My workplace (which isn’t a preschool, but has preschoolers) floated the idea of doing a “trunk or treat.” But my manager nixed it with the explanation that it was “cringey.”

I don’t agree with her on much, but I agree with her on that. Instead we decorated the doors in the center and had the kids practice trick-or-treating the proper way.

Some people in the complaints believed they were talking directly with Musk, a sadly common story that has popped up in news reports before.

I remember when I thought I was talking directly to a celebrity online… when I was 13. It didn’t take long to realize how stupid that idea was. To be a grown adult and still think there’s a chance a celebrity is sending messages to random people is mind-boggling.

I cringe at the memories now, but at least I can take comfort in having learned about catfishing long before I had money to lose from it.

It’s all cyclical anyway. No social media company will reign forever. We’ve already seen a number of them rise and fall. It’s kinda like how different civilizations gained and lost dominance throughout history.

This article looks like someone “wrote” it using speech-to-text and didn’t double-check their work.

tossing a hard driving

the whole thing could be for not (instead of “the whole thing could be for naught.”)

and of course,

In a statement to Whales Online

Of course, if it turns out that whales have banded together to make their own website, I’ll stand corrected.

This is exactly what spurs me to wash my dishes right after using them. It’s much less stressful to clean a single plate & fork now, than to return to a sink full of dirty dishes later. I’d rather just get it over with while it’s still easy to do.

The storm was mainly weakened by wind shear.

Here are some key points:

Wind shear is defined as the change in wind speed, wind direction, or both, over some distance.

Hurricanes thrive in environments where their vertical structure is as symmetrical as possible. The more symmetrical the hurricane is, the faster the storm can rotate, like a skater pulling in her arms to spin.

Too much vertical wind shear, however, can offset the top of the storm. This weakens the wind circulation, as well as the transport of heat and moisture needed to fuel the storm. The result can tear a hurricane apart.

Source: What is Wind Shear, and How Does it Shape Hurricanes

As to the destruction being less than the worst-case scenario predicted, that’s because the storm ended up making landfall south of Tampa Bay:

Tampa Bay remained in the hurricane’s northern eyewall, which meant that winds blew from the east—offshore—during the worst of the storm. Not only did these offshore winds spare the region the worst of the surge, but Tampa actually experienced an “anti-surge” as the storm made landfall. Strong winds pushed more than a metre of water out of Tampa Bay and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Source: How Hurricane Milton’s Destructive Surge Mostly Spared Tampa Bay

It’s not just Japan, and it doesn’t just apply to women. K pop has the same situation, and boy bands are no exception.

Although modern media allows for much less privacy, this idea is far from new. Back when The Beatles were a fresh, new band in the early 1960s, John Lennon had to hide his first marriage from the public. Long before Yoko Ono, there was Cynthia Lennon. John was pressured to hide his relationship for the same reasons that K pop and J pop idols do - in order to create the illusion of “attainability” among fans.

Times have changed in the west, where celebrity couples have found greater public acceptance. I’m not well-versed in Japanese and Korean celebrity cultures, so I’m not sure why this prohibition on dating/marriage still occurs there. All I know is, this situation is not unique.

I wonder how much this will come back to hurt the company. Musk & co. want to play dumb games? Enjoy watching all the potential Xitter users in Brazil flock to Bluesky and other platforms while your site remains in the dark.

Xitter isn’t special. People will find ways to socialize online with or without it. And the longer people go without it, the more momentum other sites will gain. Whether this stalling is deliberate or unintented doesn’t matter, the fact is they’re only hurting their own bottom line when an entire country is disengaged from their platform.

In other words, keep it up, Elon. It’s fun to see some natural consequences arise from your stupid behavior.

I don’t have a stake in this argument, as this is my first time learning about Doctorow. I just want to add that a good phrase to express the situation you described is “potential conflict of interest.”

Everyone’s different and some medications work better for one person than another. I can’t speak for OP, nor can I suggest that your experience would be the same as mine, but finding an antidepressant that works was a game changer for me.

It helps keep the “doom” thoughts from spinning in my head. That is, I can hear or read about something bad, but it won’t keep coming back to haunt me throughout the day. Ever lie down to sleep, but instead find your mind awake for hours with worries and anxieties? My antidepressant prevents that.

An interesting side-effect is that it also keeps songs from getting stuck in my head. Again, YMMV, but note that it does take time (usually at least 2 weeks, maybe more) for the full effects to kick in.

I like to do photography and timelapse videos, so my favorite gadget is a collapsible tripod I can use with my phone. It doubles as a selfie stick and includes a carrying bag and an optional bluetooth remote.

Thank goodness for mute buttons.

My usage of Youtube slowed down considerably when the algorithm stopped giving me anything new. I’d end up asking friends and people on social media about their own favorite videos and channels, just to get something interesting.

Whoever is designing these algorithms seems to be forgetting that our brains crave novelty. If we’re not getting it, we’re going to feel bored and start looking elsewhere.