Liturgy

Yes, the bittern. And the sage grouse. And the frogmouth!

Here's how to fix it. How would you clean the windshield after an improper application Park in the shade and let the glass cool. Rinse the outside of the windshield with clean water to remove dust and grit. Wash it with warm water and a small amount of dish soap or automotive glass cleaner. Use a clean microfiber towel or a dedicated glass-cleaning towel. Rinse thoroughly, then dry with a separate, dry microfiber towel. Wipe in straight, overlapping passes rather than circular motions. If the haze remains, use a stronger glass-cleaning step: Apply a small amount of automotive glass polish or a mild 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water to the exterior glass. Work it over the windshield with a clean microfiber cloth. Rinse completely and dry. Clean the wiper blades with glass cleaner or diluted rubbing alcohol on a cloth. If they still smear, replace them—the residue may have transferred onto the rubber. Test the windshield with water. If water beads unevenly or the haze persists, repeat the cleaning once. Don’t apply more Rain-X until the glass is completely clear. Avoid abrasive household powders, razor blades, ammonia-based cleaners around tinted film, and mixing cleaning chemicals. If visibility is still impaired—especially at night—don’t drive until the windshield is clear. Rain-X’s application guidance emphasizes wiping the product off thoroughly; its product line also includes dedicated automotive glass cleaners. rainx.com

If you haven't bought it yet, it's too late! https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/its-500-toothbrush-disappeared-from-stores-dyson-wont-fully-explain-why/

Languages change, so is this a problem? Well, it is if the resulting text no longer says what the writer intended to say Why do people not care about language? I suspect most of the time it is because people feel it's not worth their time. In text/instant messaging conversations, people get straight to the point. E.g., "lunch at 12:30, meet at Panera?" "can't do 12:30, how about 1?" No "beautiful language," no real need for AI, most people just type or dictate it, the words say exactly what you mean. Then there are emails ... you have to write more words than are absolutely necessary to say what you really want to say. Instead of simply saying "review the attached report, check numbers on page X, send revision or confirm the numbers are good by COB," most people feel compelled to provide context about about the report, explain why they want the numbers on page X checked, explain why the COB deadline is important, etc. Now that you have to write more words than you believe are necessary, the urge to delegate to AI to generate those extraneous words for you gets a little stronger. Then there are letters, academic papers, presentation slides, formal reports, books ... you need to put in more and more extraneous words than those necessary to convey what you believe is essential. Take academic research papers, for example. Instead of just writing your method, results, and conclusions, most journals/conferences expect an "introduction/background" section, an abstract, a conclusion section, maybe a section on "why you think your stuff is new/important" ... Now you have to repeat your key contents a few times (e.g., your key results may have to appear three times -- in the abstract, in the result section, and in the conclusion). The introduction/background section is mostly you recounting someone else's stuff, little to no originality. With expectations for all these extra words that do not speak to what you really want to convey, the urge to delegate to AI gets stronger. Similar incentives structure for corporate reports/papers/slides. Often lots of boilerplates, lots of fillers because the template says so, because of policy, lots of hedging and disclaimer language to CYA, etc. The urge to delegate to AI gets even stronger. It just gets worse as the documents get more formal (e.g., regulatory filings). I don't have a solution for this. I hope people learn to focus their energy on manually drafting/tweaking the parts that are most important, the parts that convey novel/original things, and that people learn to identify and focus these parts when they look at written communications. The rest will continue to exist because systems/institutions require it or because people expect it, and I am resigned to accept those formal/performatory bits to be overtaken by AI slop.

You don’t understand. Chunks is my dog.

[image: IMG-6988.jpg] The scenery in these mountains is spectacular! [image: IMG-6967.jpg]

@CHAS said: @AndyD Saw the first episode. Will watch more. Series 3 seems to concern rare earth mineral mining on Svalbard, Arctic Circle.

That's ok. The Florida choices have been non-existent since before DeSantis. This was a Democrat state when I was born in '67 until the election in 2000.

@AndyD said: And I'd have to change all the furniture, which irks when you're handing over 55 million. That's like 13million per bedroom. Lol!

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View from one of our living room windows this arternoon [image: 11850.jpg] [image: 11846.jpg]

Um... are we allowing multiple-word responses?

The phase out is inevitable given more modern alternatives; the logic is similar to the demise of long wave radio. Mobile phones' connectivity coverage now works well nearly everywhere (at least in our tiny country). People prefer them because they can carry them everywhere, internationally. They now support video, and are a multifunctional computer camera calculator. We have a copper phone landline which was used until recently for the Internet, though like many, we've had installed a fast full-fibre cable. And probably like many households, as we decorate, we remove the old phone sockets.

"Narcissus can't recognize what he's seeing isn't someone else." Right. He didn't know it was himself. The psychological relationship between the mythological character and narcissists IRL is parallel.

I have nothing nice to say but I don't care. This situation is putrid.