Another Saturday, another set of links. And I spent a delightful week dealing with regulatory issues, culminating in an audit finding that the typeface on one boilerplate warning was exactly 3/100″ too small. If I weren’t a libertarian before dealing with regulatory agencies (executive branch, I should mention), that would have made me one anyway. The highly-touted deregulation that Trump has supposedly been doing sure isn’t visible here in the trenches- and of course, all our material costs have jumped significantly because of the stupid tariffs. Which I’m sure is part of the 11 dimensional chess plan, right?

Whatever, I’m not a Team member anyway so I don’t have to rationalize their stupidity. I do, however, need to mention a few birthdays, starting with the monster saxophonist Gerry Mulligan; scientifically correct and politically incorrect biologist James Watson; brilliant comic writer and actor Phil Austin; and great American director (and my cousin) Barry Levinson.

Let’s get to the news.

 


 

Man, I so badly have an urge for popcorn…

 

“Hey, what does this button d….”

 

Academia produces yet more important and serious research. As a Ravens fan, I approve.

 

I’m sure Ahmed is a right wing white supremacist.

 

If a computer simulation says we’re doomed, well, that’s good enough for me.  And on a related note, I’m not even sure where to start with this one. Thank god that the science isn’t politicized.

 

And clearly, science has spoken.

 

There are some stories that just can’t help but brighten up your day.

 

OK, call them discs, they can still be delicious. or terrible, depending on which ones.

 

The life of an Orioles fan is not an easy one.

 

Israelis have far wider choices than we do.

 

It’s nice to find issues where both teachers’ unions and students can find common ground.

 


 

Old Guy Music time! There’s very few instruments where one can unequivocally name one person as THE best, but the Chapman Stick is one of them. I have an old friend who lives in the area who has one and I’m determined to learn the basics. So I’ve been watching the true master, and here he is covering Hendrix. Acoustically. On a Stick. Fuuuuck.