Only CNN "undecided voter" to pick Trump turns out to be longtime Trump guy
Rob Beschizza / 9:33 am PT Sat Aug 24, 2024
Mr Undecided on CNN
CNN's panel of "undecided voters" broke overwhelmingly for Kamala Harris after her DNC speech, but one—just one!—said that was his moment to pick Trump. Bryant Rosado:
"She wasn't clear enough on the policies. She did speak a lot of her personal history, on her personal history which was great, but I still don't feel like she's ready. I feel like, more so, she should wait. I don't want to personally vote for someone that is a backup."
Given a performance better than anyone seemed to expect, Rosado's reaction was peculiar enough to result in the scrutiny that was not done by CNN. Turns out he was a Trump guy all along, including promoting fundraisers.
MeidasTouch has uncovered that, despite telling CNN that he was an undecided voter who just decided to vote for Trump, Rosado has a substantial MAGA social media history … Rosado's social media history, reviewed by MeidasTouch, reveals that he has been posting pro-Trump content for years. … On Twitter, Rosado retweeted Trump's mugshot multiple times. The retweet of Donald Trump's post of the mugshot contained a link to Trump's website, which redirected to a fundraising page.
So much for vetting! As an aside, here's something you need to know about polls and the media: we pay for polls so we can can write stories about polls. We're paying for a drumbeat to dance to. This isn't to say polls are unscientific, or false, or misleading: they're generally accurate, even if the content written around marginal noise tends to misrepresent them. It's to remind you that when you're reading about polls, you're watching us hula hoop the ourobouros. Keep an eye out for poll guys boasting about their influence as much as their accuracy. That's when you'll know the rot has reached the root, not that there's anything you can do about it.
Take an NYC traffic cam selfie
Gail Sherman / 7:09 am PT Sat Aug 24, 2024
Image: Little Vignettes Photo/shutterstock.com
Traffic Cam Photobooth will locate the nearest NYC traffic camera and help you take the perfect selfie. It's fun, of course, but it was designed for a greater purpose: surveillance awareness. From the site's About page:
Traffic Cam Photobooth is a website that allows anybody to locate their nearest publicly available traffic camera and use it to take pictures of themselves. While these cameras are ostensibly intended for traffic, they also serve to acclimate us to the idea that constant monitoring is an everyday part life in the city. No matter the target of this surveillance, it's clear from looking at the map that most New Yorkers get unconsentingly captured by the lens of at least one camera – if not several – every day. TCP offers visitors an engaging and lighthearted way to engage with this very serious topic by drawing attention to these easily ignored cameras. People can use their feeds, which their tax dollars help fund, to take pictures of themselves, spreading the knowledge of this sprawling surveillance apparatus through fun self-portraits designed to be sharable online.
You can choose between photo booth and Polaroid mode and change the background from regular to brat if you can pull off the use of the word "brat," which I cannot. You can also customize the text on the Polaroid. The site only works on mobile because they don't want you walking around in traffic with a laptop, which I would argue is only slightly more dangerous than walking in traffic with a phone.
So, have fun with it and try not to worry about living under constant surveillance.
Previously: A silly parrot photobombs a traffic camera in this cute video
NASA insists stranded Starliner crew is not "stuck"
Gail Sherman / 6:27 am PT Sat Aug 24, 2024
Starliner capsule. Image: NASA
As we have covered previously, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are on day 77 of a planned ten-day mission to the International Space Station. The Starliner launch was given the go-ahead despite a helium leak. The leak was discovered while addressing a different failure that had caused a previous launch to be scrubbed. Starliner experienced thruster issues that caused difficulty docking with the ISS, and several more helium leaks were discovered. As a result, the mission has been extended multiple times while NASA decides if it is safe for them to return via Starliner.
NASA has recently updated the FAQ for the mission, and if their goal was transparency, they failed.
If there's an emergency on the space station, how will Butch and Suni get home?
Starliner remains the primary option for Butch and Suni if an emergency occurs and they need to rapidly depart the station. There is no urgent need to bring them home, and NASA is using the extra time to understand the spacecraft's technical issues before deciding on a return plan.
So, they have yet to determine if it is safe for them to return on Starliner, but it is the primary option in an emergency.
Why is the Crew Flight Test staying longer than planned aboard the space station?
During Starliner's flight to the space station, some of the spacecraft's thrusters did not perform as expected and several leaks in Starliner's helium system were observed. While the initial mission duration was planned for about a week, there is no rush to bring crew home, so NASA and Boeing are taking additional time to learn about the spacecraft. This is a lesson learned from the space shuttle Columbia accident. [emphasis mine] Our NASA and Boeing teams are poring over data from additional in-space and ground testing and analysis, providing mission managers data to make the best, safest decision on how and when to return crew home.
This seems disingenuous at best. NASA knew the danger of foam strikes from the very first mission. but ignored it, and Columbia was lost. They knew Starliner had a leak and launched anyway, so this is not a great example of a lesson learned. Delaying the crew's return until there is clear data that it is safe is the correct course of action. However, invoking Columbia at this stage, when the launch itself was questionable, is crass and disrespectful to the memory of the crew of Columbia.
Are Butch and Suni stuck on the space station?
No, Butch and Suni are safe aboard the space station working alongside the Expedition 71 crew. They also have been actively involved in Starliner testing and technical meetings. Butch and Suni could return home aboard Starliner if an emergency arises. The agency also has other return options available, if needed, for both contingency and normal returning planning.
This is the part that strains credulity. Is the crew technically not "stuck" because they could leave on Starliner? the possibility that they would be unable to maneuver if the thrusters "[do] not perform as expected" again?
Boeing's latest update reads like they are trying to convince themselves that everything is fine.
Boeing remains confident in the Starliner spacecraft and its ability to return safely with crew. We continue to support NASA's requests for additional testing, data, analysis and reviews to affirm the spacecraft's safe undocking and landing capabilities. Our confidence is based on this abundance of valuable testing from Boeing and NASA. The testing has confirmed 27 of 28 RCS thrusters are healthy and back to full operational capability. Starliner's propulsion system also maintains redundancy and the helium levels remain stable. The data also supports root cause assessments for the helium and thruster issues and flight rationale for Starliner and its crew's return to Earth.
Nothing about this mission has been good PR for either NASA or Boeing, but they are making it worse by being so cagy about the situation. NASA will hold a press conference at 1 PM on Saturday, during which they are expected to announce the plan for the return of Starliner.
Shopper claims she had Louis Vuitton staff spend hours counting $110k in cash, then left without buying anything
Rob Beschizza / 4:38 am PT Sat Aug 24, 2024
Photo: Rob Beschizza
A shopper had staff at the Louis Vuitton store in Chongqing's StarLight Place shopping mall spend hours counting out 600,000 yuan, worth $110k, then left without buying the expensive dresses at hand. She thereby extracted revenge from the luxury brand, known for its signature monogrammed handbags, luggage and other accouterments; a store employee was rude to her during a previous visit.
The woman said she went to the outlet to shop for clothes but had been treated dismissively by the staff there. Apart from ignoring her request for a drink, they also directed her to items from previous seasons instead of showing the latest arrivals. She also accused the staff of rolling their eyes at her and appearing impatient when she asked to see some dresses. The woman added that she was ignored when she tried to call LV's headquarters about the situation after leaving the store. According to Hong Kong news outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP), the woman bore the grudge for two months before cooking up the payback scheme and returning to the outlet with a bag of cash.
She wrote on Xiaohongshu: "After they finished counting it, I just took away my money and left. How is it possible for me to buy their products to improve their work performance?"
I am skeptical. LVMH isn't saying anything and the only source is the lady's twitterings. Nonetheless, The New York Times should bring back that fantastic "professional actors reenact real-life events" series (chicken, photocopier) so Michelle Yeoh can do this one.
Previously: Woman kicked off flight after refusing to stow Louis Vuitton bag under seat
The Houthis are selling machine guns on Twitter. They even have blue checks.
Rob Beschizza / 3:59 am PT Sat Aug 24, 2024
Musk Tesla Twitter Xitter X
That Twitter is where you buy guns now is one of the funniest things about the Musk era there, but there's something even funnier about the press only waking up to it because the Houthis are getting in on the action. The listings are in Arabic and solicit local customers in Yemen: "Premium craftsmanship and top-notch warranty," says one advertisement. "The Yemeni-modified AK is your best choice."
"It is inconceivable that they [the weapons dealers] are not operating on the Houthis' behalf," said the former British Ambassador to Yemen, Edmund Fitton-Brown, who now works for the Counter Extremism Project. "Purely private dealers who tried to profit from supplying, [for example] the government of Yemen, would be quickly shut down." An investigation by The Times newspaper found that several of the Yemeni accounts bore the blue tick of verification. Both The Times and the BBC have approached X for comment, but have not so far received any response.
AKs are widely and legally available in the U.S. and you can even make your own. But those, of course, are not Yemeni-modified and therefore not your best choice.
Vegas politician accused of murdering reporter admits their articles cost him a win
Rob Beschizza / 3:44 am PT Sat Aug 24, 2024
Happy Telles (left, official portrait) and Sad Telles (right, Clark County Detention Center)
Robert Telles, 47, lost the Democratic Party primary for Clark County Public Administrator in Nevada after reporting by Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German. German was killed outside his home by a masked assailant. Telles, on trial, charged with his murder, insists he's been set up—but told the court that German's reportage killed his campaign.
"You believe if Mr. German had not written these four articles, you would have won the race, correct?" prosecutor Christopher Hamner asked during Telles' second day of testimony. "I do believe that, yes," Telles responded.
Telles said while he was hopeful he would win the primary race, he wasn't sure he was going to, and was ready to resume work in probate law in the event of a loss. He eventually came in third place.
In response, Hamner showed text messages between Telles and a coworker where the defendant said he was worried the articles would follow him "for years to come" and would jeopardize his career and his future.
Telles's DNA was found under German's fingernails, photos of German's house were on Telles' phone, a car matching his was seen at the scene, and he was in the unfortunate position of having to explain that "he did not destroy a shoe and hat matching those worn by the assailant." He has had problems controlling his temper in the past.
German, 69, wrote about the underbelly of "Sin City" and had covered mobsters, crooked officials and corrupt government agencies in an ink-stained life. Yet prosecutors said it was his coverage of a little-known office run by an elected county official that led to the murder. German had written about allegations of wrongdoing in the Clark County Public Administrator's office, reporting that Telles created a hostile work environment and carried on an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. … He was working on a story about Telles the week he was killed, according to the Review-Journal.
Telles claims to have been framed by the party establishment. You can never really guess what a jury's going to do, but this guy is screwed six ways from Sunday.
Open source clones of classic video games
Rob Beschizza / 3:11 am PT Sat Aug 24, 2024
Oolite. Screenshot: Gsagostinho, CC0
Open Source Game Clones lists hundreds of them, from Oolite to Freeciv with many you haven't heard of in-between, categorized and ordered for your entertainment.
This site tries to gather open-source or source-available remakes of great old games in one place. If you think that something is missing from the list – please go to our GitHub repository and create an issue or even a pull request! Since all these projects are open-source you can help them and make this world a better place. Or at least you can play something to appreciate the effort people put in them.
Similar resources—consider the formal definitions of the terms—include the Open Source Game List, Awesome Open Source Games and Free Gamer.
Previously:
• Where to get free games
• I'm afraid to die in games
• The existential dread of fighting games
Musk agrees to give stock to X employees but only if they explain why they deserve it
Allan Rose Hill / 1:49 pm PT Fri Aug 23, 2024
Elon Musk
X employees who have been waiting for word about stock grants finally got news last night, and it's as absurd as expected. Elon Musk sent an email overnight saying that workers must prepare a one-page explanation about why they feel they deserve the stock.
The Verge, which says they saw the email, reports:
These long-awaited stock grants add to the tensions between X leadership and staff after the promotions process was recently delayed without explanation, we previously reported. Given how the company formerly called Twitter has continued to struggle under Elon Musk's ownership, employees have been bracing for more layoffs.
What's more, a source at X told The Verge that the company still owes staff their annual equity refresher, which was supposed to be doled out in April.
Previously:
• Elon Musk triggered by Black comic book characters
• 'They're such NPCs' — Why Elon Musk thinks you're not real
• Musk told Trump that Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings 'not as scary as people think.' Trump: 'That's great.'
• Elon Musk is personally directing warranty repairs at Tesla
Drunk toddler taken to ER after restaurant served her wine in a juice cup
Allan Rose Hill / 1:07 pm PT Fri Aug 23, 2024
image: Zvetogram/Shutterstock
A toddler was taken to the ER after getting drunk on wine accidentally served to her in a juice cup at dining at Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant in Salinas, California. The two-year-old girl's parents ordered her apple juice which the server apparently poured from a large container that was labeled "apple juice." Thing is, the container was actually filled with cooking wine.
"She was swaying, she was falling over, she was leaning on walls, she couldn't hold her head up, she was slurring her words," said the child's mom, Noemi Valencia.
A test at the ER showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.12%. The family spent the night in the hospital for the girl to sober up and she is reportedly fine.
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control stated that it's "aware of the reports and is working with local authorities to investigate."
KSBW spoke to the restaurant manager who "said it was a mistake."
Previously:
• A struggling restaurant was saved by the power of cats
• 'The greatest restaurant in the world' has South Park ownership, cliff divers, and a 600,000-person long wait list
• Food critic: Eminem's 'Mom's Spaghetti' restaurant 'the worst spaghetti that I have ever had in my entire life of eating spaghetti'
Ouch! Ann Coulter gets roasted to death by DC comedian, and it's brutal (video)
Carla Sinclair / 12:53 pm PT Fri Aug 23, 2024
Why Ann Coulter thought it was a good idea to mock Tim Walz's 17-year-old son for his emotional reaction at the DNC, calling him "weird," is a real stumper. But the perpetually mean conservative immediately got her comeuppance with fierce online backlash from both sides of the political aisle.
And one of the most fiery roasts comes from a DC comedian.
Recalling with smiles how she spent all week at the DNC being "demure," "mindful" and "cutsie," Elizabeth Booker Houston says her sweet-girl schtick disappeared after Coulter slammed Walz's boy, who has learning disabilities. Houston then drops her niceties and gets real: "I'm going to say, f*ck that sh*t, it's all out of the window, man. F*ck you, Ann."
Her words sound like a machine-gun firing off as she slams Coulter with words that would be considered below-the-belt if she were targeting anyone else.
"Don't nobody give a f*ck about a woman who died 10 years ago and is decomposing and still dyes her hair with peroxide in the motherf*cking sink. What the f*ck do you know about raising children, okay? …" Ouch! She goes on and on, referring to Coulter, among other things, as the Wicked Witch of the West with an "unseasoned succubus ass" — and it's brutal. (See video below.)
By the way, Ann Coulter has since deleted her ugly tweet.
Previously: Nearly forgotten pundit makes fun of Tim Walz's son
Twitter loses World Bank ads over pro-Nazi content placement
Mark Frauenfelder / 12:30 pm PT Fri Aug 23, 2024
Twitter screengrabs of racist content with World Bank Advertising
The World Bank has stopped all paid advertising on Xitter after its ads appeared alongside racist and pro-Nazi content, according to a CBS News investigation. The ad appeared in the comments section of a racist post from a verified account with over 115,000 followers.
A World Bank spokesperson called the incident "entirely unacceptable" and said the organization was "immediately ceasing all paid marketing on X."
CBS News says it uncovered multiple instances of ads from well-known brands appearing under posts with white nationalist or pro-Nazi content from verified accounts. The investigation identified more than a dozen verified accounts with large followings posting racist material.
The question isn't "What will Elon do about this?" Rather, it's "Who will Elon sue about this?"
Previously:
• X/Twitter placed ads for major brands next to conspiracy theories about Jewish people orchestrating the 9/11 attacks
• Xitter XEO exposes vast conspiracy of legal behavior
• Almost all major advertisers have fled Elon Musk's Twitter, new data shows
• Musk vows to crush Media Matters with a 'thermonuclear' lawsuit
MAGA turns on Amy Coney Barrett for siding with liberals on voting rights
Mark Frauenfelder / 12:09 pm PT Fri Aug 23, 2024
Image: Amy Coney Barrett; US Supreme Court
MAGA is furious with Amy Coney Barrett for not being blindly obedient to the wishes of Donald Trump. MAGA's best and brightest minds — like Xitter addict catturd2 — expressed their disgust with the Supreme Court Justice for siding with the court's three liberals in a 5-4 ruling that bars Arizona residents from registering to vote if they don't show proof of citizenship.
From Newsweek:
On X, formerly Twitter, Trump supporters were outraged by her decision in the Arizona case.
"What the hell is wrong with Amy Coney Barrett? She voted with the liberals on the court to block a requirement for proof of citizenship in AZ to vote! She's a disaster!" wrote Bill Mitchell, the host of YourVoice America.
The anonymous social media account @catturd2 wrote, "Amy Commie Barrett strikes again."
"Amy Coney Barret again siding with the liberals," another user added. "What a mistake it was to nominate her."
Unfortunately for MAGA, it turns out "originalist" doesn't always mean "Trump-inist."
Queen's Brian May clears badgers of TB rap
Gail Sherman / 12:09 pm PT Fri Aug 23, 2024
Image by Edward Hasting-Evans / shutterstock.com
Brian May is a modern-day polymath – guitarist, astrophysicist, and defender of badgers. May famously gave up studying astrophysics to play guitar for Queen, but he returned to his studies and belatedly earned his PhD in 2007. In addition to continuing his work in astrophysics, May also spent the last 12 years studying bovine tuberculosis. The disease costs the UK $130 million a year and results in the slaughter of 20,000 cows.
Badgers have long been thought to be the source of the TB, but May questioned whether the stripe-faced mustelids were really to blame. The UK government's decision to issue 'culling' permits for badgers has resulted in the loss of over 130,000 of these animals since 2013. The Save Me Trust, a wildlife charity co-founded by May and his team, has not yet published their findings, but they have discovered strong evidence that cattle are being infected by eating the dung of other cows, not by airborne infection from badgers.
On Robert Reid's farm we, for some time, had a healthy herd with an infected population of badgers around it. And all through this period, almost 10 years, there's never been a single infection from the cows that could graze in the fields, near where the badgers live. All have been in the sheds.
There is also a farmer in Tiverton who built an amazing fence five miles long around his beef herd, to keep the wildlife out. Eventually he lost half his herd. How did that happen? It's highly likely that a new bull — shown as healthy by the skin test — is the way this herd became destroyed. It's likely that this is a pattern we've seen in many other places as well. I would like farmers to see the documentary and think, OK, maybe we're ready for a change. We need to change so many methods in cattle farming to solve this problem.
A BBC documentary, "The Badgers, the Farmers and Me," about the team's work and findings will air in the United Kingdom on August 23.
Bonus: Badger badger mushroom
Previously: How astrophysicist and Queen musician Brian May made his own guitar
Where to get free games
Rob Beschizza / 12:05 pm PT Fri Aug 23, 2024
Art from TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. Image: Tribute Games
The New York Times offers a roundup (apparently not paywalled) of places you can get some free video games, including on consoles.
Whether you own a PlayStation, a smartphone, or a gaming PC, accounts or memberships you probably already have regularly give away full-length games on a monthly or weekly basis. These games offer great opportunities to break out of your comfort zone and try new genres. We've compiled a list of all the titles you can get your hands on right now (or very soon) if you have an active PlayStation Plus, Netflix, or Amazon Prime subscription, or if you've signed up for a free account with Epic Games.
There's an incredible omission in the PC section: they don't know about itch.io, perhaps the best place of them all.
Previously:
• The Beginner's Guide is a game that doesn't want to be written about
• Making computer games from scratch in 1987
• The vast, unplayable history of video games