Pointers

16:56 Monday, 9 March 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 66.83°F Pressure: 1012hPa Humidity: 31% Wind: 14.83mph
Words: 253

It's been a beautiful day, marred only somewhat by a visit to the dentist. I had a piece of a crown break off a few weeks ago, and that compelled me to find a dentist. It was easy, because I just chose the one Mitzi found a few months earlier. The tooth wasn't sensitive, so it wasn't especially urgent, but it couldn't be put off indefinitely.

Well, it turns out there is more than just a broken crown, I also have a bit of an infection going on in another tooth, and a cavity at the margin of a crown of another tooth. Which all amounts to several thousand dollars of dental work. Oy...

So pay attention to your oral hygiene, boys and girls. Synchronicity? Serendipity? Coincidence? Take your pick, it kind of tickled me when it came up in my feed this afternoon.

There were a couple of others I wanted to direct to your attention.

Cory Doctorow, who is a bit of an acquired taste for me, had a compelling piece on the pernicious effects of the existence of billionaires. We really are due for a correction of some kind on this wealth inequality issue. Hopefully a peaceful one, but history suggests otherwise.

Kottke pointed to this interview with Rebecca Solnit, which I watched a couple of nights ago I think. I'm otherwise unfamiliar with her, but I really enjoyed what she had to say, especially about calling things what they are. It's worth watching the whole thing, it really is.

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Utterly Foreseeable

08:34 Monday, 9 March 2026
Current Wx: Temp: 45.1°F Pressure: 1014hPa Humidity: 53% Wind: 9.95mph
Words: 121

Trump is going to try to subvert the mid-term elections. Whether or not he succeeds depends on the strength of our institutions.

Are you worried yet?

You should be.

We must anticipate, with sadness and resolution. We will be horrified, but we cannot be surprised, if there is a terrorist attack on the United States. If choose to be surprised, we co-create a moment that Trump will exploit to undo what remains of our democracy. If the unthinkable happens, it will happen because some of Trump’s people thought about it, some of them created the conditions for it, and some of them looked away. The responsibility for catastrophe will be theirs. And the responsibility for democracy will be ours.

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Sunshine

08:13 Monday, 9 March 2026

Current Wx: Temp: 42.98°F Pressure: 1013hPa Humidity: 59% Wind: 8.1mph
Words: 184

Love to see this.

Slept well last night. By "well," I mean I was up at the usual wee hours, but fell asleep around 0400, turned off the alarm at 0500 and went right back to sleep until 0700.

Interesting analysis of the sinking of IRAS DENA by USS CHARLOTTE and the Law of Naval Warfare. Bottom line is there is no violation of the laws of war. Now, how I would feel about that when there is no war declared by Congress is another question.

The oil price spike is unwelcome and totally foreseeable. Just when we're getting ready to build a house. Between tariffs and energy costs, Trump is trying to bankrupt us. My only consolation is that every other poor, stupid son of a bitch who voted for that incompetent asshole is in the same boat.

It's small consolation, but it's not nothing.

How about a little "regime change" over here, Congress?

They could do it before April Fools' Day, if they put their minds to it.

This gets worse before it gets better.

The beat, and the beatings, go on...

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