Wednesday Night ONT - April 8, 2026 [TRex]

Good evening Horde. The time has come for mid-week shenanigans.

Welcome to the Wednesday night ONT which means another edition of random overnight fun and games. Pull up a chair and sit a spell. Good will offerings of amusing puns are happily accepted. Pants are optional. Be nice to your fellow commenters and AoS contributors. This is a Tucker, Candace and Megyn free zone. Please.

[Top photo: Peek a boo. NASA Artemis II mission]

***

Does anyone follow the prediction markets? Event contracts are simple - you put money on a bet with a binary outcome. If a designated event happens, you get paid out. If not, you lose your money.

Such bets used to mostly pop up once a year with Super Bowl bets about the length of the national anthem. Yes, big casinos or your local bookie might quote odds but now prediction markets have gone online with platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi. These platforms make participation very easy.

There are no odds, but the higher probability of an event, the more expensive the contract. The lower the probability, the cheaper the contract.

There is a wisdom of crowds element to all of this. Because people are putting their money, arguably the prediction market is more credible than polls. Insider trading is prohibited (in theory).

What events? Obvious candidates like sporting events and political elections, but also financial indices, commodity prices, and geopolitical developments. Cultural bets are fair game like celebrity marriage or divorce. Distasteful or illegal bets are not allowed on Polymarket and Kalshi.

The legal eagles among the Horde will appreciate the regulatory gymnastics around federal versus state law and drawing lines between gambling and investing. That debate and argument is very active and the resolution will set precedent for decades. What is the legal difference between a prediction market event contract on the S&P 500 and an S&P 500 option or future contract?

The other interesting angle is clarity around the language of the bet. For example, an event contract for "boots on the ground" presumably contemplated offensive kinetic action, but what about a rescue mission for a downed aviator? Assassination bets are not permitted, but what about a change of Iranian leader by bombing? The bigger money involved, the more people care about the outcome.

Here are a handful of contracts from Polymarket and Kalshi for giggles (current as of Monday PM). Remember - these are predictions for what people think will happen, not necessarily wishes for what will or should happen (although both may be true in some cases).

***

***

Lancaster County Wendy's manager allegedly made fake employee, collected pay

An audit of a Lancaster County Wendy's found that a former general manager allegedly stole almost $20,000 from the eatery by creating a fake employee.
According to the charging documents, Linda Johnson allegedly clocked in and out as a "ghost employee" at the Manheim Township Wendy's from July 2021 to April 2022 and then had the paychecks go to her bank account.
Paychecks from the fake employee showed police that $19,898.15 was allegedly stolen by Johnson, who also created 128 shifts for the "worker." Detectives learned later that Johnson would be the only one who could create the shifts, police said.
When other managers were questioned about the "worker," police said some could not remember working with them, while one reported that they met him once and that Johnson did provide a timecard for the employee but never worked with him.

Shocked. No, not really.

***

Pigs in Space:

***

Mom gives birth to twins with different dads after sex with 2 men on same day

This new mom had a "one-in-a-million" conception: Her babies may be twins - but they have different bio-dads.
A 19-year-old Brazilian woman gave birth to twins nine months after having sex with two men on the same day. As their first birthdays loomed, she began having doubts over who their father was, so she decided to take a paternity test to confirm her suspicions, local news outlet news outlet Globo reported.
The anonymous woman originally suspected only one of the two men to be the father of the twins, so she collected his DNA - but it only turned up positive for one child.
"I remembered that I had had sex with another man and called him to take the test, which was positive," the new mom, who asked not to be identified, told the outlet. "I was surprised by the results. I didn't know this could happen. They are very similar."
Heteropaternal superfecundation "is an extremely rare phenomenon that occurs when a second ova released during the same menstrual cycle is additionally fertilized by the sperm cells of a different man in separate sexual intercourse," according to the journal Biomedica.

Even my small dino brain can think of another obvious reason this is a rare phenomenon. Maybe she needs a hobby. I mean a different hobby.

***

This winter train ride on the Bernina railway in Switzerland from St. Moritz is a nice way to travel.

The ride in the summer is pretty nice too.

***

With all the moon excitement, it seems like a good time to use this photo that has been sitting in my files waiting for an opportunity. I have no idea where it came from or why it exists but this seems like an opportunity. Sometimes, you just have to go with it... If one of you sent it, thank you. You're lovely and twisted.

***

Mandatory reading in case you missed it:

NATO is in far bigger danger than anyone realizes. And the reason has nothing to do with defense budgets.

The real danger is psychological. It’s cultural.

Europeans didn’t just free-ride on American security for 80 years. They built an entire identity around the idea that they…
— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 6, 2026

Was this written with help from AI? Dunno, but it hits the mark. We don't usually do geopolitical content on the Wednesday ONT. Welcome to the random.

***

The Pittsburgh police scanner keeps giving. Thank you people of Pittsburgh!

***

A little upbeat fiddle and banjo music for the big ONT finish:

***

Written correspondence can be sent to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Are you lurking ?? Thank you for your attention to this matter. Beware - reading ONT content may result in being whelmed.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good evening good people.

Posted by: Tonypete at April 08, 2026 10:01 PM (cYBz/)

2 Who built the moon.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:01 PM (snZF9)

3 So soon the moon he did croon

Posted by: mindful webworker - deliver the letter the sooner the better at April 08, 2026 10:01 PM (C2uPD)

4 Everyone's gone to the moon.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at April 08, 2026 10:01 PM (EZPSB)

5 So you're mooning us?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 08, 2026 10:02 PM (1Ff7Z)

6 T Rex

You got that image from my Tensor account nyah.

And the pendant have been pointing out that image from Artemis II is an Earth Set and not an Earth Rise like Bill Anders snapped during Apollo 8.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:02 PM (2GVsD)

7 The Moon's Tycho City and New Berlin will be heavily colonized in the 21st century.

Posted by: Dr. Varno at April 08, 2026 10:03 PM (nDXEV)

8 That 🌚 pic is very cool.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:03 PM (FrGmf)

9 Okay, I have had the Horde on tenterhooks for several days about this.

The Do 335A has been ordered.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:03 PM (2GVsD)

10 Kansas has a life expectancy of 76 and something, while Lousy-ana has only 73? I'll take those three years and grab for more.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:04 PM (wzUl9)

11 I'm putting a marker on Gabbard heading out.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 08, 2026 10:04 PM (gKWVE)

12 Who built the moon.

Ancient aliens of course. Now make way for the hyperspace bypass.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:04 PM (2GVsD)

13 6 You got that image from my Tensor account nyah.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:02 PM
***
Thank you!

Posted by: TRex - moonwalk dino at April 08, 2026 10:05 PM (IQ6Gq)

14 For the moon is hollow and I have reached the sky...

Posted by: Dr. Varno at April 08, 2026 10:05 PM (nDXEV)

15 Hot new trend: No-Mooners

That mf'er is NOT REAL!

Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:05 PM (gtcuf)

16 Oh my goodness! It's dinosaur night already 🦖!
Hello Mr Rex!
I'm heading back up to content.
But honey. It's best about you....rahhhhh!

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 08, 2026 10:06 PM (qox2u)

17 Pittsburgh is a hidden treasure of snark and humor.

Posted by: LASue at April 08, 2026 10:06 PM (lCppi)

18 Hello, Horde! 😊♥️

That picture is this generation's "Earthrise".

I still remember when the original astronauts took their first picture of that. My dad was an engineer for NASA in Houston - you couldn't go ANYWHERE without seeing a stack of copies of that picture on basically every flat surface for anyone to retake home.

It was a very exciting time.

Cool to see people getting excited about the space program again.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at April 08, 2026 10:06 PM (SRRAx)

19 The Do 335A has been ordered."

Saints be praised...

Posted by: man at April 08, 2026 10:06 PM (XuXeR)

20 Loooong ONT, TRex. Thanks!

Posted by: LRob in OK at April 08, 2026 10:06 PM (7D3Aa)

21 I'm not betting against "aliens" because that is vague enough to include signs of nonsentient life. That remains a high probability with JWST / Gaea tech. Approaching 1 in our lifetimes.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (gKWVE)

22 Okay, I have had the Horde on tenterhooks for several days about this.

The Do 335A has been ordered.
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026

***
A hyper-complex airplane model kit, I'd guess? A "Dornier" something or other?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (wzUl9)

23 Pittsburgh is a hidden treasure of snark and humor"

Rolling Rock, Iron City, and Genesee Cream Ale...

Posted by: man at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (XuXeR)

24
Heteropaternal superfecundation

Was that a song on Mary Poppins?

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (Cqx++)

25
The Polymarket bets are current as of Monday p.m. and they've got Kristi Noem departing the Trump administration at 60%? Some real foresight there.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (n7rxJ)

26 Who built the moon.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:01 PM (snZF9)

The moon does not exist. It's a mobile placed on the crystal dome over the flat Earth. It gets slowly moved by an army of microscopic 'birds' - you know birds aren't real, right? When it reaches the Antarctic Ice Wall, the mobile is replaced by the next, slightly changed, phase moon.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026 10:08 PM (ExV1e)

27 I'm amazed how every crater on the moon appears to be the same depth.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:08 PM (snZF9)

28 16 Oh my goodness! It's dinosaur night already 🦖!
Hello Mr Rex!

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 08, 2026 10:06 PM
***
Rawr! Howdy!

Posted by: TRex - zero gravity dino at April 08, 2026 10:09 PM (IQ6Gq)

29 Apparently those were supposed to be identical twins.
Fraternal twins are conceived up to a week apart and they say that 30% of them have different fathers - which *is* an... interesting statistic.

Posted by: KCSteve at April 08, 2026 10:09 PM (2+WvJ)

30
The top photo is "Earthset". For some reason, they've been publicizing those more than the Earthrise shot they got here:

https://is.gd/FVqODM

NASA rotated that one 90 degrees to match the Bill Anders Apollo 8 orientation. Don Pettit first posted here, in this orientation, which was how the actually saw it from their attitude:

https://is.gd/SykrFF

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:09 PM (w6EFb)

31 Some real foresight there.
Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (n7rxJ)

LOL good catch. I predict the Texans won't win the '25/26 super bowl!

Posted by: gKWVE at April 08, 2026 10:09 PM (gKWVE)

32 24 Heteropaternal superfecundation

Was that a song on Mary Poppins?
Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at April 08, 2026

Heteropaternal superfecundation expealidocious
Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious…

Posted by: Piper at April 08, 2026 10:10 PM (Wmg4n)

33 Kansas has a life expectancy of 76 and something, while Lousy-ana has only 73? I'll take those three years and grab for more.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:04 PM (wzUl9)

I assume that Louisiana has a higher percentage of death by kinetics than Kansas.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026 10:10 PM (ExV1e)

34 That mf'er is NOT REAL!
Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:05 PM (gtcuf)

Well, it's obviously a vacant Dyson sphere...

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:10 PM (zZu0s)

35 23 Pittsburgh is a hidden treasure of snark and humor"

Rolling Rock, Iron City, and Genesee Cream Ale...
Posted by: man at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (XuXeR)

The current state of the Steelers certainly invites snark and humor, but where is that, huh?

Posted by: Dr. Varno at April 08, 2026 10:10 PM (nDXEV)

36 20 Loooong ONT, TRex. Thanks!

Posted by: LRob in OK at April 08, 2026 10:06 PM
***
You're welcome. Prediction markets take up a lot of space!

Posted by: TRex - crystal ball dino at April 08, 2026 10:10 PM (IQ6Gq)

37 Evenin'

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at April 08, 2026 10:10 PM (sAmhv)

38 ... actually I could probably be safe betting against the Texas doing jack shit this year too.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 08, 2026 10:11 PM (gKWVE)

39 I predict the odds that the movie "The Last Starfighter" is a documentary at 0.125%.

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at April 08, 2026 10:11 PM (S/Y4j)

40 Apparently those were supposed to be identical twins.
Fraternal twins are conceived up to a week apart and they say that 30% of them have different fathers - which *is* an... interesting statistic.
Posted by: KCSteve at April 08, 2026 10:09 PM (2+WvJ)

That is a shocking amount of false paternity in a really small group...

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:11 PM (zZu0s)

41 I rate this ONT as "read the whole thing" goodness.

Posted by: These fish sticks are hard as tits at April 08, 2026 10:11 PM (nJw4Z)

42 Who built the moon.

Ancient aliens of course. Now make way for the hyperspace bypass.
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026

***
One of the young Larry Niven's first short story sales, "Wrong Way Street," involves a long-abandoned alien base discovered on the Moon. His lead character is trying with his team to figure out what things did and what the original builders had looked like. He discovers they had a time travel device . . . and things develop from there with the iron and terrifying logic of a nightmare.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:12 PM (wzUl9)

43 Gavin Newson 29%

I think it's going to be him. Of course, being a cis white male, he'll have to pick a running mate that checks multiple DEI boxes, like Ol' Joe did. AOC?

Newsom has the big money donors, which of course is extra important in the party of superdelegates.

And make no mistake, while we see through it, he's a very good, slick liar who can fool a lot of rubes into believing he's a moderate. The Dems think he's the next Bill Clinton/Barack Obama in that regard.

Luckily for us, his batshit crazy wife will give us loads of ammo against that.

Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:12 PM (gtcuf)

44 According to that state longevity chart, I'm about 4 years "in the red"!! Hmmmm.

Posted by: LRob in OK at April 08, 2026 10:12 PM (7D3Aa)

45 The Dornier 335 Pfeil was going to be another German wunderwaffen that could be fighter, bomber destroyer, and night fighter. In the end, only a handful were built before the war ended and only 102, which is on display with the NASM, is the only survivor.

Employed the classic Dornier engineering of a pusher/puller design. This time of two DB 603 engines to push a plane to an estimated 750KPH.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:13 PM (2GVsD)

46 The fiddle player in the last video has a nice...acoustic chamber.

Posted by: Maria at April 08, 2026 10:13 PM (Riz8t)

47 The Polymarket bets are current as of Monday p.m. and they've got Kristi Noem departing the Trump administration at 60%? Some real foresight there.
Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (n7rxJ)

While she is no longer the Secretary of DHS, I believe that she is still considered to be part of the Administration.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026 10:13 PM (ExV1e)

48 Why is life expectancy so high for Hawaii?
Bunches of little old Asian women.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 08, 2026 10:13 PM (/lPRQ)

49 I assume that Louisiana has a higher percentage of death by kinetics than Kansas.
Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026

***
Sudden lead poisoning

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:13 PM (wzUl9)

50
Bill Anders did see it from that orientation, with the lunar horizon vertical. However, the standard orientation of that iconic "Earthrise" is rotated so the lunar horizon is horizontal, as if you were standing on the surface.

On the real Moon, since it's tidally locked, you'd never see an earthrise or set, the Earth pretty much stays in the same point in the lunar sky. It actually does a little figure-8 dance, due to eccentricity and nodal precession.

A rise and set would be possible at spots on the edge of the near side. There, the earth would always be close to the horizon, but the libration wobble would allow for a rise and set. It would just bounce above and below the horizon.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:14 PM (w6EFb)

51 I wonder if the correlation between longevity and residing in a blue collar state is because those states won't let you die for tax purposes, or it's skewed by the dead voting from the grave.

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at April 08, 2026 10:14 PM (S/Y4j)

52 A most hearty ONT, Trex.

Skipped most of the gambling stuff. Learned from my brother all I needed to know about gambling. He cheated.

"Don't gamble. It isn't right to take the other fellow's money, and it's sure not right for him to take yours."
-my Grandfather's book of wisdom

I have exceeded the Oklahoma life expectancy. A little.

Posted by: mindful webworker - deliver the letter the sooner the better at April 08, 2026 10:14 PM (C2uPD)

53 TX has a life expectancy of 77. Hm. My hope is that I die before Mr Scary. His shop is full of crap. Not just tools. A lot of junk and clutter. I don't want to sort through that crap. He can find some young chippies to clean the garage out.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:14 PM (FrGmf)

54 The moon has a pretty bad case of acne.

Posted by: wth at April 08, 2026 10:15 PM (BT3km)

55 TX has a life expectancy of 77. Hm. My hope is that I die before Mr Scary. His shop is full of crap. Not just tools. A lot of junk and clutter. I don't want to sort through that crap. He can find some young chippies to clean the garage out.
Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:14 PM (FrGmf)

If'n my missus dies before me, I'm bringing in some junk movers, saying keep this, this, and this. Everything else goes.

May let the kids come grab whatever they want first.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026 10:16 PM (ExV1e)

56 "That is a shocking amount of false paternity in a really small group..."

I know! Makes you wonder if there's a genetic component to the... amount of choice that corresponds to the tendency for multiple egg release.
That would kind of make sense.

Posted by: KCSteve at April 08, 2026 10:16 PM (2+WvJ)

57 That John Konrad tweet is worth a read.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at April 08, 2026 10:16 PM (Cqx++)

58 "Who built the moon?"

A comet or something similar smacked the Earth and tore a chunk off, which became the moon.

Posted by: davidt at April 08, 2026 10:16 PM (Q+gd/)

59 Thanks for another swell ONT, T Rex!

Great shot of the moon and earth up top. Fascinating.

Thank you people of Pittsburgh! Especially the Carrick area, for such entertaining and enlightening emergency calls. *shakes head*

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at April 08, 2026 10:17 PM (vrNzf)

60 I expected Alaska's life expectancy to be even lower than it is.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at April 08, 2026 10:17 PM (3+ug0)

61 39 I predict the odds that the movie "The Last Starfighter" is a documentary at 0.125%.
Posted by: Hour of the Wolf

Movie pitch:
some guy in a trailer park plays a space game and is really really... bad at it. Like he klutzes up every run he makes at the game. But he's pretty good at his day job maintaining the trailers.
He's taken up to the space fleet... to keep the ships running. Like Miles O'Brien in DS9.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 08, 2026 10:17 PM (gKWVE)

62 41 I rate this ONT as "read the whole thing" goodness.

Posted by: These fish sticks are hard as tits at April 08, 2026 10:11 PM
***
Thanks. I think.

Posted by: TRex - celestial dino at April 08, 2026 10:17 PM (IQ6Gq)

63 That big long tweet makes a pretty good point.

We could have appropriated the artists and other cultural shit from Europe, but instead we appropriated the rocket scientists from Germany and built a shield of ICBMs that kept everyone at bay for 80 years.

I mean I don't hate it but yipes I never thought about it that way.

Posted by: ballistic at April 08, 2026 10:17 PM (oqH4h)

64 58 "Who built the moon?"

A comet or something similar smacked the Earth and tore a chunk off, which became the moon.
Posted by: davidt at April 08, 2026 10:16 PM (Q+

-----

Stolen land.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at April 08, 2026 10:18 PM (3+ug0)

65 TX has a life expectancy of 77. Hm. My hope is that I die before Mr Scary. His shop is full of crap. Not just tools. A lot of junk and clutter. I don't want to sort through that crap. He can find some young chippies to clean the garage out.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:14 PM (FrGmf)

You would have a coronary here. lol

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:18 PM (snZF9)

66 Why is life expectancy so high for Hawaii?
Bunches of little old Asian women.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher
.......

Who eat poi.

Posted by: wth at April 08, 2026 10:18 PM (BT3km)

67 Ok. I hope Alberta leaves Canada. But probably not.
Invading Cuba... nope.
Aliens nope.
All those folks cuttin' and runnin' on Trump...only if he kicks their sorry asses out (Noem, Bondi).
Jesus returning...gosh, I surely hope so. THAT would be the best of all of these goofy questions 💕🙂

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 08, 2026 10:18 PM (qox2u)

68 "That is a shocking amount of false paternity in a really small group..."

I know! Makes you wonder if there's a genetic component to the... amount of choice that corresponds to the tendency for multiple egg release.
That would kind of make sense.
Posted by: KCSteve at April 08, 2026 10:16 PM (2+WvJ)

Throughout human history, a significantly lower percentage of men have fathered children compared to women who have given birth. While modern U.S. data shows about 76% of men age 40–49 have fathered a child, historical DNA studies suggest only about 40% of men reproduced, with some periods showing up to 17 women reproducing for every one man. -- according to AI summary

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026 10:18 PM (ExV1e)

69 Evening.

Wasn't it Rickl who was big on space stuff?

He'd fucking love that pic up top.

Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:19 PM (+O+FV)

70 59 Thanks for another swell ONT, T Rex!

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at April 08, 2026 10:17 PM
***
You're welcome. Thanks for your patronage!

Posted by: TRex - astronomy or astrology dino? at April 08, 2026 10:19 PM (IQ6Gq)

71 *waves to Robert*

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:19 PM (2GVsD)

72 Nice version of Cotton Eyed Joe, Dino. Thanks for the ONT.

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:20 PM (41CYW)

73 You would have a coronary here. lol

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:18 PM (snZF9)

Our house is pretty tidy. Not obsessively so. But that shop looks like an episode of Hoarders. I itch just walking near it.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:21 PM (FrGmf)

74 Sorry I'm late, it turns out that what I was tip-toeing through weren't tulips.

Posted by: tankdemon at April 08, 2026 10:21 PM (5GCm3)

75 He'd fucking love that pic up top.
Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:19 PM (+O+FV)

Yeah, he'd be loving all this shit.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:21 PM (zZu0s)

76 Why is life expectancy so high for Hawaii?
Bunches of little old Asian women.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 08, 2026 10:13 PM (/lPRQ)

If you lived in a tropical island paradise with beautiful women all around and spent your days sipping colorful tiki drinks would *you* be in a rush to die?

Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:21 PM (+O+FV)

77 Did I say thanks for the ONT?

Cause thanks for the ONT.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (zZu0s)

78 23 Pittsburgh is a hidden treasure of snark and humor"

Rolling Rock, Iron City, and Genesee Cream Ale...
Posted by: man

Iron City is still in Western PA, though I think they moved operations to Latrobe. Rolling Rock is made in St. Louis now. Genesee is brewed up in Rochester, NY (well, somewhere in NY).

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (sAmhv)

79 66 Why is life expectancy so high for Hawaii?
Bunches of little old Asian women.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher
.......

Who eat poi.

Maybe SPAM has something to do with it. Hawaii is the #1 SPAM-consuming state per capita.

Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (gtcuf)

80 If you lived in a tropical island paradise with beautiful women all around and spent your days sipping colorful tiki drinks would *you* be in a rush to die?
Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:21 PM (+O+FV)

I'm guessing you've never been to Hawaii.

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (ExV1e)

81
The Polymarket bets are current as of Monday p.m. and they've got Kristi Noem departing the Trump administration at 60%? Some real foresight there.
Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (n7rxJ)

While she is no longer the Secretary of DHS, I believe that she is still considered to be part of the Administration.
Posted by: I used to have a different nic

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

And... likelihood of departure before 2027 is 60%?

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (n7rxJ)

82 Switerland is one of the few places in Europe I have any interest in seeing again and pretty much the only place in western Europe. And even that interest is pretty meh.

Konrad is right about Europe. They have no idea what's coming.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (GukFK)

83 Fraternal twins are conceived up to a week apart and they say that 30% of them have different fathers - which *is* an... interesting statistic.
Posted by: KCSteve

TIL half-twins exist, and they're actually kind of common.

Posted by: mikeski at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (VHUov)

84 *Waves back at Anna*

*Waves harder*

*Turns waving into some weird super aggro competition*

Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:23 PM (+O+FV)

85 72 Nice version of Cotton Eyed Joe, Dino. Thanks for the ONT.

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:20 PM
***
Doggo!

Posted by: TRex - orbiting dino at April 08, 2026 10:23 PM (IQ6Gq)

86
Luckily for us, his batshit crazy wife will give us loads of ammo against that.
Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:12 PM (gtcuf)

------

Yet, Normies look at his record and say, RUFK me? No, they are not.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at April 08, 2026 10:23 PM (PIc5V)

87 We had fraternal twins.

I had MiladyJo chained up in the bedroom during the crucial time, with no visitors. So I'm pretty sure they're both mine.

Even though they're about as different as two brothers (of the same parents) could be.

Posted by: mindful webworker - family matters at April 08, 2026 10:23 PM (C2uPD)

88 And... likelihood of departure before 2027 is 60%?
Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (n7rxJ)

She's in a fairly stress-free position which gets almost no attention. She's getting a paycheck. Why leave?

Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026 10:23 PM (ExV1e)

89 77 Did I say thanks for the ONT?

Cause thanks for the ONT.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM
***
You're welcome! Thanks for being here.

Posted by: TRex - low earth orbit dino at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (IQ6Gq)

90
The formation of the Moon has always been a head scratcher. It's a big-ass moon. We're almost, but not quite a binary planet (definition is the center of mass of the system is outside any body -- with the earth-Moon system, the center of mass does stay inside the earth). And the Moon's orbit is not equatorial, but maintains a fixed (but precessing) inclination with the ecliptic.

There have been many theories. Currently, the best one, which while it still has problems, explains the most, is the giant impact theory. It goes like this. In the very early, primordial solar system, we had a proto-earth, much smaller than now, in roughly the current orbit. There was another planet, about Mars-sized, dubbed "Theia", that had formed at the L4 or L5 points around the Sun.

Venus mainly perturbed it, and it collided with earth.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (w6EFb)

91 Just remember to walk without rhythm while waving

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (2GVsD)

92 Anyone got a link that explains the relationship between the "Hold My Beer" moments and the life expectancy numbers?

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (41CYW)

93 PSA :

"Ethical hacker Ryan Montgomery says that people can watch your private cameras and post it online if left with default settings.

He said that there are active communities on Reddit and Discords with more than 2000 members sharing these live feeds.

In his video, he shows a quick example. Searching "controllable webcams reddit" brings up recent posts with links to unsecured cameras, like one at a water park in Czechia that anyone can pan, tilt, and view without a password.

This is what he suggests: "Google the model of your cameras in your house and make sure they are not exposed to the internet publicly. Stay safe."

Posted by: runner at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (GD0B3)

94 Konrad is right about Europe. They have no idea what's coming.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (GukFK)

I'd like to go to Rome again. Just have no desire to go through a fucking airport.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (zZu0s)

95 Why is life expectancy so high for Hawaii?
Bunches of little old Asian women.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher

Maybe SPAM has something to do with it. Hawaii is the #1 SPAM-consuming state per capita.
Posted by: Delurker

What's the #1 Twinkie-consuming state, and is their life expectancy also high? Eat preservatives; get preserved?

Posted by: mikeski hangs around at April 08, 2026 10:25 PM (VHUov)

96
That John Konrad tweet is worth a read.
Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr.

===========

Intresting theory. I do wonder whether we're going to wind up sending troops to save Europe's ass before the end of this century.

Also, I'll place a bet that William, the current Prince of Wales, will be the last king of England.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:25 PM (n7rxJ)

97 Odd dune joke.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:25 PM (zZu0s)

98 63 That big long tweet makes a pretty good point.

We could have appropriated the artists and other cultural shit from Europe, but instead we appropriated the rocket scientists from Germany and built a shield of ICBMs that kept everyone at bay for 80 years.

I mean I don't hate it but yipes I never thought about it that way.
Posted by: ballistic at April 08, 2026 10:17 PM (oqH4h)

I have a picture from Dad's stuff of him back when he was a baby engineer shaking Werner von Braun's hand, receiving an award from him. It's pretty cool! We still have the paper award signed by WvB, too.

That was back when WvB was a bigwig at NASA/Goddard.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at April 08, 2026 10:26 PM (SRRAx)

99 The Polymarket stuff is kind of interesting. Gives a glimpse into what I suspect is a younger crowd. Likely online a lot and engaged in current events.

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:27 PM (41CYW)

100 Our house is pretty tidy. Not obsessively so. But that shop looks like an episode of Hoarders. I itch just walking near it.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:21 PM (FrGmf)

Oh its tidy here, especially the house, but there's just a shit ton of stuff in the garage and basement shop. Poor Mrs B would have her work cut out for her. Tools, music stuff, harley stuff, yeah she's screwed.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:27 PM (snZF9)

101 Okay explain please

I can understand L4 and L5 when it comes to say the Earth. But the Sun?

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:27 PM (2GVsD)

102 Switerland is one of the few places in Europe I have any interest in seeing again and pretty much the only place in western Europe. And even that interest is pretty meh.

Konrad is right about Europe. They have no idea what's coming.
Posted by: JackStraw
*************
I love Switzerland, each and every time we go. And yes, Konrad is right, and it's very sad they don't see it....

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at April 08, 2026 10:27 PM (IQ6Gq)

103 Konrad is right about Europe. They have no idea what's coming.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 10:22 PM (GukFK)

I would have liked to have seen Europe. Have convinced Hubby Japsn is a better option for a 30th anniversary trip. But honestly, I'd be happy hiking in Utah.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:27 PM (FrGmf)

104 The Polymarket stuff is kind of interesting. Gives a glimpse into what I suspect is a younger crowd. Likely online a lot and engaged in current events.
Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:27 PM (41CYW)

I think a lot of it is wishcasting or like any polls today, trying to influence people's opinion instead of chronicle it.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:28 PM (zZu0s)

105
She's in a fairly stress-free position which gets almost no attention. She's getting a paycheck. Why leave?
Posted by: I used to have a different nic

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

Heh, maybe she'll make like that Wendy's ghost employee and keep clocking in even after she's replaced.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:28 PM (n7rxJ)

106 Venus mainly perturbed it, and it collided with earth.

---------

Venus just wanted to see what would happen.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 10:28 PM (nWPIJ)

107 Evening, TRex and ONT Horde!

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 08, 2026 10:28 PM (utfVc)

108 Polymarket Is testing Robert Heinlein's theory on large numbers of people knowing more than they consciously are aware.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 08, 2026 10:29 PM (So85e)

109
Now, the angular momentum of that proto-Earth/Theia collision is very critical and that L4/L5 thing is part of how that could be. IOW, Theia had to hit the proto-earth at just the right angle and the result sum had to have an angular momentum just right as well.

That collision created something they've dubbed a "synestia". A big, rotating blob of molten lava, basically. Some of that was beyond the co-rotating limit. That blob formed the Moon. The rest fell down and formed the current Earth.

Everything had to be just so with this. They've run all sorts of supercomputer simulations of such an impact, and initial conditions have to be pretty constrained to get the right Earth-Moon system outcome.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:29 PM (w6EFb)

110 Throughout human history, a significantly lower percentage of men have fathered children compared to women who have given birth. While modern U.S. data shows about 76% of men age 40–49 have fathered a child, historical DNA studies suggest only about 40% of men reproduced, with some periods showing up to 17 women reproducing for every one man. -- according to AI summary
Posted by: I used to have a different nic at April 08, 2026 10:18 PM (ExV1e)

So they've been cucking their mates for a long long time.

Posted by: Hardly shocking when you think about it at April 08, 2026 10:29 PM (TbWk/)

111 91 Just remember to walk without rhythm while waving
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (2GVsD)

*Waves while spazzing out*

Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:29 PM (+O+FV)

112 I have a picture from Dad's stuff of him back when he was a baby engineer shaking Werner von Braun's hand, receiving an award from him. It's pretty cool! We still have the paper award signed by WvB, too.

That was back when WvB was a bigwig at NASA/Goddard.
Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas,
**********
That is absolutely awesome. He is still a bigwig in this household.

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at April 08, 2026 10:30 PM (IQ6Gq)

113 My youngest brother and his family are going to Italy for 10 days this summer. I'm jealous. My Italian is pretty decent and his is non-existant so I've been teaching him some basics.

Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:30 PM (gtcuf)

114 Venus mainly perturbed it, and it collided with earth.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (w6EFb)

Fucking Venus, maaaaaan...

Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:30 PM (+O+FV)

115 The Do 335A has been ordered.
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:03 PM (2GVsD)

Aha! The Pushmi-Pullyu of airplanes.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 08, 2026 10:31 PM (utfVc)

116 Luckily for us, his batshit crazy wife will give us loads of ammo against that.
Posted by: Delurker

Batshit will be on the cover of every magazine and MFM will fawn over her.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 08, 2026 10:31 PM (/lPRQ)

117
Intresting theory. I do wonder whether we're going to wind up sending troops to save Europe's ass before the end of this century.

Also, I'll place a bet that William, the current Prince of Wales, will be the last king of England.
Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:25 PM (n7rxJ

-------

Leaders who don't care for the interests of their citizens: they're not limited to Europe. America has plenty of cities making the same mistake and need fixin'.

Posted by: JM in Illinois at April 08, 2026 10:31 PM (L0Egz)

118 Not only is Polymarket a bunch of kids, they are foreign kids - Polymarket blocks US users! And if you try to go around with a VPN , you are looking at illegality and a service violation! they will take your money and stuff

Posted by: runner at April 08, 2026 10:31 PM (GD0B3)

119 Just remember to walk without rhythm while waving
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (2GVsD)

/doesn't notice anything

Posted by: The Worm at April 08, 2026 10:31 PM (Q+gd/)

120 107 Evening, TRex and ONT Horde!

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 08, 2026 10:28 PM
***
AOP! Started organizing Alberta's withdrawal from Canada, yet?

Posted by: TRex - karman line dino at April 08, 2026 10:31 PM (IQ6Gq)

121 Florida has a surprisingly high life expectancy. Must be all the advances in geriatric medicine developed there.

Posted by: They're all old people down there at April 08, 2026 10:31 PM (TbWk/)

122 >> I can understand L4 and L5 when it comes to say the Earth. But the Sun?

By that I mean the L4 and L5 points of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, as opposed to the say the Earth-Moon Lagrange points.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:32 PM (w6EFb)

123 New Hampshire has no.life expectancy at all.
Has anybody mentioned this to RI Red?

Posted by: From about That Time at April 08, 2026 10:32 PM (sl73Y)

124 Have convinced Hubby Japsn is a better option for a 30th anniversary trip. But honestly, I'd be happy hiking in Utah.
Posted by: BarelyScaryMary
-----------
Japan has been on my travel radar for a while. Looking at 2027 or 2028. Assuming the life expectancy visual is accurate, we have a bit of time.

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:32 PM (41CYW)

125 I can understand L4 and L5 when it comes to say the Earth. But the Sun?
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:27 PM (2GVsD)

I don't get it either. I have been told however, that I'm an L7.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 08, 2026 10:32 PM (1Ff7Z)

126 How to have fun teaching Italian and not being around when they mess it up. Quarter kilo in Italian always tripped me up and I would almost order four kilos.

Naturally I stuck to ordering half kilos after that.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:33 PM (2GVsD)

127 I'm amazed how every crater on the moon appears to be the same depth.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:08 PM (snZF9)

There's armor plate under all that dust.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 08, 2026 10:33 PM (utfVc)

128 Oops, so it does, 78.3. Don't know how I missed it.

Posted by: From about That Time at April 08, 2026 10:33 PM (sl73Y)

129
Leaders who don't care for the interests of their citizens: they're not limited to Europe. America has plenty of cities making the same mistake and need fixin'.
Posted by: JM in Illinois

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

Fo sho. I see no end to it until leftism is defeated. Leftism being the doctrine that you're not entitled to the fruits of your own labor, investing wisdom, or luck.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 08, 2026 10:33 PM (n7rxJ)

130 91 Just remember to walk without rhythm while waving
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (2GVsD)

The fuck...? Some kind of weird-ass shuffling up there...

Posted by: Shai-hulud at April 08, 2026 10:34 PM (TbWk/)

131 My Italian is pretty decent and his is non-existant so I've been teaching him some basics.
Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:30 PM (gtcuf)

Make sure he knows, "fammi vedere le tette!"

Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:34 PM (+O+FV)

132 Throughout human history, a significantly lower percentage of men have fathered children compared to women who have given birth. While modern U.S. data shows about 76% of men age 40–49 have fathered a child, historical DNA studies suggest only about 40% of men reproduced, with some periods showing up to 17 women reproducing for every one man. -- according to AI summary
Posted by: I used to have a different nic

So they've been cucking their mates for a long long time.
Posted by: Hardly shocking when you think about it

I mean, it used to be a legal requirement. That's Onan's actual sin: not spanking the monkey, but refusing to give his brother's widow an heir according to the law at the time.

Posted by: mikeski at April 08, 2026 10:34 PM (VHUov)

133 Thanks for the clarification, so the Earth Trojan points. The Lagrange points are totes important in understanding Mobile Suit Gundam and the location of Sides.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:34 PM (2GVsD)

134 New Hampshire needs a week to count their presidential ballots, in a tiny state with a tiny population and with no major metro areas. Reporting life expectancy stats? They'll get back to you when they get back to you.

Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:34 PM (gtcuf)

135 The Winter train trip through Switzerland is very popular. The snow covers all the litter, old tires, and graffiti.

Posted by: Rick Steves at April 08, 2026 10:35 PM (oftw2)

136 98 I have a picture from Dad's stuff of him back when he was a baby engineer shaking Werner von Braun's hand, receiving an award from him. It's pretty cool! We still have the paper award signed by WvB, too.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at April 08, 2026 10:26 PM
***
Wow. He's buried in an Alexandria Virginia cemetery, close to DC. Very plain grave. You would never know if you didn't know...

Posted by: TRex - apogee dino at April 08, 2026 10:35 PM (IQ6Gq)

137 Japan has been on my travel radar for a while. Looking at 2027 or 2028. Assuming the life expectancy visual is accurate, we have a bit of time.

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:32 PM (41CYW)

Scampy, we are looking to go next year. That would be our 30th. Lots of research and budgeting to do.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:35 PM (FrGmf)

138 123 New Hampshire has no.life expectancy at all.
Has anybody mentioned this to RI Red?
Posted by: From about That Time at April 08, 2026 10:32 PM (sl73Y)

New Hampshire isn't real. Like Rhode Island and Delaware.

Posted by: Potemkin states at April 08, 2026 10:35 PM (TbWk/)

139 65 scary
TX has a life expectancy of 77. Hm. My hope is that I die before Mr Scary. His shop is full of crap. Not just tools. A lot of junk and clutter. I don't want to sort through that crap. He can find some young chippies to clean the garage out.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:14 PM (FrGmf)

Good grief! I live that whole crazy place. My guy friend kinda took over my shop. What a GD mess...yep I give up.some youngster can take over...🤪

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 08, 2026 10:36 PM (qox2u)

140 There have been many theories. Currently, the best one, which while it still has problems, explains the most, is the giant impact theory. It goes like this. In the very early, primordial solar system, we had a proto-earth, much smaller than now, in roughly the current orbit. There was another planet, about Mars-sized, dubbed "Theia", that had formed at the L4 or L5 points around the Sun.

Venus mainly perturbed it, and it collided with earth.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:24 PM (w6EFb)

The Sumerians of all people had recorded something similar if..if the translations are correct. They recorded that earth was in between mars and jupiter in the early days of the solar system, and something whacked it and pushed it to where it is now, and the chunk that got blown off the earth created the asteroid field where earth originally was. They called it the hammered bracelet. How a 5000 year old civilization even knew this is screwed up, but as they say... it is written.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:36 PM (snZF9)

141 I have a picture from Dad's stuff of him back when he was a baby engineer shaking Werner von Braun's hand, receiving an award from him. It's pretty cool! We still have the paper award signed by WvB, too.

That was back when WvB was a bigwig at NASA/Goddard.
Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at April 08, 2026

***
For a time in the early '60s, my father worked as a bookkeeper at the NASA Michoud facility way out in New Orleans East as it was developing into the next big suburb. (A destiny which was knocked flat by Hurricane Betsy, when everybody suddenly rediscovered that NOE *floods* like a sumbitch. Anyway.) All I can recall is him complaining about the commute, which was out along a four-lane avenue that becomes a US highway. This was before the I-10 was complete. He made it sound like the arduous trek from St. Joseph, MO, across the Rockies and out to Californy.

I've driven it. Not that long a trip.

So much for my family's connection to the space program.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:36 PM (wzUl9)

142 A paisi unni chi vai, comu vidi fari fai.

Posted by: runner at April 08, 2026 10:36 PM (GD0B3)

143 Scampy, we are looking to go next year. That would be our 30th. Lots of research and budgeting to do.
Posted by: BarelyScaryMary
--------
Happy early 30th! 28th this year here. If you make it prior to our travels, I'll be hitting you up for insider info.

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:36 PM (41CYW)

144 >>I would have liked to have seen Europe. Have convinced Hubby Japsn is a better option for a 30th anniversary trip. But honestly, I'd be happy hiking in Utah.

I hope Trump is successful in his attempt to make the western hemisphere more important in our future. There are a lot of places in South America that are far more welcoming and interesting to me.

And all of my ancestors are from Europe incluing Switzerland.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 10:37 PM (GukFK)

145 that I'm an L7.

Come and learn to dance - wooly bully, wooly bully

Posted by: LRob in OK at April 08, 2026 10:37 PM (7D3Aa)

146 124 Japan has been on my travel radar for a while. Looking at 2027 or 2028. Assuming the life expectancy visual is accurate, we have a bit of time.

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:32 PM
***
Unless Jesus returns before then. 4% chance.

Posted by: TRex - konnichiwa dino at April 08, 2026 10:37 PM (IQ6Gq)

147 I will always go back to Italy, but I have no desire to go back to France again, which is sad since I still have family there. I won’t go back to England, I love the Cotswolds, but I have never liked London. Germany is pretty, but I lived there and have been there enough, Belgium is pretty, Brussels is scary. Slovakia still looks like a hard, communist state, Prague is an amazing city. Switzerland looks like a postcard.

Posted by: Piper at April 08, 2026 10:37 PM (OoFl2)

148 131 Make sure he knows, "fammi vedere le tette!"

He's going to have his teenage daughters with him-I don't want them to see their father get slapped in the face LOL

I did tell him to be very careful if he orders figs. One slip of the vowel and you're ordering some nice, fresh mish!

Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:38 PM (gtcuf)

149 Make sure he knows, "fammi vedere le tette!"
Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026

***
"Show me your . . ."?

Never mind, I can guess the rest.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:38 PM (wzUl9)

150
Who eat poi.
Posted by: wth

Green and ripe papaya.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 08, 2026 10:38 PM (/lPRQ)

151 Everything had to be just so with this. They've run all sorts of supercomputer simulations of such an impact, and initial conditions have to be pretty constrained to get the right Earth-Moon system outcome.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:29 PM (w6EFb)

Very confusing to a scientific illiterate like me. I find it easier to use the Omar explanation for the moon. "Somebody did something."

Posted by: OrangeEnt at April 08, 2026 10:38 PM (1Ff7Z)

152 The Sumerians of all people had recorded something similar if..if the translations are correct. They recorded that earth was in between mars and jupiter in the early days of the solar system, and something whacked it and pushed it to where it is now, and the chunk that got blown off the earth created the asteroid field where earth originally was. They called it the hammered bracelet. How a 5000 year old civilization even knew this is screwed up, but as they say... it is written.

And Velikovsky in his book Worlds in Collision ran with it.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:38 PM (2GVsD)

153 The Sumerians stole that astronomical theory from the Akkadians.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 10:38 PM (nWPIJ)

154 Florida has a surprisingly high life expectancy. Must be all the advances in geriatric medicine developed there.
Posted by: They're all old people down there

Is it the life expectancy of people born there, or people who die there? Being a retirement destination would raise your "life expectancy" if it's the latter, since the folks who died early didn't move there in their dotage, and lowered the number in the state they died in.

Posted by: mikeski at April 08, 2026 10:39 PM (VHUov)

155 Don't know if that's a banjo. Looks more like a mandolin and ... another mandolin?

But certainly Buck Throckmorton approved with the guy playing a mean stand-up bass.

Posted by: GWB at April 08, 2026 10:39 PM (wm3Sw)

156 Good grief! I live that whole crazy place. My guy friend kinda took over my shop. What a GD mess...yep I give up.some youngster can take over...🤪

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 08, 2026 10:36 PM (qox2u)

We have a young neighbor who is a nice guy. Mr Scary says to let him come pick through the shop. After that, I'd see if the local fire department wanted to do a controlled burn, 😆

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:39 PM (FrGmf)

157 The woman with twins from 2 baby daddy's sounds like a female canine. I won't say that word because I gave up cussin'We had a red setter growing up (my father always had hunting dogs but rarely hunted) who had many puppies of different fathers. I would feel mortified, not that I ever did anything like that. Then have to tell the kids they have 2 daddy's would be traumatic for them. Literally barking mad and trashy.

I wish I had learned the violin & be Alison Krauss. My aunt's best friend was a concert violinist who taught. I said no & played the piano instead. As an adult I wished I had learned violin & cello. Then I wanted a Celtic harp (which I still want). I apparently want a lot of things but have all I can handle and am blessed.

Therefore I will spare you all my goofy brain threads & tangents, probably from a parasite I am blissfully unaware of. Early hair appt tomorrow to whack off 2" and get highlights.A big day!

I guess the grand & fake cease fire meeting with the barbarians is off for Friday. I was hoping the cardboard eye-a-tolla would show up with his floral turban. Tousi says the crazies are infighting, who's on first.

Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at April 08, 2026 10:40 PM (WONhk)

158 A paisi unni chi vai, comu vidi fari fai.

Leave the gun, take the cannoli.

Posted by: Roy at April 08, 2026 10:40 PM (1Cncb)

159 2 Who built the moon.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:01 PM (snZF9)

I've heard one really interesting Theia-ry.

Posted by: tankdemon at April 08, 2026 10:40 PM (5GCm3)

160 113 My youngest brother and his family are going to Italy for 10 days this summer. I'm jealous. My Italian is pretty decent and his is non-existant so I've been teaching him some basics.
Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:30 PM

Going with someone who speaks Italian makes it easier, but there is a lot of English speakers. J is fluent, so I get left out of conversations a lot. I should break out a Rosetta Stone lesson, lol.

Posted by: Piper at April 08, 2026 10:42 PM (OoFl2)

161 Sorry I'm late, it turns out that what I was tip-toeing through weren't tulips.
Posted by: tankdemon

That's why we have the bootscraper outside the door.

Posted by: mindful webworker - you're stepping in it at April 08, 2026 10:43 PM (C2uPD)

162 Piper, just move your hands a lot and wave your arms. They will understand!

Posted by: LRob in OK at April 08, 2026 10:43 PM (7D3Aa)

163 Leda bore four children from two males at the same time, and one of the males was a swan.

Top that.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 10:43 PM (nWPIJ)

164 I'm betting I will not drink any Tequila tomorrow.

Now this is not a strong bet, it's possible, but not likely.

Probably.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at April 08, 2026 10:43 PM (XV/Pl)

165 I did tell him to be very careful if he orders figs. One slip of the vowel and you're ordering some nice, fresh mish!
Posted by: Delurker

That happens in Japanese, too. One letter off to go from a fruit to a.....

mango = mango

manko = c***

.....maybe not that bad, but it's a very rude word for ladyparts.

Posted by: mikeski at April 08, 2026 10:43 PM (VHUov)

166 I think a lot of it is wishcasting or like any polls today, trying to influence people's opinion instead of chronicle it.
Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at April 08, 2026 10:28 PM (zZu0s)

Would not surprise me to learn that Team Globohomo is buying heavily on the "Alberta won't leave" bet. Trying to push it down.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 08, 2026 10:44 PM (utfVc)

167 Italy has a proud tradition of acting and the thespian arts, spanning centuries into the past.

So why are the Italian soccer playings so poor at faking their injuries?

Posted by: Dr. Varno at April 08, 2026 10:44 PM (nDXEV)

168 I hope Trump is successful in his attempt to make the western hemisphere more important in our future. There are a lot of places in South America that are far more welcoming and interesting to me.

And all of my ancestors are from Europe incluing Switzerland.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 10:37 PM (GukFK)

The only ancestor in my family tree that we've officially traced is a German who fought for the upstarts in the American Revolution. I don't feel too tied to the Old World.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 10:44 PM (FrGmf)

169 I did tell him to be very careful if he orders figs. One slip of the vowel and you're ordering some nice, fresh mish!
Posted by: Delurker at April

With a Tuscan accent, that word is exactly the same.

On that note, I need to go to bed. Cardio at 6am.

Posted by: Piper at April 08, 2026 10:44 PM (OoFl2)

170 Robert

The new Spring animes are dropping on Crunchyroll.

Isekai of this 16 yr old who's skill is appraisal. One of the world's gods sends a female elf to assist him. She's a walking trope factory and when she gets excited, buttons pop from her blouse at alarming speed.

Second season of Arthur and Tessia has started.

Another reincarnation isekai starts off with loser guy being tricked into wearing a dog costume to meet some hot girl named Moe. He survives Truck-Kun only to be killed by a meteor. And now he has become the reincarnation plaything to a goddess with a smart mouth.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:45 PM (2GVsD)

171 An inadvertent addition of a vowel sound will change your Japanese beer request into a building request.

Posted by: LRob in OK at April 08, 2026 10:45 PM (7D3Aa)

172 The Sumerians of all people had recorded something similar if..if the translations are correct. They recorded that earth was in between mars and jupiter in the early days of the solar system, and something whacked it and pushed it to where it is now, and the chunk that got blown off the earth created the asteroid field where earth originally was. They called it the hammered bracelet. How a 5000 year old civilization even knew this is screwed up, but as they say... it is written.

This and other weird ancient shit that keeps turning up makes me think the human race was more technologically advanced during certain periods than previously thought, then went through a period of degeneracy, then advancement again.

Posted by: Probably wrong but interesting to consider at April 08, 2026 10:45 PM (TbWk/)

173 Would not surprise me to learn that Team Globohomo is buying heavily on the "Alberta won't leave" bet. Trying to push it down.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon
------------
I looked at the odds on the "Alberta won't leave" bet and tilted my head - seems very low. But as Aetius mentioned, perhaps I am wishcasting - biased.

Posted by: scampydog at April 08, 2026 10:45 PM (41CYW)

174 Maybe I'll sleep late tomorrow. If the big black Stirling cat doesn't wake me earlier than usual. I might take it easy, or might do a light workout if I feel up to it.

The Letter, the 1940s William Wyler film with Bette Davis based on a Maugham short story, is on Movies! at 10:40 am Central. I intend to be ensconced on my couch for that.

In the meantime, I'm off to bed. See some of you on the Tech Thread in the morning.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:45 PM (wzUl9)

175 The Italian speakers in my family when I was young, and which filtered down to us, was a mish-mash of Apuglian and Calabrese dialects. And then my mom's sister married a Sicilian with lots of Sicilian speakers in his family, so that got mixed in. To us kids it was all Italian.

When I finally learned proper Italian in my thirties it was like learning a completely new language. In a lot of cases I was like, oh, I've been using the Sicilian word for that all these years.

Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:46 PM (gtcuf)

176 Who built the moon.
Posted by: Berserker

I dunno, but maybe this guy was involved? Related field, and all.....

https://youtu.be/OTBdO18zmxQ

Posted by: mikeski at April 08, 2026 10:47 PM (VHUov)

177 142 A paisi unni chi vai, comu vidi fari fai.

That's exactly what I, or someone else, might say!🤠

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 08, 2026 10:47 PM (qox2u)

178 Leda bore four children from two males at the same time, and one of the males was a swan.

Top that.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026

***
Well, the swan was a god in disguise, but good point.

Who were the kids again? Helen, Castor, Pollux, and I don't recall the fourth. Two of them were Zeus's, two from Helen's mortal husband, right?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at April 08, 2026 10:48 PM (wzUl9)

179 >> The Sumerians of all people had recorded something similar if..if the translations are correct.

I'm somewhat familiar with that. Sitchin and the Anunaki. In his translation I think "Tiamat" was the name of the planet that whacked earth.

IIRC, a lot of them dispute Sitchin's translations, saying no, it really doesn't say that, he's just sort of doing some wishful interpretations.

And also, the formation of the asteroid belt doesn't fit any collision theory, I don't think. That is, the orbits and physics just can't work out.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:48 PM (w6EFb)

180 Did a search on that foreign phrase and the Wiki response was IN that language! A little farther down the page was the English version.

Posted by: LRob in OK at April 08, 2026 10:49 PM (7D3Aa)

181 But I think Witch Hat Atelier is going to be the season stand out.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:50 PM (2GVsD)

182 Florida has a surprisingly high life expectancy. Must be all the advances in geriatric medicine developed there.
Posted by: They're all old people down there

God's Waiting Room.
A lot liquidate their holdings up north, move there, and spend every last dime clinging to life for just a little while longer... the state likes this and tries to take care of them.
Unlike certain states that sent COVID patients into the old folks homes knowing it would put them at very high risk of catching the disease and dying.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at April 08, 2026 10:50 PM (/lPRQ)

183
The current model is the asteroid belt was just a planet that never formed. It's mass is low, only 4% of the Moon. The idea is that Jupiter's perturbations just prevented that material from accreting.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:51 PM (w6EFb)

184 Tiamet is the dragon Marduk fights, that I think is a wee bit later than the Sumerians.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:51 PM (2GVsD)

185 >>The only ancestor in my family tree that we've officially traced is a German who fought for the upstarts in the American Revolution. I don't feel too tied to the Old World.

If you do visit I bet you will understand why he left. Over generalizing of course, but it does get tiresome hearing about how stupid and vulgar Americans are from people who have survived and built there new existence thanks to the continued sacrifices of people they look down on.

But then I think Colonel Jessup is the good guy so opinions vary.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 10:52 PM (GukFK)

186 Yeah, I think it's time we abandon West Europe for countries in East Europe. For me, it's not just West Europe backing away from the Iranian situation, it's also the West European attitude since the end of the Cold War -- and even some time before that. For some reason or another, West Europe seems to believe the American taxpayer owes them. As crass, barbaric, and venal as the American taxpayer is, they should donate all of their money aside from a bare substinance to our betters in West Europe. Plus, at the rate West Europe is going, they will be upstanding members of the "ummah" in the not too distant future. NATO is a joke -- A sad, pathetic joke. It's time to move all of our military out of West Europe. Maybe station some in various East European countries or bring them and our materiel home.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin at April 08, 2026 10:52 PM (DK5Sh)

187 Gravitational stresses and not enough mass, so no Minerva between Mars and Jupiter.

Or an alien species used their weapons to smash the planet.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:52 PM (2GVsD)

188
And that idea of "Nibiru", a large planet on a highly elliptical orbit with a 3600 year period that whips inside the inner solar system also does not work.

That wouldn't be stable, and would utterly destabilize the inner solar system. So the fact we're here and stable precludes such a thing.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:53 PM (w6EFb)

189 Clytemnestra. Agamemnon's wife.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 10:53 PM (nWPIJ)

190 I wonder if the correlation between longevity and residing in a blue ~~collar~~ state is because those states won't let you die for tax purposes, or it's skewed by the dead voting from the grave.
Posted by: Hour of the Wolf

If you abort more of the low-life-expectancy types, life expectancy looks better for the rest.

Posted by: Margaret Sanger at April 08, 2026 10:53 PM (VHUov)

191 I'm amazed how every crater on the moon appears to be the same depth.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:08 PM (snZF9)

There's armor plate under all that dust.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 08, 2026 10:33 PM (utfVc)

David Weber's book Mutineer's Moon is historical? (The moon is the original regolith surrounding a very old interstellar warship named Dayak.) Good reading, if you like his books.

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at April 08, 2026 10:53 PM (S/Y4j)

192 Piper, thank you again for your fashion review of “Charade”. Here is another 1960’s show whose fashions you might find interesting. if you have not seen “Department S”, the combination of exotic locations and late 60’s English fashion is quite enjoyable. Peter Wyngarde chews up the scenery, as usual; but Rosemary Nicols steals the show as the brilliant, and cute, coworker. Has the quirkiness of “the Avengers” with the stylish locales of “The Baron”

https://youtu.be/-mAI9q-WHyk

This is a link to the entire first season, 1969. Truly astonishing what England was 55 years ago, vs today…for all the other Morons, if you like The Avengers, you will probably like this, too

Posted by: Slash Buzz at April 08, 2026 10:54 PM (FstDi)

193 Clytemnestra. Agamemnon's wife.

She really axed him some questions.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:54 PM (2GVsD)

194 There is no “wisdom of crowds”. Crowds are blind emotional beasts that rush one way when they are spooked and then rush the other.

Prediction market numbers have no bearing at all on what is actually likely to happen; all that they measure is the amount of public hype going on at the time.

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 08, 2026 10:54 PM (UA2di)

195 L4, anchor mass, and satellite mass form an equilateral (60-degree) triangle. Same w/ L5.
So Sun / Earth has a L4 focus 60 degrees ahead of Earth orbit, and a L5 focus 60 degrees behind. One astronomical unit as communications work.
Smaller satellites can orbit L4 or L5.
L4/L5 are big plot points in George O Smith's Venus Equilateral stories (obviously based on Venus' points, not Earth's), also Mack Reynolds wrote a story about a station in Earth L5. Gundam is noted.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 08, 2026 10:54 PM (gKWVE)

196 My youngest brother and his family are going to Italy for 10 days this summer. I'm jealous. My Italian is pretty decent and his is non-existant so I've been teaching him some basics.
Posted by: Delurker at April 08, 2026 10:30 PM

Going with someone who speaks Italian makes it easier, but there is a lot of English speakers. J is fluent, so I get left out of conversations a lot. I should break out a Rosetta Stone lesson, lol.

Posted by: Piper at April 08, 2026 10:42 PM (OoFl2)

Not even sure if it matters. So many of them know english, and depending on the dialect you might not understand half of what they say anyway. My father is completely fluent, but with a Naples dialect, and he was having a little bit of a rough time understanding the Italians in Rome. It was a riot really, because my father was born here, has no italian accent at all. If he started talking to them in italian right out of the gate they were like eh napoletano, knowing immediately he was from naples. If he started in english which immediately fingered him as american, and then switched to italian they were confused and would say very curious, you sound like you're from naples.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 10:54 PM (snZF9)

197 So the fact we're here and stable precludes such a thing.
Posted by: publius

* looks at the average American *

Who you callin' "stable?"

Posted by: mikeski at April 08, 2026 10:54 PM (VHUov)

198 Imperial Planetoid Dahak

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:54 PM (2GVsD)

199 23 - man - You forgot Old Frothingslosh Stale Pale Ale with the head on the bottom.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin at April 08, 2026 10:55 PM (DK5Sh)

200
193 Clytemnestra. Agamemnon's wife.

She really axed him some questions.

----------

The Iphigenia caper went down hard.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 10:56 PM (nWPIJ)

201 The new Spring animes are dropping on Crunchyroll.
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:45 PM (2GVsD)

*Sigh*

I finally did it. I canceled my Crunchyroll subscription. It's been *ages* since I last watched it and I was just letting myself get nickel and dimed. And then they announced a price hike. So I canceled.

No more Crunchyroll or Hidive. Might dump Netflix, too.

Almost everything I watch is YouBoob.

Posted by: Robert at April 08, 2026 10:56 PM (Hh8uf)

202 Mikeski

What is your opinion on the new anime series on Crunchyroll?

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:56 PM (2GVsD)

203 The Iphigenia caper went down hard.

That was a real hot mess.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:57 PM (2GVsD)

204 There is no “wisdom of crowds”. Crowds are blind emotional beasts that rush one way when they are spooked and then rush the other.

Prediction market numbers have no bearing at all on what is actually likely to happen; all that they measure is the amount of public hype going on at the time.
Posted by: Tom Servo

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow."

Posted by: Tommy Lee Jones at April 08, 2026 10:57 PM (VHUov)

205 23 Pittsburgh is a hidden treasure of snark and humor"

Rolling Rock, Iron City, and Genesee Cream Ale...
Posted by: man at April 08, 2026 10:07 PM (XuXeR)

***spock eyebrow***

Vitamin I, and Latrobe's Best I can see the Pittsburg association

But Genny ... sorry that's WNY ( and yes Rochester is WNY )

Posted by: browndog says woof at April 08, 2026 10:58 PM (3sXRv)

206 According to the charging documents, Linda Johnson allegedly clocked in and out as a "ghost employee" at the Manheim Township Wendy's from July 2021 to April 2022 and then had the paychecks go to her bank account.

Paychecks from the fake employee showed police that $19,898.15 was allegedly stolen by Johnson, who also created 128 shifts for the "worker." Detectives learned later that Johnson would be the only one who could create the shifts, police said.“

Penny ante stuff. After Katrina, when it was thought that N.O. had 1200 policemen but no one could ever find more than 900, it was discovered that the Mayor, the DA, and the Chief of Police had created 300 fake PD employees and applied for federal grants to pay them. Then the three of them created the needed fake files and split the money.

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 08, 2026 10:58 PM (UA2di)

207 Crunchyroll is my only subscription.

And everyone went into panic mode because their foreign call center got hacked.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:58 PM (2GVsD)

208 There was much interservice rivalry and jockeying over rocketry, satellites, and Space. The von Braun team - basically a reconstituted Peenemunde group of rocket scientists worked strictly for the Army, who had been cut out of the deal by regulations specifying only intermediate range missiles for the Army.

The Navy and the Air Force were fighting over the prize with competing systems. But once Sputnik embarrassed the Eisenhower administration they finally cut Wehrner loose and let him do his thing.

One thing I found interesting is there was much publicity about “Man in Space” in the mid 1950s - articles, in Time, Life, Look, Collier’s - and even Walt Disney got in the act with full color presentations by Willy Ley and von Braun explaining how they were going to the Moon. I don’t think that was entirely an organic thing, there had to be some level of coordination involved for that to happen.

Posted by: Common Tater at April 08, 2026 10:59 PM (wHaGM)

209 Imperial Planetoid Dahak
Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 10:54 PM (2GVsD)

I should have guessed that you'd know that. (Grin).

Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at April 08, 2026 10:59 PM (S/Y4j)

210 And that idea of "Nibiru", a large planet on a highly elliptical orbit with a 3600 year period that whips inside the inner solar system also does not work.

That wouldn't be stable, and would utterly destabilize the inner solar system. So the fact we're here and stable precludes such a thing.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 10:53 PM (w6EFb)

Is there an upper limit for the period of comet orbits, assuming a closed orbit?

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 08, 2026 10:59 PM (utfVc)

211 Thanks for the ONT, T-Rex. Love the Pittsburgh scanner!

My favorite city in all of Europe is Salzburg. Probably invaded now and ruined. Never got to see Prague. Wanted to see Italy. Also Poland. Have no desire, ever, for Germany or Spain. Loved France and the UK but never again.

We saw a lot, before the first grandbaby seven years ago. I doubt we'll go again. They are on a cruise now in the Caribbean and we don't feel we are cruise people somehow and don't join them. St. Lucia tomorrow (I get random texts of beaches that are beautiful but look the same with grands swimming). Norweigian ship vs the cruise of brawls. I'm always glad when they return.

I'm supposed to be going to bed vs jabbering. Only came back to thank T Rex.

Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at April 08, 2026 10:59 PM (WONhk)

212 BSM
~We have a young neighbor who is a nice guy. Mr Scary says to let him come pick through the shop. After that, I'd see if the local fire department wanted to do a controlled burn~
😆

My frustration is getting my guy to let go of anything....
But I kinda like that controlled burn idea🤪
Gonna have to think about it...but, you totally can't take those tools away from a guy... 😕 oh no...!!!

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 08, 2026 11:00 PM (qox2u)

213 If you do visit I bet you will understand why he left. Over generalizing of course, but it does get tiresome hearing about how stupid and vulgar Americans are from people who have survived and built there new existence thanks to the continued sacrifices of people they look down on.

But then I think Colonel Jessup is the good guy so opinions vary.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 10:52 PM (GukFK)

Hubby lived in Germany for a while years ago. He thinks I would love it. And Austria. Nein. If i want to see mountainous places with people that hate me, I'll go to Canada. It's closer.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:01 PM (FrGmf)

214 Heh. Walking on. Walking on the moon.
Someday.

Posted by: nurse ratched at April 08, 2026 11:03 PM (A5RD0)

215 I'm supposed to be going to bed vs jabbering. Only came back to thank T Rex.
Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at April 08, 2026 10:59 PM
***
You're welcome! By the way, we love Salzburg too!

Posted by: TRex - anyone have triscuits? at April 08, 2026 11:03 PM (IQ6Gq)

216 Mikeski
What is your opinion on the new anime series on Crunchyroll?
Posted by: Anna Puma

I haven't caught them all yet.....

Ribdiculous is just that.

Second-cutest girl, Kanan, and Gal/Otaku: oh my god, it's full of tropes.

Kirio: same, but turned Yuri in the last two seconds?

Slime: why is it always staff meetings in this show?

Needy Girl Overdose is trying way to hard to be Serial Experiments Lain.

Garden of the gods is trying successfully to be Natsume's Book Of Friends.

Bookworm, Vending Machine: continuing as they were, which is good.

Provisional Appraiser: I like light, fluffy isekai shows.

Witch Hat Atelier: Little Witch Academia, but serious? I'm in.

Posted by: mikeski at April 08, 2026 11:05 PM (VHUov)

217 Salzburg is one of the places Mr Scary wants to see again.. I feel.like a poopyhead for not wanting to go.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:05 PM (FrGmf)

218 Stationed in the UK (early 90s). Midlands region. Kind of half way between London and Birmingham. I traveled A LOT. You could get anywhere by train or bus. I did. My work schedule gave me lots of days off (3 on, 3 off, 12 hour mids). Loved my time over there and had lots of fun. Sad what has happened to it.

Posted by: Puddleglum, cheer up for the worst is yet to come at April 08, 2026 11:05 PM (sAmhv)

219 217 Salzburg is one of the places Mr Scary wants to see again.. I feel.like a poopyhead for not wanting to go.
Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:05 PM (FrGmf)

---------

You've seen Mozart's geburtshaus once, and you've seen it.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 11:07 PM (nWPIJ)

220 Huh

Comet MAPS, a Kreutz sungrazer, disintegrated as it approached the Sun on April 4th. It might have been in a 1,690 +/- year orbit.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 11:09 PM (2GVsD)

221 217 Salzburg is one of the places Mr Scary wants to see again.. I feel.like a poopyhead for not wanting to go.
Posted by: BarelyScaryMary
---

Don't forget to see that saddle maker and get that bull hide collar with a shoulderback bib.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at April 08, 2026 11:09 PM (xOYmg)

222 121 Florida has a surprisingly high life expectancy. Must be all the advances in geriatric medicine developed there.
Posted by: They're all old people down there

The old folks live longer down there because they don't fall on the ice and break their hips.

Posted by: nerdygirl at April 08, 2026 11:09 PM (0Htd1)

223 The Egyptian stuff is a bit strange in the sense that there isn’t a super long demonstrated period of primitive structures increasing over time in complexity. Some, but in a lot of ways it just sort of popped on the scene, seemingly fully formed and at the peak of sophistication in terms of architecture and construction. They had to have had a long learning curve prior. Where is it?

Then it went downhill after that. A similar thing is seen with the amazing architecture in Peru. The best stuff is at the bottom, and more primitive construction laid over the top.

So some archaeologists believe there was some sort of “pre flood” civilization, some sort of world wide catastrophe that knocked humanity back quite a bit, maybe more than once.

Posted by: Common Tater at April 08, 2026 11:11 PM (wHaGM)

224 >>Hubby lived in Germany for a while years ago. He thinks I would love it. And Austria. Nein. If i want to see mountainous places with people that hate me, I'll go to Canada. It's closer.

And that's the shame of it. Some of the places in Europe are stunning. Hard to stand at the top of the Swiss Alps and look out over the scenery and not be blown away.

But you always visit the Andes in Chile or Peru and see similar views and meet nicer people, spend less money and not get jet lagged.

And the Pisco Sours are addictive.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 11:12 PM (GukFK)

225 Prediction market betting, huh? Has anyone read John Brunner's Shockwave Rider? (1975) He had that concept in there, although he called it the Delphi Pool.

In the book, government paid attention to it, as they used it to manipulate social mollification for keeping people from rioting. The government also manipulated the odds in the pool, attempting to 'nudge' social themes into directions of which it approved.

Just sayin....

Posted by: LCMS Rulz! at April 08, 2026 11:12 PM (bufu1)

226 Florida has a surprisingly high life expectancy. Must be all the advances in geriatric medicine developed there.
Posted by: They're all old people down there

The old folks live longer down there because they don't fall on the ice and break their hips.

Posted by: nerdygirl at April 08, 2026 11:09 PM (0Htd1)

That is true. There is a lot to do there for older people to stay active and engaged. And I'm not talking about the Villages, you perverts.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:13 PM (FrGmf)

227 >> Is there an upper limit for the period of comet orbits, assuming a closed orbit?

There is a practical limit and I had to look that up. It's somewhere in the range of 1 - 10 million years.

Anything with a period greater than that would be too far out, and likely perturbed away by nearby stars and the ambient Galactic gravitational field.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 11:13 PM (w6EFb)

228 223 The Egyptian stuff is a bit strange in the sense that there isn’t a super long demonstrated period of primitive structures increasing over time in complexity

---------
You can trace pyramid development quite well, starting with mastabas, the Stepped Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid (some architect probably lost his life for that screw-up) through the final form of the Giza pyramids.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 11:14 PM (nWPIJ)

229 Averaging national life expectancy includes Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago and other such places. Take those places out of the mix and the average goes up. Areas with quality medical care and the average goes higher.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at April 08, 2026 11:14 PM (xOYmg)

230 Garden of the Gods looks to be good. Apparently, he was blessed as a child by a kami. But lets see how it goes now the exorcists know he exists.

There was only one Serial Experient Lane.

I think with the Great Rimuru the pace will pick up, opener was just to get the tourists' feet wet.

I wish someone had brought to the US Wagaya no Oinari-sama.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 11:14 PM (2GVsD)

231 Well ok pals.
Thanks T, and lovely to see Scampy sightings...I love youz all morons...

"Going offline… unless I dream about memes again.”

Posted by: COMountainMarie at April 08, 2026 11:14 PM (qox2u)

232 Schauflle is a great value bet this weekend. Just throwing it out there for those that like to dabble in those things.

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:15 PM (YZ0Fo)

233 Mr Straw, I appreciate your travel advice. I'm guessing South America will be the new Europe for gringos.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:16 PM (FrGmf)

234 New Hampshire has no.life expectancy at all.
Has anybody mentioned this to RI Red?
Posted by: From about That Time at April 08, 2026 10:32 PM (sl73Y)

That’s because I, just like RI, do not really exist.

Posted by: RI Red at April 08, 2026 11:16 PM (boJCl)

235 Memes?

Have one of Enki's nam-shubs. Heck, take two.

Posted by: Anna Puma at April 08, 2026 11:17 PM (2GVsD)

236
If interested, look up the Outer Oort Cloud. That's a funny one. It's never been directly observed, no proof whatsoever it exists, but yet it has to, to explain the long period comets.

Anyway, that's a roughly spherical cloud out there of debris in orbits of willy-nilly inclinations that make a spherical cloud. Perturbations kick them in occasionally and that's the long period comets.

The structure of all the "particle cloud" of the solar system is interesting. Close-in, it's planar. A disc, roughly the eccliptic. But as you go out, that disc gets thicker and transitions to a sphere.

They recently discovered via simulations, that that the structure would get a wave to it due to the Galactic tidal field.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 11:18 PM (w6EFb)

237 That’s because I, just like RI, do not really exist.

Posted by: RI Red at April 08, 2026 11:16 PM (boJCl)

You are somebody. I read your blog. Hold your head proud, air.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:18 PM (FrGmf)

238 That’s because I, just like RI, do not really exist.

Posted by: RI Red

I've met you. Your state just isn't real.

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:19 PM (YZ0Fo)

239 The fiddle player in the blue top has a lovely collarbone.

Posted by: JohnFNotKerry at April 08, 2026 11:19 PM (Risui)

240 They had to have had a long learning curve prior. Where is it?

Sumer.

Posted by: gKWVE at April 08, 2026 11:22 PM (gKWVE)

241 Also, on Witch Hat Atelier:

I'm not sure how the deep, dark secret of magic is "they're pens, not wands, and the magic is in the writing."

And none of the muggles can figure it out.

Despite all the magical things in the world being covered in similar-looking doodles.

The average IQ on that planet is a bit lower than here.

Posted by: mikeski at April 08, 2026 11:23 PM (VHUov)

242 That video reminds me in these days of autofocus that phones often just want to split the difference and focus on nothing. This might also be a camera that someone does not know how to work the lens.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 08, 2026 11:23 PM (bss/y)

243 You've seen Mozart's geburtshaus once, and you've seen it.
Posted by: Cicero

Gheyburts- whatty?

Posted by: weft cut-loop at April 08, 2026 11:23 PM (diia5)

244 David Weber's book Mutineer's Moon is historical? (The moon is the original regolith surrounding a very old interstellar warship named Dayak.) Good reading, if you like his books.
Posted by: Hour of the Wolf at April 08, 2026 10:53 PM (S/Y4j)

Concur on Weber's books. If you're a Horatio Hornblower fan, you'll love the Honor Harrington series.

Posted by: GWB at April 08, 2026 11:23 PM (wm3Sw)

245
That Galactic tide will also vary as the Sun bobs up and down through the disc (z-axis motion) as it circles around the center of the Galaxy. That could cause cyclic cycles that sends bursts of comets into the solar system.

There have been interesting correlations of long term climate cycles with the solar system's motion through the galaxy. They appear to be there, then they disappear with better measurements, then come back again.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 11:23 PM (w6EFb)

246 Polymarket Is testing Robert Heinlein's theory on large numbers of people knowing more than they consciously are aware.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at April 08, 2026 10:29 PM (So85e)

Is this the "If you have 100 people guess the weight of a steer, the average of the guesses will be the correct answer"?

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2026 11:24 PM (rbvCR)

247 So, she had sex with two guys that day and then later on remembered that she had sex with a third guy. Guess that's what they mean by casual sex.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at April 08, 2026 11:25 PM (xOYmg)

248
The structure of all the "particle cloud" of the solar system is interesting. Close-in, it's planar. A disc, roughly the eccliptic. But as you go out, that disc gets thicker and transitions to a sphere.

They recently discovered via simulations, that that the structure would get a wave to it due to the Galactic tidal field.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 11:18 PM (w6EFb)

Is it asymmetrical with more stuff distributed towards the opposite direction of solar movement? Perhaps convex, in a bulge towards the place the sun is going? What color cheese it made of?

Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 08, 2026 11:26 PM (w/O5Q)

249 You can trace pyramid development quite well….
——-

Sure, but there is much much more to Egypt than just the pyramids.

They had achieved a level of construction that had rarely been equaled in some ways, until very recently. This isn’t some nutbar theory, it has been remarked upon by Egyptologists and everyone else for centuries. Even the great pyramid, now that you mention it, was the tallest man made structure for thousands of years, until the Eiffel tower.

Posted by: Common Tater at April 08, 2026 11:27 PM (wHaGM)

250 So, she had sex with two guys that day and then later on remembered that she had sex with a third guy. Guess that's what they mean by casual sex.
Posted by: Braenyard

Double-entry bookkeeping isn't taught at Ho Academy.

Posted by: other double entries are, though at April 08, 2026 11:27 PM (VHUov)

251 Poly market is easily influenced by small amounts of money. They had Kamala beating Trump. Just because "real money" is involved does not make it predicative.

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:27 PM (YZ0Fo)

252 247 So, she had sex with two guys that day and then later on remembered that she had sex with a third guy. Guess that's what they mean by casual sex.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at April 08, 2026 11:25 PM (xOYmg)

If you ever see any of the MRA and 'women are evil' vids on ewetub, they'd have you believe that all women are only slightly less promiscuous than Messalina. Or Julia the Younger.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at April 08, 2026 11:27 PM (bss/y)

253 If you ever see any of the MRA and 'women are evil' vids on ewetub, they'd have you believe that all women are only slightly less promiscuous than Messalina. Or Julia the Younger.
Posted by: Aetius451AD

Have you tried dating in the last 15 years?

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:28 PM (YZ0Fo)

254 >> What color cheese it made of

https://is.gd/V0XJNT

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at April 08, 2026 11:29 PM (w6EFb)

255 I may or may not exist, but I enjoy sleepy time. Good night, all!

Posted by: RI Red at April 08, 2026 11:29 PM (h87eb)

256 VDH interviewed by GB News on Iran.

https://tinyurl.com/5n73fe5j

In the middle of watching but it is good. VDH, if you are lurking, I love you in a nonsexual way and wish you good heslth.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:32 PM (FrGmf)

257 VDH interviewed by GB News on Iran.

https://tinyurl.com/5n73fe5j

In the middle of watching but it is good. VDH, if you are lurking, I love you in a nonsexual way and wish you good heslth.
Posted by: BarelyScaryMary

Did you see when they tried to honey pot him? And he was like ya I'm not an idiot.

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:33 PM (YZ0Fo)

258 223 The Egyptian stuff is a bit strange in the sense that there isn’t a super long demonstrated period of primitive structures increasing over time in complexity

--------

Ever been in the Hypostyle Hall at Luxor? It's a massive space, but since the Egyptians never figured out the self-supporting arch, it's a literal forest of monstrous thick columns with hardly any clear floor space.

The Egyptians get credit for doing brute strength feats of construction on impressive scales, but it only takes one trip to the magnificent Pantheon in Rome to appreciate their technological limitations.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 11:33 PM (nWPIJ)

259 They had achieved a level of construction that had rarely been equaled in some ways, until very recently. This isn’t some nutbar theory, it has been remarked upon by Egyptologists and everyone else for centuries. Even the great pyramid, now that you mention it, was the tallest man made structure for thousands of years, until the Eiffel tower.
Posted by: Common Tater at April 08, 2026 11:27 PM (wHaGM)

Pyramids are really nothing more than big piles of rock, though. Nicely-fitted rock, but held together only by gravity. Possibly some were simple shells, filled with rubble. I don't recall the Egyptians having invented the arch.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at April 08, 2026 11:33 PM (utfVc)

260 The moon looks like such an awful place, just dusty and pocked and nothing else except an occasional meteor you cannot rely on burning up. Dana Gould was right, the moon just sucks

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2026 11:34 PM (El6/E)

261 247 So, she had sex with two guys that day and then later on remembered that she had sex with a third guy. Guess that's what they mean by casual sex.

------

The girl should really keep a log.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 11:34 PM (nWPIJ)

262 The Egyptian stuff is a bit strange in the sense that there isn’t a super long demonstrated period of primitive structures increasing over time in complexity. Some, but in a lot of ways it just sort of popped on the scene, seemingly fully formed and at the peak of sophistication in terms of architecture and construction. They had to have had a long learning curve prior. Where is it?

Then it went downhill after that. A similar thing is seen with the amazing architecture in Peru. The best stuff is at the bottom, and more primitive construction laid over the top.

So some archaeologists believe there was some sort of “pre flood” civilization, some sort of world wide catastrophe that knocked humanity back quite a bit, maybe more than once.

Posted by: Common Tater at April 08, 2026 11:11 PM (wHaGM)

It didn't help that pyramid building in Egypt stopped pretty early. By the time Tut was alive they hadn't build pyramids in almost 1000 years. Who knows what they would have evolved into had they kept doing it.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at April 08, 2026 11:35 PM (snZF9)

263 >>The girl should really keep a log.

Sounds like she did. At least a couple.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2026 11:35 PM (GukFK)

264 Sounds like she did. At least a couple.

I'd say she's keeping too many logs at this point

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2026 11:36 PM (El6/E)

265 Israel got cucked.
Iran is now the big dawg in the ME and the US has shown it’s not invincible

Posted by: Sad! at April 08, 2026 11:36 PM (NXclR)

266 Did you see when they tried to honey pot him? And he was like ya I'm not an idiot.

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:33 PM (YZ0Fo)

Fang Fang. Lol. Our Victor said hell to the naw naw.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:36 PM (FrGmf)

267 It didn't help that pyramid building in Egypt stopped pretty early. By the time Tut was alive they hadn't build pyramids in almost 1000 years. Who knows what they would have evolved into had they kept doing it.
Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division

To be some what fair when the child king Tut came along they were dealing with a lot of other stuff.

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:37 PM (YZ0Fo)

268 Fang Fang. Lol. Our Victor said hell to the naw naw.
Posted by: BarelyScaryMary

Yup hilarious!

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:38 PM (YZ0Fo)

269 Willy Ley and von Braun explaining how they were going to the Moon. I don’t think that was entirely an organic thing, there had to be some level of coordination involved for that to happen.
Posted by: Common Tater at April 08, 2026 10:59 PM (wHaGM)

Willy and Werner were both members of the AfD in Berlin before the war, they knew each other, and they knew Oberth and all the others. Where von Braun got involved with the German rocket program, Ley moved to America.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2026 11:40 PM (rbvCR)

270 Anyone calling this war a victory is a fool or a propagandist. We got bitch slapped by Iran.

Posted by: Sad! at April 08, 2026 11:40 PM (NXclR)

271 By the way the stuff coming out right now, rumors about Trump administration, are April Fools Day-worthy stupidity. Literally they reported that the draft is going to be implemented in November, and that Trump forced the Pope's representative to the Pentagon (??) and warned him to be nice or they'd invade the Vatican.

I kinda suspect this is stuff they had planned for October, and pulled the trigger now, but its just moronically bad.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2026 11:40 PM (El6/E)

272 Willy Ley could write, von Braun was not so good at writing, though he was good in German I suspect.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2026 11:41 PM (rbvCR)

273 " But more interestingly, it has two spiral arms that almost make it look like a galaxy."

At the galactic level, a black hole on a comet like path might create the space between spiral arms in its wake.

I'm chewing on a solar system model where the solar disc is basically surfing the leading part of a delensing area of space, like dust on the leading part of an extrusion.

And blue, the cheese is blue.

Posted by: Bilwis Devourer of Innocent Souls, I'm starvin' over here at April 08, 2026 11:42 PM (w/O5Q)

274 172, yep, many examples in Hindu mythology...

Posted by: RandomDave at April 08, 2026 11:42 PM (aJQbY)

275 272 Willy Ley could write, von Braun was not so good at writing, though he was good in German I suspect.

--------

Wasn't there a movie about Braun in the 50s called I Aim for the Stars? Or was that his book?

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at April 08, 2026 11:43 PM (nWPIJ)

276 If the moon was made of cheese the French woulda landed on it.

Posted by: BruceWayne at April 08, 2026 11:43 PM (YZ0Fo)

277 Pakistan as some mediary looks like a fool in this ceasefire that is not. They were running about like a bunch of little girls trying to get a ceasefire. Not that I believe that Trump would trust a bunch of goat fucking trolls as an actual intermediary.

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at April 08, 2026 11:47 PM (FrGmf)

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