Daily News Stuff 23 March 2026

Top Story

• Elon Musk has announced TeraFab, a Tesla-SpaceX joint venture to bring the various companies' (including xAI and I guess Twitter) chip manufacturing together under one very large roof. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  $20 billion buys a lot of roof.
  
  Primarily it will be producing local AI chips for robots - vision processing and similar systems, and large scale general purpose AI chips for orbital datacenters.
  
  This is the 21st century I asked for. Certainly more so than anything OpenAI has delivered.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (52) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Overnight Open Thread - March 22, 2026 [Doof]

From Earth Pictures

Howdy Hordelings! Thanks for stopping by the Sunday ONT. Spring has sprung! I was out enjoying the amazing weather today - playing some mediocre golf. What were you up to today? Hopefully something enjoyable. Join us in the comments. What's on YOUR mind tonight?

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:04 PM | Comments (469) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gun Thread: Fourth Edition O' March!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving hell did it get to be the Fourth Edition O' March? Hmmm?

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (233) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Food Thread: Eat, Drink, And Be Merry (And Ignore What Anyone Else Says!)

[Courtesy of Commenter "Dr_No" Take a look at his stuff!]

Food and drink pomposity is a real thing, especially among the nomenklatura and their hangers-on in Park Slope and Hyde Park and Tribeca and Austin. Sure, we all have our little foibles about food (shaken Manhattans are a creation of the Devil), but most people just try to make and eat what they like, and don't trouble themselves too much about appearances when it comes to what is on the plate in front of them.

And that is as it should be!

If you want to eat microwave frozen burritos while standing over the sink, or fast food while hunched over the steering wheel? Have at it! I have done both, and have enjoyed those meals. If you want to eat at a fancy restaurant with 19 forks, knives, spoons, and three unidentified utensils, while being served nine courses over four hours? Go for it! I have done that and it's a hoot!

One of my most memorable meals was a chunk of Safeway Cheddar, half a Galileo salami, several chunks of sourdough bread, and three bottles of Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve beer. Granted, it was a glorious Northern California day, on the beach at Fort Ross after a particularly successful abalone dive, and that might beat the kitchen sink scenario, but still...

What were some of your memorable meals? Extra credit for interesting locations.

Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (260) | Trackbacks (Suck)

First World Problems...

Steam heating systems are robust...they last forever, in part because they are so simple. But they also need some maintenance, and bleeding the air out of the system is one of those things that needs to be done.

Unless your bleed valve looks like mine! One side of the system (it's split into two parts) gurgles like a drunken hobo guzzling Mad Dog 20-20. And it's not the noise that's the worst part; obviously it isn't heating as efficiently, and since I am a cheap bastard, every gurgle is a reminder that my obscenely expensive heating costs (thanks to the leftists in NJ state government) will be just a bit more.

And to top it off, the radiator is behind a decorative panel with an access opening designed for someone with petite hands who can see in the dark.

My best option is probably to rip out the steam system, rip up the floors, install radiant heat, and install new hardwood floors. Or maybe do it the other way...rip out the ceilings and install radiant from underneath.

Or...of course...just burn it down and start over!

Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (174) | Trackbacks (Suck)

"Regime Change" In Iran Is Nothing New...Trump Is The First Western Leader To Act Rather Than Obfuscate

The world would be a very different place had Western leaders taken seriously the existential threat of Iran's fanatical Mullahs and their particular brand of Shia Islam.

Western governments have been aware of Iran and its support for terror groups at least since the early 1980s. The 1983 embassy bombing in Beirut, and then the Marine barracks bombing the same year should have been a clarion call for the destruction of the Mullahcracy, but as is the post-modern West's wont, there was lots of tough talk about sanctions and isolation and containment, but no understanding of the bedrock of the Mullahs...the destruction of Israel, America, and the West.

The 1990s, with the fall of the Soviet Union could have been a tremendous opportunity for a united effort to destroy what was becoming the nexus of Islamic terror, as Iran busily expanded its footprint across the world, and gathered the various Islamic groups. Pivoting to Iran would have been easy. But the West, led by the feckless Bush senior and then the execrable Bill Clinton was more interested in the cash they could extract out of their defense budgets, rather than using them in the defense of America and Europe from the depredations of Iran.

And the terror continued! The Khobar Towers bombing, bombings in Argentina (the Israeli embassy and a Jewish center), and uncountable suicide bombings...all at the hands of iran's proxies.

And continued... Iran enthusiastically supported attacks on Coalition troops in Iraq...even exporting its IED technology to maximize death and destruction. The assassination of Lebanon's Prime Minister in 2005, which led to the downfall of Lebanon as a (barely) functioning state, Hamas and Islamic Jihad bombings, and even limited support for the Afghan insurgency... all of it followed the same tired script that the West carefully ignored.

And why? Oil. Europe and the rest of the world was addicted to Iranian oil, and they would rather have a steady supply of petroleum than defend themselves from an apocalyptic philosophy whose only goal was their destruction! Add in rabid Jew-hate among the left, who relished the thought of an ascendant Iran as a counter to Israel and its rapidly growing technological and military base, and the stage was set for Iran to become the power in the Middle East.

Oceans of oil money, a complacent West that was comfortable with some level of death and destruction that Iran paid for, and only Israel saying publicly what most people didn't want to hear...Iran wants the destruction of...everything!

So Iran got busy expanding the manufacturing capacity...theater ballistic missiles, drones, antiaircraft systems, and most terrifying; a massive nuclear research program with the goal of nuclear weapons.

And it was all paid for with Western and Chinese money! Even billions of dollars of American taxpayer funds, courtesy of the Obama administration, supposedly in exchange for...who knows!

But President Donald Trump shattered the paradigm of Western Weakness vs. Iranian intransigence. It should have been done 40 years ago after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 American Marines and 58 French soldiers. It should have been done after the Paris bombings in 1985-1986. It should have been done after the Argentina bombings in the early 1990s. It should have been done after the Hariri assassination. And it most certainly should have been done after Iran was proven to be the source for the IEDs and other weapons that were used to kill so many American servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The price we are paying for what should have been done a long time ago is a painful reminder that, as Winston Churchill famously said:

Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured. But I fear greatly that the storm will not pass. It will rage and it will roar ever more loudly, ever more widely.

President Donald Trump is not an appeaser, and future generations will laud him as the American president who finally stopped the apocalyptic Iranian dictatorship, and prevented a nuclear war in the Middle East.

His interlocutors are curiously silent about the 47 year history of Iranian-exported death and destruction. They are more interested in exercising their hatred of Donald Trump, and far less interested in defending America from Iran's unshakable focus on the death of America and the West. They are the appeasers about whom Churchill spoke, and it should be a permanent stain on anyone who does not have the moral clarity to see that the destruction of the Mullahcracy is a fundamental good.

Posted by: CBD at 12:00 PM | Comments (206) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Morning Book Thread - 3-22-2026 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading. Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM | Comments (332) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 22 March 2026

Top Story

• An Ohio datacenter planned by Japanese company SoftBank will cost $40 billion to build - and require a new 9.2GW gas turbine generator complex that will cost another $33 billion. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Or, as the article notes, 9 nuclear reactors, though that option is off the table due to the excruciatingly long lead times thanks to a thousand layers of bureaucratic nonsense.
  
  Which is ironic considering that the site chosen for the datacenter near Piketon was used to produce nuclear fuel from 1956 until 2001.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (211) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Night Club ONT - March 21, 2026 [D squared]

Welcome to Club ONT - a collaboration of The Disco and The Dino. Come in in, grab a drink or 3. Make a new friend. Hang out with an old friend. Talk about your hoops bracket. It's a laid back kind of night. Let's keep it light and fun!

[Top photo: Vintage Tavern - Suffolk, VA]

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (369) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Evening Movie Post [moviegique]: The Magnificent Ambersons

Orson Welles' follow-up to Citizen Kane is the touching, tragic tale of an American family that rose to riches and prominence in the 19th century—only to lose it all in the wake of the burgeoning automobile industry.

Well, sort of. A funny thing happened on the way to the bijou (and there is an actual theater called "The Bijou" in this movie): War broke out. And not just any war, but World War II. More about that in a moment. (Stay tuned! for breaking World War II news!)

The second book of Booth Tarkington's trilogy, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, had been filmed previously, as a 70 minute 1925 silent picture which was chopped down to 33 minutes.

Orson Welles recorded a version of this story as an hourlong radio special featuring his Mercury Players. But he wanted to give it proper cinematic treatment. The Tarkingtons were family friends, and the character of Eugene (Joseph Cotton) Welles claimed was based on his own father, also an inventor, who died when Welles was 15.

This little turd is going to get his come-uppance, and it's not going to be fun at all.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:30 PM | Comments (246) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Hobby Thread - March 21, 2026 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. When you follow the long and windy road, you end up with maps as a theme for this Hobby Thread.

[Top photo: Lupine Lane, 20x30 acrylic, Misanthropic Humanitarian]

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM | Comments (195) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ace of Spades Pet Thread, March 21

Courtesy Russell Beers

* * *

Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.

Would you like a treat?

Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.

Posted by: K.T. at 03:32 PM | Comments (67) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, March 21

Happy Spring! With Easter and Passover coming up, we're starting with some seasonal flowers today:

My Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter cactus blooms for all 3 holidays. Here is the most recent one.

sharon(willow's apprentice)

Truly amazing that you get three holidays from that cactus! Beautiful photo.

*

Posted by: K.T. at 01:29 PM | Comments (50) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Women of The New Religious Wars

So disappointing to some . . . .

I woke up this morning to the following trending news item on X:

Carrie Prejean Boller Challenges Bishop Barron Over Commission Firing

Boller, a recent Catholic convert and former evangelical, said the text supported her belief that modern Israel does not fulfill biblical prophecy, a stance she links to her February removal from President Trump's White House Religious Liberty Commission. Barron acknowledged the text but attributed her dismissal to disruptive behavior at a prior meeting, like browbeating witnesses and hijacking discussions. He affirmed the Catholic view condemning antisemitism and supporting Israel's right to exist while rejecting prophetic fulfillment, a position less common among evangelicals. The public clash highlights tensions in conservative circles over theology, religious authenticity, and coalition unity.

This story is a summary of posts on X and may evolve over time. Grok can make mistakes, verify its outputs.

Prediction prompted by a bit of earlier communication from Prejean Boller to the Bishop:

Posted by: K.T. at 11:18 AM | Comments (192) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival

[That and prayer!]

*****

Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival just a few housekeeping matters to go over. (Rulz for those of you in North Hudson)

1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind, be nice. Or don't get caught.
3) Running with sharp objects is no way to impress the one you want to.
4) Have a great weekend!

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 08:00 AM | Comments (296) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 21 March 2026

Top Story

• Press X to doubt: Microsoft says it is fixing Windows 11. (Nerds.xyz)
  
  Almost everything on the list is reversing changes that they push on users against vehement objections, or side effects of those changes.
  
  I'll believe it when I see it. Or six months after that, really.
  
  Meanwhile the Windows 10 IoT Enterprise Edition still exists (and there's a Windows 11 version that is also less broken than the Home edition, if you need support for recent features like Ethernet-over-Thunderbolt.)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (158) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Top O' The Ont To Ya!

Howdy folks! Thought I might not get to do my ONT this week, but we are back up and running! So, what do you feel like doing tonight?

Posted by: WeirdDave at 10:00 PM | Comments (342) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Another Ocho Cafe

The site featured a Running of the Hamsters race today. They all lost.

The 2018 remote control car championship.

Another Mech MMA battle.

Drift-Trike race. Wait what?

Human-Dog Mixed Kite-Surfing.

Women's track and field. I know that's not a wacky sport. I just wanted you to see this girl's donk.

Wingsuit rodeo.

Skateboarding an Alpine road (I guess) at 77 mph, through a tunnel.

Armored MMA: Two armored women have a poll ax fight.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:20 PM | Comments (334) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Oh No: Chuck Norris Dead at 86

I saw commenters mentioning that Norris had been hospitalized. I did not bother to put it in the sidebar because I thought about all the Chuck Norris memes and decided, for real, that there was no way Norris wouldn't spin-kick this "medical emergency" in the face.

Chuck Norris is a medical emergency.

But alas, Norris has died.

Chuck Norris, the martial artist-turned-Hollywood icon whose name became synonymous with toughness both on and off the screen, has died at 86 after a sudden medical emergency, his family confirmed Friday.

In a statement shared on social media, Norris' family said he passed away Thursday morning surrounded by loved ones. "While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace," the statement read. They described him not only as a global figure known for discipline and strength, but as "a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather... and the heart of our family," emphasizing a life grounded in faith, purpose, and commitment to those closest to him.

Best known to millions as the star of "Walker, Texas Ranger," Norris built a decades-long career that bridged martial arts mastery and mainstream entertainment. His work in films like "Delta Force" and his long-running television role turned him into a cultural fixture, while his real-life persona -- rooted in discipline, patriotism, and Christian faith -- resonated with fans well beyond Hollywood. Over time, that image took on a life of its own, fueling the internet-famous "Chuck Norris facts" that turned him into a larger-than-life symbol of American grit.

The family noted that Norris had recently been hospitalized following a medical emergency while in Hawaii, a development that had drawn concern from supporters. Though early reports suggested he had stabilized and was in good spirits, his passing came just days later.

...

Just days before his death, Norris marked his 86th birthday with a message that now reads as a fitting reflection of the life he led. Sharing a video of himself training outdoors, he wrote, "I don't age. I level up," adding that he was "grateful for another year, good health and the chance to keep doing what I love." He also thanked fans for their decades of support, telling them, "To him, you were not just fans, you were his friends," as his family echoed in their statement.

Some true facts about Chuck Norris you might have forgotten:

"Chuck Norris was once bitten by a king cobra; after ten excruciating minutes, the cobra died."

Apparently that fact was referenced in Expendables II, when Stallone says that about Chuck Norris' character.

"When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he doesn't push himself up, he pushes the Earth down."

"When Chuck Norris goes swimming, he doesn't get wet -- the water gets Chuck Norris."

"There was once a street named after Chuck Norris, but the name was changed as nobody crosses Chuck Norris and lives."

"Beneath Chuck Norris's beard is another fist."

"If you have $5 and Chuck Norris has $5, Chuck Norris has more money than you."

I've only seen a handful of Chuck Norris movies, though I wanted to see more.

The one I remember really liking is Silent Rage, where Chuck Norris has to take on a kind of superpowered reanimated corpse. So it's Chuck Norris v. Frankenstein. Or Chuck Norris vs. Michael Myers and all the other invincible 80s horror movie slashers. I remember that, despite how silly that premise sounds, it was pretty decent and plausible. (Well, in the moment, it's plausible.)

I tried to find a trailer on YouTube but all I could find was this 100 minute video of the entire film.

Any suggestions? I always wanted to see Good Guys Wear Black, just going off the title.

I remember Firewalker being something unexpected for a Chuck Norris movie: kinda funny. I think there's a gag where Norris doesn't use guns and it turns out the reason he doesn't use guns is that he is absolutely incompetent with them.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:18 PM | Comments (354) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The People Responsible For Feeding The Hamsters Have Been Fired

Sorry about that everyone. There was a networking hiccup that made the server disappear off the internet. Everything was fine once you connected to the server... But you couldn't connect to the server.

For the technically minded, the server lost all it's secondary IP addresses, both public and private, and it kind of needs those.

(Antibumped to not derail the Chuck Norris thread. RIP, Mr Norris.)

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:20 PM | Comments (26) | Trackbacks (Suck)