From the old email sig file: Astronomers say the universe is finite, which is a comforting thought for those people who can’t remember where they leave things.

Rebecca Solnit made _Hope in the Dark_ free for a week. I may take the time to download it. Someone offered this quote:

> “Hope calls for action; action is impossible without hope.”
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/791-hope-in-the-dark

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.”—Khalil Gibran

In the mid-1960s, rumors of bananas as narcotics began swirling around the hippie scene. Pot cost money. Bananas were cheap. That’s why people fell for it. https://doubleblindmag.com/smoking-banana-peels-hoax/

@amiablechief Welcome! This is a friendly place.

US voters greenlight over $25 billion in public transportation ballot measures in 2024 https://www.apta.com/news-publications/press-releases/releases/post-election-snapshot-voters-greenlight-25-billion-in-public-transportation-ballot-measures-across-u-s-in-2024/

(As you can tell, my mood is wild swings between anger/grief and "make the world better, somehow.")

Think global, act local. These organizations and cities are working to make food more accessible at a large scale.
https://modernfarmer.com/2024/11/how-cities-food-equity/

whoa.onrender.com is a free JSON API for every "whoa" said by actor Keanu Reeves in his movies. https://whoa.onrender.com

TIL a toponymist is somebody who studies how places and natural features got their names — otherwise known as 'toponyms.' https://www.lakeplacidnews.com/news/local-news/2024/03/28/place-name-dude-chronicles-adirondack-history/

The Almost-Lost Art of Rosin Potatoes
Rosin has made a name in the culinary world for baking potatoes to perfection.
https://thecookscook.com/features/the-almost-lost-art-of-rosin-potatoes/

@SECRET_ASIAN_MAN Mine too!

Take a moment to smell the roses. Even if it is just through the screen.

Voice of AOL's 'You've Got Mail' greeting Elwood Edwards, a former WKYC employee, dies at 74 https://www.wkyc.com/article/life/people/elwood-edwards-wkyc-employee-voice-aol-youve-got-mail-greeting-dies-74/95-940b6ed4-b90b-4c4c-b0d5-6c57fddb6546

Elizabeth Warren makes me feel better. Or at least ready to move forward. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2MSwUJDI0Y

Well, it looks as if the Empire has struck back, destroying the rebel base on Hoth and regaining dominance of the galaxy just a few years after the Death Star was destroyed. With many anxious about Palpatine’s resurgence, I, a columnist for the Trade Federation Gazette, am here to tell you that a second Death Star won’t be as bad as some are making it out to be. https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/heres-why-a-second-death-star-wont-be-that-bad

Cats can differentiate between their own name and similar-sounding nouns.
https://nautil.us/your-cat-is-listening-to-you-1045745/

President-elect Donald Trump rarely discussed artificial intelligence (AI) on the campaign trail, but he’s likely to have a profound impact — to Big Tech’s delight — with a series of actions soon.

https://techstrong.ai/uncategorized/trump-likely-to-scrap-bidens-ai-safeguards-lighten-regulation/

Try Picking this Lock

This extremely intricate lock, which took seven years to complete, exemplifies the early 20th-century taste for sentimental medievalism and represents the pinnacle of the metalworking tradition at the turn of the 20th century. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/28869/lock