I see wonderful things

In the rugged and rocky terrains of the Zagros mountains in Iran, a remarkable predator roams, known as the spider-tailed horned viper

Look at its tail,

the tip resembles the shape of a spider, but not only that it moves just like a spider, and used as a hunting tool to lure… pic.twitter.com/Jqv4hZzyD3

— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) July 24, 2023

 

Offbeat Humor

 

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Data Talks

In 2002, 48% of Americans said "the govt is run by a few big interests looking out for themselves." 52% said "it is run for the benefit of all people."

In 2020, 84% said the govt is run by a few big interests. Only 16% said it is run for the benefit of all people. pic.twitter.com/nK3WIRk1kT

— The Missing Data Depot (@data_depot) July 25, 2023

 

Street of Shadows, Greenwich, London, 1977 by Clifford Charman

Street of Shadows, Greenwich, London, 1977 by Clifford Charman

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Lost luggage

Very interesting discovery, both for the material remains as well as the capacity to place it in historical context.  From 17th-century dress recovered from shipwreck.

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I'm sorry, what happened?

I saw this and assumed it was just a humorous spoof.  

This 911 call from the F-35 pilot is wild… pic.twitter.com/NMOSl8Mnf0

— @amuse (@amuse) September 22, 2023

Having watched and laughed, my thought was:

We are in epistemic trouble when we see something we really want to be true but know it almost certainly is not.  And the internet is full of stuff we want to be true, presented in ways that convince us is true.  When it is not.

But this purported 911 call from the F-35 pilot who ejected over South Carolina earlier this week is simply a classic.  I know it being on NBC is not dispositive to it being a spoof, but it increases the probability that it is real.

And I love the three cultural languages being spoken.  I hear perhaps an Indian immigrant with a very polite and accommodating demeanor.  After all, he did just greet a military pilot who crash landed in his backyard.  He is talking to a sweet voiced South Carolina lady who is trying to make sense of a scenario not quite anticipated in any of her 911 call center scripts.  And in the background there is the command presence voice of the pilot who sounds like he may have wrenched his back but is communicating in a here-are-the-facts manner, clear and forthright, but still not cutting through the fog of a confused call.

911:  I'm sorry, what happened? 

[snip]

911:  How far did he fall?

Pilot:  I was at 2,000 feet.

911:  What caused the fall?

Pilot:  Uh, aircraft failure.

Everyone is doing their best to do the right thing but the whole process just wasn't designed for this particular scenario.

History

One of the most fascinating, yet difficult, aspects of Anglo-Saxon history to study is the hundreds of petty tribes and people groups who together made up the great kingdoms everyone knows; Wessex, Mercia, et al. As an example we might call on the tribe of the Hyrstingas.
(1/7) pic.twitter.com/xcSupN9KMJ

— Robert (@rfhirst) July 25, 2023

 

The internet as an antidote for pompous virtue.

I see that Dove is still making headlines with awkward marketing choices, in this instance by partnering with a BLM advocate for fat liberation.  A partner who apparently has a history of histrionic vengeful lawfare type activities.  

Regardless of the present kerfuffle, it reminded me of the last time Dove drew a lot of attention, back a decade ago with the release of a soft focus self-indulgent ad about how self-critical women were about their looks.

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Mindless but harmless.

But then came the mocking spoofs.  Some of those were pretty raucously funny.

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There was something similar a year later when a women's advocacy group put out 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman to highlight the caustic environment of comments women have to experience.  Not wrong but a little tone deaf.  There was both a class and race uproar given that disproportionate numbers of the commenters were either black or blue collar.

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Regardless of the intended message, the original attracted an even better spoof, 10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Man.

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An Insight

BREAKING: People who act differently get different outcomes.

— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) July 29, 2023

 

Some chooses to live an expensive life, others have it forced on them.

As frustrating as our new media environment is, forcing you work harder to find out anything approaching the truth, it is also kind of entertaining on occasion, particularly as it unleashes the knowledge and obsessiveness of the often marginalized.

The present instance is a tweet from the overweening David Brooks who is gifted with glibness more than knowledge or wisdom.  

This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible. pic.twitter.com/1qeV9qOBL3

— David Brooks (@nytdavidbrooks) September 21, 2023

To be fair, perhaps this is an example of Poe's Law.

Poe's law is an adage of internet culture saying that, without a clear indicator of the author's intent, any parodic or sarcastic expression of extreme views can be mistaken by some readers for a sincere expression of those views. The law is frequently exploited by individuals who share genuine extremist views and, when faced with overwhelming criticism, deflect by insisting they were merely being satirical.

Was Brooks being absolutely clueless or was this intended as sarcasm?  So far, the evidence seems heavily tilted towards clueless but we'll have to see whether the satire defense comes up.

I am quite familiar with Newark Airport.  I once spent five years flying in and out of there 40 or fifty times a year.   There is a certain appreciation of it that only comes from deep familiarity.  To say that it is not without its charms does not contradict the basic condition that it is not a particularly charming airport.

And it is no doubt expensive as always comes from the corruption attendant to government granting concessions to food vendors for limited space.  Airport food is expensive everywhere the world over.  

In the case of Newark, if you want to get by with the equivalent of a McDonalds, you'll probably pay 2-3 times more than anywhere outside of the airport.  Perhaps $15-20 for what is more usually $5-$10.

What Brooks is consuming is clearly not McDonalds.  It is clearly what falls into the category of higher end of airport food.  What passes as a restaurant.  Brooks just introduced his class blinders.  Everyone eats at McDonalds.  Only some people eat at higher end restaurants.  Ever; much less at the airport.

Only 20% of Americans dine at an upscale restaurant with any regularity.  Brooks is one of them.  

40% of Americans drink no alcohol, in contrast to David Brooks. 

Very crudely, just over 10% of Americans both dine in upscale restaurants and also drink alcohol.  

David Brooks is one of them.  

This is beginning to feel like Charles Murray's bubble quizz. 

Brooks was willing (or his employer) to pay $78 for an unscale restaurant burger and alcoholic drink.  Wish there were reporters who could sort out how one man spends nearly $80 on a burger, fries and a drink.

Well, not reporters per se.  Possibly citizen reporters.  There are people interested in the facts.  

I think we all sense that Mr. Brooks claiming he paid $78 for a burger and fries meal at Newark Airport is quite misleading, but how can we prove it? I had the time this early Thursday morning and decided to investigate.

Here's what I found.

(thread) https://t.co/q5A6xejWtR

— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) September 21, 2023

Follow the chain.

Based on Clymer's research,  2/3rds of the tab was for the drink.  The food was only 1/3rd of the cost.  Alcohol was 2/3rd of the $80 bill.

David Brooks could have eaten for $20 at the airport and received a perfectly adequate meal.  Instead he chose to eat high end and with a stiff quality alcoholic drink.  He lives as the 10% and wants to be shocked by how much it costs to live as the 10%.  Living high on the hog is a choice not empirical evidence.

It is one thing to choose to live an expensive life (David Brooks), it is another thing entirely to have it enforced on you through inflation (everyone else.)

I'll wait for Brooks' next blockbuster revelation - Alcohol on airplanes and in hotel minibars is exorbitant!