Month: February 2020

Half of U.S. voters don’t vote — why?

I've read the author's book about regionalism in the U.S. and recommend it highly. This is also worth your time if you'd like to understand how we wind up with the winners we do. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/02/19/knight-nonvoter-study-decoding-2020-election-wild-card-115796?cid=apn Half of Americans Don’t Vote. What Are They Thinking? Inside the largest ever survey of the politically disengaged. Photos by … Continue reading Half of U.S. voters don’t vote — why? →

How did the beloved local grocery Fairway fail?

Fairway has been a NYC institution for decades, known for its huge range of stock and decent (for Manhattan) prices. Selling groceries is, however, a tough job and it had a run-in with bankruptcy a few years back. Its rescue and restructuring was supposed to ensure its future, but somehow Fairway has now failed for … Continue reading How did the beloved local grocery Fairway fail? →

Global seed bank that preserve diversity and crops just received. .q millionth variety

The underlying optimism in this article may not be warranted. First, when it was built as recently as 2008, humans assumed permafrost would continue to exist. This belief is no longer warranted. Second, seed varieties are increasingly hybridized and protected by their corporate owners with great vigor. Altho earlier varieties might be better for certain … Continue reading Global seed bank that preserve diversity and crops just received. .q millionth variety →

Colorado River, critical to those in many U.S. states, is shrinking

The Colorado River was essential to the development of the Southwest and is still relied upon by those who still have the power and authority to draw on its liquid gold. Global warming is wreaking havoc, however, on the river's flow and volume. One key number from this article is that every one degree Centigrade's … Continue reading Colorado River, critical to those in many U.S. states, is shrinking →

Fossil fuels are responsible for far more methane than we realize

Methane is at least, if not more, dangerous than carbon dioxide emissions but have not received the appropriate amount of attention. Altho natural sources do produce quite a bit of methane (thawing permafrost, bubbles coming up off the coast of far western Russia), the fossil fuel industry produces a lot of methane in the extraction … Continue reading Fossil fuels are responsible for far more methane than we realize →

How to manage Amazon Alexa’s intrusion into your life

The very nature of Amazon's Alexa interactive device requires that it pay attention to what you're talking about -- just in case. That makes my skin crawl so I avoid it. Nonetheless, there are many who love it but would like to have a little more control over what Alexa remembers and saves. This article … Continue reading How to manage Amazon Alexa’s intrusion into your life →

Artificial intelligence breaking the road jam to development of new antiobiotics

Modern medicine has been running out of antibiotics that can kill the drug-resistant bacteria strains. The problem, of course, is overuse of current antibiotics to either pre-treat or overtreat bacterial problems. Many of those antibiotics were developed long ago and have already produced all of the side strains available. Now artificial (machine) intelligence is taking … Continue reading Artificial intelligence breaking the road jam to development of new antiobiotics →

Japanese toilets are wonderful — truly

There is no doubt that any Toto toilet will be more comfortable and a nicer experience than any toilet ordinarily found in an American bathroom BUT you can get the faintest of imitations by at least installing a toilet bidet. If you don't need heated water, with parts they run about $30 and are not … Continue reading Japanese toilets are wonderful — truly →

Paper masks protect others, need N95 to protect yourself & more tips

The protective surgical masks seen everywhere these days are NOT what you want if those around you are sick. Read on for more tips. Smart Travel Planning in the Time of Coronavirus What you need to know to assess the pros, cons and potential complications of a trip far from home Travelers wearing protective surgical … Continue reading Paper masks protect others, need N95 to protect yourself & more tips →

Good tech passwords don’t have to be impossible to remember

Am always happy to advertise this method of picking a password as it promotes picking a secure password rather than giving up on remembering one of random letters, numbers, and symbols. These passwords are just as secure as the impossible ones and a whole lot easier to use. https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2020/02/22/the-fbi-wants-you-to-stop-using-passwords-and-do-this-instead/ Editors' Pick Feb 22, 2020, 06:43am … Continue reading Good tech passwords don’t have to be impossible to remember →