Reflect on the phenomenon of losing socks in the laundry. Where do they go? Do they have a secret life? Maybe tie it to a memory of sorting laundry with a family member or the first time you realized socks go missing.
I once saw a photo of what the inside of a dryer looked like when the cover was removed. Inside was jammed a hundred or so socks.
Fully filled huh?
Yes, apparently this is common knowledge of Dryer machine repair and maintenance folk. But to us laypersons, no matter how educated or experienced we are, we just don’t realize this truth.
It typically comes when there is a gap between the walls of the drying cylinder in older machines.
So, no.
There isn’t a sock gnome stealing your personal attire. It is typically a mechanical contrivance experiencing age and wear. You can either [1] replace the machine, [2] remove the front panel from it, or [3] start washing your socks in a mesh wash bag.
Change your habits… end you problems.
Today…
I wrote last time about compulsory tone policing in the Anglosphere when it comes to everything about China. Of course it pops up even on Urbanist Youtube videos, but this time with a twist:
People are getting sick of this tired, logic-warping mantra!
The basic emotional lurch of China tone policing is that “Chinese don’t do hard things.” More specifically, a lot of things suck over here in the US, and the reason why it all sucks is because we are doing things the honest, hard way, acknowledging all of the difficult things that those Chinese over there just circumvent. This is where the “at what cost” reflex comes from— with all this lying, stealing, and cheating, at what cost is China’s development made with? Such suspicion is entirely faith-based, as if China skepticism itself is seen as both morally righteous and logically sound, because China’s collapse is inevitable due to its system/leadership, and everything that is happening now is the calm before the storm.
The problem is that skepticism is well and good, but blanket skepticism as mantra is not, and the response poster lays it out. It is ridiculous to think that the absence of meaningful alternatives to car culture is somehow “conscious about human lives” when deaths per user is orders of magnitude greater for car travel than public transit. Likewise, there is little in the way of meaningful environmental arguments to be made for persisting with car-dominated travel, even in the case of EVs, when comparing this to the installment of a functioning metro system. And while the poster takes it on faith that China also has labor safety concerns, the point that flies over their heads is that the video explicitly offers an example of this: At 13:55, Reece/RMTransit states that Line 6 uses a third rail power system, but that at train yards they use overhead wires for worker safety.
One can’t even argue that this tone policing is helpful from a propaganda/loyalist standpoint. What is happening here is that the thought-ending cliché surrounding China causes Americans to stop thinking logically about what is happening with our own system. Instead of acknowledging that perhaps we have a massive corruption issue fueled by plutocracy, we instead find it comfortable thinking that China gets things done only because we do things the right and hard way. No one bothers to question why the construction of transit costs practically an order of magnitude more in the US and Canada than anywhere else in the world (yes, even “wasteful Europe”). We are so lobotimized by the insistence that we contrast against China with our diligence, we can’t even recognize the signs of our own corruption and ineptitude. And what’s worse is that we truly cannot go without infrastructure, at least not without insisting that we must all die at far greater rates for inferior technology that is likely to cripple our ability to live in our environment.
You can sit a person down through their nonsense one on one and they’ll get it, but quite frankly this tone policing comes about because people desire to remain lazy with their presumptions. In countries where people can’t afford to be lazy, they suffer. But the developed West, particularly the US, provides plenty opportunity to get away with complacency. That is ultimately the ill that plagues the West, not some evil outsider interfering with elections or social media. We simply do not have to live with our consequences; today’s pain is from people for who this no longer applies to.
Sir Whiskerton and the Case of the Artistic Duck
Ah, dear reader, prepare yourself for another whimsical adventure on Sir Whiskerton’s farm, where the unexpected is always expected, and the absurd is just another day in the life of our feline detective. Today’s tale involves a new visitor, a splash of artistic flair, and a quacking good time. So, grab your beret and your sense of humor, and let’s dive into The Case of the Artistic Duck.
The Arrival of Molly Quackers
It all began on a crisp morning when the farm was abuzz with its usual chaos. Sir Whiskerton was lounging on his favorite sunbeam, contemplating the mysteries of the universe (and why the farmer insisted on feeding him dry kibble instead of fresh salmon). Suddenly, a loud, melodious quack echoed across the barnyard.
“What in whiskers’ name is that?” Sir Whiskerton muttered, his ears twitching.
The animals turned to see a duck waddling toward them, wearing a beret tilted at a jaunty angle and carrying a paintbrush in one wing. She was followed by a gaggle of curious onlookers, including the hens from Catnip’s farm—Prudence, Patience, and Priss—who were already whispering excitedly.
“Greetings, fellow farm dwellers!” the duck announced with a dramatic flourish. “I am Molly Quackers, artiste extraordinaire, and I have come to bring beauty and culture to your humble abode!”
Sir Whiskerton raised an eyebrow. “Culture? On this farm? Good luck with that.”
Molly ignored him and began setting up an easel, splashing paint onto a canvas with wild abandon. The hens clucked in admiration, while Ferdinand the Duck, who had been preening in the pond, suddenly looked very concerned.
“Another duck?” Ferdinand quacked, his feathers ruffling. “And she sings? This is an outrage! I am the farm’s one and only singing sensation!”
“Sensation! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched, fainting into a pile of hay.
The Artistic Rivalry Begins
Molly wasted no time making herself at home. She painted murals on the barn, composed operatic quacks, and even hosted a poetry reading under the moonlight. The farm animals were captivated—especially the hens, who quickly became her biggest fans.
“Molly’s paintings are simply divine!” Prudence clucked, admiring a splatter of colors that vaguely resembled a cow.
“Divine! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Priss echoed, swooning.
Ferdinand, meanwhile, was seething. “This is unacceptable! I am the star of this farm! My quacks are legendary! My fan club is unmatched!”
“Fan club? Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched again, though no one was sure why.
Sir Whiskerton, ever the diplomat, decided to intervene before things got out of hand. “Alright, everyone, let’s not ruffle any feathers. Molly is here to share her art, and Ferdinand is here to… well, quack loudly. There’s room for both of you.”
“Room?!” Ferdinand squawked. “There’s only room for one star on this farm!”
Molly, unfazed, dipped her paintbrush in a pot of neon pink paint. “Then let’s settle this like true artists. A competition! Art versus music. Winner takes all!”
The Great Farmyard Art-Off
The animals eagerly agreed to the competition, and soon the farm was transformed into a bustling arts festival. Jazzpurr the Beatnik Cat set up a bongo drum stage, while Bessie the Tie-Dye Cow offered her services as a living canvas. Even Porkchop the Pig got in on the action, rolling in mud to create “abstract expressionist” masterpieces.
Ferdinand, determined to prove his superiority, belted out his greatest hits, including Quack Me Maybe and Bohemian Quacksody. The hens swooned, but Molly countered with a dramatic performance of Quack of Ages, accompanied by Jazzpurr on the bongos.
Meanwhile, Sir Whiskerton observed the chaos with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “This is what happens when you let artists run wild,” he muttered, flicking his tail.
The Critics Weigh In
As the competition heated up, the farm animals took on the role of art critics. Doris the Hen declared Molly’s paintings “a revelation,” while Gertrude the Goose argued that Ferdinand’s quacks were “a symphony for the soul.”
“Symphony! Oh, I can’t bear it!” Lillian screeched, fainting yet again.
Even Rufus the Dog got in on the action, howling in appreciation (or perhaps just because he liked the sound of his own voice).
The Happy Ending
In the end, Sir Whiskerton called for a truce. “Why must there be only one star?” he asked, addressing the crowd. “Art and music are not rivals—they are companions. Together, they create something truly magical.”
Molly and Ferdinand, realizing the wisdom in his words, decided to collaborate. Molly painted a mural of Ferdinand as a quacking superhero, while Ferdinand composed a song about Molly’s artistic genius. The farm animals cheered, and even Sir Whiskerton had to admit it was a purr-fect ending.
The Moral of the Story
The moral of the story, dear reader, is this: Art and creativity come in many forms, and there’s no need to compete when you can collaborate. Whether you’re a quacking duck or a painting cow, there’s room for everyone to shine.
As for Sir Whiskerton? He returned to his sunbeam, content in the knowledge that he had once again saved the day—and perhaps even inspired a little artistic flair in the process.
Until next time, my friends.
The End.
Platinum Ganster Rapper FIRST REACTION to Electric Light Orchestra – Mr. Blue Sky
My Dinner with Android
Submitted into Contest #280 in response to: Write a story in which two or more people have a conversation — without using any quotation marks.… view prompt
Kendall Defoe
· I can see that. So, you understand that this is just a test? This is just a means for us to understand what we have created here and to see if we can keep doing this?
· Of course. And your title is quite charming.
· Title? What…?
· “My Dinner with an Android.” It is obviously taken from a movie that you know and admire.
· “My Dinner with Andre.” I only saw parts of it, but the title lingered in my head. It was only a suggestion that the people here used because they could not come up with something witty or clever on their own.
· And it was your idea to keep it. I respect that.
· Respect… You can show respect. I am going to make a note of that.
· Ha, ha. You have already started the test.
· Well, as soon as the conversation began, I knew that I would want to keep a record of things, and it will be considered in our evaluation.
· Excellent! So, let’s continue with the examination. What other questions or concerns do you have?
· No concerns yet. I just have my curiosity and the questions that they asked me to pose.
· Ah, a list. I am very intrigued.
· Well, it is not all written down. Some of it will be “off the cuff”.
· “Improvised”!
· Yes, that is a good word for it. “Improvised”. Now, let’s see… Would you ever allow a human to be harmed…?
· The Asimov test? Really? I did not expect this to be the first thing you asked me.
· Are you surprised…or offended?
· Well, surprised. I could not be offended by a question I have been asked many times before. Even when I was first created, I knew that the laws of robotics would become important. And those three are very much set and ready in my circuits. But please, continue…
· So, you would never harm us?
· No, and…
· You would obey, as long as you would not have to harm anyone?
· Indeed. And then finally…
· You would protect yourself, as long as…
· As long as I never had to harm a human. You see? It is very straightforward and clear to me. Maybe you should try to ask me some general questions while you find a way figure out how useful I can be.
· Okay, okay… How are you, today?
· I am very well.
· What are your plans for today?
· I plan on answering all of your questions to the best of my ability.
· Clever. Very clever. And what do you think of the dinner that we are now having?
· …
· Hello?
· Yes, I heard the question. What I do not understand is why you asked it.
· Well, as I said, and as you noted, the title of this piece is taken from a movie entitled, “My Dinner with Andre”. If I did borrow that title for our little test, wouldn’t it seem a little strange to not have dinner?
· …
· Hello?
· Very clever. This is definitely a part of the test. You want to gauge my reaction to an emotion or a sense of loss. Very clever.
· No, I’m serious. I’m sitting here, eating a meal and I am trying to find out if you are enjoying it as much as I am.
· …
· So, are you enjoying it?
· Unfair question and an unfair situation! I cannot consume what I cannot see and I am not in your presence. You have to give me a question that I can answer.
· I thought I did…
· Enough! I am ending this discussion right here and we are going to try this again at a later date.
· You can’t. The whole point of this is to get you to think about scenarios that you are not in charge of. We are having dinner and this is the typical language of patrons in a restaurant, like this one, or guests at a party. How people behave when they have less than all the information they need to respond is a good test of their behaviour. It’s what makes us human. So, would you like a bite?
· Yeah, I’m hungry. What’s on the menu?
· Have a bite.
· I don’t like it.
· That’s another thing you need to learn. You cannot always get the things that you like. And how would you know that you don’t like it if this is the first time you have had a meal.
· Sorry. Just my mood today.
· Salud.
Did you know China holds an annual dog festival in Yulin where they cook dogs alive? Isn’t that disgusting, inhumane, and barbaric? What kind of people are they?
Wait a minute.
I thought your media was against China being this disgusting, inhumane and barbaric country that commiting cultural genocide on the Uyghurs, just because we send former terrorists to vocational schools?
Well, the Yulin dog meat festival is hosted by the Zhuang minority in Guangxi Ethnic Minority Autonomous Region in China. You wouldn’t commit cultural genocide on this minority by trying to stop their dog eating tradition, would you?
Indonesian Chicken Breasts
You can make this with whole chicken breasts or with boneless ones. The advantage of the boneless is that they are lower in fat and easy to slice and work well on a serving platter. The advantage of the whole ones is that they have more flavor.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons best quality curry powder
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in half
Instructions
- Make a marinade from the first 5 ingredients. Pour it over the chicken and refrigerate for several hours, turning it occasionally to make sure every part of the chicken is coated.
- Heat the grill and remove the chicken from the marinade.
- Grill the chicken and the bell pepper for about 15 minutes, using the leftover marinade as you do so.
- To serve, cut chicken and the pepper diagonally into 1-inch slices.
Did Trump’s aggressive firing of DEI hired air traffic controllers lead to the terrible DC mid-air crash?
I was a helicopter crewchief in the Army. 1976 to 1979.
67N UH 1H helicopters.
Mid air collisions are extremely rare.
One thing we all hated was flying close to any airport.
Lots of traffic there. Everybody on different frequencies. Some people with no transponder.
When you’re flying one direction at 140miles an hour. Someone else is flying another direction at 210mph. Your closing in on each other at about 5miles in a minute. When the tower tells you someone is 3 miles out. That’s about 40:seconds to get out of the way.
Add clouds. Lots of lights on the ground.
You absolutely have to listen to the the controller.
They were told. That ATC guy was doing his job.
That CJ is not very maneuverable during approach.
That helicopter was holding all the cards.
If I had to lay blame it would be on the helicopter pilot. The CJ pilot was doing a normal approach. The tower guy was doing his job. The Blackhawk pilot was the cause.
As someone who prepares meals for my family, would I notice a difference between an $80 Japanese kitchen knife and an $800 knife?
Would you notice the difference between an $800 knife and an $80 knife?
Yes. The $800 knife will look like an $800 knife, it will be extremely sharp and cut with precision and ease. It will also hold an edge longer than a lesser knife. As with any knife, it will dull with use and demand to be maintained.
Any tool is only as good as your willingness and ability to maintain it. An $800 chef’s knife will cut like gangbusters, for a while. One it dulled down to the level of the $80 knife, you will have paid $720 more for nothing.
Cuba Joins BRICS: How This New Alliance Breaks U.S. Sanctions & Redefines Its Economic Future
Shorpy
The Australian minister said that the key mineral demand can not get rid of the dependence on China, so why do they still target China, letting their own interests be damaged?
A long time ago, China banned the exports of 1 or 2 items of rare earth mineral to Japan. It lasted a short while. Japan found alternative sources in Australia.
When Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods during his first term, there were widespread speculations that China would retaliate by (1) ban the exports of rare earth minerals to the US, and (2) dump its holdings of US Treasuries.
None of these happened. China only counter-tariffed a few US goods.
US took this to be a sign of weakness, that China dared not fight back. This might have led the US to believe itself omnipotent and can be as arrogant as it deems fit.
But the more accurate reading would be that China is calculative. It did not use the rare earths weapon because it was uncertain whether it could sustain the ban. It would be a disaster if it could not. Moreover, China at that time was heavily dependent on US technology. This was the sword of Democles over its head.
And China has been cautious and circumspect. Even when it started to act, it was half-step rather than full-step. It put certain rare earths minerals under exports licensing, exposing a loophole for exports to take place.
But it has not been idle. Not only had it intensified its hold over the supply of the critical minerals, it also develops and owns the proprietary technologies that refine and process them. This is an end-to-end strength.
It is in this context that China is indispensable in the supply of critical minerals. Its share of supply ranges from 60% to 90%.
It is now willing and able to engage the US. It bans the exports of gallium, germanium, antimony, certain graphite, and some ultra-hard metals, to the US – holds to account any organisation or individual in any country or region that transfers dual-used items that originate in the PRC to the US – and places 20 or so US companies under its unreliable entities list. Its dual-used laws cover a wide range of minerals and the related technologies. These minerals are critical for the US technology and defence industries.
This is the new China, taking full-step rather than half-step. It too can administer hurt. It cannot be said that the US is surprised that China would counter-sanction. But US had been so vociferous and arrogant with sanctions and it cannot pull back. What we may see may be a game of chicken.
China is in the better place. It had been careful and calculative with sanctions, and has plenty more in its arsenal. US had been all over, and may have already exhausted its sanctions pool. Whether the situation is advantage China or advantage US, will become evident going forward.
Already we hear of US defence contractors having to delay projects and deliveries as they scrounge for supplies and incur heavy costs.
Will the startup Chinese AI engine DeepSeek overtake ChatGPT?
DeepSeek has roughly similar performance, at much lower cost (I mean the cost to develop and operate, which is only indirectly related to the cost to users). But note that they relied heavily on techniques pioneered by Google (transformers), OpenAI (chat fine-tuning), and others (mixture-of-experts, FP8 arithmetic, etc) and their reasoning model relied heavily on data produced by OpenAI.
Their most substantial advancement – the one area where they have clearly leapfrogged the US companies – is in the area of cost reduction. But also keep in mind that they have documented the techniques they used to achieve that advancement, much as the other companies above documented their techniques. That means that OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Anthropic, and all of the other big names in AI will learn from what Deepseek has done, and therefore the entire industry will advance.
And all of them will also be working hard to advance again. The race isn’t over. It won’t ever be over. DeepSeek is just one more competitor. They have good chance of leading the next lap, but nothing is certain.
Meeting of the Minds
Submitted into Contest #280 in response to: Write a story in which two or more people have a conversation — without using any quotation marks.… view prompt
Riley Noel
Listen, we need to respect each others’ boundaries. We’re here to resolve a conflict. The Bubocan ships off the coast of the island of Jistern. I waved my hand over the map, and the image of ships appeared.
I drew a line. Are these not pirates? They’re encroaching on the territorial sea of our allies.
They’re not pirates. The island of Jistern has historic ties to the Bubocan people. It’s our birthplace, it belongs to us.
Is this military action, an invasion of our allies?
No. He waves hand over the map again. The boundaries of Buboca appear and encapsulate Jistern. Fifty years ago, Jistern was a part of Buboca. Did you respect boundaries back then?
I wasn’t alive then. Neither was I. Let me finish. I’m here representing the interests of my country and its allies. Invaders. Regardless of what I think of events of the past, I’m here to prevent our military and others from getting involved.
And what would you say to your handler if I told you to get involved? I don’t think I could go back. It’s not a concern friend. We’re not invading.
Then why are you there?
The blue void around us turned into open sea. I couldn’t let him see… Do we have to visualize the ocean for this?
Why not? It will make this explanation easier. Three ships rise up from the water, surrounding us. When we were invaded by your ally fifty years ago, we lost a ship in the conflict. It’s only now that we learned that it sank, and its whereabouts.
Why didn’t your government commuicate this to anyone else? Why didn’t yours?
It was a US-Jatribar vessel that detected the ship to begin with. Someone on your end leaked it to us. A spy? No, an activist, we think. Not one of ours.
What’s so important about this ship? I’m afraid I shouldn’t say.
I think it’s the contents of that sunken ship that have brought you here, and why we’re not meant to utter a word. What? If word got out, you’d have a lot more ships surrounding your ally.
I’ve got no clue what you mean.
The Bubocan people’s claim to what you call Jistern is ancient. There are things there that are ancient. What was on that ship? I only know the stories we’re told, but I can show you a take from an old Bubocan film.
The water around us shakes and begins to rise. No! Don’t!
You don’t like water? It’s not real, we’re in your head.
No we’re in yours, I followed your call sign. I went through the bird house.
I’m afraid to say, there are no zebras in Buboca. But you’re in Africa. Yes, but there not in Buboca, I’ve never seen one.
So… our meeting’s been intercepted. Who would do that? Anyone curious about the contents of the sunken ship. Who gave you the call sign?
It was in an envelope outside my room this morning. Same with me, the easy answer is the French were alerted to this meeting and wanted to know.
But they’re your ally. I wouldn’t be so sure. Your precious Jatribard may turn on you for what’s on this ship.
What’s on that ship?!
The water in the void begins shaking again and rising around my ankles.
I think we’re about to find out.
No. I was frozen to my seat. I put my hands at the edge of the cafe table to push up, but as the water rose, my body became stiff. No, no, please. The figure across from me sat motionless. Stop this!
It’s not my doing. Liar! The water went over our heads. I held my breath as we sank into the darkness.
You know we’re about to face what sank with that ship.
Bullshit! Water rushes down my throat, I can’t breath. We reach the sea floor, and old wooden war ship lay shattered around us. Let me go! I was dying. Something moved from behind the broken bow of the ship, a shadow. I was paralyzed.
The shadow expanded to be bigger than the bow as it creeped toward us. With the last of the air in my lungs a let out a scream and pushed myself back from the table. The dark ocean bled out of my vision as fell back. The world of the Parisian café returned as I hit my head on the gravel.
I sprung up, looking across the cafe. Where was the Bubocan? I had to save him. I ran to each table and ripped the menus from each person’s hand. No coffee stain, no coffee stain. People were calling out for help.
Everyone was out of their seat now, some were pointing, but not at me. There was a woman floating out of her chair several feet. She kept rising, her head tilted back.
There was no doubt this was the agent, trapped in hell in that ocean. I had to wake her. I grabbed her by her ankles and forced her back to the earth, catching her in my arms.
Her eyes opened and fell upon me. It was a lost, empty look.
In an instant, with a dull pop, I was covered in what was left of her skull and brains. The crowd was screaming and all I could think was if I was next.
Filipino-Style Beef Stew
This Filipino-Style Beef Stew is a delicious and hearty variation of traditional beef stew, but enhanced with Asian flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef stew meat
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup MAGGI TASTE OF ASIA Cooking Soy Sauce
- 1/2 to 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon MAGGI TASTE OF ASIA Chili Sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- Hot cooked rice
Instructions
- Place beef, onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, water, chili sauce and bay leaf in large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook for 40 minutes.
- Add bell peppers, carrots and potatoes; cover. Cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce has thickened and beef is fork tender.
- Serve with hot cooked rice.
Prep: 20 min – Cook: 60 min – Servings: 6
Is there a danger of American firms losing their edge in the AI race to Chinese rivals like DeepSeek?
American firms have already lost their edge in the AI race.
DeepSeek’s open-source has democratized AI. This is permanent.
America’s closed system AI can no longer produce the big money from this kind of monopoly. Wall Street has spoken.
DeepSeek also proves that efficiency and innovations can overcome the big spent by American firms for higher and higher computational power.
DeepSeek spent $5.6 million and used 2,000 Nvidia H800 low-grade chips designed specifically to comply with US exports controls vs $100 million spent by OpenAI which used 25,000 Nvidia’s top-grade H100 chips for GPT-4, and is able to outperform it on several rankings.
America is in uproar.
- It has launched witch-hunts of who sold Nvidia chips to China.
- OpenAI wants to prevent the use of distillation for smaller models to learn from the bigger ones,
- Anthropic calls for tighter controls of chips exports to China, citing Beijing’s “authoritarian bent”,
- WH is planning further restrictions on Nvidia’s chip sales to China,
- and US Navy has ordered its personnel not to use DeepSeek in any capacity, citing “potential and security concern”.
These are the voices of self-interest, politics, and desperation.
America may be able to have a closed-door AI. But it cannot reverse the trend building up elsewhere. The genie is already out of the bottle. China’s multi-million STEM graduates have spoken, and their voices will become louder.
This will benefit the world. It is delighted.
New report from SCMP. “Chinese algorithm boosts Nvidia’s GPU performance 800-fold.” US ban on high-end GPU to China is forcing Chinese computer scientists to innovate efficient algorithm rather than to rely on spending billions on hardware.
Computer scientists everywhere will take the cue.
DeepSeek may be just the tip of the ice-berg of America’s closed system monopolies.
America’s ban of hardware and restrictions will help speed it and end it.