Saturday, September 07, 2019
Paper Fence
I am not naive enough to think that the Marshall of the Supreme Court was going to come and arrest Trump, or that any high ranking elites would ever suffer for anything, but I was naive enough to think that the Dems would offer up enough of a resistance (hashtag) to say, "cut this shit out." Instead they said, "keep taking our lunch money, please, Mr. President" and are less of a barrier to him than the Republicans were when they ran the House.
More and more crimes every day! The biggest crimes! The best crimes! And I just tweet them out!
More and more crimes every day! The biggest crimes! The best crimes! And I just tweet them out!
Owning The Libs
One thing about UK politics is that the Tories haven't quite figured out how to do their version of "owning the libs." Not in a consistent obvious fashion, anyway. Part of it's that a bunch of genuine upper class twits who went to Eton and Oxbridge can't quite pull off pretending they came from humble middle class backgrounds, like our Paul Ryans sorta can. And part of it is just that generally the culture war stuff doesn't have such a clear divide. The joke is that the tabloids there can spend 3 days creating outrage about something, and then the next 3 days creating outrage about the fact that anyone created outrage. So, yes, their right wing readers are a bunch of outrage junkies, but that they can flip between getting mad a schoolteacher for being gay (or whatever) and getting mad that anyone got mad at the poor schoolteacher 3 days later, makes it a bit harder to know where the consistent applause lines are.
Tosser
Just a righteous column mocking Boris.
For now, it feels remarkable to think that barely five weeks ago, the vast majority of Tory MPs were telling us Boris Johnson was the only possible answer to various questions. It turns out those questions were: “How would Dudley Dursley and Draco Malfoy’s baby look and behave?”, “What if you shaved the Honey Monster and put him in a suit for a court appearance?” and “Does anyone know the ancient Greek for shitting the bed?”.
Despite practising since boyhood, Boris Johnson’s entire demeanour is that of a man who has won a competition to lead the country for a day. He is Mike Bassett: England Prime Minister, yet wheels out jokes he’s done 437 times before as though he’s Frank Sinatra and reckons the crowd can’t wait to see him do My Way again. Johnson must be the only performer whose audience spends his gigs screaming: PLEASE, DO YOUR NEW STUFF.
Friday, September 06, 2019
Parked Vehicles
For a long time I said, about self-driving cars, that safety wasn't really the issue because, almost tautologically, if they work they'll be safe. I didn't bargain on Elon Musk.
“It’s not unique to Tesla,” said David Zuby, chief research officer at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which has studied how automated driver-assist systems perform. “We’ve seen evidence in our test driving of other systems with this kind of problem.”It isn't unique to Tesla, but Tesla is unique in overselling its products to consumers who want to believe.
The radars and cameras used to sense obstructions ahead each have their limitations and computer software that evaluates the data is still a work in progress, according to the experts and advocates. In many cases, they are better at tracking moving vehicles ahead than recognizing parked ones.
America's Dumbest Humans
Rich Lowry.
They're old now (me too!) but it's worth pondering when people like Lowry and Jonah Goldberg were like 15 years old and for some reason on our teevees all the time. It isn't that I object to younger people doing this stuff, it's just... why them? Why is Rich Lowry on my teevee telling me we have to invade Iraq? He can't find it on a map, either! I mean we know the answers, but they aren't good answers.
They're old now (me too!) but it's worth pondering when people like Lowry and Jonah Goldberg were like 15 years old and for some reason on our teevees all the time. It isn't that I object to younger people doing this stuff, it's just... why them? Why is Rich Lowry on my teevee telling me we have to invade Iraq? He can't find it on a map, either! I mean we know the answers, but they aren't good answers.
Sharpie Man
I try to keep "lol Trump is a big dum dum" posts to a minimum, as easy as they are, because as funny as he is (and I don't fault anyone for finding humor!), it's also... not funny. But Sharpie Man is something different. There is something indisputably not right with a man who did that. "Oh I'll just draw in a weird extra circle that looks absolutely nothing like anything else on the map and I'll get away with it."
The brain worms are winning.
It was Trump who used a black Sharpie to mark up an official National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration map, which he displayed during an Oval Office briefing on Wednesday, according to a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.Trump ordering his flunkies to doctor the map would also be bad, but bad in a different way, and they would have at least done a marginally better job.
“No one else writes like that on a map with a black Sharpie,” the official said of the map, which added Alabama into the hurricane’s potential pathway inside the loop of the marker.
The brain worms are winning.
Thursday, September 05, 2019
Sharpie Man
It is impossible not to conclude that the sharpie man is Donald himself, because as much as the subliterate lickspittles who work for him are the worst that humanity has to offer, even they can't have imagined that it would have been an acceptable thing to show to the press.
There's dumb, and there's thinking everybody else is dumb, and then there is... something is not right with that boy.
There's dumb, and there's thinking everybody else is dumb, and then there is... something is not right with that boy.
Brain Worms
The little buggers chomp slowly, but the man is worse now than he was 3 million years ago when he became president.
One For The Lawyers
Elon, you aren't supposed to admit that you're putting buggy software into 2 ton high speed semi-autonomous vehicles.
Still too buggy to be in wide EAP. Requires more testing. Hopefully, going to wide EAP next week.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2019
Unsafe At That Speed
Highway driving is largely the "easy" problem for various level of automated driving. Except for one thing - the speed. The speed is especially (but not just) a problem for what they call Level 2 or Level 3 systems, which in theory kinda drive themselves in some situations but still need "attentive" drivers. At 65mph you travel 475 feet in 5 seconds. The cars "see" about twice this (assuming flat, straight) so that's 10 seconds. There's a very small window of time to realize a) your Tesla is about to drive into a fire truck and b) react even if you are hands-on-the-wheels looking straight ahead at all times. If the car can't handle these situations, it is unrealistic to put blame on the driver because even a perfect driver isn't going to fix it.
This happened at a slower speed, but it isn't much different, and if the car can't handle the situation at a slower speed it isn't going to at the faster one.
This happened at a slower speed, but it isn't much different, and if the car can't handle the situation at a slower speed it isn't going to at the faster one.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited both driver error and Tesla's Autopilot design as the probable causes of a January 2018 crash, in which a Model S slammed into a parked fire truck at about 31 mph. According to the report, the driver was distracted and did not see the fire truck. But NTSB says that Tesla's Autopilot was also at fault, as its design "permitted the driver to disengage from the driving task."
The driver reportedly had Autopilot engaged and was following closely behind a large SUV or truck. The lead vehicle changed lanes to move around a fire truck that was parked in the lane ahead. The Tesla driver claimed he was drinking coffee and eating a bagel and did not see the firetruck. When the lead vehicle changed lanes, the Model S accelerated. About .49 seconds before the crash, the vehicle detected a stationary object in the road and displayed a warning, but it was too late.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident
Yes, sure, Jefferson, then why did you feel the need to spell them out. Huh? HUH?
Pretty sure even the most tuned out voter in America has, at this point, heard a "LOL MR. TRUMP YOU SAID MEXICO WOULD PAY FOR THE WALL" SICK BURN HIGH FIVE!!!!
People get that Trump is a buffoon. People also think politicians are all full of shit and corrupt. If you want to make the case that Trump is even more corrupt than that you gotta go on teevee and explain it and say what, in fact, you are gonna do about it (McCaskill is not in Congress at the moment, but those who are). That Trump is a buffoon and full of shit and corrupt in a normal politician way is self-evident. Don't need SICK BURNS about LOL MEXICO WALL. People get that much. The rest is not, actually, self-evident.
The Republicans managed to hold 876 hearings about things that were bullshit.
“Going to build a wall!”
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) September 5, 2019
“ and Mexico is going to pay for it!”
Nope...Check that.
“ and our Military is going to pay for it!”
(Remember when Congress was controlled by Rs during Trumps first 2 years they did NOTHING on wall funding) https://t.co/6uSTJifR09 via @NYTimes
Pretty sure even the most tuned out voter in America has, at this point, heard a "LOL MR. TRUMP YOU SAID MEXICO WOULD PAY FOR THE WALL" SICK BURN HIGH FIVE!!!!
People get that Trump is a buffoon. People also think politicians are all full of shit and corrupt. If you want to make the case that Trump is even more corrupt than that you gotta go on teevee and explain it and say what, in fact, you are gonna do about it (McCaskill is not in Congress at the moment, but those who are). That Trump is a buffoon and full of shit and corrupt in a normal politician way is self-evident. Don't need SICK BURNS about LOL MEXICO WALL. People get that much. The rest is not, actually, self-evident.
The Republicans managed to hold 876 hearings about things that were bullshit.
GoNNA bE ciViL WAR
I saw this when Axelrod tweeted it and rolled my eyes.
No it wouldn't tear the country apart, in part because it would barely inspire Democrats to do anything but make some sassy tweets about it. Mr. McConnell, SIRRAH, the HYPOCRISY!
I remember somebody in the Obama administration complaining that when McConnell was refusing to deal with Garland, reporters were, instead of reporting on the NORMS VIOLATION, basically asking them...well, what are you going to do about it? Obama barely got mad about it. Whatever the flaws in reporting, you can't expect reporters to get mad for you. At the time everybody knew what the Obama people were going to do about Garland was... Nothing. Advantage, Mitch.
And, no, the people aren't going to take to the streets over a Supreme Court appointment. If they did half the Democrats would be on teevee rejecting this uncouth display of incivility. They don't want to lead and they don't want "the people" to do anything. They want Joe Scarborough to have an "at long last" moment and RESTORE THE NORMS AND CIVILITY.
In 2020 they can get mad at "the base" who they hate for not voting. Again.
If there is a SCOTUS vacancy next year and @senatemajldr carries through on his extraordinary promise to fill it-despite his own previous precedent in blocking Garland-it will tear this country apart.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 23, 2019
No it wouldn't tear the country apart, in part because it would barely inspire Democrats to do anything but make some sassy tweets about it. Mr. McConnell, SIRRAH, the HYPOCRISY!
I remember somebody in the Obama administration complaining that when McConnell was refusing to deal with Garland, reporters were, instead of reporting on the NORMS VIOLATION, basically asking them...well, what are you going to do about it? Obama barely got mad about it. Whatever the flaws in reporting, you can't expect reporters to get mad for you. At the time everybody knew what the Obama people were going to do about Garland was... Nothing. Advantage, Mitch.
And, no, the people aren't going to take to the streets over a Supreme Court appointment. If they did half the Democrats would be on teevee rejecting this uncouth display of incivility. They don't want to lead and they don't want "the people" to do anything. They want Joe Scarborough to have an "at long last" moment and RESTORE THE NORMS AND CIVILITY.
In 2020 they can get mad at "the base" who they hate for not voting. Again.
After both of this century’s Republican presidents came to power in corrupt fashion, and as popular vote losers, then set about stacking the judiciary, the case for reversing the GOP theft of the courts couldn’t be stronger. But that work won’t start by warning McConnell he’ll “tear this country apart”—a consequence he couldn’t care less about, and may actually excite him. It will only start by resolving to use power in turn to set things right.
We will know by the end of the year which Democratic faction prevailed, but we’ll look back on the bygone season as the moment the party reached a crossroads and chose a path.
Wednesday, September 04, 2019
Wednesday Night
Would hypothetical third term President Obama prefer PM Johnson or PM Corbyn?
Discuss.
Discuss.
A Blog About All The Dumb Stuff Trump Does
I could just point and laugh all day.
The President of the United States altered a National Hurricane Center map with a sharpie to falsely extend the official forecast toward Alabama so he didn't have to admit he was wrong in a tweet. https://t.co/i0CJcYV4yq pic.twitter.com/pR57IL6WfT
— Dennis Mersereau (@wxdam) September 4, 2019
The Thing That Makes America Special Is That We Do Love Children
A lot of the people involved in this have children and should know better. Did know better. Nobody could've known! I'm not a parent and I know.
Mr. President, tell us about your tweets!
A government watchdog report published Wednesday said immigrant children who were separated from their parents at the border by the Trump administration last year suffered increased post-traumatic stress and trauma.
Some unaccompanied immigrant children who end up at government facilities already experienced physical or sexual abuse in the countries they fled, or violence on the journey to the US, the report said. The trauma was only made worse by the "zero-tolerance" policy that led to thousands of children being systematically separated from their parents by immigration authorities in the spring of 2018.
Mr. President, tell us about your tweets!
Ticky Tacky
I spent time in various places but I mostly grew up in the suburbs, not just of the geography but of the mind. I think things were changing even then, but at the time kids still roamed around the neighborhood unsupervised. We put hockey goals in the street and pulled them aside when cars game. Bike riding wasn't a huge thing in my neigborhood, but people did it. I don't remember what school district policies were, but I think 3rd grade and up at least kids walked to school unsupervised, though I think soon after they got rid of the crossing guards and tightened the rules about that. Now parents even walk their kids to the bus stop.
Anyway, supposedly that's why people moved to the suburbs. One reason anyway. Your kids were "safe." Whatever the reality of safety concerns, all the stories of school lockdown drills and parents unwilling to leave their kids unsupervised even for a moment... take away the supposed freedom of safety, and it's all very isolating.
Anyway, supposedly that's why people moved to the suburbs. One reason anyway. Your kids were "safe." Whatever the reality of safety concerns, all the stories of school lockdown drills and parents unwilling to leave their kids unsupervised even for a moment... take away the supposed freedom of safety, and it's all very isolating.
The Art of the Hissy Fit
Republicans are great at it. Find an issue. Bombard reporters and cable news with it. Make sure it's the issue of the day. Repeat.
"Journalism" shouldn't work this way, but it does, and it's a game the Dems never even try to play.
"Journalism" shouldn't work this way, but it does, and it's a game the Dems never even try to play.
Tuesday, September 03, 2019
Vaporware
I've been wondering what the endgame for Musk's "full self driving is," given that it will never exist and that he's been advertising it and taking payment for it for years. Can I interest you in full self driving Eschaton The Blog? Pay me $3000 now because it might cost more later! Nice business model.
One of Elon's little lies is always saying that unnamed regulators might prevent speedy implementation of a feature which is going to work any day now promise. The regulators might give him an out, although I imagine people still might want their money back.
Autopilot is the precursor to "full self driving." It's basically a lane assist feature that other manufacturers have, but Musk in various ways suggests that it's much better than that and people think it drives itself.
One of Elon's little lies is always saying that unnamed regulators might prevent speedy implementation of a feature which is going to work any day now promise. The regulators might give him an out, although I imagine people still might want their money back.
WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday a Tesla Model S was in Autopilot mode when it struck a fire truck in Culver City, California -- one of a series of crashes the board is investigating involving Tesla’s driver assistance system.
Autopilot is the precursor to "full self driving." It's basically a lane assist feature that other manufacturers have, but Musk in various ways suggests that it's much better than that and people think it drives itself.
A Sad Minority
A Tory has defected to the LibDems leaving Boris without a majority.
This would be a fun TV series if it wasn't on its 22nd season. Oh and if it was fake.
This would be a fun TV series if it wasn't on its 22nd season. Oh and if it was fake.
"No Deal" Brexit Just Means There Are Lots Of Deals To Be Made
Brexiteers want people to think "no deal" is somehow an end state, except for maybe signing GLORIOUS TRADE DEALS WITH AMERICA which a) take forever to get through Congress and b) will likely be worse than our relationship with the EU, but the "emergency" state of a "no deal Brexit" will only wane once... some deals get made.
It's all so ridiculous.
It's all so ridiculous.
They Can't Be
We joke about people lacking the empathy gene, but I think the real issue is that people of a certain class lack the ability-to-feel-shame gene.
If Stephens can abuse his position by searching out and threatening anyone who makes a joke about him online, and then devote an entire column to the nonsense personal vendetta that ensues, then I have to ask… how embarrassing is too embarrassing for Times editorial page editor James Bennet and his team?
There Were Many Moments
The details differ, but in the UK, as is often the case here, there's some general belief by the journalist/pundit class (even more of the same thing there) that some Wise Old Men of Westminster (Washington) who always have to be Tories (Republicans) will somehow do the right thing and save the day.
Rarely is it acknowledged that even if they eventually do come through, there were many many missed opportunities.
Rarely is it acknowledged that even if they eventually do come through, there were many many missed opportunities.
Monday, September 02, 2019
Monday Night
Holiday weekend almost over.
And speaking of the Internet of Shit (okay, we weren't speaking of it, but I lacked a segue), the Tesla app is busted and not letting people into their cars. There's a FOB which works... if you carry it with you!
And speaking of the Internet of Shit (okay, we weren't speaking of it, but I lacked a segue), the Tesla app is busted and not letting people into their cars. There's a FOB which works... if you carry it with you!
The Noble Profession Of Journalism
Many of you are probably less interested in the subject than I am, but you're probably aware that there are a couple of important and pressing issues in the UK at the moment.
Journalist 1: Does the dog have a name?
Prime Minister's spokesperson: I would expect the dog's name to be revealed shortly. But I don't have it with me. It arrived at 11 o'clock it was brought by Friends of Animals Wales to Number 10, they are a fantastic charity run by volunteers who work around the clock to make a difference to animals. The prime minister has always been a big supporter of animal welfare, has always believed that animals should get the right start in life. That's why the government has taken such significant action in this area.
Journalist 2: Forgive me if I've missed this but has the PM been to Balmoral yet?
Prime Minister spokesperson: Ahh, he has not no. As you will have noticed.
Journalist 2: What's that due to?
Prime Minister's spokesperson: Let me check that and come back to. But certainly not. Any other questions?
Journalist 3: Just on the dog, how old is the dog?
Prime Minister's spokesperson: Ah the dog is, a few months, three or four months. I can get the exact number at the next.
Journalist 3: Boy or girl?
Prime Minister's spokesperson: It's a boy.
Journalist 3: And the naming will be announced by...
Prime Minister's spokesperson: (Laughs) Genuinely I don't know, later on. I will check to see if I can help you out a bit more later on.
Journalist 4: Is there a breed?
Prime Minister's spokesperson: (Inaudible)
Journalist 3: Is it toilet trained? Is it moving into the flat?
Prime Minister's spokesperson: No, it's a rescue puppy, as I say, it has been rescued by the charity Friends of Animals Wales and they've been caring for the puppy so far.
Journalist 3: Do we know if it's toilet trained?
Prime Minister's spokesperson: I genuinely haven't asked.
Journalist 3: Can you ask because it's a considerable amount of time and the prime minister's time can't be taken up by that.
Prime Minister's spokesperson: (Laughs) Well I'd really love to check but I'd say that the charity have been looking after it for several weeks...
Journalist 5: One final question as to the dog, can't believe I'm asking a dog question, who does the dog ultimately belong to? Because there's obviously a cat, the cat will stay where it is and it's territorial and the dog...
Prime Minister's spokesperson: The dog belongs to the PM and Carrie Symonds.
Journalist 6: Has Larry met the dog?
Prime Minister's spokesperson: Larry will have probably met the dog probably by now, but he hadn't when I left.
A source in the briefing said the remaining 20 minutes of the briefing were spent on the other pressing issues of the day, including the political crisis over Brexit.
Nobody Knows How Anything Works
The UK doesn't have a written constitution, which is a polite way of saying that though they pretend otherwise they don't really have one at all.
The norms! The norms!
The norms! The norms!
Sunday, September 01, 2019
Ridiculous
EXCL: Leaked govt docs seen by @skynews show vehicles could face a *2 day* delay at Dover.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) September 1, 2019
-That’s a pile up of up to 8,000 vehicles.
-Even in best case scenario lorries will be waiting for 2-3 hours, with 50% waiting for at least 8.
New analysis drawn up in last fortnight.
No sane exporters/importers will bother so the lines won't be nearly as long!
Cable News And Twitter
I don't feel sorry for My President because even at his best he was a horrible person and he hasn't exactly lacked in advantage and good luck in his life, but I really do hope that when I am rich (give me all of your money, dear readers), I will have better things to do. Even without being rich I sometimes find better things to do! Staring at literally anything on the teevee box that isn't Fox and Friends, for example.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)