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Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Wordle 864 Hint

Hint: The house that John Jarndyce and (for some time) Esther Summerson called home.


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First Letter: B

Monday, October 30, 2023

Wordle 863 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle is holy, and the fellows from Monty Python are looking for it.


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First Letter: G

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Wordle 862 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle is so fake ... but in the future may become a word to describe those people who wander around constantly absorbed in the small electronic devices they carry everywhere with them.


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First Letter: P

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Wordle 861 Hint

Hint: Riddle: When is the door to fraternity membership not closed to bricklayers? Answer: When it's ajar .


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First Letter: M

Friday, October 27, 2023

Wordle 860 Hint

Hint: Some people are described this way because they personally demonstrate laudable qualities; others merely because they've inherited aristocratic titles.


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First Letter: N

Thursday, October 26, 2023

NFL Week 8 Picks

As posted at ESPN's Pigskin Pick'em site (straight picks, no spreads, etc., and I've created a group for those who would like to play along with me):

  • Buffalo Bills beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Dallas Cowboys beat Los Angeles Rams
  • Minnesota Vikings beat Green Bay Packers
  • Atlanta Falcons beat Tennessee Titans
  • Indianapolis Colts beat New Orleans Saints
  • Miami Dolphins beat New England Patriots
  • New York Giants beat New York Jets*
  • Jacksonville Jaguars beat Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Philadelphia Eagles beat Washington Commanders
  • Houston Texans beat Carolina Panthers
  • Cleveland Browns beat Seattle Seahawks*
  • Kansas City Chiefs beat Denver Broncos
  • Baltimore Ravens beat Arizona Cardinals
  • Cincinnati Bengals beat San Francisco 49ers*
  • Los Angeles Chargers beat Chicago Bears
  • Detroit Lions beat Las Vegas Raiders
Asterisks indicate "upset" picks (i.e. the majority of other people playing the Pigskin Pick'em game disagreed with me at the time I made my picks). Those majorities could change, and if they do I'll change my markings ... if I notice. If I change any actual picks, I'll do so prior to kickoff and note it in an update to this post. Coming into this week I've picked 65 games correctly, 41 incorrectly, and I'm in the 92.8th percentile of Pigskin Pick'em players.

Update, Thursday 10/26/23, 5:25pm: I've marked the Bengals/49ers game in red above because I've changed my pick. I originally had the 49ers picked to win, but I just found out (although it happened yesterday) that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been placed in concussion protocol. Only rarely does a player end up on the field less than  a week after entering concussion protocol, and since the controversy last year when the Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa missed much of the season with at least two, and possibly three, concussions it's getting even less common. Not that the 49ers can't play well without Purdy, mind you, but they may also be missing running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and possibly others on Sunday. And I suspect the Bengals are pretty hungry at 3-3. Joe Burrow probably feels like it's time to go to work.

Bing Chat's Answer to a Question I've Been Asking People for Decades

My Question:

If a tree falls in the middle of the forest and no one is there to hear it, is the squirrel that it falls on and kills wearing a digital watch?

Bing Chat's Answer:

This is a classic philosophical question that has been debated for centuries. The answer depends on how you define "sound." If you define sound as the physical phenomenon of pressure waves traveling through the air, then the tree falling would create sound waves regardless of whether anyone is there to hear it or not. However, if you define sound as the subjective experience of hearing, then no, there would be no sound because there would be no one there to hear it.

As for the squirrel, it's unlikely that it would be wearing a digital watch. Squirrels are not known for their fashion sense or their ability to tell time. However, if it were wearing a digital watch, it would still be killed by the falling tree regardless of its timekeeping abilities.

My traditional answer:

Of course not -- the squirrel was obviously using the shadow of the tree to figure out the time.



Wordle 859 Hint

 Hint: Today's Wordle may arouse feelings of irritation and/or resentment.


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First Letter: P

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Wordle 858 Hint

Hint: If at first you don't succeed ...


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First Letter: R

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

I Came Sooooo Close This Morning ...

... to ordering a scooter. Not the one previously on my Amazon Wish List, but the one on there now:


The base price of the X-Pro Maui is about $100 more than the Taotao ATM50A1, but the shipping cost is about $80 less .... and it comes fully assembled in the crate instead of needing to be put together.

Why was I sooooooooo close? Because the price of Bitcoin was way up.

Why did I hold off?

Because there's stuff I still need to do, and because I expect some better local deals to be coming up.

I need to get my driver's license. Tamara will be off work for most of November recovering from hernia surgery, so once she's up and about a little, I'll probably make an appointment and go take the damn test.

Gainesville is a big scooter town, and as the weather cools down I expect that the local shops will sprout new used inventory as the kids who started the school year on them decide they need cars after all for when its below 60 degrees or wet out.

I've already seen both new and used scooters at local shops that are price-competitive ... and when you buy a scooter at the local shop, you walk out with the taxes and plate taken care of instead of having to do all that separately.

Of course, I have to work out a deal with Tamara to use Bitcoin for some other household needs in return for cash from her to do the scooter stuff. And I'll need to buy a helmet and so forth. And get insurance, but that seems to be dirt-cheap for scooters.

My plan:

  1. Get a driver's license;
  2. Get a 50cc scooter;
  3. Get used to the scooter, including rides to visit a friend in Fort White, 40 miles away or so and so forth, as well as tooling around town;
  4. Do all the things I can to "de-restrict" the scooter for maximum operating speeds (earlier);
  5. Put a 100cc bore kit in the scooter to really amp things up (later);
  6. Get used to riding the now much faster scooter;
  7. Take a longer trip or two, perhaps to Miami, Atlanta, or New Orleans and back;
  8. Consider moving up to a "real motorcyle" and taking even longer trips.
Step 7 is probably waaaaaay down the road. If I'm going to bother paying for the school and license certification, I don't think I'll settle for a 110-to-150cc bike. I'll want to go with a 500 or bigger, something that can handle interstate highway speeds. Which, of course, will cost more than, say, a 110cc Honda Navi. Unless someone reading this has an old but running Norton Commando 850 sitting around that they just want hauled away to get rid of. Which I doubt.

NFL Week 7 Outcomes

My picks (posted here), with "Tom was right" picks in green and "Tom was wrong" picks in red:

  • Jacksonville Jaguars beat New Orleans Saints
  • Las Vegas Raiders beat Chicago Bears
  • Cleveland Browns beat Indianapolis Colts
  • Buffalo Bills beat New England Patriots
  • Washington Commanders beat New York Giants
  • Atlanta Falcons beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
  • Detroit Lions beat Baltimore Ravens
  • Pittsburgh Steelers beat Los Angeles Rams*
  • Seattle Seahawks beat Arizona Cardinals
  • Denver Broncos beat Green Bay Packers*
  • Kansas City Chiefs beat Los Angeles Chargers
  • Miami Dolphins beat Philadelphia Eagles
  • San Francisco 49ers beat Minnesota Vikings
Not a very good week -- seven correct, six incorrect. But all three of my "upset" picks were correct! I'm at at 65-41 for the season and in the 92.7th percentile among ESPN Pigskin Pick'em players.

You're Welcome

In my experience, whenever I spend some Bitcoin, the price goes up immediately afterward.

Yesterday, I spent $100 worth of Bitcoin on an Instacart gift card (yes, that is an affiliate link -- you get a $10 credit on your first order and I get a $10 credit too!)*

In the last 24 hours, the price of Bitcoin has risen by 14.x% ... most of that after I spent that $100 worth.



* Why an Instacart gift card? Well, Tamara is having hernia surgery in a few days and won't be in any shape to do grocery shopping for a little while. With Bitcoin already up, I thought "why not top off the Instacart account, since I'm expecting to have some stuff delivered?"

Wordle 857 Hint

Hint: My friend Ari tells me that the four varieties of this are material, formal, efficient, and final. Sometimes I think he's just lipping off for effect, though.


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First Letter: C

Monday, October 23, 2023

Wordle 856 Hint

Hint: Whether you solve today's Wordle slowly or quickly, the answer will be all about your pace.


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First Letter: T

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Wordle 855 Hint

Hint: Just assume today's Wordle, and you'll have presented yourself with the answer.


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First Letter: G

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Wordle 854 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle has a condescending smile on its face.


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First Letter: S

Friday, October 20, 2023

Testing, Testing ...

I've been using Firefox as my main browser for a little while now, and I've got a few problems with it. On many sites, it will do a thing where a portion of the screen goes blank. Once I've moved my mouse out of that area and clicked, everything comes back, but it's annoying. Also, one particular site, The Royal Game of Ur, occasionally just crashes the browser. Not every time I drop by for a quick game, but every once in a while.

I don't want to go back to Google Chrome, but I guess I'll use something built on the same framework. I like Vivaldi, but it's a pain in the ass to get things set up the way I like in. I'm gonna go with Microsoft Edge, at least for the moment. By Monday, I should know whether I dig it or not. So far so good, except that it seems to have some kind of built-in writing suggestion tool that I don't like and will try to find a way to turn off.

Interesting Instacart "Hack"

My mechanic, who works from home, decided to try Instacart's "premium" service out, and accidentally checked the "pay for a whole year" instead of "pay by the month" box. He was kind of bummed and thought about seeing if he could get that fixed, but then just decided to use the hell out of the service since it saves him a bunch of shopping time.

It's been about a month, I think.

And so far, he's gotten two auto repair jobs from, and sold one car (he does a little of the "buy it cheap, fix it up, flip it" stuff) to, Instacart delivery drivers.

If you've got any kind of job or side hustle that your average Instacart driver might be interested in, you might get some work from that. If you have an Instacart account, anyway. If you don't, here's my affiliate link. You get $10 credit on your first order, and I make ten bucks too.

Feature, Not Bug

"No legislative function can occur on the House floor until a new speaker is elected," according to the Washington Examiner's Jack Birle. "No votes or any other basic functions can occur on the floor of the House until the election has been resolved."

For some reason, I see some people saying that like it's a bad thing.

But if Congress can't do anything, Congress can't do anything bad. And "bad things" is pretty much Congress's job description.

If I did Christmas cards, I think I'd add US Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to my Christmas card list. Just sayin' ...

Wordle 853 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle comes to mind as really happening.


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First Letter: O

Thursday, October 19, 2023

The LNC Keeps Sending Me Mail Asking For Money. I Keep Replying.

The blogging goal I set for the year was 550 posts. This is post #550. See you in 2024!

Just kidding.

Cheat Sheet for Moral Questions

Moral Clarity consists of agreeing with me, without caveats, that the side I support is without sin and totally righteously aggrieved, while the side I oppose possesses no valid grievances or redeeming characteristics whatsoever.

Moral Equivalence consist of hatefully and erroneously evaluating the side I support using the same standards as you use to evaluate the side I oppose.

Wordle 852 Hint

Hint: You probably think of today's Wordle as an icky, cartoonish sound, but it's also a chair part.


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First Letter: S

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Learn Something New Every Day ...

Apparently it's against the law in Florida to paint your vehicle black and tan.

So now I know what I'll be doing with a scooter or motorcycle if I ever decide to go ahead and get a driver's license (got a scooter on my Amazon Wish List, but no, I'm not really expecting anyone to blow $1,100 on a vehicle for me).

NFL Week 7 Picks

As posted at ESPN's Pigskin Pick'em site (straight picks, no spreads, etc., and I've created a group for those who would like to play along with me):

  • Jacksonville Jaguars beat New Orleans Saints
  • Las Vegas Raiders beat Chicago Bears
  • Cleveland Browns beat Indianapolis Colts
  • Buffalo Bills beat New England Patriots
  • Washington Commanders beat New York Giants
  • Atlanta Falcons beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
  • Detroit Lions beat Baltimore Ravens
  • Pittsburgh Steelers beat Los Angeles Rams*
  • Seattle Seahawks beat Arizona Cardinals
  • Denver Broncos beat Green Bay Packers*
  • Kansas City Chiefs beat Los Angeles Chargers
  • Miami Dolphins beat Philadelphia Eagles
  • San Francisco 49ers beat Minnesota Vikings

Asterisks indicate "upset" picks (i.e. the majority of other people playing the Pigskin Pick'em game disagreed with me at the time I made my picks). Those majorities could change, and if they do I'll change my markings ... if I notice. If I change any actual picks, I'll do so prior to kickoff and note it in an update to this post. Coming into this week I've picked 58 games correctly, 35 incorrectly, and I'm in the 86.6th percentile of Pigskin Pick'em players.

Week 6 settled one "will there or won't there" matter: Since the Eagles and 49ers finally lost games, there are now no undefeated NFL teams for the season. In NFL history, only two teams have managed that. The 1972 Dolphins went undefeated in both the regular season and post-season, and the 2007 Patriots went undefeated in the season but lost Super Bowl XLII to the New York Giants.

Wordle 851 Hint

Hint: First and Last and Always, these Sisters include Andrew Eldritch and Doktor Avalanche.


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First Letter: M

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

NFL Week 6 Outcomes

My picks (posted here), with "Tom was right" picks in green and "Tom was wrong" picks in red:

  • Kansas City Chiefs beat Denver Broncos
  • Baltimore Ravens beat Tennessee Titans
  • Washington Commanders beat Atlanta Falcons*
  • Minnesota Vikings beat Chicago Bears
  • Seattle Seahawks beat Cincinnati Bengals*
  • San Francisco 49ers beat Cleveland Browns
  • Miami Dolphins beat Carolina Panthers
  • Jacksonville Jaguars beat Indianapolis Colts
  • Houston Texans beat New Orleans Saints*
  • Las Vegas Raiders beat New England Patriots
  • Detroit Lions beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Arizona Cardinals beat Los Angeles Rams*
  • Philadelphia Eagles beat New York Jets
  • Buffalo Bills beat New York Giants
  • Dallas Cowboys beat Los Angeles Chargers
Not a bad week -- 11 right, 4 wrong, and going 2/2 on my four "upset" picks. That puts me at 58-35 for the season and in the 86.5th percentile among ESPN Pigskin Pick'em players.

Wordle 850 Hint

Hint: Today's Wordle is legally permitted to vote, enter into contracts, drink alcoholic beverages, etc.


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First Letter: A

Monday, October 16, 2023

Doth Protest Too Much ...

The subject line in an email I received from Wired, and the title of the story it references:

Deepfake Porn Is Out of Control

Which, as you can probably figure out, is about an exploding amount of deepfake porn powered by increasingly powerful AI, etc., and the fact that "the world's biggest search engines are funneling clicks to dozens of sites dedicated to the nonconsensual fakes."

And then ...

"WIRED is not naming or directly linking to the websites, so as not to further increase their visibility."

They just sent out a mass email to a large readership, linking to a full article on the topic that mentions you can find the stuff via the world's biggest search engines.

But it's actually pointing to, or even naming, the sites they refer to that would be "increasing their visibility?"

As virtue signaling goes, that's like me draining a tumbler full of bourbon in front of you, and telling you that it's available at all reputable liquor stores, but refusing to tell you what brand it is so that you'll know just how much I disapprove of drinking.

Wordle 849 Hint

Hint: While attending today's chart-topping Wordle, you may find there's a line at the bar. While you're waiting, how about some pie?


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First Letter: G

Sunday, October 15, 2023

Wordle 848 Hint

Hint: Like a bucket that doesn't hold water, or an organization that can't keep secrets.


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First Letter: L

Saturday, October 14, 2023

Wordle 847 Hint

Hint: Three types of today's Wordle might be "literary," "secret," and "user."


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First Letter: A

Friday, October 13, 2023

Can Anyone Help Me Identify This Movie?

I've seen precisely one scene from it, while channel surfing maybe 25 years ago, and never since have I been able to track it down.

In the scene, two guys are doing some kind of electrical work in an open, just-below-street-level (and visible from street level), compartment, probably in New York City. They're talking, and a screwdriver rolls into the works unnoticed, causing one of them to start getting electrocuted the next time he grabs something. The other guy swears and throws himself at the guy getting electrocuted to knock him loose.

That's all I remember. For some reason, I thought that the guy getting electrocuted was Mickey Rourke, but I'm not finding the flick among his IMDb credits, etc.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can tell me what movie that is so I can check it out and maybe watch the whole thing.

Wordle 846 Hint

Hint: Many of our parents have siblings with various names, but Bob is today's Wordle in a more universal way.


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First Letter: U

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Wordle 845 Hint

Hint: I didn't necessarily pray to solve today's Wordle, but I did get on my knees.


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First Letter: K

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

NFL Week 6 Picks

As posted at ESPN's Pigskin Pick'em site (straight picks, no spreads, etc., and I've created a group for those who would like to play along with me):

  • Kansas City Chiefs beat Denver Broncos
  • Baltimore Ravens beat Tennessee Titans
  • Washington Commanders beat Atlanta Falcons*
  • Minnesota Vikings beat Chicago Bears
  • Seattle Seahawks beat Cincinnati Bengals*
  • San Francisco 49ers beat Cleveland Browns
  • Miami Dolphins beat Carolina Panthers
  • Jacksonville Jaguars beat Indianapolis Colts
  • Houston Texans beat New Orleans Saints*
  • Las Vegas Raiders beat New England Patriots
  • Detroit Lions beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Arizona Cardinals beat Los Angeles Rams*
  • Philadelphia Eagles beat New York Jets
  • Buffalo Bills beat New York Giants
  • Dallas Cowboys beat Los Angeles Chargers
Asterisks indicate "upset" picks -- that is, my pick disagreed with the majority of players as of the time I made it (I may swing back to see if there are any changes to that status). Any changes will be made prior to kickoff and be noted in updates to this post. Coming into Week 6 I am at 47 right, 31 wrong for the season.

I Haven't Gone Big on Prime Big Deal Days

The only thing I've purchased so far is a second Echo Pop (not an affiliate link). $18.98 with a bonus Kasa Smart Plug (not an affiliate link).

 The list price for the Pop is $39.99 and the list price for the smart plug is $22.99, so seems like a pretty good deal.

I'd been planning to pick up another Pop soon anyway. My daughter says that the microphone seems to be going on the Dot (I forget which generation) in her room, so I'll give her the third generation Dot from my office and replace it with the Pop.

Meanwhile, the smart plug I use with the espresso machine started acting wonky recently, seemingly turning on without being told to, so I canned it and will like having a replacement just in time for cool weather and a return to hot espresso instead instead of cold brew dark roast of a morning. Heaven forfend that I should have to crawl out of bed to turn the espresso machine on manually, instead of just telling Alexa to do it so that my four shots are ready by the time I get dressed and make it to the kitchen.

Wordle 844 Hint

Hint: No gray area here, it's a black and white matter: Today's Wordle stinks!


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First Letter: S

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Insanity ...

... as I point out in today's Garrison Center column. And apparently it's a communicable form of insanity:

Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who are both facing tough re-elections next year, on Tuesday said the Biden administration should immediately “freeze” the $6 billion in funds that are set to be released to Iran as part of a prisoner exchange.

Not that the US government had a stellar trustworthiness rating before, but this would completely crater that where hostage swaps are concerned.

"Sorry, Mrs. Smith, your son's going to die in a cell in Tehran/Pyongyang/Beijing/Moscow/wherever, instead of coming home, because we well and truly outed ourselves as lying sacks of shit in such an over the top way that nobody's willing to do that kind of deal with us anymore."

NFL Week 5 Outcomes

My picks (posted here), with "Tom was right" picks in green and "Tom was wrong" picks in red:

  • Washington Commanders beat Chicago Bears
  • Jacksonville Jaguars beat Buffalo Bills*
  • Atlanta Falcons beat Houston Texans* <-- mismatch on-site!
  • Detroit Lions beat Carolina Panthers
  • Tennessee Titans beat Indianapolis Colts
  • Miami Dolphins beat New York Giants
  • New Orleans Saints beat New England Patriots
  • Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore Ravens*
  • Philadelphia Eagles beat Los Angeles Rams
  • Arizona Cardinals beat Cincinnati Bengals*
  • New York Jets beat Denver Broncos
  • Kansas City Chiefs beat Minnesota Vikings
  • San Francisco 49ers beat Dallas Cowboys
  • Las Vegas Raiders beat Green Bay Packers* <-- I may have forgotten to mark this as an upset initially

The mismatch: I guess I got sloppy. I meant to pick the Falcons to beat the Texans. I thought I picked the Falcons to beat the Texans. But on the site, I picked the Texans to beat the Falcons.

The upset thing: I picked the Raiders to beat the Packers, and I was right. Either I forgot to mark that as an upset, or else at the time I picked it the Raiders were ahead among players. As of game time, 76% had picked the Packers and only 24% had picked the Raiders, so it was definitely an upset.

So, if we go by what I meant to pick, I got 11 right and only three wrong. But the site doesn't calculate my performance on what I meant to do, it calculates my performance on what I actually did, so 10 right, four wrong.

I picked five upsets (including the one that either changed or that I forgot to mark). And I'd have picked all five of them correctly, if I hadn't screwed up the Falcons/Texans thing. But due to that screw-up, I went four of five on upset predictions.

I'm now 47-31 for the season and back up into the 80.8th percentile of ESPN Pigskin Pick'em players.

Wordle 843 Hint

Hint: It's a slow day at Wordle. They must have eaten too much French food for breakfast.


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First Letter: S

Monday, October 09, 2023

Just To Be Fair ...

Anyone who follows what I have to say about Libertarian Party politics knows that I'm the precise opposite of a fan when it comes to the Mises PAC or Michael Heise. I disagree with them on just about everything. But this is an extraordinarily twisted take on what Heise's saying -- twisted enough that I feel like speaking up about it:

The one area in which Heise is just plain wrong (and he pleads guilty and apologizes in another tweet that I'm not going to bother looking for / linking) is the claim that Jo Jorgensen's campaign didn't share its donor data with the party.

But he doesn't "admit" that Rectenwald will struggle in the general election -- he points out that the LP's presidential nominee, be it Rectenwald or anyone else, will struggle in the general election, especially if RFK Jr. runs as an independent.

News flash: The LP's presidential nominees ALWAYS struggle in the general election, and they have an even harder time of it when there are "big name" candidates running as independents or third party candidates. Heise's just pointing out a fact of reality, not "admitting" some specific weakness of Rectenwald's.

Nor does selling prospective Mises PAC / "Project Decentralized Revolution" access to Rectenwald's donor data as a benefit of backing Rectenwald constitute "admitting" that said prospective access is the purpose of doing so.

There are a bazillion credible avenues of attack on Heise and the Mises PAC. This one is just horseshit.

Wordle 842 Hint

Hint: Would Wordle lie to you? Well, maybe, but not today.


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First Letter: T

Sunday, October 08, 2023

Fairly Short and Hopefully Spoiler-Free Review -- The Continental: From the World of John Wick

The Continental: From the World of John Wick is a three-episode mini-series (these days usually advertised as "limited series" or "X-Part Event") which finished its run on NBC's Peacock streaming service this last Friday. Trailer ...

TL;DR: I wish we'd seen more concerning the nature of the High Table, but other than that and one non-TL;DR quibble it's a pretty solid prequel -- set in the 1970s, with a very 1970s vibe, and filled with plausible (to the extent that the John Wick universe is plausible) back story on key characters (Winston Scott and Charon).

Longer version:

The Continental: From the World of John Wick tells the story of how Winston Scott came to run, and Charon came to serve as concierge at, the Continental New York hotel, an establishment dedicated to providing room, board, and other services to assassins working for a shadowy underworld organization called the High Table.

At the beginning of the story, Cormac O'Connor (Mel Gibson) operates the Continental. At the end -- this is no spoiler, since he appears in the four John Wick films set decades later -- Winston Scott runs it.

In between, there's lots of 1970s music, lots of 1970s-style Blaxploitation kung-fu, and lots of 1970s-looking New York.

If you've not previously immersed yourself in the John Wick universe, the show will probably still be fun, but not as fun.

My non-TL;DR quibble: If you've followed my blogging on that universe, you know I'm utterly convinced that the John Wick films are Matrix films. There are just too many little clues pointing in that direction to ignore.

One of those clues, in the movies, is that everyone who's not involved in High Table related fuckery is completely oblivious to all the carnage going on around them. At the very most, there'll be a little running and screaming during the most violent street battles, but mostly people just walk past people engaged in mutual murder activities without even noticing. And in one film, Winston appears to stop the action, in the style of Matrix constructs, of everyone who's not part of the story.

In The Continental: From the World of John Wick, a significant character has absolutely no clue what the hotel is about, that the High Table exists, etc., yet takes a large role in the action. It's almost enough to convince me I was wrong about the connection. Almost ... except there are clues in this series that say yes, it's all taking place in the Matrix.

 I'll discuss one set of those clues in comments, because in my opinion they constitute a spoiler.

One final note: You can "binge" the three-part event now ... but it was released in one episode per week fashion, just like old school TV. I prefer binge-ability in general, but I made an exception for this one and watched the episodes as they came out.

Anyway ... if you enjoy the John Wick universe, you will want to watch this show. You may not find it entirely satisfying, but it's well done, explains some things, and you won't want your time back. If you haven't watched any John Wick material, I suggest watching the movies first.

IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE SPOILERS, DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS ON THIS POST. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Wordle 841 Hint

Hint: A bender, gambol, or spree.


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First Letter: B

Saturday, October 07, 2023

Wordle 840 Hint

Hint: Bigger than a fiddle, smaller than a cello.


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First Letter: V

Friday, October 06, 2023

Wordle 839 Hint

Hint: This instrument can be used to turn the wind into a musician.


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First Letter: C

Thursday, October 05, 2023

NFL Week 5 Picks

As posted at ESPN's Pigskin Pick'em site (straight picks, no spreads, etc., and I've created a group for those who would like to play along with me):

  • Washington Commanders beat Chicago Bears
  • Jacksonville Jaguars beat Buffalo Bills*
  • Atlanta Falcons beat Houston Texans*
  • Detroit Lions beat Carolina Panthers
  • Tennessee Titans beat Indianapolis Colts
  • Miami Dolphins beat New York Giants
  • New Orleans Saints beat New England Patriots
  • Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore Ravens*
  • Philadelphia Eagles beat Los Angeles Rams
  • Arizona Cardinals beat Cincinnati Bengals*
  • New York Jets beat Denver Broncos
  • Kansas City Chiefs beat Minnesota Vikings
  • San Francisco 49ers beat Dallas Cowboys
  • Las Vegas Raiders beat Green Bay Packers
Asterisks indicate "upset" picks -- that is, my pick disagreed with the majority of players as of the time I made it (I may swing back to see if there are any changes to that status). Any changes will be made prior to kickoff and be noted in updates to this post. Coming into Week 5 I am at 37 right, 27 wrong for the season.

Wordle 838 Hint

Hint: Even if you really, really like to munch on fruit for lunch, you're more likely to eat a "hand" of bananas than the quantity indicated by today's Wordle.


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First Letter: B

Wednesday, October 04, 2023

Presidential Election 2024: It Could Get Complicated

Here's how the 2020 presidential election worked out:

 

In 2024, if Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee, and if Donald Trump is the Republican nominee, and if the third party/independent effects on state outcomes are similar, I would expect the following states to become "swing states" to at least some degree:

  • Arizona, which went Democratic in 2020, would become somewhat competitive for Republicans.
  • Florida, which went Republican in 2020, would become somewhat competitive for Democrats.
  • Georgia, which went Democratic in 2020, would become somewhat competitive for Republicans.
  • North Carolina, which went Republican in 2020, would likely become very competitive for Democrats.
  • Texas, which went Republican in 2020, would almost certainly go Republican again ... but the GOP will likely feel that it has to pour $5 in to hold it for every $1 the Democrats spend trying to take it, and that will affect outcomes in other states.

But large independent/third party effects, or the nominations possibly not going the way they look set to go, would put all kinds of flies in the above ointment.

In my opinion, if RFK Jr. runs a well-funded, well-conducted independent or third party (he's allegedly been in contact with Libertarian Party VIPs) campaign, and it's Biden/Trump on the major party side, Biden will likely win all of the states he won in 2020, plus North Carolina, Florida, and possibly even Texas ... unless RFK Jr.* is  assassinated after being denied Secret Service protection by the Biden administration, in which case there might be a significant number of Democrats who abandon Biden in disgust and vote for Cornel West.

* The "RFK Jr." there was originally the word "he," which could be read as referring to Biden, which would in turn produce an absurd meaning. Thanks to reader DRJ for pointing out the poor phrasing!

Wordle 837 Hint

Hint: A sudden burst -- perhaps of energy, or of blood.


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First Letter: S

Tuesday, October 03, 2023

NFL Week 4 Outcomes

My picks (posted here), with "Tom was right" picks in green and "Tom was wrong" picks in red:

  • Detroit Lions beat Green Bay Packers
  • Jacksonville Jaguars beat Atlanta Falcons
  • Miami Dolphins beat Buffalo Bills
  • Denver Broncos beat Chicago Bears
  • Cleveland Browns beat Baltimore Ravens*
  • Cincinnati Bengals beat Tennessee Titans
  • Indianapolis Colts beat Los Angeles Rams*
  • New Orleans Saints beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Philadelphia Eagles beat Washington Commanders
  • Minnesota Vikings beat Carolina Panthers
  • Pittsburgh Steelers beat Houston Texans
  • Las Vegas Raiders beat Los Angeles Chargers*
  • Dallas Cowboys beat New England Patriots
  • San Francisco 49ers beat Arizona Cardinals
  • Kansas City Chiefs beat New York Jets
  • New York Giants beat Seattle Seahawks*

Eight right, eight wrong. And none of the four upsets I predicted (as indicated by asterisks) panned out. So not a good week. I'm now 37-27 for the season and only in the 69th percentile of ESPN Pigskin Pick'em players.

Wordle 836 Hint

Hint: Solving today's Wordle will require a non-specific, but probably fairly short, period of time.


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First Letter: W

Monday, October 02, 2023

Wordle 835 Hint

Hint: Sigh ... it's not even Halloween yet and Wordle is already breaking out the Christmas words.


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First Letter: M

Sunday, October 01, 2023

Wordle 834 Hint

Hint: JFK called this cap "a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom." In song, however, US Marines describe it as an exotic variety of toilet paper.


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First Letter: B

Thanks For Asking! -- 10/01/23

  1. You Ask (in comments).
  2. I Answer (in, or linked from, comments).
  3. Any Questions? See Above.