Now think about how many will get AI to generate a synopsis for that MIT report so they can get the salient points quickly, and how much energy that will use.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court’s oral argument Wednesday in a case involving the attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support by the central bank chair. The high court is considering whether President Donald Trump can fire Cook, as he said he would do in late August, in an unprecedented attempt to remove one of the seven members of the Fed’s governing board. Powell plans to attend the high court’s Wednesday session, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It’s a much more public show of support than the Fed chair has previously shown Cook. But it follows Powell’s announcement last week that the Trump administration has sent subpoenas to the Fed, threatening an unprecedented criminal indictment of the Fed Chair. Powell — appointed to the position by Trump in 2018 — appears to be casting off last year’s more subdued reponse to Trump’s repeated attacks on the central bank in favor of a more public confrontation. https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-jerome-powell-lisa-cook-supreme-court-7f135bd222013d4fe61eb8f03c663676

@Big_Al said in Hunting a house in Helena: This article made me think of a forum member. Me, too. As did this BBC article about the ten most sustainable US towns and why they're worth a visit. Missoula was one of them. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260115-10-of-the-uss-most-sustainable-small-towns Popular place, that state.

Necessity is the mother of invention. So many species use tools one way or another.

[image: 61Oe9zbpP4L._SY522_.jpg] Kind of goes with the MIT article about the energy impact of AI. https://wtf.coffee-room.com/topic/3010/ai-s-energy-footprint-mit-analysis

Temp right now is 0, zooming up to 6 later in the day. Oh, and winds are 20 to 30 mph, just to add to the misery. Forecasts up through Sunday show us failing to reach freezing, mostly staying below 20. I dumped a little pile of squash seeds out at the base of a tree where I know a couple of squirrels live; I saved them from a kabocha we had a few days ago for dinner. I don't even know if the little furry guys come out in this cold or if they just huddle.

Piling it on. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” the committee that will oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, his spokesman said on Monday. Speaking to reporters during a regular media briefing, Dmitry Peskov said: “President Putin also received through diplomatic channels an invitation to join this Board of Peace.” He said the Kremlin is now reviewing the invitation and “hoping to get more details from the US side.” CNN has asked the White House for a comment. Later on Monday, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said President Alexander Lukashenko also received an invitation to join the board. The ministry’s press service said Minsk “highly appreciates that the American side sees Belarus – and this is clearly stated in the text of the address – as a country ready to take on the noble responsibility of building a lasting peace and leading by example, investing in a secure and prosperous future for future generations.” Lukashenko is Putin’s closest ally and has been described as Europe’s last dictator. https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/19/europe/putin-board-of-peace-gaza-trump-intl

Good for eggs, milk, and some bread. Sometimes it has very economically priced small pack smoked salmon that is very hard to beat. Very good for clean, pre-packaged fresh/raw fish and meats. The local grocery chain stores may have cheaper fish/meats but not as cleanly packaged. Not that good for fresh fruits and vegetables. The local grocery chain stores typically have better looking fresh fruits and vegetables. Typically don’t have the widest selections, but often clean and not too crowded.

US President Donald Trump has said he no longer feels obliged to think only of peace after he did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize, as he again repeated his demand for control of Greenland. In a message to Norway's prime minister, Trump blamed the country for not giving him the prize. "Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper' for the US", Trump said in the message obtained by US media. "The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland," he added. CBS News, the BBC's US partner, confirmed the message and its contents. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he had received the text message on Sunday in response to a text he and Finland's president Alexander Stubb had sent to Trump. Støre said they had conveyed opposition to proposed tariff increases over the Greenland dispute, and pointed to the need to de-escalate, proposing a three-way phone call the same day. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7mev35x2lo

This was like two months ago. But yeah he’s foul. On the bright side, his spokesbitch walked it back. This episode netted out (so far) with the DUI hire in the pentagon going after Mark Kelly’s pension.

Mik, I forgot my best comparison-- VW and Porsche. https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/911/carrera -models/911-carrera/#change-model Well, the father designed the VW for Mr. You Know Who and the son designed the 911. I'd have my used Hyundai, an Audi S5, a base model 911, and a truck, probably a Ford 150. I'm good at wanting things I can't afford. I'd have hese vehicles or similar and live in the Grade 1 listed tower house Andy showed me. You think I'm kidding. I'm really not. But if I had all the money in the world I think I'd move to Switzerland. 1/4 of my family is from there. They were peasant farmers who came to America and ended up owning their own farms in Indiana. My grandfather's inheritance was a fraction of his family's farm. It was the beginning of generational wealth in my family because he kept his inheritance his whole life. The only thing he bought with it was a Ford Model T. Lol! I do have a "rich uncle" (and a rich aunt actually) but but they aren't going to leave me anything. They hate my guts because their mother dared to give me $1 instead of giving it to them. I need to start playing the lottery.

@wtg said in Thoughts on portable electric heaters: @Daniel said in Thoughts on portable electric heaters: I considered buying a small indoor propane heater Those give me headaches. I would avoid. It would seem that the words “propane” and “indoor” should not appear next to each other.

Great way to eat healthy on the cheap. You cannot beat eggs for low cost protein. Eighteen count is nine days of entrees for $3.

@Mik Looks great, will definitely try it; we love Indian food. I bought almond flour at Costco, not terribly expensive, but as you point out it's not something you use a lot. I made almond cake. https://natashaskitchen.com/almond-cake-recipe/ The almond flour is holding its own in the freezer.

The Nobel Committee has retaliated against Trump and what's her name. Or that video was AI in which case ignore.

Usually but last night there was a first piece, not worth mentioning, that was for orchestra only. So they wheeled it out mid way through. I’m sure it was tuned right off stage before the event started.