Stupid is as stupid does

The flori-duh commissioner of edumacation wanted to do something "prideful" to honor America. You know because June was pride month, but in the states twisted anti-woked-stupidness, they turned pride into a patriotic thing. 

And recommended a book to read: Pride and Prejudice so we can look back at our great nation, authored by the great American Jane Austen. 

Except that Austen was English. And it takes place entirely in England. 

So… yeah. Maybe he should take time to read the book he's suggesting?

And by the way, this book is constantly appearing on banned book lists, though I think it still might be available in Florida. 

https://lithub.com/floridas-commissioner-of-education-thinks-jane-austen-was-an-american/

Wireless charging

The oak ridge national laboratory has created a successful prototype for wireless charging that's at a higher rate than the current output of a supercharger. 

It's cool. And probably is the future of EV charging, though it may take a while to get there. 

https://www.thestreet.com/electric-vehicles/forget-tesla-superchargers-future-of-charging

A moment on the soapbox

It all started back when the orange menace was running the first time. 

Hillary got the nomination through an absurd process that was never a fair fight. And her odds of winning were questionable. But it was "likely" except that there was some malfeasance with el donaldo. 

Obama got the Steele dossier and was working to act on it and the reps said "then we'll just say you're playing politics" and that it would hurt Hillary. So he didn't pursue it. 

And that's when it started going downhill. 

The dems played by a set of rules. The reps decided to say forget the rules - we'll take what we want. And blocked a legit court appointee in an election year. Though the dems could have used a lame duck period to get it back - play by the rules! Talked another Justice into retiring. Then took the RBG seat and said "we don't care that it's an election year, we're taking it" And the new justices started legislating from the bench on their own. 

Taking what they want. With little opposition.   

A chance to impeach and remove Donald. Nah. A chance to remake the court? Nah. A chance to make some changes to take what the dems want using the same mindset? Nah. 

So things that matter get undone. Abortion. Some rights. The chevron doctrine (that may still turn out to be a big deal). And on and on.

One party is playing by their own set of rules. The other just watches somewhat helplessly. Though they certainly could do more.  

There are only a couple of things I give Donnie credit for. One is rolling the RNC under his brand. So he doles out money to whoever kisses the ring. It allows those that want to remake America to have the entire party fall in line.

Now we'll see if they're taking it seriously. Biden stepping aside is a step. Here's to hoping the party actually starts to make something happen. 

The pesky “law of unintended consequences”

Creating an “anti woke” law creates problems. 

… the letter from the Treasury points out the risk of "creating uncertainty" that could impede the fight against illicit activities such as money laundering and terrorism financing.

https://hoodline.com/2024/07/treasury-department-warns-florida-s-anti-woke-banking-law-could-threaten-national-security/

This is a really cool archaeological find

A house that was added onto during different time periods. 

https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/istanbul-layered-house/

Cooling stadia

There's a product called Hydrochill that says they can cool the ground on synthetic turf by a large amount. 

Color me a little skeptical since their use cases include the Florida marlins who…. Don't use synthetic turf and play in a dome. 

Still the concept is intriguing. 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

HydroChill is a pre-coated sand that is added to synthetic turf as an infill. It naturally holds moisture from rain or irrigation and during the hottest part of the day, the infill activates and releases that moisture in the form of evaporation, creating an evaporative cooling system that cools the turf up to 50 degrees. This is unheard of, making it the most effective infill of its kind.

If your project is for a poolside, children's' playgrounds, or a general lounge area, then this cooling infill is highly recommended.

Other than cooling, infill for artificial grass helps weigh down the turf and keeps the artificial grass from getting wrinkles or ripples caused by movement and climate change. It also helps the grass blades stand up and keep its real look in high traffic areas. Finally, it creates a layer that absorbs the traffic providing durability for the turf. Infill is absolutely necessary in order to complete the artificial grass project successfully.

NON-ANGULAR SHAPE:
Our silica sand is Guaranteed to be non-angular which essentially means that it is rounded and has no sharp edges. This is very important because Angular silica sand has shark edges and will act like sandpaper and will grind the turf to dust.

WASHED:
Our silica sand is washed so only the sand crystals stay while all of the finer dust particles get washed away. This is very important because if the sand is not washed then those fine dust particles eventually accumulate and clog the drain hole

100% DRY:
Silica Sand is washed with water so after it is washed it is soaking wet which is a problem because it will lump up and not slide into the turf blades easily. Wet sand prior to installation will NOT allow for a successful and professional finish. This is why our sand infill goes through an additional step and gets dried in an oven so we can guarantee that every single bag of sand is 100% dry!

FEATURES:

• Hydrochill is non-toxic and does not have negative environmental effects.

• Based on actual lab and outdoor lawn thermocouple testing, Hydrochill has achieved 30°F – 50°F lower surface temperatures compared to a standard synthetic turf system.
• Protects fibers from matting down
• Provides weight to avoid ripples

https://www.shawgrass.com/hydrochill/

I’m bothered by this.

I recently read a story about a middle class young family that was duped by a fraudster who then managed to gain access to their bank account, and drain it. 

It's horrible how bad actors continually just prey on people and take their money with relative ease. 

But the thing that really got me was the part about their "life savings" … the crooks took it all. But the amount was $9,000. 

And it turns out that most families have less than $20,000 in the bank (less for younger people of course. Source: 

https://www.moneygeek.com/financial-planning/analysis/average-american-savings-balance/)

The billionaires (and high net worth millionaires) so disproportionately have all the wealth. 

And that's just absurd.