Every program starts slower, runs slower, and places more obstacles in my path. Linux is not the answer. My most important…
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Miniature orrery
Here’s a rare and wondrous example of science as Carver defined it. Look closely at the THINGS THAT ARE HERE. Notice something new. Let it talk to you. Don’t look at abstractions in your own mind, or abstractions in the religious beliefs of your funding agency. Abstractions are not THINGS and they are not HERE.…
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Reprinting Ferguson’s orrery
Reprint from 2021, triggered by previous item about ancient mitochondria. Are mitochondria the sensors for universal magnetic influence? Is Solarion the original orrery? = = = = = Picking up from previous post on James Ferguson. Previously I showed a couple of science entertainments using static fields to drive gadgets. Ferguson’s main focus was orreries…
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Shovels
The Genesis Mission is touted as a new A-bomb project. Not a good comparison in either direction. On the destructive side: We used the actual bomb twice on Japan, where it did less damage than our old-fashioned firebombing. Thermite destroyed far more of Japan than uranium. The Tech Tyrants want us to see AI in…
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For the 1000000000000000000th time
Random thought on my endlessly repeated theme. I was writing this as a comment elsewhere, then decided to write it here instead. The bolded part seems like a new way of phrasing the WINNING combination. None of our idiot politicians can REMEMBER their own best example, the most electable president in history, the only president…
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Same principles
Lile Mo is building a book at Substack, deriving lessons for civilization by telling how each Chinese city used its own resources and skills to monopolize an area of commerce. From her latest note: The highest value land is not found; it is made. This transformation is not accidental; it is the result of the…
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Software isn’t the variable
Digital technology gets too much credit and too much blame. People do what they’re inclined to do, and they use whatever technology is available. Current examples: 1. A Biden admin lawsuit against RealPage rent collusion software was weakened by the Trump admin. It won’t make much difference. Landlords ALWAYS collude to keep rent high. They…
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Rare wisdom
Via RealClear, one economics writer actually understands the New Deal! This is unique! Nearly all modern writers on politics and economics either hate FDR because he was “commie” or hate FDR because he was “fascist”. Nobody understands why the New Deal worked, why it created such long-lasting fierce loyalty. = = = = = START…
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History is a spiral
Today is Fibonacci Day because (1,1,2,3) are the first four numbers of the Fibonacci sequence. I’m not interested in this part of math, but one Twitter post marking the day has a remarkably clever GIF. It loops across a short sequence of images, creating an ever-expanding fractal of the Golden Spiral.
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50 year unsync
In 1958, TV Radio Life magazine interviewed Martin Klein, who hosted a weekly science program on LA television station KCOP, listed as ‘independent’. It’s still there, still on channel 13 with the same call letters. They asked Klein to predict 50 years into the future. How would we live in 2008? Klein worked for Cohu…
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Note on Win 11 “update” KB5066131
TLDR for google: Win 11 “update” 5066131 causes a blank taskbar with no icons. The only fix is uninstalling 5066131. None of the other recommendations work. = = = = = = = = = Background: My trusty old Win 7 computer, made in 2009, was seriously aging and had acquired some annoying malware that…
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Another 100 year sync
From Radiocast Weekly, exactly 100 years ago. The editorial mentions that one wealthy gentleman has given a $1000 endowment to his favorite radio station, without any advertising strings attached. It suggests that others should do the same. Instead of endowing a library, let them set aside a fund which will benefit a much larger area.…
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Switchover
Two sides have flipped. Part of the flip is a fine positive surprise. The “independent” intellectuals are supine servants of Altman now. They’re happy slaves, competing for the best way to use more of Altman’s demonic products and make Altman richer. This side of the switch is predictable. The same switch happened earlier with the…
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Arguing about details as usual
Web folks are having a big hissyfit about grade inflation this week. How will the kids ever master life if they aren’t receiving feedback about the quality of their work? It’s a genuine problem, but schools have never solved it and won’t solve it. Grade inflation is NOT new. Grade inflation was a big hissyfit…
Polistra's Mill
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Polistra's Mill 