Daily Tech News 9 May 2026

Tech News

Maybe we should just not install software for a bit. (Xe Iaso)

There's another new - or newish - Linux privilege escalation bug. It's literally called Copy Fail 2: Electric Boogaloo.

But under the hood it's abusing the same module as yesterday's Dirty Frag, so if you already applied the mitigation for that, you're protected from CF2EB.
Also, my recommendation is don't install Ubuntu 26.04 just yet. Unlike 24.04 which worked smoothly from release day, Ubuntu 26.04 still has some odd quirks. Particularly if you want to use it under WSL and integrate with JetBrains IDEs (CLion in this case, but they'll all be the same here) where it just doesn't work.

I went back to 24.04 and had no more issues.

Tech News

Thousands of vibe-coded apps expose personal and corporate data to everyone on the internet. (Wired) (archive site)

AI coding tools are like hiring an autistic teenager to program for you. Great if your requirements are clearly defined and you check their work carefully.

But if you just blindly deploy whatever they produce, that's on you.
AI slop is killing online communities. (rmoff)

It's not that AI is intrinsically bad, anymore than email is bad.

It's just that it makes being annoying far too easy:
Material created with the assistance of AI is not bad in itself. It's the purpose to which it's put.
A good use of AI is when it enables people to do something they couldn't do before, to contribute to a community when they couldn't before. Done with the care and good intent of a human behind it, this is a nett positive.
Bad AI slop, on the other hand, is monkeys throwing crap over the fence for a purpose other than furthering the community. This includes spam, engagement farming, and simply thoughtless noise in a space which is not for that purpose.
We need more spam filters.
Mojo has gone beta. (Mojolang)

Mojo is a Python-like language (more so than, for example, Nim) that compiles directly to binary and has similar safety features to Rust. It's designed to work with Python in both directions: Importing Mojo modules into Python code, and importing Python code into Mojo programs, though apparently the latter is more robust than the former.

Not sure how well it works otherwise; the first release some years ago actually had a waiting list. At least now you can just click a link and download it. Well, you can't, but apparently you can install it with uv or pixi.

Musical Interlude

Disclaimer: Begin at the beginning, and proceed to the end, and then stop.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:30 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Morgen.

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent at May 09, 2026 04:30 AM (/HDaX)

2 I have a tech ( phone) Is there a reason I am getting no sound when I try to listen to links from places such as Tik Tok and X and no, I don't have any accounts there.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 04:34 AM (ix8EF)

3 As far as AI- what is "engagement noise"?

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 04:36 AM (ix8EF)

4 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at May 09, 2026 04:42 AM (gcUgZ)

5 Every night and every morn
Some to misery are born.
Every morn and every night
Some are born to sweet delight.

Some are born to sweet delight
Some are born to endless night.

Posted by: Wm Blake at May 09, 2026 04:52 AM (hyQrc)

6 I found this article about not comparing yourself to others. I sent it to my son Perhaps others might find it helpful. It is from a Christian viewpoint:

https://tinyurl.com/p4fbttxj

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 04:56 AM (8Xy/A)

7 That be the non-white Michael Jackson right there.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 04:58 AM (ynpvh)

8 3 As far as AI- what is "engagement noise"?
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 04:36 AM (ix8EF)

Engagement farming is posting frequently, expending the least effort necessary to elicit the maximum response possible from others. The purpose behind it is to please the platform's Almighty Algorithm, and get boosted higher in more users' suggested content list, e.g. in YouTube the seemingly random videos on the right.

Our own TJM has mentioned that doing even just two videos a week is a large investment of his time, but makes a big difference to The Algorithm. Naturally, many succumb to the temptation to use AI slop to throw more content out and harvest more engagement (views, likes, comments, etc.) with less effort. This can result in higher levels of monetization, which is to say that they get paid for making our lives a bit grimmer -- our experiences more artificed, and our time more wasted.

An even more degenerate form is found when highly gregarious people with very low socio-emotional intelligence just throw meaningless noise into the wind. They may feel the satisfaction of connection, but it's fake; they're hiding signal and degrading the user experience.

Posted by: SciVo at May 09, 2026 05:01 AM (Sy6m/)

9 8 3 As far as AI- what is "engagement noise"?
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 04:36 AM (ix8EF)

And here I thought that was the noise your fiance made when you got down on your knees and showed her the ring...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 05:02 AM (ynpvh)

10 Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 05:02 AM (ynpvh)

Thanks. I laughed.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:04 AM (Nx5jP)

11 Posted by: SciVo at May 09, 2026 05:01 AM (Sy6m/

Thanks.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:06 AM (Nx5jP)

12 Delivery driver rescues calf stuck in gate:

https://tinyurl.com/ebu6cxvr

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:07 AM (Nx5jP)

13 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 05:09 AM (Ia/+0)

14 w00t

Posted by: m at May 09, 2026 05:09 AM (RtN13)

15 Morning, Tech Peeps

Posted by: fluffy at May 09, 2026 05:10 AM (V0/Sp)

16
g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at May 09, 2026 05:12 AM (8iYDv)

17 Hi Fen

Sometimes you simply have to engage the sound within the video display. Generally found at lower left.

Posted by: fluffy at May 09, 2026 05:12 AM (V0/Sp)

18 This is the bird I saw in a tree near my house yesterday- a house finch. So pretty:

https://tinyurl.com/zsnw6szf

We also had a small field of buttercups. I am grateful to God I can see these things.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:13 AM (Nx5jP)

19 18 This is the bird I saw in a tree near my house yesterday- a house finch. So pretty:

https://tinyurl.com/zsnw6szf

We also had a small field of buttercups. I am grateful to God I can see these things.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:13 AM (Nx5jP)

I have one of those that's a regular to my back yard.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 05:14 AM (ynpvh)

20 Posted by: fluffy at May 09, 2026 05:12 AM (V0/Sp

I appreciate the answer. I was trying to do that. I couldn't seem to find the correct button. That's how non technical I am. Ha.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:14 AM (Nx5jP)

21 >>>Musical Interllude
Michael Jackson - Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough

Musical Center of the World!

Thanks for this, Pixy!

Posted by: m at May 09, 2026 05:15 AM (RtN13)

22 Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 05:14 AM (ynpvh)

I enjoyed the conversations here we had one day when people were talking about birds they had seen. I don't have a bird feeder , but during the snows I put out bird seed and husband hung a corn cob with seeds off a tree and we saw a lot. So nice.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:17 AM (Nx5jP)

23 22 Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 05:14 AM (ynpvh)

I enjoyed the conversations here we had one day when people were talking about birds they had seen. I don't have a bird feeder , but during the snows I put out bird seed and husband hung a corn cob with seeds off a tree and we saw a lot. So nice.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:17 AM (Nx5jP)

I grew up in the desert...on a few occasions over the 20 or so years I lived there, we had a woodpecker working one of our trees...he must've been so lost. LOL

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 05:18 AM (ynpvh)

24 BBC

The AI chatbot users falling into delusional spirals

https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct8m8p

27 minutes

Posted by: m at May 09, 2026 05:19 AM (RtN13)

25 Have a good day, everyone. I am going to make coffee for FenSpouse and me. Problem with waking on a. schedule during the week is that we can't seem to turn it off on the weekends

So I hope you have a blessed day . Remember, you are a blessing to others
,

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:20 AM (Nx5jP)

26 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo at May 09, 2026 05:25 AM (vBlQn)

27 FenelonSpoke

You two lovebirds have a great day.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026 05:26 AM (u82oZ)

28 Good morning!

Let's smile & be happy & strike fear in the hearts of killjoy leftists everywhere.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026 05:27 AM (u82oZ)

29 Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026 05:26 AM

Thanks, dear Salty.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 05:31 AM (uA11f)

30 >>> I couldn't seem to find the correct button.

It looks like a speaker with sound waves coming out, with a slash through it when sound is off.

On an avian note, we get house finches at our feeders. In past years they have even set up a nest in a hanging plant on our porch. They are aptly named house finches.

Posted by: fluffy at May 09, 2026 05:32 AM (V0/Sp)

31 Interllude --> Interlude

!

Posted by: m at May 09, 2026 05:40 AM (RtN13)

32 Well, I read the article about AI slop. I resent it sooooooo much.

Posted by: Emmie -- be strong and courageous! at May 09, 2026 05:42 AM (FMtrg)

33 G'mornin' everyone!

interesting news there, Pixy ... I installed 24.04 for someone the other day, already had the .iso on a thumb drive, easy-peasy.
Just as well that I didn't take the extra time to get 26.04 !

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at May 09, 2026 05:42 AM (VyBeY)

34 We have a feeding station for birds right by the patio. A sandpile with a couple of black walnut trees. Black sunflower seeds scattered on the sand and, during the winter, suet spread on the tree trunks for the sapsuckers. Cardinals, blue jays, and mourning doves (with assorted little brown jobs) year-round; others in season; currently, that's red-winged blackbirds, grackles, grosbeaks, goldfinches, & house finches.

Posted by: Sleazebag Freedom Flotilla activist at May 09, 2026 05:42 AM (NcvvS)

35 34 We have a feeding station for birds right by the patio. A sandpile with a couple of black walnut trees. Black sunflower seeds scattered on the sand and, during the winter, suet spread on the tree trunks for the sapsuckers. Cardinals, blue jays, and mourning doves (with assorted little brown jobs) year-round; others in season; currently, that's red-winged blackbirds, grackles, grosbeaks, goldfinches, & house finches.

Posted by: Sleazebag Freedom Flotilla activist at May 09, 2026 05:42 AM (NcvvS)

My pecan tree is over 30ft tall, so get quite a few birds...mourning doves, mockingbirds, grackles, crows (so many damned crows when the pecans are not quite ready to pick...damn bastard crows!).
Had someone in the general neighborhood have an osprey land on his roof with a large fish in tow...that must've been quite the sight...happened near a middle school when the kids were getting out, so lots of kids were gawking at it.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 05:45 AM (ynpvh)

36 Also get some finches (little tiny guys and also the sparrow sized) in the guava trees...they, along with regular sparrows and even some hummingbirds...have had a few nest in the blackberry brambles...talk about a home with defensive spikes all about.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at May 09, 2026 05:46 AM (ynpvh)

37 Our finches are fearless little bastards. I swear if my dog stood outside too still for too long, a finch would come by and start making a nest under his ear.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at May 09, 2026 05:53 AM (Ot/FD)

38 >>My pecan tree is over 30ft tall, so get quite a few birds...mourning doves, mockingbirds, grackles, crows (so many damned crows when the pecans are not quite ready to pick...damn bastard crows!).

The walnuts are the only trees really close, but there's a lot of shrubs & trees within a hundred yards. Birds use those as staging areas to access the food. We also have hawks and an eagle pair not far away. They don't look at the food we put out; they look at what eats that food.

Posted by: Sleazebag Freedom Flotilla activist at May 09, 2026 05:59 AM (NcvvS)

39 /Off, old sock!

Posted by: Nazdar at May 09, 2026 05:59 AM (NcvvS)

40 >>Our finches are fearless little bastards.

Yeah, they're the only ones that aren't shy around the jays.

Posted by: Nazdar at May 09, 2026 06:00 AM (NcvvS)

41 Whoops, things to do. BBL.

Posted by: Nazdar at May 09, 2026 06:02 AM (NcvvS)

42 Tea. Earl Grey Hot.

Rejoinder: Call me Ishmael.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at May 09, 2026 06:07 AM (xvhJH)

43 Here in central Oklahoma most of the birds that visit my feeder are pretty dull, brown or gray. If not for the cardinals and occasional woodpecker there'd be no color at all.

And then one day, BOOM. Got a visit from two Baltimore orioles. That was nice.

Posted by: Blutarski, Gradually then Suddenly at May 09, 2026 06:09 AM (l26NL)

44 Just wanted to mention this free app you can put on your phone . It's called " Merlin Bird ID " from the Cornell Ornithology Lab. It can identify birds in a photo or through sounds. FenSpouse has been enjoying using it.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 06:10 AM (IeCgc)

45 Came back from a hike with a widow to see three large turkey vultures on my roof.

On our hike we saw indigo buntings, cardinals, goldfinches, and house finches.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026 06:14 AM (u82oZ)

46 Birdbath status?

Posted by: Just Wondering at May 09, 2026 06:18 AM (2Ez/1)

47 Evening and morning, Saturday toilers and early weekend risers! It's not raining here, yet. I need to check the local radar. Whassup?

Pixy: Are recent versions of Linux Mint affected by this bug? If so, should I download an earlier version (when I'm ready to tackle the project of trying out Linux)?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 06:21 AM (wzUl9)

48 Didn't Bad AI open for Rage Against the Machine?

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 09, 2026 06:25 AM (2GVsD)

49 Miss Linda was sick with a migraine all day yesterday -- she refuses to see a doctor or do anything for it except take ibuprofen -- so I was tending to her off and on. I used to get nauseating sinus headaches as a boy and young man, and believe you me, if there had been some way to get out from under them, I'd have grabbed it with both hands. (I did take Seldane for a while before it got removed from the market, and it worked, but made me wired from all the caffeine. Maybe if I'd just taken No-Doz . . .?)

The headaches stopped unaccountably when I was about forty-three. So I spent about thirty years dealing with them, and have been free of them for almost as long.

Are there homeopathic remedies one can take for migraines? Magnesium supplements?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 06:25 AM (wzUl9)

50 We get some house finches at the bird feeder in the summer -haven’seen them back yet. This last week there’s been a pair of thrushes chasing the cat around a lot; I can only wonder what he did to earn their enmity. (Thrush = mockingbird sized, brown back, white breast with very noticeable dark spots on it)

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026 06:27 AM (25Mwa)

51 Pixy: Are recent versions of Linux Mint affected by this bug? If so, should I download an earlier version (when I'm ready to tackle the project of trying out Linux)?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 06:21 AM (wzUl9)

These are all local privilege escalation bugs, to my kniwledge, which require an untrusted user with local access to the system running the malicious scripts to achieve root access illicit.

It's something I will patch once available. But I am not fretting systems in my household with only trusted users.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at May 09, 2026 06:28 AM (dK+Kv)

52 We get some house finches at the bird feeder in the summer -haven’seen them back yet. This last week there’s been a pair of thrushes chasing the cat around a lot; I can only wonder what he did to earn their enmity. (Thrush = mockingbird sized, brown back, white breast with very noticeable dark spots on it)
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026

***
The thrush is a noble bird and unfairly maligned.

Posted by: Thrush Supreme Council at May 09, 2026 06:29 AM (wzUl9)

53 Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea

Good morning, Ishmael.

I feel a song coming on. Don't run away ...

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026 06:29 AM (u82oZ)

54 Thrush Supreme Council

I thought Control ended your organization.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026 06:30 AM (u82oZ)

55 Motivation to work out, where are you?

* Whistles; tries the "calling a cat" sound *

Darnit, it's hiding again.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 06:33 AM (wzUl9)

56 Are there homeopathic remedies one can take for migraines? Magnesium supplements?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 06:25 AM (wzUl9)

My wife has had them, very difficult to deal with. Best prescription drug is sumatriptan (generic name) which is Not a painkiller, but which stops what appears to be an electrical storm going on in the brain.

Magnesium is recommended as a preventative, but doesn’t do much once one has started. Migraines are still not well understood, and very difficult to treat.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026 06:33 AM (25Mwa)

57 Thrush Supreme Council
*
I thought Control ended your organization.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026

***
That was KAOS. Pure amateurs.

Posted by: Thrush Supreme Council at May 09, 2026 06:34 AM (wzUl9)

58 In the Mideast, the IRGC and Hezbollah have chosen their own destruction to being out of power, and will not work for prosperity.

Let's make their choice a fatal one. Think they will turn? No way. Exterminate, not negotiate.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026 06:34 AM (u82oZ)

59 Thrush Supreme Council

So go long in uni-colour jumpsuits with lots of brown dye.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 09, 2026 06:35 AM (u82oZ)

60 My wife has had [migraines], very difficult to deal with. Best prescription drug is sumatriptan (generic name) which is Not a painkiller, but which stops what appears to be an electrical storm going on in the brain.

Magnesium is recommended as a preventative, but doesn’t do much once one has started. Migraines are still not well understood, and very difficult to treat.
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026

***
If I could just get her to take that every day! Or to go to a doctor (though I have no idea what kind of medical coverage she has) for an Rx such as you mention.

Posted by: Thrush Supreme Council at May 09, 2026 06:36 AM (wzUl9)

61 Come cheer up, my lads, 'tis to glory we steer...

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at May 09, 2026 06:36 AM (xvhJH)

62 Oops.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 06:37 AM (wzUl9)

63 three large turkey vultures on my roof.

This time last year I was ferrying wife to a series of 'pain clinic' appointments. Building was a handsome metal-roofed new thing plopped down in what had been rich fields and scrub woods. They inherited a spot in the daily route of a committee of vultures. They'd line up shoulder to shoulder along the ridge of that expensive bronze roof, dozens of them, looking like the worst death cartoon ever. "Just looking."

People who worked there had not really gotten used to it yet. Everybody could tell this was not good for business.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at May 09, 2026 06:39 AM (zdLoL)

64 Yesterday would have been a good day to go out to breakfast: My favorite diner opens for that meal at 8 am on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and is much less crowded on Friday. Now, here I am thinking of going today. Well, if I get there right before 8, there'll be no trouble getting a table.

It's gotten to be less interesting to go out to eat by myself, though. In the Denver days I loved it. Not so much any more. Partly it's the prices now, but partly because there's nothing new about it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 06:41 AM (wzUl9)

65 Vultures on the roof of a medical building, there is a Far Side cartoon right there.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 09, 2026 06:42 AM (2GVsD)

66 . . . This time last year I was ferrying wife to a series of 'pain clinic' appointments. Building was a handsome metal-roofed new thing plopped down in what had been rich fields and scrub woods. They inherited a spot in the daily route of a committee of vultures. They'd line up shoulder to shoulder along the ridge of that expensive bronze roof, dozens of them, looking like the worst death cartoon ever. "Just looking." . . .

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at May 09, 2026

***
Miss Linda would love that. There's hardly an animal out there that she doesn't like in some fashion.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 06:42 AM (wzUl9)

67 I was looking at the UFO pics released by the Guv, and I wanted to hold my arms out in front of me, wiggle my fingers, and say “oooh! Booogity booooo!”

Yeah there are weird things out there. What are they? Nobody knows.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026 06:49 AM (25Mwa)

68 “ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14

Posted by: Marcus T at May 09, 2026 06:50 AM (MIRqM)

69 Can't say much news out there is interesting for me

Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 06:51 AM (Ia/+0)

70
69 Can't say much news out there is interesting for me
Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 06:51 AM (Ia/+0)

The UK election returns are very amusing, which these days is even better than interesting. But ya takes your entertainment where ya can find it.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026 06:53 AM (25Mwa)

71 That was KAOS. Pure amateurs.
Posted by: Thrush Supreme Council at May 09, 2026 06:34 AM (wzUl9)

Be sure to attend out next meeting!

Posted by: Your Local HOA at May 09, 2026 06:54 AM (2X2jr)

72 "People who worked there had not really gotten used to it yet. Everybody could tell this was not good for business.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at May 09, 2026 06:39 AM (zdLoL) "

LOL, no, not a good look at all!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at May 09, 2026 06:54 AM (VyBeY)

73 Respecting Miss Linda's viewpoint, vultures are very efficient fliers. In the peak of their season when they're patrolling at altitude over fields looking for, well, you know, their flight is as majestic as an eagle's or any hawk. It's very beautiful until you see their hairdo, or get to watch them at work on the ground. That can be a little off-putting.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at May 09, 2026 06:58 AM (zdLoL)

74
Vultures on the roof of a medical building, there is a Far Side cartoon right there.
Posted by: Anna Puma at May 09, 2026 06:42 AM (2GVsD)

Ehhhh, I like vultures. Poor, ugly bastards perform a valuable service and get nothing but contempt for it.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 09, 2026 06:58 AM (HdYcL)

75 That was KAOS. Pure amateurs.
Posted by: Thrush Supreme Council at May 09, 2026
*
Be sure to attend out next meeting!
Posted by: Your Local HOA at May 09, 2026

***
You parvenus modeled your techniques after ours!

"Good homeowners or bad homeowners, if you are not a member of the HOA, you are marked to be ruled or destroyed."

Posted by: Thrush Supreme Council at May 09, 2026 06:59 AM (wzUl9)

76 Respecting Miss Linda's viewpoint, vultures are very efficient fliers. In the peak of their season when they're patrolling at altitude over fields looking for, well, you know, their flight is as majestic as an eagle's or any hawk. It's very beautiful until you see their hairdo, or get to watch them at work on the ground. That can be a little off-putting.
Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at May 09, 2026

***
If it were not for those ugly naked heads (necessary, I know, for their daily work), yes, people would like them more.

It has always amused me that people rave about "the California condor" -- a name that sounds noble and elegant -- and yet they are members of the vulture club.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:01 AM (wzUl9)

77 Good morning everyone. Hope you have a relaxing weekend.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at May 09, 2026 07:03 AM (EFz10)

78 Just had a nice experience at the local convenience store There was a young pleasant guy at the cash register who is black, who told me about the importance of being positive. I told him that he looked liked to dance because he was moving back and forth swaying. He said , "Well, I play drums in my church band and I try to use the talents which God gave me." He told me the name of his church- because I asked him -and I will remember his name because it is also the name of my brother-in-law. If I take the time I can have such nice interactions with folks . Sometimes I'm too sleepy or in a rush and too introverted to do this.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 07:03 AM (nui3h)

79 I've decided, happily I think, against working out today. Having a pipe for a few minutes; I need to feed the cats; and then I can decide if I want to eat breakfast here or wait nearly two hours to go out.

I think that last sentence kind of decided for me.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:04 AM (wzUl9)

80 Not saying thete isn't good news, actually lots of that. But even that news from England to my cynical thinking is too little too late.

Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 07:04 AM (Ia/+0)

81 Some are born to sweet delight
Some are born to endless night.
Posted by: Wm Blake at May 09, 2026 04:52 AM (hyQrc)

Well, Mr. Blake, you’re just a bundle of joy, aren’t ya?

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026 07:05 AM (25Mwa)

82 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:01 AM (wzUl9

I feed some stray, fixed cats behind someone's house twice a week. There were two vultures which came by to scavenge food. Now I only see one which makes me suspect that he or she lost their mate to a death.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 07:06 AM (nui3h)

83 This guy-who had a kind of amusing name for his blog, "Weird Catholic" reflects on the nature of apocalypses and deals with this whole UFO thing and his faith:

https://tinyurl.com/4dk7chfd

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 07:09 AM (nui3h)

84 Maybe we should just not install software for a bit. (Xe Iaso)

Ya fuckin think. When will it become law to note AI on your slop so everyone knows you're shit

Posted by: sidney at May 09, 2026 07:11 AM (rzwGB)

85 Morning peeps.

In tech news, Intel must have had some time on their hands. A slew of Intel software drivers have been updated and Windows would really like me to apply them.

Been queued up for weeks.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 09, 2026 07:13 AM (jehhT)

86 https://tinyurl.com/mrxabey4
Powerline week in pictures

Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 07:17 AM (Ia/+0)

87 eh, eagles are just vultures with a big-bucks makeover; around here, their diet is pretty much the same: roadkill.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at May 09, 2026 07:17 AM (VyBeY)

88 Oh, yes, I told my husband to vote in the Democrat primary because he is registered Democrat but hasn't voted for any of them since I haven't , because one Democrat running is a Muslim with terrorist connections. He needs to vote against him.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 07:17 AM (IeCgc)

89 I'm happy to report that my neighbors who have torn apart our HOA with their senseless demands and have told mr nec and I if we put one foot on their property they will call the police, have put their house on the market. Hooray! Please, please, please let it sell soon.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at May 09, 2026 07:19 AM (2NHgQ)

90 We need more spam filters.

Hey, I've got an idea! Let's use AI for that!

Posted by: GWB at May 09, 2026 07:21 AM (P35BA)

91
An HOA, like Congress, is an excellent idea that, unfortunately, attracts all the wrong people to it.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 09, 2026 07:21 AM (HdYcL)

92 I'm happy to report that my neighbors who have torn apart our HOA with their senseless demands and have told mr nec and I if we put one foot on their property they will call the police, have put their house on the market. Hooray! Please, please, please let it sell soon.
Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at May 09, 2026

***
One of my requirements for a house is NO HOAs! I'll be a great neighbor. I'm not going to put old washing machines on my porch, or have broken-down cars on the lawn. But I don't want some officious nosey-parkers telling me I can't fly an American flag or paint my porch white because it violates their rules.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:24 AM (wzUl9)

93 Some pretty good ones in WiP

Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 07:25 AM (Ia/+0)

94 - Skip

On the good news front, I guess, at least for some Canadians, I've seen a couple reports that Alberta has secured enough signatures to have a vote on leaving Canada. AOP would likely know more.

On the bad news front for Canada, I've posted this a couple times the last couple of days, ignored of course.

https://tinyurl.com/57cndsat

Posted by: TeeJ at May 09, 2026 07:25 AM (PpROq)

95 @56/Tom Servo: "My wife has had them, {migraines} very difficult to deal with. Best prescription drug is sumatriptan (generic name) which is Not a painkiller, but which stops what appears to be an electrical storm going on in the brain."

Imitrex. I know that one all too well.

Actual migraines tend to be one-sided (taking place in only one-half of the brain) and they're not so much a storm as a slowing down of the electrical activity like that half of the brain is going to sleep, or more disturbing: dying.

A patient hooked to an EEG at my neurologist's office experienced a migraine and he said the needles graphing the brain activity via sensors all over her head were moving as expected (a fair amount of activity), then a migraine started and the needles hooked to the sensors on the migraine side all started moving in a very slow sinusoidal motion. Those for the other side started getting more active (maybe to compensate?).

So you've got one side yelling at the offline side, "Are you there? HELLO?!" Could be the electrical storm you're referring to. His theory was that this might be the actual cause of the pain, the split brain one side active, one barely.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 07:26 AM (O7YUW)

96 Also, I dubbed Imitrex "The chemical tactical nuke". If I took it, I HAD to sleep for a minimum of two hours. If anyone woke me during it, the migraine was muted, but I had zero inhibitions. This was ... not good. No impulse or emotional control whatsoever.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 07:27 AM (O7YUW)

97 carny of Canada thinks that the US will stop being a world power and they and others will take over? It's to laugh.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at May 09, 2026 07:28 AM (2NHgQ)

98 Skip- I liked Marco Rubio's new job as being the kid from ET.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 09, 2026 07:28 AM (lQ+/f)

99 Mark Carney is delusional.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 07:30 AM (O7YUW)

100 Also 100

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 07:30 AM (O7YUW)

101 Very wise choice, Wolfus!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at May 09, 2026 07:31 AM (VyBeY)

102 Usually enjoy the Powerline week in pictures, that said, why are they still flogging the epstein crap. Do they seriously think that PDT is hiding something epstein related? Yep, the dems are going to tie him to that dead shitweasel and prove that he's a pedophile. Unbelievable.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at May 09, 2026 07:31 AM (2NHgQ)

103 Also, I dubbed Imitrex "The chemical tactical nuke". If I took it, I HAD to sleep for a minimum of two hours. If anyone woke me during it, the migraine was muted, but I had zero inhibitions. This was ... not good. No impulse or emotional control whatsoever.
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026

***
Any decent brand of Scotch'll do *that*!

Posted by: Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery Scott, Star Fleet at May 09, 2026 07:35 AM (wzUl9)

104 102, yeah, what the bleep, anyway? they were kind of underwhelming today all around ...

SAD!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at May 09, 2026 07:36 AM (VyBeY)

105 IIRC, powerline is ran by a bunch of neverTrump rinos.

Posted by: Will Robinson at May 09, 2026 07:37 AM (zBgIx)

106 I like guy holds up 2 fingers and says give me 5 beers

Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 07:37 AM (Ia/+0)

107 So you've got one side yelling at the offline side, "Are you there? HELLO?!" Could be the electrical storm you're referring to. His theory was that this might be the actual cause of the pain, the split brain one side active, one barely.
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 07:26 AM (O7YUW)

That’s a very good hypothesis, since one of the great mysteries of migraines is the actual source of the intense pain (since the brain contains no pain sensors)

I had something occur this week, researched it and it’s called a “vertigo attack”. I woke up feeling fine, then suddenly I felt dizzy and the room started to spin. Raced home while I still could, broke out into a full body sweat and then vomited intensely for 2 hours. That finally stopped, and after 2 or 3 hours laying down, everything was fine again (but the day was wrecked)

Best guess from my online search for a diagnosis is a temporary disturbance of the inner ear, set off by anything from electrolytes to bad blood sugar to something more serious. Sources agree on the symptoms, but there’s a million possible causes.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026 07:40 AM (25Mwa)

108 A Bremer pot pie sprinkled with sharp cheddar cheese, and wheat toast with peanut butter and honey, plus coffee and a pipe: a great start to the day.

Shave and shower is next. Maybe around nine I'll drive out to the suburbs, have a coffee at a small local chain shop (they only have about two locations in town I know of), and stop at the cigar/pipe shop for some supplies. If it's raining, so much the better. Except for snow, there is not much better than to sit snugly in a coffee shop or a tobacconist, enjoying whatever, while the rain slashes down outside.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:40 AM (wzUl9)

109 - neverenoughcaffeine

Basically, yep. Their post WWII, globalist system without the US doing all it's heavy lifting. Militarily and economically.

Posted by: TeeJ at May 09, 2026 07:41 AM (PpROq)

110 There's no way Canada could ever become a superpower. Even after all this time, it still has inter-provincial trade barriers to protect markets in one province from products and services in equal markets in other provinces. Yeah, seriously. That alone makes us "not a serious country".

We hamstring and bring down innovators with an absolutely crushing amount of government regulation and delays. Energy companies don't want to try to build infrastructure here. There are other markets in the world that welcome their expertise and which they can make more money, more easily.

This article notes that government job growth is triple that of the private sector:
https://tinyurl.com/5fb2rnk7

A government job's wages are paid using the government's budget, ie, tax revenue on the private sector plus deficit spending (borrowing and thus devaluing the money.) You want less of that and more private sector jobs to keep your economy healthy. Not Canada though, it's going full boar into public sector jobs, where the pay and the benefits is now far better than private sector ones (on average.)

That's. Just. Insane.

Also: That which can not go on, will not go on.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 07:42 AM (O7YUW)

111 Best guess from my online search for a diagnosis is a temporary disturbance of the inner ear, set off by anything from electrolytes to bad blood sugar to something more serious. Sources agree on the symptoms, but there’s a million possible causes.
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026

***
I had something like that in late 2018 and on into early 2019. Had to go to physical therapy for it, but it hasn't recurred.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:43 AM (wzUl9)

112 You know the biggest road block to becoming a Super- Power?
Giving billions away to people in grift and theftand not buying what makes a Super-Power

Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 07:46 AM (Ia/+0)

113 Is this about me?

Posted by: Brazil - wannabe Super-Power at May 09, 2026 07:49 AM (2Ez/1)

114 Deserts are weird, kinda. When it does rain, the dry lakes become lakes again, and the sky filled with Seagulls, attracted by brine Shrimp that hatch.

We tend to think of deserts as empty, and devoid of plant and animal life, but that’s not really true at all. The desert Southwest is a lot more interesting to me than the northern Alpine region.

Posted by: Common Tater at May 09, 2026 07:49 AM (sDaxV)

115 I've had a feeder out since I moved here. It always attracts a ton of birds, but they'd of course fly away when I sat on the patio nearby.

No more! At some point over the last year, word seeped through the bird community: "YD and his dog are harmless. He's the one stocking the feeder. And yes, he does eat eggs every day... but those aren't *our* eggs."

So now when I sit out there for my breakfast there's dozens of birds just flying back and forth in my garden. It's freaking awesome.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at May 09, 2026 07:49 AM (BI5O2)

116 Thousands of vibe-coded apps expose personal and corporate data to everyone on the internet.

Wired cares because two of those apps were anti-Trump and anti-ICE apps vibe coded by the former “Anonymous” who kicked off one of Trump’s impeachments. And the thousands of deranged lefties they doxxed are now on FBI watch lists.

Posted by: Ian S. at May 09, 2026 07:49 AM (QZThv)

117 I used to be a Super-Power.
Now I'm a gas station.

Posted by: Russia at May 09, 2026 07:50 AM (2Ez/1)

118 @107/Tom Servo { on the vertigo attack }: "Best guess from my online search for a diagnosis is a temporary disturbance of the inner ear, set off by anything from electrolytes to bad blood sugar to something more serious. Sources agree on the symptoms, but there’s a million possible causes."

At least it corrected itself in a couple of hours. Going through that sounds absolutely horrid (and scary.)

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 07:51 AM (O7YUW)

119 Canada allowing the first nations veto power is insane as well. Am I misreading this? They brought suit against Alberta trying to secede. Is that correct?

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at May 09, 2026 07:52 AM (2NHgQ)

120 IIRC, powerline is ran by a bunch of neverTrump rinos.
Posted by: Will Robinson at May 09, 2026 07:37 AM (zBgIx)
-------------------
They got rid of the anti-Trump guy a decade or so ago. Of the two original bloggers remaining, one is very pro-Trump and the other is pro-Trump with a few reservations. They've since added an additional blogger, also very pro Trump.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at May 09, 2026 07:52 AM (hVFNR)

121 Looks like my small local chain, CC's Coffee House, has four locations here. The one in the 'burbs near the tobacconist is not on their website, though (?). There's one in an older part of the western suburbs, but my only problem with that one is that a train goes by and blocks the main road nearly every Saturday around 10 am.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:53 AM (wzUl9)

122 - Well, after all

The desert is an ocean with its life underground
And the perfect disguise above

I'd better get before people start throwing things

Posted by: TeeJ at May 09, 2026 07:54 AM (PpROq)

123 Best guess from my online search for a diagnosis is a temporary disturbance of the inner ear, set off by anything from electrolytes to bad blood sugar to something more serious. Sources agree on the symptoms, but there’s a million possible causes.
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026

***
I love the desert. But you have to be tough to live there. Tucson, AZ, for instance, is probably lovely in January and February. But I visited there in Jnne, and it hit 106 F. every day. That's halfway to boiling!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:55 AM (wzUl9)

124 Losing excess fat, if one is perhaps inclined towards overweight or obesity can result in marked improvement of vertigo. Some years ago I was at one of those spectacular fenced overlooks in one of our Very Large Square States and I had a lot of problems with it. As a practical matter tending towards slim and trim makes for far better mobility and sure footing.

Posted by: Common Tater at May 09, 2026 07:55 AM (sDaxV)

125 I been to the desert without a horse with no name

Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026 07:57 AM (Ia/+0)

126 @112/Skip: "You know the biggest road block to becoming a Super- Power?
Giving billions away to people in grift and theftand not buying what makes a Super-Power"

You're not wrong, Skip. The Laurentien elite in Canada love to reward their friends with grift money, taken from the people working in the private sector in multiple ways.

The so-called elite don't seem to care that if you kill the goose laying the golden eggs, you don't get anymore golden eggs. They think the goose can never actually be killed.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 08:01 AM (O7YUW)

127 I been to the desert without a horse with no name
Posted by: Skip at May 09, 2026

***
I'd have named him Trigger or Champion. Or Tornado, if he was black.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 08:01 AM (wzUl9)

128 I love the desert. But you have to be tough to live there. Tucson, AZ, for instance, is probably lovely in January and February. But I visited there in Jnne, and it hit 106 F. every day. That's halfway to boiling!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 07:55 AM (wzUl9)

I love it as well, grew up in Phoenix, still have family there. But Phoenix is even hotter than Tucson, and one thing I remember from those hottest days in summer is there are days where the light is just too intense. By 2 or 3, everything looks whited out, like an overexposed photo, and you just want to stay indoors in a cool dark room. It feels like the bright side of the planet Mercury.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026 08:04 AM (25Mwa)

129 Tom Servo, I suffered from vertigo attacks some years ago after the birth of my third child. I figured out that for me, the trigger was too many days in a row with not enough sleep. Once I figured that out and jealously guarded my sleep, they stopped.

Except last summer i experienced a minor one, no idea why. I rummaged in my medicine cabinet and found my prescription anti-vert that expired 13 years ago. I figured it couldn't hurt so I took one, went to sleep, and woke up a couple hours later feeling fine.

Ask your doc for a prescription next time you go. It's very inexpensive, and lasts a long time! Before I got that, when I had a vertigo attack it would last for at least 24 hours.

Posted by: bluebell at May 09, 2026 08:05 AM (afFes)

130 @119/neverenoughcaffeine: "Canada allowing the first nations veto power is insane as well. Am I misreading this? They brought suit against Alberta trying to secede. Is that correct?"

It's a very complicated and messy corner that we've painted ourselves into, and continue to do so. We keep handing over political power to the 50-ish different tribes, and they keep using it to beat us over the head and demand more concessions.

It's madness and it needs to stop, but it won't, and it's yet another on a long list of reasons why we (Canada) aren't a serious nation and I doubt we ever will be again.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at May 09, 2026 08:07 AM (O7YUW)

131 I love it as well, grew up in Phoenix, still have family there. But Phoenix is even hotter than Tucson, and one thing I remember from those hottest days in summer is there are days where the light is just too intense. By 2 or 3, everything looks whited out, like an overexposed photo, and you just want to stay indoors in a cool dark room. It feels like the bright side of the planet Mercury.
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026

***
That was my reaction too. And, except for the short visit to southern AZ in June, I've never been to the desert in the truly hot months. Northern New Mexico was hot enough in the daytime -- though amazingly dry to me -- in late May.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 08:07 AM (wzUl9)

132 Ask your doc for a prescription next time you go. It's very inexpensive, and lasts a long time! Before I got that, when I had a vertigo attack it would last for at least 24 hours.
Posted by: bluebell at May 09, 2026 08:05 AM (afFes)

Thanks Bluebell, I did not know there was such a medicine, sound very helpful.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 09, 2026 08:08 AM (25Mwa)

133 Noodus caffeine

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at May 09, 2026 08:08 AM (wzUl9)

134 "Vulture" has such negative connotations. I prefer the word "Condor."

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 09, 2026 08:10 AM (qFwJc)

135 thanks grumpy

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at May 09, 2026 08:13 AM (2NHgQ)

136 Vertigo--look up the Epley maneuver on YouTube. Several specialists are on there showing how to do it. It stops the spinning right away.

I did that a couple times with instant relief. I was having vertigo last year, even fell in the middle of the night from it. (I was trying Benadryl for allergies, and when I quit that the attacks stopped altogether.)

Posted by: skywch at May 09, 2026 08:17 AM (uqhmb)

137 "Wired cares because two of those apps were anti-Trump and anti-ICE apps vibe coded by the former “Anonymous” who kicked off one of Trump’s impeachments. And the thousands of deranged lefties they doxxed are now on FBI watch lists.

Posted by: Ian S. at May 09, 2026 07:49 AM (QZThv) "

well, theoretically ... maybe ... I think it's almost as likely that they are on a preferred list for grant money from some agency DOGE never got to ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at May 09, 2026 08:25 AM (VyBeY)

138 This is the bird I saw in a tree near my house yesterday- a house finch.

Thank god it wasn't a vampire finch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP7OLY3_UNA

Posted by: Richard Cranium at May 09, 2026 09:19 AM (Pcod2)

139 I'm happy to report that my neighbors who have torn apart our HOA with their senseless demands [...]

Dunno about you, but my current HOA rules were written by the same assholes similar to the corporate weasels in both incarnations of "The Running Man" movies.

When I lived in a less "upscale" neighborhood, our HOA was focused on the maintenance of a shared pond; the rules around that were less, shall we say, draconian that my current HOA.

Posted by: Richard Cranium at May 09, 2026 09:37 AM (Pcod2)

140 Sales of PC motherboards are expected to fall 25%+ YoY in 2026, as PC users delay their upgrades amid AI-driven price surges for memory, storage, and processors

Posted by: SMOD at May 09, 2026 09:57 AM (O7XEN)

141 65 Vultures on the roof of a medical building, there is a Far Side cartoon right there.
Posted by: Anna Puma at May 09, 2026 06:42 AM (2GVsD)

I picture a middle-aged couple in a car, waiting to make a sinister (left) turn across traffic. Past a Dead End sign, the short side road terminates in a medical building with a line of vultures on the roof. "Fred and Edna had sudden misgivings about his 'routine outpatient procedure'."

Posted by: SciVo at May 09, 2026 10:40 AM (Sy6m/)

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