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@wtg
Posts
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Word association thread -
The immigration nightmare gets worseHector “Alessandro” Negrete got the phone call nine months after he moved to Guadalajara, Mexico, hoping for a fresh start without the onerous weight of uncertainty and fear he carried in Los Angeles.
“Hey, you have something that says, ‘invoice to border patrol,’” Negrete recalls his former roommate telling him around 8 p.m. that night as he was meal-prepping after the gym. He consulted with his lawyer, and his roommate tore the envelope open.
“Vecino, what is this?” his roommate asked, calling him “neighbor” in Spanish.
Inside was a seven-digit number. He owed the Department of Homeland Security $1.8 million, the paper read.
“What the hell?” Negrete said he first thought. Perplexed, he initially believed the letter was fraudulent. He got on a FaceTime call with his roommate to process the shock.
His second thought: “Oh my God, I’m gonna lose my money. I’m gonna lose my job.”
The letter sent to his old address where he still files US taxes said he must pay a $1,820,352 civil penalty for his failure to comply with a 2009 deportation order, according to a copy of the notice reviewed by CNN.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/01/us/dhs-deportation-order-fine-immigration
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Washing machine updateSo @steve-miller ... Have to admit I prefer front loading washers to top loaders, though it's been a long time since I've owned a top loader. Yea, there can be issues with the stinky washer problem with front loaders but they are so much gentler on clothes than the top loading models. SQ makes a front loader but of course it has electronic rather than mechanical controls.
eta: The clothes spin out better in front loaders, too. Dries faster.
Thoughts?
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Washing machine updateInteresting.
I'm not usually an early adopter of new models of anything. I'd prefer to see some real world data on performance and reliability. Have to admit I'd probably opt for the SQ even if the Maytag is cheaper if I needed a new washer in the nearish future.
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Word association thread -
Ever hear of the Hanover Institute for Public Policy?On a related note...
Since AI chatbots exploded in popularity and Google started offering AI-generated answers, people who research foreign influence campaigns have expressed concern that some governments may poison AI-generated answers with false narratives. But an experiment NPR conducted with NewsGuard, a company that monitors online falsehoods and issues ratings about the reliability of online news sources, found that popular AI chatbots mostly pushed back against false narratives spread by foreign states. AI summaries that are increasingly found at the top of search engine results didn't perform as well. But overall, they still pushed back against state-spread falsehoods a majority of the time.
NPR also looked at how often AI-generated answers may have uncritically exposed users to false information compared to traditional search results.
The experiment found that AI chatbots outperformed search engines, while AI summaries underperformed. The results suggest that compared with traditional web search links, using AI chatbots with web search access is a "good way for users to start to investigate these issues," said Mike Caulfield, a digital literacy expert at the University of Washington, Bothell, who has tested AI tools for search extensively. NPR's experiment revealed that AI summaries at the top of search engine results may warrant more caution, depending on the product.
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/30/nx-s1-5876436/chatbots-search-propaganda
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Washing machine update@steve-miller - got a link to the Maytag units? I'm seeing a "commercial grade" and also a "commercial". People are grousing about the circuit board going on the home commercial grade models. Five year warranty (I think parts only, and maybe just a subset of parts). Repairs/parts availability complaints.
I wonder if the "commercial grade" is more of a marketing pitch.
Also wondering about Maytag in general. Wasn't it bought out by Whirlpool?
Our Maytag gas dryer is going on 30 years and has never needed a repair. That's never gonna happen again...
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Washing machine update@Mik would a stair lift work? Curved staircase gets pricey but a straight shot up 12 stairs was a little over $4000 for a Bruno unit.
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In praise of bike helmetsFrom my Canadian physiotherapist this week, for anyone looking for a basic workout:
I want to be strong at 93. But I don't want to spend the next 60 years in the gym.
My goal isn't to spend my life working out. It's to exercise enough that I can spend my life living.
Playing with my kids. Travelling. Playing sports. Staying strong, mobile and independent well into my 80s and 90s.
So today, I thought I'd share something a little different:
My exact workout routine right now.
And it might be a lot less than you'd expect.
Here's what my week looks like:
MONDAY — Chest + Back
→ Bench Press or Push-Ups
→ Bent-Over Rows
Bench Press + Bent Over Rows
TUESDAY — Legs + Shoulders
→ Weighted Squats
→ Shoulder PressSquats + Shoulder Press
WEDNESDAY — Arms
→ Bicep Curls
→ Tricep PushdownsBicep Curl + Tricep Push-Downs
THURSDAY — Accessory Muscles
→ Calf Raises
→ ShrugsHeel Raises + Shrugs
FRIDAY — Upper Body
→ Bench Press or Bent-Over Rows
SATURDAY — Lower Body
→ Deadlift or Squat
SUNDAY — Rest
And throughout the week, I sprinkle in:
10–20 minute brisk walks after lunch when I can.🧘 5 minutes of stretching and mobility before bed.
That's it.
No two-hour gym sessions.
No complicated workouts with 12 different exercises.
Most days, my strength workout is literally one or two exercises.
The bigger point
Now, is this the "perfect" workout routine?Of course not.
There are things I could add. More cardio. More balance training. More mobility. More exercises.
But I've learned something over the years:
The best workout routine isn't the one that looks perfect on paper.
It's the one that fits into your actual life.
Especially in this season of my life, with two young kids, work, family and everything else going on, this is what works for me.
And because it's simple, I can actually stay consistent with it.
That's what I want you to take away from this email.
You don't need to build your life around exercise.
Build an exercise routine that supports the life you want to live.
Stay strong
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Canada calls his bluff -
Washing machine updateI've been trying to convince Janet to install a small laundry unit in our walk in closet. It's right on the wall that has the waste and water lines. Easy peasy and we don't need nearly the closet space we used to when working.
Thought about doing the same thing in a closet in a spare bedroom that is set up as an office that we basically don't use anymore. There are those dryers that vent moisture into the drain rather than to the outside.
Two story house here plus basement. Our laundry setup is currently in the basement. Installing a washer and dryer on the second floor would save trips up/down the stairs but doesn't eliminate them altogether. Of course I wouldn't have to carry the clean laundry up two flights, though now I bring small armloads up to the first floor and hang them in the front hall closet until I head up to 2. And I wouldn't be likely to hang out on the second floor while things washed and dried.
Part of me thinks that hiring someone to come in and do laundry for us once a week if I can't do it myself might be the way to go rather than investing in a second setup upstairs. Dunno.
Portable dryers:
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Canada calls his bluffOMG, I hadn't even thought of that. Guess the administration isn't long on geography. First the Strait of Hormuz and now this....
His head would explode if they threatened to raise fees for using the canal...(insert devil emoji here)
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2nd gen pet rocks -
Greetings from Shipshewana, IndianaSteve and Ron, the Thelma and Louise of 2026...
Great photos, @steve-miller ! Always love your travelogues.
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Meta-thread: Word association thread -
Adios, MiloRight-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos deported from US to UK
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Critical to national securityPutin signs decree allowing state seizure of businesses hit by drone strikes
The edict covers energy, transport, logistics and any facility deemed critical to national security, and can be imposed by presidential instruction alone. Experts called it "hybrid nationalisation," warning it would be used to seize assets from companies under the pretext of security failure.
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I never knew......that corgis are a thing in Lithuania...
Link to video -
The floods in NepalSatellite images show bedrock and glacier collapsed on Nepal-China border, then rivers flooded
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Fare thee well, Dolly
