Graham Templeton: It's become trendy to compare the current rush of investment in AI to the "dot com" bubble of the past, but the comparison just keeps getting more apt. There's obviously the almost absurd level of investment that's hitting tech, with the broad tech sector now accounting for 34% of the S&P 500's market cap, but there's more as well. read more
Music from Europe, specifically, Germany, seemed to play a role. So, songs in both English and German seemed to litter the airwaves (imo, mostly the college station airwaves). As noted in the linked tune ... Nena's 99 Red Balloons had a German version.
Everyone should be clamoring for tools and features that block AI content. And for content companies, blocking AI slop is your new Job One.
President Donald Trump said Friday he would order his administration to declassify and release all records related to famed American pilot Amelia Earhart. "Amelia made it almost three quarters around the World before she suddenly, and without notice, vanished, never to be seen again," Trump wrote in a Friday afternoon social media post. "Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions."
"Russia and China already occupy important strategic hills and mountains in space."
Billy Bragg - Ideology (1986)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
When one voice rules the nation
Just because they're on top of the pile
Doesn't mean their vision is the clearest
The voices of the people
Are falling on deaf ears
Our politicians all become careerists
They must declare their interests
But not their company cars
Is there more to a seat in parliament
Then sitting on your arse
...
More from the OpEd ...
... The Dead Internet Theory [ en.wikipedia.org ] is a false conspiracy theory. But in practical terms, it might as well be true.
Emerging from the deranged muck of 4chan and Wizardchan in the late 2010s, the Dead Internet Theory holds that secret cabals of all-powerful government or corporate conspirators use bots and AI-generated content to replace humans on the internet. The goal: to manipulate public perception, control narratives, and influence the public's behavior.
A central tenet of the theory is that most online content is generated by bots and AI, not people.
The false part is the conspiracy. The true part is that most internet content is indeed bots and AI.
Midway through 2025, roughly 74% of newly created content online was generated with the help of AI or bots, according to several large-scale studies. Only about one-quarter of online content is created by people without AI assistance. ...
@#20
Whoa, I messed up the formatting of that post. Allow me to try again ...
@#18 ... #16 Nice try, why not directly quote Ms. Desantis? Phrases like " Suggested", "pointed to" are clues that she didn't actually SAY those things. ...
I do not disagree.
But, then I see things like ...
Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis Announce $60 Million Funding Opportunity for Innovative Cancer Research on World Cancer Research Day
www.floridahealth.gov
... Further, priority will be given to projects that focus on nutrition, and the repurposing of generic drugs such as ivermectin for cancer treatment. ...
... and I have questions, beyond "suggested" or "pointed to.".
Bonzo Goes To Washington - 5 Minutes (1984)
www.youtube.com
...Five Minutes by Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads), ...
Lyrics excerpt ...
genius.com
...
My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever
We begin bombing in five minutes
...
Faith No More - We Care a Lot (1985)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
(We care a lot) About disasters, fires, floods and killer bees
About the NASA shuttle falling in the sea
(We care a lot) About starvation and the food that Live Aid bought
(We care a lot) About disease, baby, Rock Hudson, rock, yeah
(Whoo)
...
Trump Admits He Would Remove Pride Flags If the 1st Amendment Didn't Stop Him
www.them.us
... President Donald Trump said he "would have no problem" ordering a ban on the Progress Pride flag during remarks to the White House press pool this week, agreeing with a far-right pundit that the flag should be considered a symbol of terrorism.. ...
You won't be able to finalize Social Security claims over the phone soon. See new process (March 2025)
www.usatoday.com
... One Social Security Administration commissioner says that up to 85,000 more Americans will need to visit Social Security offices each week and that vulnerable populations will be impacted the most ...
@#14 ... Casey DeSantis did not suggest horse wormer as a cancer treatment, but don't let the facts get in the way ...
Florida First Lady Suggests Horse Dewormer as Possible Cancer Treatment
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com
... At a Florida cancer event, Casey DeSantis suggested ivermectin -- debunked as a COVID cure -- despite fatal misuse cases showing the dangers of promoting the "horse dewormer" as medicine. ...
In September 2025, Casey DeSantis spoke at the University of South Florida's cancer symposium in Tampa, before an audience of physicians, researchers, and state officials. She highlighted the state's billion-dollar commitment to oncology and emphasized prevention through diet and lifestyle.
Then, drawing on both office and survivorship, she pointed to ivermectin -- an antiparasitic drug the FDA has warned against for COVID-19 and which no regulator has approved for cancer treatment -- as a generic the state "should look at" for possible repurposing. ...
Fun Boy Three - It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It (1982)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
genius.com
...
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it
And that's what gets results
It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the time that you do it
And that's what gets results
You can try hard (aah-ahh-ah)
Don't mean a thing (aah-ahh-ah)
Take it easy (aah-ahh-ah)
And then your jive will swing (aah-ahh-ah)
It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
It ain't what you do it's the place that you do it
And that's what gets results
...blockquote>
[Sen Schumer, take heed ...]
@#21 ... If China is smart they will wait for the farmers to go bankrupt and then pick up the land through shell companies for a great deal. ...
Yeah, it seems that China has already been buyin up US farmland ...
China owns 380,000 acres of land in the U.S. Here's where (2023)
www.npr.org
... In 2021, a Chinese company bought land near an Air Force base in Grand Forks, N.D., sending lawmakers into a frenzy.
Lawmakers feared that China, which many policymakers view as a strategic adversary even though it's the country's top trading partner outside North America, could gain control over the U.S. food and energy supply, as well as a hold on markets and critical infrastructure.
Although Chinese-owned land is a tiny fraction of all foreign-owned land in the U.S., its purchases have raised fears that the Chinese government could have control, through the Chinese corporations, over U.S. assets or gain access to U.S.-based information.
Indeed, during the past four decades, Chinese companies and investors have bought up land in the U.S. as well as purchased major food companies like Smithfield Foods, the United States' largest pork processor. Corporations own the majority of that land. Now legislation in Congress would restrict Chinese ownership of U.S. land. ...
@#3
Yeah, the "Funny" appellation on #3 may be apropos.
Or is it?
I wish I knew.
Moody Blues - The Dream Sequence (1969)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
Take another sip my love and see what you will see
A fleet of golden galleons, on a crystal sea
Are you sitting comfortably?
Let Merlin cast his spell
Ride along the winds of time and see where we have been
The glorious age of Camelot, when Guinevere was Queen
It all unfolds before your eyes
As Merlin casts his spell
The seven wonders of the world he'll lay before your feet
In far-off lands, on distant shores, so many friends to meet
Are you sitting comfortably?
Let Merlin cast his spell
...
Broadcasters who criticized Jimmy Kimmel have deals pending before FCC
thedesk.net
... A pair of broadcast television station owners who decided to pre-empt new episodes of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on their stations have business-related transactions that are pending before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). ...
In recent months, both broadcasters have announced their intent to buy or sell local TV assets " Nexstar is in the process of effectuating a $6 billion merger with peer broadcaster TEGNA, and Sinclair is executing on a mixture of station acquisitions and sales-- all of which require the approval of the FCC. ...
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