Daily Tech News 11 October 2025

Top Story

Just when we were starting to worry about things getting boring again China has blocked exports of rare-earth elements to the rest of the planet. (MSN)

There are 17 rare-earth elements, used in electronics (particularly magnets) and chemistry, and China has shut off sales of 12 of them. China gained control of the market not because it has massive resources - Vietnam by itself has half the proven reserves of China - but because rare-earth elements are stinky and China didn't mind the smell.

Past tense, because a lot of China's rare-earth production these days comes from slave camps in Myanmar and not from China at all.

President Trump has announced a 100% tariff on all imports from China in response.

This is hardly the first time China has pulled this shit - the same thing happened in April. Which seems like hundreds of years ago, but trust me, it wasn't.
And share prices in Australian mining companies are booming as a result, because Australia is currently the largest Western producer of rare-earth metals. (MSN)

Because the funny thing is that rare earth elements aren't all that rare. Vietnam, as I mentioned, Brazil, India, Australia, and the US itself all have millions of tons of reserves.

Tech News

Meanwhile, China has cracked down on Nvidia AI GPU imports. (Tom's Hardware)

Okay. Not sure that anyone cares.
The US Senate has passed a bill forcing American AI chipmakers to give priority to American customers. (Tom's Hardware)

Okay. Not sure that anyone cares.
China banned the research company that discovered Huawei was violating US bans on using Taiwanese technology to make its chips. (Tom's Hardware)

Apparently China cares.
And finally, a Singapore company denies that it helped smuggle $2 billion worth of Nvidia AI processors into China, a move now banned by both China and the US. (Tom's Hardware)

I'm sure they do.
Intel's 18A (1.8nm) process node has entered production ahead of TSMC's 2nm node. (Tom's Hardware)

It's hard to precisely compare the two since products aren't shipping to consumers yet, but Intel's 18A process looks to be somewhere between TSMC's 3nm and 2nm - 20% denser than TSMC's 3nm but 20% behind the upcoming 2nm process.

But it certainly seems to be a leading-edge process and Intel is not repeating the years of 14nm+++.
Amazon's Echo Show has abruptly turned into a billboard they expect you to pay for. (The Verge) (archive site)
At Amazon's hardware event last month, I asked Panay how ads fit into his mission to build products customers love. He said that if it's relevant, it's not an ad, "it's an add-on."
Translation: Fuck you.
"There are moments on the product where ads aren't always bad," he told me, explaining that if the customer is looking for something specific, and the ad gets them to that faster, it can be a good thing.
Translation: You're too stupid to know what's good for you anyway.
My experience of these ads has not been that they're an "add-on." They're intrusive and annoying, showing me products I'm not even slightly interested in, such as elderberry herbal supplements, Quest sports chips, and tabletop picture frames. (Well, the last one might be an option if I remove the Show from my desk.) And, unlike some of the previous ad experiences on the Show, they cannot be turned off.
Translation: Cory Doctorow might be a filthy commie but he's not wrong. Well, he's still 100% wrong on the solution, but he has correctly identified the problem.
I asked Amazon if they can be disabled, and spokesperson Lauren Raemhild replied via email, saying, "Advertising is a small part of the experience, and it helps customers discover new content and products they may be interested in. If customers don't like a suggestion, they can swipe to skip to the next screen card, or directly provide feedback by tapping the Information icon or pressing the screen."
Translation: No, seriously, fuck you.
We're all about to be in wearable hell. (The Verge) (archive site)

No, no we're not. Normal people don't wear four smart watches and an AI ring at the same time.

(Honestly, this article reads like one of the drones that infested tech companies before they all got fired recently complaining My new job is so awful. Sometimes they expect me to get up in the morning.)

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: What about the spiders, you ask? Oh, they don't mind the smell.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good morning

Posted by: Tuna at October 11, 2025 04:04 AM (lJ0H4)

2 Good morning!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 11, 2025 04:06 AM (BLOW1)

3 Looks like no one else is awake this fine Saturday morning.

Posted by: Tuna at October 11, 2025 04:09 AM (lJ0H4)

4 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at October 11, 2025 04:10 AM (naiw2)

5 This insomnia is getting old.

Posted by: rickb223 at October 11, 2025 04:13 AM (9LmFm)

6 No nation can or even probably should be truly or totally “independent”, but it is foolish to be at the whim of potential adversaries for so many critical things we’ve an abundance of. America is blessed with ample resources. It has always appeared deliberate or strategic sabotage to me.

There were strategic stockpiles of a great many things up until the 1990s, some of it clearly outdated. Mohair, and Quartz crystals for radios are probably no longer needed. Aerospace metals and things like that are a different matter.

Posted by: Common Tater at October 11, 2025 04:20 AM (tE2Wy)

7 guten morgen, horde

pixy must be feeling better, the morning [evening for pixy] snark is getting back to its usual level.

Posted by: clarence at October 11, 2025 04:22 AM (UTVh+)

8

Good morning, good people, from the Adirondacks, a delightful sliver of the most exceptional county on the planet.

May all effort from you on all days result in maximal benefit to you and most egregious heartburn for the leftwit fungi that plague us.

Posted by: IRONGRAMPA at October 11, 2025 04:28 AM (vFbHf)

9 Greetings from London. Long trip but made it.got up at 6 and went walking. Gotta say it was much less dicey than I envisioned. Was expecting to have to run from groups of swarthy dark skinned men but no....a bit boring. Walked along the the Thames and watched the sun (ha..) come up. Not sure what the rest of the day will be but im sure we will find something to do.

Posted by: Molly k. at October 11, 2025 04:52 AM (y7aBV)

10 Evening to you Saturday toilers like Pixy, and morning to you early risers and insomaniacals! I haven't had to use that word in a while. Yeah, just snapped awake at 3 am and couldn't drift back off. So, coffee and a rerun of Crossing Jordan on the TV, not really watching it, and a morning jolt of AoSHQ! Woo-hoo!

I looked back at Ace's post on creatine. Your body needs it, apparently. I can ask my doctor about it for me, but what brands are reliable, i.e., not Chinese crap, and how expensive is it? I guess it's available at Walmart in the supplements aisle?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 04:55 AM (omVj0)

11 When I woke up, little Dagny the Aloof Siberian was curled on the foot of the bed. She does that pretty often now -- her idea of affection or being companionable, I suppose. Big black Stirling was curled against me, which is normal for him.

I don't plan to feed them for an hour or so.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 04:56 AM (omVj0)

12
Morning!

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's Phone at October 11, 2025 05:05 AM (lCaJd)

13
Rickb223, does your insomnia also leave you tired all the time?

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's Phone at October 11, 2025 05:07 AM (lCaJd)

14 100% tariffs against China begin November 1st.

Posted by: Boss Moss at October 11, 2025 05:15 AM (sGHnN)

15 Rickb223, does your insomnia also leave you tired all the time?
Posted by: Blonde Morticia's Phone

Pretty much. I'm getting about five hours of sleep at one time. Then cat naps throughout the day. Then crash and sleep for two to three hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Posted by: rickb223 at October 11, 2025 05:15 AM (9LmFm)

16 But it certainly seems to be a leading-edge process and Intel is not repeating the years of 14nm+++

BUT Intel would never overpromise and under-deliver~~! How dare you~!
* flounces *

Posted by: weft cut-loop at October 11, 2025 05:22 AM (mlg/3)

17 Because the funny thing is that rare earth elements aren't all that rare. Vietnam, as I mentioned, Brazil, India, Australia, and the US itself all have millions of tons of reserves.

/Jim Carrey mode
Coooorectoooo mundo ~!
Something something eco-nazi something something. And then something.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at October 11, 2025 05:24 AM (mlg/3)

18 G'morning, all!

The youngsters did well at the Vet's office during their annual check-up.
Frog seems to be stable at just under 13 pounds, and Margo at about 8.5 pounds.

And after a round of treats and brushings, we were forgiven for putting them through such indignities.

So now..a nice non-rushed final packing, and a plan to hit the road for Texas at around 8:00 this morning. Should stop in Meridian Ms late afternoon for the night.

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at October 11, 2025 05:24 AM (a1415)

19 Wolfus Aurelius,

I started taking creatinine about a month ago.
I began at 5 grams a day, but I found some videos with Dr. Rhonda Patrick phd. (Not MD).

I am now at 20 grams a day and I feel like it has made my thinking a little more clear.

I am 76 and I think I am increasing muscle mass, my quads seem to be bigger, and the volume I lift is increasing. Delayed muscle soreness seems to have decreased a lot.

I get a powdered version called Raw from Sam's Club.

Posted by: Unbounded Rage at October 11, 2025 05:29 AM (79m0J)

20 Sorta "up".
G'mornin all y'all.
Really nice outside too.

Posted by: OkJohn at October 11, 2025 05:29 AM (NC/it)

21 Wolfus Aurelius,

I started taking creatinine about a month ago.
I began at 5 grams a day, but I found some videos with Dr. Rhonda Patrick phd. (Not MD).

I am now at 20 grams a day and I feel like it has made my thinking a little more clear.

I am 76 and I think I am increasing muscle mass, my quads seem to be bigger, and the volume I lift is increasing. Delayed muscle soreness seems to have decreased a lot.

I get a powdered version called Raw from Sam's Club.
Posted by: Unbounded Rage at October 11, 2025

***
Do they sell it also at the Walmart stores? (I almost wrote "Walmart sores.") I'm not a Sam's club member.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 05:31 AM (omVj0)

22 Birdbath status?

Posted by: Just Wondering at October 11, 2025 05:32 AM (XQo4F)

23 Unbounded, is creatinine the same thing as creatine?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 05:32 AM (omVj0)

24 Morning, Tech Peeps

Posted by: fluffy at October 11, 2025 05:37 AM (AN2gy)

25 Looks like the stock market took a dump yesterday.

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at October 11, 2025 05:38 AM (a1415)

26
Posted by: rickb223 at October 11, 2025 05:15 AM (9LmFm)

============

So it's not as if you can even do something with those hours when you're not sleeping?

Posted by: Blonde Morticia's Phone at October 11, 2025 05:40 AM (lCaJd)

27 Looks like the stock market took a dump yesterday.
Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice

Which never happens. Ever.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at October 11, 2025 05:41 AM (mlg/3)

28 Sometimes the house wins.

Posted by: Boss Moss at October 11, 2025 05:42 AM (sGHnN)

29 >>> I don't plan to feed them for an hour or so.

I am reliably told that such behavior is unusually cruel and warrants a hairball on my pillow.

Posted by: fluffy at October 11, 2025 05:43 AM (AN2gy)

30 Do they sell it also at the Walmart stores? (I almost wrote "Walmart sores.") I'm not a Sam's club member.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 05:31 AM (omVj0)

Accordim* to their websites they do sell it:

https://tinyurl.com/469rjrpk

If you type in your zip code and pick your store, the site will show you what’s in stock near you.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 05:46 AM (6ydKt)

31 So it's not as if you can even do something with those hours when you're not sleeping?
Posted by: Blonde Morticia's Phone

Not a lot. I get to sleep around 9:00 - 9:30 and wake up around 2:15 to 2:30.

Friday thru Monday I might fall back to sleep an hour or so before 7:00.
One Tuesday thru Thursday, I have to get up for work at 3:40 anyway. Then when I get to work, I cat nap for 30 to 45 minutes before I go in.

Posted by: rickb223 at October 11, 2025 05:47 AM (9LmFm)

32 When I proofread, no autocucumber.
When I don’t, it’s a full robot salad.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 05:47 AM (6ydKt)

33 Unbounded, is creatinine the same thing as creatine?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 05:32 AM (omVj0)

No. There's an extra "I" and an "n" in creatinine.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at October 11, 2025 05:50 AM (+XGk/)

34 Accordim* to their websites they do sell [creatine]:

https://tinyurl.com/469rjrpk

If you type in your zip code and pick your store, the site will show you what’s in stock near you.
Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025

***
I have to go to a big WM in the suburbs near my barber this morning for something else. I'll have a look.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 05:50 AM (omVj0)

35 Birds are evil.
The start singing at 4:am in the morning

Fellas, fellas tone down the orchestra.
I actually prefer the family of skunks which smellily walk
by the window.
Very pretty in mostly ghostly white.
Sku ks are handsome critters.
And generally well behaved...

Posted by: Mister Ghost at October 11, 2025 05:51 AM (TGPs7)

36 G'Day everyone
I really should get up at some point today

Posted by: Skip at October 11, 2025 05:52 AM (+qU29)

37
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at October 11, 2025 05:54 AM (tljrc)

38 Birds are evil.
The start singing at 4:am in the morning

Fellas, fellas tone down the orchestra. . . .

Posted by: Mister Ghost at October 11, 2025

***
Somebody in one of the houses right next door to my apartment complex has an actual rooster. Darn thing starts his noise long before daybreak. Fortunately I have a building between him and me, so I only hear him when I go to work out. But for whoever lives right across the driveway, it must be damned annoying.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 05:55 AM (omVj0)

39 >>> I don't plan to feed them for an hour or so.

I am reliably told that such behavior is unusually cruel and warrants a hairball on my pillow.
Posted by: fluffy at October 11, 2025

***
I'm trying to get them onto a five am -- five pm schedule. It's time now, though. I'm going in.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 05:57 AM (omVj0)

40 I put together a new computer desk Wednesday night. Spent about four hours on the floor twisting and turning in various positions, straining to reach upm down or sideways to tighten up about a hundred screws.

Muscles I didn’t even know I had are sore.
I expect I won’t feel normal again until Sunday.

On a different topic, Dad’s memorial service went very well. Had a few people give good eulogies, he got military honors with taps played and a flag presented.

That must be quite the job in the Army,
It was just a pair, a male bugler, and a female who presented the flag, “On behalf of the president…”.
She did well, but that must be a tough job for them to do all of the time,

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 05:57 AM (6ydKt)

41 I'm vertical, that's a start

Posted by: Skip at October 11, 2025 06:00 AM (+qU29)

42 Rare Earths: Have a look at Tim Worstall's various blogs and publications for interesting stuff about rare earth economics, if you're interested.

Posted by: Fred Z at October 11, 2025 06:02 AM (PYMGX)

43 Wolfus,

Creatine is what I meant, creatinine is what the tablet suggested and fool that I am, I just clicked it.

I mean, both words start and end with the same letters. So close enough?

Posted by: Unbounded Rage at October 11, 2025 06:03 AM (79m0J)

44 Creatine is what I meant, creatinine is what the tablet suggested and fool that I am, I just clicked it.

I mean, both words start and end with the same letters. So close enough?
Posted by: Unbounded Rage at October 11, 2025

***
UR, I figured it was just an auto-pickle moment. Thanks for the info. Have you noticed any water-weight gain? I'm doing cardio now, but not lifting at present, though I want to start again.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 06:06 AM (omVj0)

45 w00t

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:07 AM (aURVT)

46 Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.

Rejoinder: Boris the Spider...

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at October 11, 2025 06:10 AM (WvZaB)

47 The difficult thing about buy8ng supplements is you have no idea what brands are trustworthy.

You go on Amazon or Walmart and there are dozens of brands, most you’ve never heard of besides Nature Made or Equate.

Most of it is made in India or China and you’ve got no clue what’s the stuff is really made of, or how consistent the quality is.

I keep hearing about this Methylene Blue now is ads and people talking about it around the web, but I’ve got no clue what’s it for?
The name sounds like a synthetic party drug from the movies, but apparently it’s all the rage now for whatever reason, like creatine, and all the pills for memory enhancement you see advertised everywhere.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 06:11 AM (6ydKt)

48 I'm vertical, that's a start
Posted by: Skip at October 11, 2025 06:00 AM (+qU29)

Vertical is always my goal when I wake up in the morning.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at October 11, 2025 06:15 AM (Bi/XA)

49 mornin yall

"I keep hearing about this Methylene Blue now is ads and people talking about it around the web, but I’ve got no clue what’s it for?"

It's used to treat fish ich. You can buy it at a pet shop. Sort of a ivermectin for fish.

Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 06:18 AM (vFG9F)

50 creatinine
noun Biochemistry
a compound which is produced by metabolism of creatine and excreted in the urine.

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:19 AM (aURVT)

51 Firefighter saves woman from car before it explodes:

https://tinyurl.com/mr47h4jc

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at October 11, 2025 06:19 AM (WFtAr)

52 creatinine
noun Biochemistry
a compound which is produced by metabolism of creatine and excreted in the urine.
Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:19 AM (aURVT)

Ewww.

Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at October 11, 2025 06:20 AM (Bi/XA)

53 Catchy lyrics in this morning's music selection.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at October 11, 2025 06:21 AM (XQo4F)

54 It looks like Bolton is about to get his dose of the TRUMP!!! curse.

Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 06:22 AM (vFG9F)

55 It's used to treat fish ich. You can buy it at a pet shop. Sort of a ivermectin for fish.
Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 06:18 AM (vFG9F)

Yeah, I just looked it up finally while I was thinking about it.

Apparently in could do everything from detecting cancer, help people with poor blood oxygenation, to enhancing brain function, and finally you can squirt some in a fish tank to prevent fungal growth.

Quite the list.
At least it’s multipurpose.
It should be for $118 for an 8 oz. bottle (looked up a price on Amazon).

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 06:22 AM (6ydKt)

56 Mornin Horde. Today I start my journey to TX. Planning to spend a few days in the Panhandle with my guy before we mosey over to Corsicana. As usual no matter how long or how well I've planned, it has been a bit of a last minute scramble. Hope to get on the road at about 8:00 and reach Monroe LA this evening. With a stop at Buc-ees on the way!

Posted by: screaming in digital at October 11, 2025 06:23 AM (CJ7TG)

57 creatinine
noun Biochemistry
a compound which is produced by metabolism of creatine and excreted in the urine.
Posted by: m at October 11, 2025

***
Something tells me I should go with the original.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 06:23 AM (omVj0)

58 Young siblings sing beautiful version of Staples singers-"I'll take you there":

https://tinyurl.com/pmanntpd

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at October 11, 2025 06:26 AM (WFtAr)

59 Reorganizing the creatinine dictionary entry, it looks like:

creatine, when metabolized (in the body), produces the compound creatinine

now here's creatine:

creatine
noun Biochemistry
a compound formed in protein metabolism and present in much living tissue. It is involved in the supply of energy for muscular contraction.

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:27 AM (aURVT)

60 *I am not a biochemist.

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:29 AM (aURVT)

61 Bolton deserves it.
I may have agreed with on a few things back in 2003, but he long ago turned into a walking ego with a mustache.

He should’ve seen this coming if he was stash8ng away classified documents for his own personal use and profit.

Make an example of him.
A Northern Virginia jury might actually convict this one, but who knows since he turned into such a Trump hater.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 06:29 AM (6ydKt)

62 Ekaterina Shelehova

Born: 1995 (age 30 years), Kaliningrad, Russia
Albums: Moonlight
Genres: Classical, Alternative/Indie, Folk
Nationality: Canadian, Russian

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:30 AM (aURVT)

63 creatinine
noun Biochemistry
a compound which is produced by metabolism of creatine and excreted in the urine.
Posted by: m at October 11, 2025

***
Something tells me I should go with the original.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 06:23 AM (omVj0)

Seems like creatinine would be the more popular choice in the Castro district of SanFran.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 06:32 AM (6ydKt)

64 Yesterday on the radio I heard the local news and the lady on there said the county has placed a 90 day moratorium on new bait shops. I was really surprised and disappointed. This morning I read it's "vape" shops. What a relief.

Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 06:32 AM (vFG9F)

65 64 Yesterday on the radio I heard the local news and the lady on there said the county has placed a 90 day moratorium on new bait shops. I was really surprised and disappointed. This morning I read it's "vape" shops. What a relief.
Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 06:32 AM (vFG9F)

hahahahaha, fd

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:34 AM (aURVT)

66 Hope to get on the road at about 8:00 and reach Monroe LA this evening. With a stop at Buc-ees on the way!
Posted by: screaming in digital at October 11, 2025 06:23 AM (CJ7TG)

Seems like everybody is leaving at 8.

Be careful though, I’ve heard Buc-ees can turn into a five hour thing easily,

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 06:35 AM (6ydKt)

67 Is anyone here a marine biochemist?

Posted by: Obligatory Seinfeld reference at October 11, 2025 06:36 AM (XQo4F)

68 I discovered long ago that many people were fully capable of correctly diagnosing problems, but would come up with the most idiotic solutions.

Posted by: Cybersmythe at October 11, 2025 06:38 AM (VmDLh)

69 The local news today details the plight of Tequaila Reid, a mother of five who is on SNAP and WIC and who knows what else. Those damn Republicans are going to starve her kids.

Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 06:39 AM (vFG9F)

70 SiD!!!!

See you in Corsicana..

And with that, We're out.

*POOF*

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at October 11, 2025 06:41 AM (a1415)

71 Be careful though, I’ve heard Buc-ees can turn into a five hour thing easily,
Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025

***
I stopped at the one in Athens, AL, both going and returning on my Indiana trip. On the return, it was Sunday afternoon and the place was crawling like a kicked-over anthill. Took a little time. Since I wanted ethanol-free gas, I had to go to the far end of the long rank of pumps, 200-something, and it was a trek to the store and back, and then back again for my change. Plus a restroom visit.

Their E0 was about .60 more a gallon than regular. Worth it for the gas mileage bump -- though I didn't break even on the price increase % vs. the mileage %.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 06:41 AM (omVj0)

72 If only the county could put as much effort into a 90 day moratorium on crack, heroin, and meth, we might be getting somewhere.

God forbid somebody buy some flavored concoction of water and nicotine for fun and prizes.

I don’t know how this country would survive without some new moral crusade every few years to stop somebody somewhere from doing something somebody else disapproves of.

And then they always go after the low-hanging fruit insetted of where the real problems are coming from.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 06:42 AM (6ydKt)

73 https://tinyurl.com/ydrx3ax3
Powerline week in pictures

I need funnies

Posted by: Skip at October 11, 2025 06:44 AM (+qU29)

74 And share prices in Australian mining companies are booming as a result, because Australia is currently the largest Western producer of rare-earth metals. (MSN)

Yay, Ozzies?

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:45 AM (aURVT)

75 I don’t know how this country would survive without some new moral crusade every few years to stop somebody somewhere from doing something somebody else disapproves of.
Posted by: SpeakingOf

You're living through a moral crusade. Since 2020. Oh, right, not the right one you wanted. Caveat emptor.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at October 11, 2025 06:46 AM (mlg/3)

76 Tyasia Monaye Culver so fat they had to take her mug shot in landscape mode.

Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 06:46 AM (vFG9F)

77 "...who is on SNAP and WIC and who knows what else."

AFDC = Aid to Families with Dependent Children which became TANF = Temporary Assistance for Needy Families which of course is enabled by an EBT = Electronics Benefit Transfer card so you can just swipe it at the cash register without any embarrassment or stigma while you mooch off the taxpayers to pay for your Ho Hos and grape Nehi.

Posted by: The More You Know at October 11, 2025 06:48 AM (XQo4F)

78 Earth melodies? You did not dare to post any Tanya or Yoko?

Posted by: clarence at October 11, 2025 06:51 AM (UTVh+)

79 Their E0 was about .60 more a gallon than regular. Worth it for the gas mileage bump -- though I didn't break even on the price increase % vs. the mileage %.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 06:41 AM (omVj0)

They’ve probably got that figured out so that you can never get ahead, and to discourage anybody from using the stuff that hasn’t been fortified with corn.

Gotta keep those farmers in Iowa happy.

Never been in a Buc-ees.
Nearest one is a hundred miles away.

My brother loves some of their frozen foods, especially the jambalaya stuffed chicken.
He gets several things when he’s up that way.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 06:51 AM (6ydKt)

80 My therapist told me to write a letter to everyone who I thought had wronged me. Then, burn them.

I said, "Fine, but what do I then do with the letters?"

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at October 11, 2025 06:52 AM (yjljJ)

81 77 "...who is on SNAP and WIC and who knows what else."

AFDC = Aid to Families with Dependent Children which became TANF = Temporary Assistance for Needy Families which of course is enabled by an EBT = Electronics Benefit Transfer card so you can just swipe it at the cash register without any embarrassment or stigma while you mooch off the taxpayers to pay for your Ho Hos and grape Nehi.
Posted by: The More You Know at October 11, 2025 06:48 AM (XQo4F)

Please stop.

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 06:54 AM (aURVT)

82 I don’t think AOC knows what a Civic is, let alone who makes them.
E0 is usually 1¢ or socheaper than 90, so I get the E0. My Sorento’s cat and her sensors prefer the E0.

Posted by: Accomack at October 11, 2025 06:55 AM (+sNap)

83 80 My therapist told me to write a letter to everyone who I thought had wronged me. Then, burn them.

I said, "Fine, but what do I then do with the letters?"

Ah, an oldie but still good. The first time I heard that one was ... damn, you reminded me I'm old.

Posted by: clarence at October 11, 2025 06:56 AM (UTVh+)

84 "...without some new moral crusade every few years to stop somebody somewhere from doing something somebody else disapproves of."

Is this about us?

Posted by: The Woman's Christian Temperance Union at October 11, 2025 06:57 AM (XQo4F)

85 You're living through a moral crusade. Since 2020. Oh, right, not the right one you wanted. Caveat emptor.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at October 11, 2025 06:46 AM (mlg/3)

Longer than that I think.
Seems like the Woke Crusade started right after Obama got re-elected.

That one is just starting to wane, but I think some of it will stick around for the rest of my life.

The longest war I’ve ever seen is the War on Drugs which started with Nixon. My entire life, and the problem just moves from one drug to another.

We’ve always got to learn hard lessons the hard way, I suppose.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 06:59 AM (6ydKt)

86 Bending the knee bares the neck.

Posted by: Kingsman at October 11, 2025 07:02 AM (ehY6c)

87 Is this about us?
Posted by: The Woman's Christian Temperance Union at October 11, 2025 06:57 AM (XQo4F)

haha.

Yes.
And the abolitionists, and this and that.

It’s all nothing new.

I’m sure some guy like me in first century Rome was complaining about all of Augustus’ new moral codes and morals enforcement while his daughter was sleeping with anybody she could sneak into the palace.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 07:02 AM (6ydKt)

88 Today's Dear Abby:" Should I tell my neighbor about the alligator in the lake we swim in?"

Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 07:04 AM (vFG9F)

89 I don’t think AOC knows what a Civic is, let alone who makes them.
E0 is usually 1¢ or socheaper than 90, so I get the E0. My Sorento’s cat and her sensors prefer the E0.
Posted by: Accomack at October 11, 2025

***
A penny cheaper than even higher octane grades??? Which Federation planet is this??? Set course, and engage!

I've been gassing up on E0 at a discount store in the suburbs near my barber which has the E0 at 2.99/gal., about .30 cheaper than at the Exxon convenience store nearest me. And the latter's pump for the E0 seems always much is slower than for other grades -- 70 seconds to pump a gallon, opposed to about 10 for E10 regular. If I were to pump a near-complete tank, it would take me 15 *minutes* to fill up.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 07:04 AM (omVj0)

90 Mister Fruity Pebbles already has HIV...

🎓✨ Ridiculous Historic Moment in Missouri!

Meet Zachary Willmore, who made history as the first male student ever crowned Homecoming Queen at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri. 👑

Zachary said he wanted to represent inclusivity and self-expression, and the student body overwhelmingly supported him — a powerful reminder that confidence and authenticity never go out of style. 💛

The Hodge Twins

Posted by: Mister Ghost at October 11, 2025 07:06 AM (TGPs7)

91 My Sorento’s cat and her sensors prefer the E0.
Posted by: Accomack at October 11, 2025

***
I firmly believe, with no real evidence whatever, that the same is true for the Buick.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 07:06 AM (omVj0)

92 Look Jerry, a whole in one.

Posted by: Boss Moss at October 11, 2025 07:06 AM (sGHnN)

93 Well. Time to clean up and shave. Always polite to shave before you go to get your hair cut.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at October 11, 2025 07:07 AM (omVj0)

94 >>>Just when we were starting to worry about things getting boring again

haha!

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 07:09 AM (aURVT)

95 who understands this sentence:

“The long-term aspiration for Neuralink would be to achieve a symbiosis and a democratization of artificial intelligence, such that it is not monopolistically held in a purely digital form by governments and large corporations.”

Posted by: Don Black. Message: get in the groove at October 11, 2025 07:11 AM (AOsQT)

96 Hodgetwins
@hodgetwins
Wtf

Jeff Epstein
@JeffreyxEpstein
17h
Palantir's CEO, Alex Karp, wants to use drones to spray fentanyl-laced urine on those protesting the company's role in Gaza's genocide.

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 07:13 AM (aURVT)

97 Who wants to catch a buzz while shopping for groceries?

https://tinyurl.com/ycxemmkz

The shopping carts even have cup holders.

It’s a Publix, though, so you’ll pay about 20% more for the ambience.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 07:14 AM (6ydKt)

98 Hodgetwins retweeted
Pete Hegseth
@PeteHegseth
13h
Important clarification:

The U.S. military has a long-standing partnership w/ Qatar, including today’s announced cooperation w/ F-15QA aircraft. However, to be clear, Qatar will not have their own base in the United States—nor anything like a base. We control the existing base, like we do with all partners.

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 07:15 AM (aURVT)

99 Today's Dear Abby:" Should I tell my neighbor about the alligator in the lake we swim in?"
Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 07:04 AM (vFG9F)

Only if you like your neighbor.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 07:18 AM (6ydKt)

100 100

Posted by: r hennigantx at October 11, 2025 07:18 AM (gbOdA)

101 I am not so sure any agreement with a Islamic country is a good idea. Keep them all at arms length.

When I was in basic training I do vividly remember Iranians were all over the place on base.

Posted by: Skip at October 11, 2025 07:21 AM (+qU29)

102 Mornin Horde. Today I start my journey to TX. Planning to spend a few days in the Panhandle with my guy before we mosey over to Corsicana. As usual no matter how long or how well I've planned, it has been a bit of a last minute scramble. Hope to get on the road at about 8:00 and reach Monroe LA this evening. With a stop at Buc-ees on the way!
Posted by: screaming in digital at October 11, 2025 06:23 AM (CJ7TG)

I'm fortunate. I'll start y drive up around 9am Friday and be there around 11. Could almost just be a daytrip and save on hotel bills but I'd hate to do the drive home after a long day.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at October 11, 2025 07:25 AM (ExV1e)

103 Translation: You're too stupid to know what's good for you anyway.

Under Mimetic Theory that is true.

Madison Avenue has been proving that generations.
There is a reason why "influencers" exist outside of a means to serve the influencer's narcissism.

It used to be a thing when Millennials went house or car shopping they brought a posse to help them decide.

If you don't have an alpha in the group, choosing a place to go eat is an exercise in indecision.

In short, we don't know what we want, we are taught to desire.

Posted by: Unknown Drip Under Pressure at October 11, 2025 07:25 AM (a4flb)

104 “The long-term aspiration for Neuralink would be to achieve a symbiosis and a democratization of artificial intelligence, such that it is not monopolistically held in a purely digital form by governments and large corporations.”
Posted by: Don Black. Message: get in the groove at October 11, 2025 07:11 AM (AOsQT)

Lost me at the end.
I understand they want to open up AI to the masses, but I’m not sure how Neuralink is going to solve that problem.

AI might be in your brain, so to speak, but it’s still in binary code running through a chip in your head.

Does anybody want an AI in your head talking to you like Siri or HAL?

Seems like it would be exhausting and ripe for malfunction and mischief.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 07:27 AM (6ydKt)

105 “ The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.”

Matthew 15:31

Posted by: Marcus T at October 11, 2025 07:29 AM (SnIJ6)

106 Today's Dear Abby:" Should I tell my neighbor about the alligator in the lake we swim in?"
Posted by: fd at October 11, 2025 07:04 AM (vFG9F)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S1OvxfQ98c

Posted by: davidt at October 11, 2025 07:30 AM (i0F8b)

107 Yes, we in this country have large amounts of rare earths. We also have large amounts of "environmentalists" to sabotage the mining and refining of those rare earths.

Those "environmentalists" are nothing more than typical leftist saboteurs who want, above all, to see this country fail. They don't give a crap how badly the Chinese destroy the environment, since they are Communists and beyond reproach.

Posted by: An Observation sez Trump is my President at October 11, 2025 07:31 AM (Da7Vv)

108 And the latter's pump for the E0 seems always much is slower than for other grades -- 70 seconds to pump a gallon, opposed to about 10 for E10 regular.

I'm guessing that E0 is used mostly by lawn equipment where the owner is tired of replacing fuel lines. High flow gasoline is not desirable when filling up small tanks.

The other is, the fuel station owner is using an older pump since E0 is not considered a high customer request.

Posted by: Unknown Drip Under Pressure at October 11, 2025 07:31 AM (a4flb)

109 Does anybody want an AI in your head talking to you like Siri or HAL?

It would seem to me to interfere with people who constantly have that inner monologue.

And I don't know how it would help those who don't. It would be like a little demon sitting on their shoulder telling them what to do and there is no countering angel on the other.

Posted by: Unknown Drip Under Pressure at October 11, 2025 07:35 AM (a4flb)

110 On China: Just remember, insanity doesn't need a reason.

G'morning Horde.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at October 11, 2025 07:38 AM (O7YUW)

111 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo at October 11, 2025 07:39 AM (hoCmQ)

112 100 100

Posted by: r hennigantx at October 11, 2025 07:18 AM (gbOdA)

This was... unexpected.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at October 11, 2025 07:39 AM (O7YUW)

113 Today begins the pilgrimage to Corsicana.
Haven't road tripped (did I just turn a noun into a verb?) in a year.

Looking forward to it.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at October 11, 2025 07:40 AM (XQo4F)

114 In short, we don't know what we want, we are taught to desire.
Posted by: Unknown Drip Under Pressure at October 11, 2025 07:25 AM (a4flb)

True.
It’s worse for some people, for whatever reason, especially the young and impressionable.

This a country where selling “Pet Rocks” was a thing for a few years.

I was too young for that fad, but I’ve often wondered if anybody walked out to a river bed, grabbed a rock and tried to pass it off as the real deal.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 07:41 AM (6ydKt)

115 "Does anybody want an AI in your head talking to you like Siri or HAL?"

Doctor, doctor help me please, I know you will understand
There's a time device inside of me, I'm a self-destructin' man
There's a red under my bed
And there's a little green man in my head
And he said, "You're not goin' crazy, you're just a bit sad
'Cause there's a man in ya, gnawin' ya, tearin' ya into two

Posted by: Ray Davies at October 11, 2025 07:41 AM (vFG9F)

116 Times of Israel blog:

Scroll through X, Rumble, or Telegram and you will see it in full display: Tucker Carlson peddling Kremlin talking points while fawning over Iran’s ayatollahs. Andrew Tate, the internet’s self-proclaimed alpha, ranting like a Qatari state propagandist and accusing Israel of “genocide” to content his new ‘ummah’ brothers and sisters who hated his Islamic conversion. Nick Fuentes saluting Hitler while pretending to be a patriot. Candace Owens playing the martyr every time her pro-Hamas “truths” are called out. Even the Hodgetwins and Myron Gaines now sneer that supporting Israel means “selling out to the globalists.”

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 07:43 AM (aURVT)

117 95 who understands this sentence:

I do but I'm crazy....

Posted by: clarence at October 11, 2025 07:45 AM (UTVh+)

118 And I don't know how it would help those who don't. It would be like a little demon sitting on their shoulder telling them what to do and there is no countering angel on the other.
Posted by: Unknown Drip Under Pressure at October 11, 2025 07:35 AM (a4flb)

If I’ve got to do it, I’d rather just talk to a computer like it’s Star Trek than talk to a voice in my head.

It’s too crowded in there already.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 07:46 AM (6ydKt)

119 A man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest.

Posted by: Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel at October 11, 2025 07:46 AM (XQo4F)

120 Now send all those red chinamen students back home with a note that red china needs open and fair elections with opposition parties.
Red China Is Asshoe.

Posted by: Wonton Soup at October 11, 2025 07:50 AM (R/m4+)

121 I should have them but I do. I have my echo shows in dark corners and turn the screens around so I can't see them. I checked and do not see any ads on the screen but won't even if they start showing them.

Posted by: ethan saunders at October 11, 2025 07:51 AM (ysKxY)

122 If customers don't like a suggestion, they can swipe to skip to the next screen card, or directly provide feedback by tapping the Information icon or pressing the screen

I have a better idea. I won't put your spy-device in my home at all. Problem solved.

Posted by: Halfhand at October 11, 2025 07:51 AM (NOKcj)

123 Cause there's a man in ya, gnawin' ya, tearin' ya into two
Posted by: Ray Davies at October 11, 2025 07:41 AM (vFG9F)

Sounds about right.

Imagine all the Email Notifications you’ll be getting.

It’ll be nice not to have to look on my phone to see Amazon reminding me I get Amazon Music and free Kindle books with Prime two or three times a week.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 07:51 AM (6ydKt)

124 If you're allergic to Ekaterina Shelehova don't take Ekaterina Shelehova.

Posted by: The lawyers make us say this stuff at October 11, 2025 07:55 AM (XQo4F)

125 I checked and do not see any ads on the screen but won't even if they start showing them.
Posted by: ethan saunders at October 11, 2025 07:51 AM (ysKxY)

From the article it sounds like Amazon is A+B testing them, so you might not have gotten the ad version yet.

Could be yours hasn’t had the firmware updated yet, too.

As bad as the press Amazon is getting for putting ads all over devices that weren’t advertised as having ads all over them, they might stop doing it.

Kindles give you a choice when you buy them to get out of ads on the home screen by paying more.

Echo Shows should be the same way if they’re going to start inserting ads between pics of the kids.

Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 08:00 AM (6ydKt)

126 G'mornin' everyone!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at October 11, 2025 08:01 AM (kHop/)

127 SATURDAY BREAKFAST NOOD

Posted by: Skip at October 11, 2025 08:02 AM (+qU29)

128 Morning peeps. Brisk too.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at October 11, 2025 08:03 AM (Q4IgG)

129 Was on my second Kindle Fire until a couple months ago. I mentioned to my Dad I was thinking of switching to a Samsung, so without asking he bought me this Galaxy Tab A9+.

No ads or walled Amazon garden, but it's very sluggish compared with the latest Kindle, for about the same price. Besides no Play Store on the Kindle I could always (until Kindle changes it next gen) side-load apps like Brave by just installing an apk file from apkpure.

The only way to get a Samsung tablet that performs as snappy as the Kindle costs like 500 bucks or more. I haven't researched other Android brands, any ideas on a sub $200 11" tablet with the same or better processors than the latest Kindle?

Also the speakers (4 of them!!) on this Samsung almost make the slow processors worth it. They wrap your head with stereo no matter how you hold the screen. So many trade-offs.

Posted by: Taq, Rickrolled by Jesus at October 11, 2025 08:21 AM (GYGpZ)

130 73 https://tinyurl.com/ydrx3ax3
Powerline week in pictures

I need funnies
Posted by: Skip at October 11, 2025 06:44 AM (+qU29)

heh
Thanks, Skip!

Posted by: m at October 11, 2025 08:23 AM (aURVT)

131 more for the ambience.
Posted by: SpeakingOf at October 11, 2025 07:14 AM (6ydKt)

I read that as ambulance...

Posted by: Boswell at October 11, 2025 08:28 AM (BGfwC)

132 @95/Don Black: "who understands this sentence:"

I did. It wasn't complete corpo-speak/baffle-gab, though I suspect the author is used to having to translate ideas into baffle-gab in order to get C-level executive buy-in on any proposals.

Basically: Neuralink wants their technology for AI adopted widely so no one large player (or small group of large players) can control it.

This would probably end up being similar to how Ethernet (being an openly available standard) overtook the competing network technologies of Token Ring (IBM) or IPX (Netware).

Also: I remember using both of those "other" networks standards/topologies/hardware. The "Dang, I've gotten old" jokes go here...

Finally, to see corporate bafflegab lampooned very well, I give you "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Mission Statement":
https://youtu.be/GyV_UG60dD4

... And I've willowed myself by over 35 minutes. Yay.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at October 11, 2025 08:36 AM (O7YUW)

133 Somebody in one of the houses right next door to my apartment complex has an actual rooster. Darn thing starts his noise long before daybreak. Fortunately I have a building between him and me, so I only hear him when I go to work out. But for whoever lives right across the driveway, it must be damned annoying.

Count your blessings: it could be the morning call to prayer blasted out over loudspeakers at 0500.

Posted by: waepnedmann at October 11, 2025 12:44 PM (ddgee)

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