W
Only problem is the damn cold temps....
A colossal coronal mass ejection (CME) has struck Earth, triggering severe (G4) geomagnetic storm conditions that could push the northern lights much farther south than usual tonight (Jan. 19–20). The impact, confirmed by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, is already stirring Earth's magnetic field — setting the stage for a potentially spectacular aurora display across the northern U.S. and possibly beyond.
Interesting piece about how some foods we eat enhance the nutritional value of others.
@AndyD For some reason I can see the description but the video won't load for me; might be my privacy blockers.
I did look up Kamchatka Peninsula snow and...Yikes!!!
France says, thanks for the invite but no thanks.
French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer to join the “Board of Peace” tasked with overseeing the next steps in Gaza, his office said on Monday.
The decision was taken over concerns that the “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump, would have extensive powers beyond transitional governance of the Gaza Strip, and undermine the United Nations framework.
The statement noted that the board’s charter “goes beyond the framework of Gaza and raises serious questions, in particular with respect to the principles and structure of the United Nations, which cannot be called into question.”
Some 100,000 of these small dives are hidden in plain sight across Japan. Now, travellers are finally discovering these locals-only hangouts – and the beloved "mamas" who run them.
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260116-inside-the-secret-world-of-japanese-snack-bars
I'm going to bring this article with me to my next tutoring session with my Japanese student. Should be a good springboard for discussion.
New research indicates Americans bear 96% of U.S. tariff costs, with foreign exporters absorbing only 4% by lowering prices.
From the comments on the article:
Surprise!!! Tariffs raise taxes on consumers!
And ... the sky is blue, water is wet, and Trump is not a very stable genius.
WSJ:
Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With
The new directive asks workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” Their names are being sent to national security experts at the agency.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-usda-foreign-scientists
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.
@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.
EU and Mercosur countries sign landmark free trade deal
Louis Oelofse | Shakeel Sobhan with AFP, Reuters
The agreement took 25 years to negotiate and will create one of the world's largest free trade zones. The deal was signed, despite opposition from some European farmers.
The agreement slashes more than 90% of tariffs between the EU and the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, though some cuts will be phased in over 10 to 15 years.
EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic told DW after signing the deal that European and Mercosur countries were "discussing all the concrete projects what we can do together."
"We are sending a very clear message to the world that Mercosur and European Union countries are for low tariffs, for smooth trade, for creating better quality and better prices for our consumers," Sefcovic told DW after signing the deal. "And we just simply want to work together, the friends of partners on mutual advantages project."
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.
Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows
Brown Swiss in Austria has been discovered using tools in multiple ways – something only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/19/back-scratching-cow-veronika-bovine-intelligence
The emissions from individual AI text, image, and video queries seem small—until you add up what the industry isn’t tracking and consider where it’s heading next.
We spoke to two dozen experts measuring AI’s energy demands, evaluated different AI models and prompts, pored over hundreds of pages of projections and reports, and questioned top AI model makers about their plans. Ultimately, we found that the common understanding of AI’s energy consumption is full of holes.
We started small, as the question of how much a single query costs is vitally important to understanding the bigger picture. That’s because those queries are being built into ever more applications beyond standalone chatbots: from search, to agents, to the mundane daily apps we use to track our fitness, shop online, or book a flight. The energy resources required to power this artificial-intelligence revolution are staggering, and the world’s biggest tech companies have made it a top priority to harness ever more of that energy, aiming to reshape our energy grids in the process.
From MIT Technology Review. Their analysis as to how much energy a query or a generated image requires to produce really got my attention.
For instance:
An older version of the model, released in August, made videos at just eight frames per second at a grainy resolution—more like a GIF than a video. Each one required about 109,000 joules to produce. But three months later the company launched a larger, higher-quality model that produces five-second videos at 16 frames per second (this frame rate still isn’t high definition; it’s the one used in Hollywood’s silent era until the late 1920s). The new model uses more than 30 times more energy on each 5-second video: about 3.4 million joules, more than 700 times the energy required to generate a high-quality image. This is equivalent to riding 38 miles on an e-bike, or running a microwave for over an hour.
And it actually turns out it probably takes less energy to generate an image than to generate text in response to the query. They explain why.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1116327/ai-energy-usage-climate-footprint-big-tech/
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
@AndyD said in The curious cult of Aldi:
wool/knitting week
Interesting. Have not seen anything like that at our Aldi store. There are all kinds of Aldi Finds but pretty much all household and garden items.
Lidl
Ton of them on the east coast of the US, but nothing anywhere near me.
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.
@Daniel said in Thoughts on portable electric heaters:
I considered buying a small indoor propane heater
Those give me headaches. I would avoid.
@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.
