Daily Tech News 27 July 2026

Top Story

• Whenever you copy this white text on a white background, a little white light lights up white to let you know you've done it. (Futurism)
  
  If only it was so simple.
  
  If you're copying and pasting your exam question into an AI to cheat, at least read the answer it spits out.
  
  Also, don't ever do that. Copy into a neutral environment like Notepad (or Notepad++) precisely so that you don't inadvertently include nasty Unicode stuff, or, in this case, an instruction to the AI to make a nonsensical reference to an island off East Africa in your final exam paper.
  
  
  

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:40 AM | Comments (104) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Overnight Open Thread - July 26, 2026 [Doof]

From ArmyBrat68

Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the Sunday ONT. Last Sunday one of the month. Open thread, as always. Fashion and music, as always. What's on YOUR mind tonight?

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:03 PM | Comments (417) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gun Thread: Final July Edition!

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 Final July Edition? Coming soon: August Editions!

Programming Note: I have a bunch of great content from you guys and gals in the ol' inbox and promise I will get to it soon. Like starting after next Sunday soon. Pinky swear! This has really turned out to be a wacky summer for us, schedule-wise, and I invariably find myself putting them together at the last minute. Apologies to those who have taken the time to send stuff in, and thank you for your patience!

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 (260) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Food Thread: Chocolate Makes The World Go 'Round!

The Horde...meet Babka! Babka...meet The Horde!

Babka is a sweet braided bread (or cake?), usually filled with chocolate, although people use nuts or jam or fruit too. But...why?

Chocolate is the way to go, and a good version is delicious. There is a famous bakery in NYC called Breads that makes a good version, but most vaguely Jewish or ethnic bakeries will have one. And they are...okay. They almost never have enough butter and chocolate, so one ends up with a bland and sort of dry bread that is completely forgettable.

We had guests over for dinner last night, and they brought a chocolate Babka from a local (to them) bakery. Wow! it was fantastic. Absolutely chock full of good dark chocolate, and there was enough butter in the bread to make a dairyman smile.

And because we didn't have enough chocolate at the table, I also made Chocolate Chip Cookies from Lin-duh's recipe, which may be the best cookie recipe on the planet.

Life was good at Chez Dildo last night!

Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (313) | Trackbacks (Suck)

First World Problems...

Obviously, Odysseus' First World Problem was that he couldn't read a map to save his life!

Yeah...not really a genuine FWP, but it makes me laugh, so...

And...Open Thread, but keep it light!

Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (132) | Trackbacks (Suck)

As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap: The Failure Of Western Europe To Defend Itself From Invasion

Brussels is 25% Muslim. Why is anyone surprised that the social compact (a Western idea) has broken down, and crime is rampant? Why is anyone surprised that the possibility of terrorist attacks has increased? Why is anyone surprised that attacks on Jews have increased? In the first two months after the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, antisemitic attacks in Belgium increased by a factor of 13!

So now they are going to go after Americans? How does this change anything? The Muslim world is on the march, and they will kill anyone their book commands...starting with Jews, but it is an inclusive command, so really...anyone who isn't a Muslim. And when there aren't any kafirs around, they go after each other! Shia vs. Sunni is as old as Islam.

But the inability to function in polite modern society is another unintended consequence of Europe's opening of its borders. They got Islamic terrorism, but they also got the special bonus of a culture that has no respect for the cultural mores developed over 2,500 years...

So they got rape and assault and murder and theft and destruction of property and casual aggression directed at...everyone. And let us not forget wholesale fraud directed at the government programs intended to help them! We got a healthy helping of that in America, but Europe has a big head start!

US State Department Issues Travel Advisory for Belgium

The U.S. Department of State has updated the travel advisory for Belgium, warning about risks to American travelers due to terrorism, crime, and unrest.

Outfits inspired by terrorist organizations “are intent on attacking U.S. citizens abroad,” including in Europe, the department said in a July 23 update. Belgium had been designated with the “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” classification earlier, with the latest update retaining the classification, while adding in risks of crime and unrest.

Terror operatives can use knives, vehicles, and firearms to target crowds. They typically aim their attacks at vulnerable and unprotected targets, such as places of worship, schools, shopping malls, public transportation systems, hotels and restaurants frequented by tourists, and high-profile public events, according to the advisory.

Low-level street crime, such as purse snatchings, robberies, and pickpocketing, is common, especially in major cities, trams, train stations, at the Brussels metro at night time, and in public areas such as restaurants, the department said. Criminals may operate as teams, targeting people by bumping or shoving into them, especially in crowds, the advisory said, while warning Americans to remain alert to distractions.

So...explain to me again the advantage of opening Western borders to people like this? The short term bump in the voting rolls for the left is going to change quickly once Muslims become enough of a voting bloc to sway elections. And they will sway toward Islam, because that is what they do.

New York City has a taste of it with the election of the Islamist Mamdani. Dearborn and Paterson and Passaic and Brooklyn and Philadelphia and Houston and Chicago have their problems too. See the pattern?

So what does Islam bring to those cities? It certainly seems like they bring lots and lots of crime and urban blight and an explosion in welfare costs, not to mention an intense focus on Jews and Israel; they are the canaries in the coal mine. Sure, Islam is most exercised by Jews, but Catholics will do as a target in a pinch. Just take a look at what Islam is doing in Nigeria right now...murdering Catholics every single day! And the world cares not a whit. And let us not forget those pesky Protestants and Hindus (Pakistan-India border anyone?).

If you think that the Muslims in America are any different than those in Nigeria or Pakistan, I have a bridge to sell you.

Posted by: CBD at 11:57 AM | Comments (267) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Morning Book Thread - 7-26-2026 ["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 (don't roll a "1"!). 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 (336) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 26 July 2026

Top Story

• China is breeding a clone army of terror yaks, probably. (CNN)
  
  They say they're not, but they also say:

  These are Tibetan yaks, designed and cloned in secretive labs more than 4,000 meters above sea level, where researchers hope to create an "elite" herd of super-yaks, healthier and more fertile than their predecessors.

  I do not trust them.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM | Comments (211) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Night Club ONT - July 25, 2026 [Disco & Dino]

Welcome to Club ONT - a collaboration of The Disco and The Dino. We built this place for you so you can have some fun. Come in in, grab a drink or 3. Keep it light and friendly. Jerks need not enter the premises (the moose out front is keeping track and is rumored to be in a feisty mood tonight).

[Top photo: Seacrets - on the bay in Ocean City, MD]

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (391) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Saturday Evening Movie Post [moviegique]: "F For Fake" (1973)

If we rely on experts because they know more than we do, how do we know they're experts?

Orson Welles asks us this tantalizing and startlingly contemporary question at the beginning of "F for Fake". In context, however, he is talking about the world of art, which I think we all realize now is basically just a form of money laundering and source of psyops.

Preach, sister.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:30 PM | Comments (137) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Hobby Thread - July 25, 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. For this week, the Wheel of Hobbies (TM) is feeling lucky and decided on a Las Vegas travel theme for this Hobby Thread.

[Top artwork: The Strip, by polynikes]

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM | Comments (151) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ace of Spades Pet Thread, July 25

True?

* * *

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 03:28 PM | Comments (72) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, July 25

Hi Kati,

Our lilies have put on a good show this year. The tree ones are halfway to the thatch. The scent is fantastic and come in the front door. The trough at the front has busylizzies, Dot who is the master gardener is disappointed in them. All the passers-by wanted begonias again but she likes to be different.

Chris

The lilies are magnificent. The busylizzies should keep things interesting later in the season. I like them. And the baskets are wonderful, too.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:39 PM | Comments (33) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Is The Odyssey sustaining our attention?

Babylon Bee: Odysseus Finally Returns Home After 20 Years And Oh No! Penelope Is Out Of Baking Powder And Needs Him To Run Out Again Real Quick

Well, Christopher Nolan's screen take on the adventures of Odysseus is prompting a lot of commentary. Friends of mine went to the movie and had a hard time sitting through it. VDH, with his background in the history of this period, offered a great take on the hullabaloo surrounding the film before it even opened. And the Tablet magazine offered both pro and con takes on Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey': Epic for Our Times or Epic Failure? with lots of detail and opportunity for comment.

And that's just the beginning of the arguments. But does the movie tell us anything else about our culture?

How many people have read the original?

Posted by: K.T. at 11:11 AM | Comments (217) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival

*****

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 Wonewoc.)

1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be kind. Be nice.
3) Running with sharp objects will result in automatic disqualification sometime down the road.
4) Have a great weekend!

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 07:45 AM | Comments (288) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 25 July 2026

Top Story

• Anthropic's Opus 5 model is here - nearly as smart as Fable for half the price, and less annoying. (Engadget)
  
  It has been trained similarly but with much less effort towards security, so it isn't as clever at hacking systems or at preventing your systems from being hacked, but it hasn't been forced into I'M SORRY DAVE I'M AFRAID I CAN'T DO THAT insanity that flips on the moment you stray into anything even the tiniest bit questionable.
  
  I'll give it a try since I'm on the $20 Claude plan making Opus 5 free of additional charge while Fable 5 uses my limited credits. (Paying accounts received $100 worth of credits free, but I want to keep those for actual security scans.)
  
  Also worth noting: If Fable 5 runs into trouble or doubt, it doesn't just run in circles, scream and shout, it can silently drop back to Opus. This can happen even if your question is entirely orthogonal to security issues.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:45 AM | Comments (119) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Too, This ONT Was Made Just For You

Welcome to Friday's ONT! Shocking news out of New York today:

Posted by: WeirdDave at 10:00 PM | Comments (318) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Friday Cafe

Heat Wave, Hong Kong, China, by Calvin Fu

Samson the dog gets shorn.

German shepherd is bothered by kittens taking over his dog bed.

More singing for animals.

What Taylor Swift sounds like to non-fans. To be honest, I'm pretty sure this is Taylor Swift.

The Icelandic Snow-Chicken. Or something, I don't know birds.

Bears are now going out of control even as babies.

"RFKJr." (Kyle Dunnigan) on Kill Tony.

"Bill Maher" (also Kyle Dunnigan) on Kill Tony.

Bird has his own casita.

Teaching husky puppies to carry on like mental patients.

Fostering a Marmaduke-sized Great Dane.

It's Friday.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 07:30 PM | Comments (220) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Week In Woke

A Fordham professor wants people who reject fake "birthright citizenship" actually punished for wrongthink.

'They exploit norms of collegiality and presumptions of integrity to advance trash'

Law professors who support limits on birthright citizenship should be shunned in academia, according to a Fordham University scholar.

"There MUST be repercussions for the lawprofs who advanced such untenable arguments. Their behavior is -- and I mean this literally, not dehumanizingly -- parasitic," John Pfaff (pictured) wrote in a since-deleted post on BlueSky.

"They exploit norms of collegiality and presumptions of integrity to advance trash. Which undermines the work of ALL of us," he said. He later wrote, "I stand by the idea, but I should have phrased it better. Academic freedom is the right to say what you want, without INSTITUTIONAL repercussions (generally). But it's not the right to speak w NO repercussions."

40% of academics won't hire Trump voters.

Black professors outnumber their Republican colleagues at 11 elite higher education institutions including Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.

Roughly 40 percent of college faculty would "oppose hiring a Trump supporter."

A quarter of faculty in social sciences and humanities departments would "support a campaign" to remove colleagues for expressing conservative views "in at least one of four topic areas."

These are just some of the issues flagged in a new report from the America First Policy Institute published this month, painting a picture on how higher education is more polarized than ever.

"When you have institutions that are being captured and co-opted by this kind of woke, DEI, critical theory mentality, this is the result," America First Policy Institute Vice Chair of Education Opportunity Michael Shires told The College Fix. "You chase out people who have even mainstream perspectives."

"If you think about it," he added, "half the electorate voted for President Trump, yet on a university campus, you know, 40% of the faculty wouldn't hire them."

The report weaves together dozens of studies, research, surveys and other findings to argue government intervention is needed to correct course, as institutional reform is not coming from within, and demands for "academic freedom" ring hollow given the bias against the right.

I'm just going to say it: I am now ready, willing, and eager to begin inflicting punishments on communists for what I consider wrongthink. If they want to criminalize my thoughts, I am now ready to use state power to criminalize theirs.

Mike Lee wants to defund schools that insanely continue to force students to get vaccinated in contradiction of their religious beliefs.

A bill that would block federal tax dollars from schools that refuse to allow religious exemptions for vaccinations has been introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who argued that educational institutions "need to learn we don't all worship Fauci."

The proposed legislation, dubbed the Guaranteeing Religious Accommodation in Childhood Education (GRACE) Act, is cosponsored by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and was introduced in the House by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL). It is endorsed by over fifty organizations, including Children's Health Defense, Moms for Liberty, and the Autism Action Network.

Not only would the bill defund schools that do not allow religious vaccine exemptions, but it would also prevent institutions from requiring documentation from students or parents in order to justify receiving such an exemption.

The Democrat-led states of California and New York both removed their religious freedom exemptions in recent years, impacting thousands of families who are now blocked from attending the schools their tax dollars pay for.

"Schools are discriminating against religious kids and targeting their families over vaccine exemptions," Lee said in a statement to Breitbart News. "Keeping a kindergartner out of class over a vaccine is cruel -- and it's unconstitutional when the reason is their family's religion."

So important you guys: Oregon's public health schools tackle the one remaining bigotry.

The Oregon Health & Science University and Portland State University School of Public Health hosts an initiative to combat "anti-fat bias."

"The purpose of the Fat Justice Working Group is to engage students, faculty and staff of the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health (SPH) in learning, activities and advocacy to reduce weight stigma and anti-fat bias in ourselves, our School and society at large," the initiative's webpage states.

The group was formed by Dawn Richardson, associate dean for academic affairs, as a social justice project to oppose the "oppression" of overweight people, rejecting the notion that excessive weight correlates with poorer health.

In an open letter addressed to the SPH, part of the working group, called the Fat Justice Journal Club, expressed its concerns with the research and healthcare at the school. The letter rejects the "obesity paradigm," requests the expansion of "Fat Studies," and demands the release of public statements that fight "weight stigma and structural anti-fatness."

It includes references to works such as "Health(ism) At Every Size: The Duties of the Good Fatty," "Thick Sistahs and Heavy Disprivileged: Black Women, Intersectionality, and Weight Stigma," and "Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia."

The Boyscast discusses Reddit's r/straightpegging subreddit, where "straight" guys brag about being pegged by their "girlfriends." Content warning: It's about pegging.

Ice T has some news for guys in the r/straightpegging subreddit.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 06:10 PM | Comments (185) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Jim Varney: Biden Pissed Billions Into Blue States for a More Racially "Equitable" Energy Infrastructure -- and the Agencies Are Continuing to Give Away Billions Despite Trump Vowing to Stop It

The old hand of dead men are locked on to the wheel and won't let us turn away from disaster.

Biden Bucks: Climate Change Funds a Bonanza for State Outfits

For much of its five-decade history, the Colorado Energy Office was a small department with a handful of employees who supported practical, cost-saving energy conservation measures. From 2010 to 2022, records show, the office received an average of $7 million per year from the U.S. Department of Energy.

All that changed after the Biden administration and Congress approved hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending to provide "a more equitable, low-carbon, and clean energy economy." In fiscal year 2024, Colorado's state energy office was slated to receive $157.5 million from the energy department, along with another $156 million from the Environmental Protection Agency. The Biden team's defeat in the 2024 election didn't stop the gusher, either, as an additional $60 million in funding was allocated after voters elected Trump and his promise to halt the spending.

A RealClearInvestigations search of government data shows that the Colorado Energy Office was just one of many agencies and groups across the country that received exponential increases in federal grants during Biden's last two years as part of the unprecedented attempt to refashion federal agencies into the finance engines that would transform the U.S. energy sector to a renewable, Net Zero future.

The Treasury Department's database suggests that after Congress passed the unprecedented funding to fight climate change, it looked for outfits that could disperse that money at the state and local level. In response, it turned to many organizations in the public and private sector with no track record for handling such vast sums, as well as state energy offices and agencies.

"Biden-era climate policy sometimes prioritized sending money out the door first, and worrying about logistics and oversight second," said Jeremy Portnoy, an investigator with OpenTheBooks who seeks to make all government spending public. "Money went to groups that were receiving grants larger than they had the capability to manage."

Do you see a pattern? Democrats take the same strategy with Medicare and Medicaid. They firehose out money to their criminal supporters and strip away all checks and steps for verification.

...

In response to Trump's efforts to halt much of the spending, a coalition of 13 Democratic state attorneys general filed suit in February seeking to have all the approved grant money dispensed. They argued the Trump administration unfairly targeted states controlled by Democrats, and that without the money those states' "ambitious climate goals" may not be reached.

"Since the first day of President Donald J. Trump's second term, his Administration set out to reverse and undermine the historic energy and infrastructure funding measures enacted by Congress in the preceding years," according to the lawsuit.

...

The legal challenges have scored some successes; last month the Energy Department agreed to reinstate 11 grants, although the largest of them remain in limbo.

Three Huge Beneficiaries

While most states received some portion of the climate splurge, RCI's analysis focused on three of the biggest beneficiaries: Colorado, California, and New York, which were poised to receive more than $1 billion.

Read the whole thing.

Posted by: Disinformation Expert Ace at 05:20 PM | Comments (244) | Trackbacks (Suck)