@ShiroKuro I think Mik has answered that question.

When my $ watch got saltwater in it, the cost to repair it almost as much as original price. Told them to keep it. Bought a Garmin that is smarter than I am. It counts steps and tells me who is calling plus more than I want to know. Smartwatches and AI could be a scary thing. May have to go back to a Timex. Then again, they are copying some expensive watches, but those look like the cheap copies they are.

That was a tribute to an enduring human spirit. This quotation near the end of the piece seemed to summarize the message. “The essential things in life are freedom, solidarity and respect for every human being.” As some people say, "May their memory be a blessing." Big Al

Oh, damn. I see the listing was removed today. Guess I missed out on another perfect house....

@Piano-Dad It’s rare to replace one of those roofs. What usually happens is they take off the tile, put new waterproofing paper down and put the tile back again. Nice house!

New nightmare: Hertz adopts AI scanner to check for damage. https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-is-what-happens-when-hertzs-ai-scanner-finds-damage-on-your-rental

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/24/politics/doge-fired-workers-rehired Trump administration scrambles to rehire key federal workers after DOGE firings Federal agencies are rehiring and ordering back from leave some of the employees who were laid off in the weeks after President Donald Trump took office as they scramble to fill critical gaps in services left by the Department of Government Efficiency-led effort to shrink the federal workforce.

@wtg said in Ice cream: Coffee Almond Fudge That sounds yummy! I’ve had other Tillamook but I don’t think I’ve had this one. Nor have I ever tried a vegan ice cream before. But this is definitely the time to get some ice cream, whatever the variety!

Relative to when? The parties are far more rigid and "orthodox" than they were when I was younger. You had to build coalitions across party lines to get anything done. Now it's rammed through on party line votes.

A study from MIT... https://unherd.com/newsroom/can-students-be-saved-from-chatgpt/

More info on the 100 mile border zone: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/border-zone "two-thirds of the U.S. population, or about 200 million people, reside within this expanded border region, according to the 2010 census. Most of the 10 largest cities in the U.S., such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, fall in this region. Some states, like Florida, lie entirely within this border band so their entire populations are impacted." Big Al

https://www.space.com/stargazing/summer-solstice-2025-brings-changing-seasons-to-earth-on-june-20 Read how many hours of day there were added to dawn and dusk in a certain city to see how many hours of darkness remained. Wow.

I wondered how they would react. Good BBQ is not confined to Texas, either. There are a lot of good pitmasters at work around the country. I've tasted more than a few. I had some excellent brisket that one of my nephews smoked for two of his children's graduation party last Saturday. I haven't spent much time in Texas, but I certainly agree that I ate some delicious BBQ there. Big Al