I don’t give much money to charities because so much is staff salary, but that’s not what this is about. There is some charity out there that collects the pop-tops from aluminum cans – those pop-tops that were purposefully designed to not come off. Apparently, they, whomever “they” are, get $50 per pound for them.Continue reading “Dumb Charity Crap”
Category Archives: Politics
Justification
Humans are really good at justifying themselves – especially to their own self. We all do it. The one that drives me nuts is “if I don’t kill this guy, my kid will suffer.” That’s all well and good when “this guy” is a knife-wielding maniac attacking your kid. It’s more than a bit differentContinue reading “Justification”
Causality, Smausality
One of the big arguments against faster than light travel is that it will break causality. Even if true, I don’t see how that matters. So what? What’s so sacred about causality? Humans certainly don’t pay any attention to it, now. Example one billion whatever-we’re-up-to: “There are so many people in this administration that haveContinue reading “Causality, Smausality”
Whew! They’re Young!
I’ve been having all sorts of debates with myself about political things, criminal justice, etc… All the things that go horribly sideways after an apocalypse. I just noticed something about my characters’ backstories: They’re all young. This is by-design. It’s also the case in almost all action stories for the same reason I chose it:Continue reading “Whew! They’re Young!”
We’re Doomed
I read an interesting article about AI hacking: When AI Starts Picking the Locks. There’s a lot of good stuff in there. The most terrifying sentence: And insist that human judgment — discernment, wisdom, moral responsibility — remains central to decisions about risk It’s unfortunate that almost every filter we have between birth and theContinue reading “We’re Doomed”
Speaking of Trust Issues
The Rapid City Post is a new newspaper, of all things. I’m pretty sure the HomeSlice Group owns it. They’re a radio (at least) conglomerate that’s based here. They seem fine. They published an opinion piece with the very long title/headline of Opinion: Choosing Facts Over Fear Ahead of the 2026 Legislative Session. It’s dreadful,Continue reading “Speaking of Trust Issues”
“No” on Trust Issues
Rapid City is having a special election today to vote on Tax Increment Financing district. To drastically oversimplify: A developer wants the TIF as collateral for a loan. The concept is simple: The taxing authority locks in the current assessment. As property values increase, the tax difference between the locked-in assessment and the actual assessmentContinue reading ““No” on Trust Issues”
Illusions
I’ve been watching UFC fights of late. YouTube is very helpful with the algorithm throwing them into my “Watch Next” list. I watched this (Bellator, not UFC) one on Saturday. I mainly watch these because I enjoy seeing hot men beat the shit out of each other. This particular fight was interesting on a differentContinue reading “Illusions”
Flag Etiquette Question
Is the US flag supposed to be the largest? It’s at the top. It’s illuminated at night. It’s not the largest. Are the flag police going to come for me? BTW: The one in the background is five blocks away. It’s the YUGE flag at Perkins.
Digging Into Sensationalism
Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) has been a thing. Here’s the basic timeline: 6-06-24 11:45 (mystery time-zone) Robby Starbuck calls for a boycott due to DEI stuff. On X, of course. 6-26-24 15:27 Robby Starbuck follows up with a Tweet (are they called an “X”, now?) about their support for open borders. 6-27-24 17:22 Robby StarbucksContinue reading “Digging Into Sensationalism”
