Good morning from Charlottesville, Virginia! ☕️
A polar vortex is heading our way this weekend. It’s been chilly this morning but it’s not bad. We’ve had lower temperatures over the last few week.
The forecast calls for snow tomorrow and single digit temperatures — Fahrenheit — next week. Guess we’ll see how accurate they are in a few days.🥶
We still have the tiniest bit of snow on the ground and expect a few inches tomorrow.❄️
On to the links!
Lynch was one of those creative voices who found his own octave, doing for film what people like David Bowie or Prince did for music, shattering expectations of what a piece of art could be.
Dune, Twin Peaks, and Blue Velvet are the productions I remember the most. I know Dune is not universally liked but I’ve always liked it and Twin Peaks was spooky and creepy. I barely remember seeing Blue Velvet but now I need to watch it again.
RIP 🪦
The Milwaukee Brewers legend, Baseball Hall of Famer, iconic announcer, and beloved actor Bob Uecker passes away at 90.
I remember Bob Uecker being funny, especially in the movie Major League and his Miller Light commercials with his famous “Must be in the front row.”
RIP 🪦
Honestly the story I want someone to break wide open is the drug epidemic among the tech elite
I’ve tried to get my doctor(s) to prescribe me testosterone or HGH, they wouldn’t do it. But, if you’re rich you can get folks to help you find someone willing to get things for you.
Decentralized social network organization Mastodon said Monday that it is planning to create a new non-profit organization in Europe and hand over ownership of entities responsible for key Mastodon ecosystem and platform components. This means one person won’t have control over the entire project.
This is really great news for Mastodon and the Fediverse. With all the hubbub surrounding governance of WordPress it’s nice to see this happening with Masstodon. I hope it works as expected.
Pixelfed, a decentralized and ad-free Instagram alternative, now has apps on iOS and Android, as reported by TechCrunch. The iOS app launched today, while the Android app launched on January 10th.
Folks walking away from Facebook and Instagram should absolutely consider using Pixelfed. It’s very similar to Instagram but it’s based on Fediverse protocols so it’s easy to follow folks from Mastodon if you’d like. No Pixelfed account required.
Jen Rubin exits Washington Post, joins Norm Eisen to launch new outlet countering ‘authoritarian threat’
This is a huge move. I’m a Democrat but I’ve always read and respected Jennifer Rubin. She’s been a constant critic of Donald Trump and his ilk and I’m looking forward to reading The Contrarian everyday.
Automattic CEO and WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg has deactivated the accounts of several WordPress.org community members, some of whom have been spearheading a push to create a new fork of the open source WordPress project.
The infighting and lawsuit being fought by WordPress and Matt Mullenweg could destroy the entire organization. I hope they’re able to keep things together and WordPress continues to be used worldwide.
I’ve had an idea for a blogging system based on WordPress for years. I blame my friend, Bill Lazar, for planting the idea in my brain. 😃
There are so many things around blogging I’d love to build. Time to do it is the thing I’m missing.
TikTok, creators face tough day at SCOTUS, with ban set to go into effect on Jan. 19
It sounds like there may be some last minute heroics by politicians or incoming President Orange Man to push this off for the next 90-days.
Ultimately finding a way to keep CCP propaganda out of American feeds would probably be the better solution, but I think that would take heavy government involvement and regulation. Perhaps an independent TikTok organization who share TikTok client code and service code but run them independently?
Newsom’s order aims to help Angelenos, but is rebuilding in the same areas a good idea?
So many folks lives have been turned upside down. Talking about rebuilding seems premature but if you’re living on the street or in your car you’re ready to get your new house built.
If you want to know when I pretty much drew a line though my friendship with Neil Gaiman, it was when Neil acknowledged that he made moves on his early-20s nanny on her first day of employment.
It’s so difficult to believe Neil Gaiman is such a creep.
Tractor maker John Deere faces a federal lawsuit that accuses the company of illegally forcing farmers to use only authorized dealers for critical repairs, boosting its multibillion-dollar profits.
When I was employed at Agrian we’d talk about this from time to time. Forcing farmers into contracts that don’t give them the power to repair their own equipment is so costly. Most farmers I know are skilled at fixing their equipment. My grandfather made his living for well over 50-years repairing Cat equipment in fields all over California. Sure, he was an independent mechanic and welder, but he sure could turn a wrench and fix anything, and his services didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Saquon Barkley looked to be off to the races, headed for a last-minute touchdown that would have had no impact on the outcome of the Philadelphia Eagles' 22-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday but would’ve cashed a lot of tickets for the betting public.
How many players, coaches, and team employees are gambling on teams? How long before they start making deals with the players to throw games for big money?
I’m glad Barkley slid. Your bet means nothing to the game.
Politics
Steve Beschloss • America, America
But as much as the Democrats stripped away Hegseth’s arrogant, macho veneer to illustrate his lack of traditional qualifications—and that particularly included questioning his documented record of drunkenness, sexual abuse and hostility toward women and female combat soldiers—it was painfully clear that the unqualified Hegseth’s main purpose was to smile and nod as the Republicans waxed rhapsodic about him and to push back with aggression or sneer silently when Democrats dared to doubt Donald Trump’s insulting pick to run our military.
Hegseth is an unqualified buffoon, adulterer, and drunk. A perfect choice for the Marmalade Messiah.
