Have you noticed a shrinking of public places to sit? I get it, no one wants a bunch of homeless people loitering around your business.
placesjournal.org
Michael
@Snazzyman
I share and read news I find interesting. Usually politics, but also general items (and sometimes about printers)
324
Posts
A deep dive into how the US Mint is violating the law and making gold coins out of gold from cartels, warlords and designated terror groups
U.S. Mint Buys Drug Cartel Gold and Sells It as ‘American’
As prices for the precious metal soar, the industry’s guardrails have broken down.
nytimes.com
We're all talking less in our daily lives as we use more non-verbal, electronic communications. Maybe it's time to push back and talk more
wsj.com
wsj.com
Las Vegas Spheres could be opening up at a city near you (if you live in Washington DC or UAE).
wsj.com
wsj.com
Interesting and detailed look at hard drive recovery - whether broken or dropped in water
When Your Digital Life Vanishes
A broken phone or corrupted drive can mean the loss of work, evidence, art, or the last traces of the dead. But sometimes data-recovery experts can summon lost files from the void.
newyorker.com
I'm thinking we change the name from Miami to Messi, FL. He's supercharged the south Florida economy
wsj.com
wsj.com
I hate running, but I love the push for speed and innovation, as these companies try to create the lightest shoe possible
wsj.com
wsj.com
An in-car toilet, this is too weird. I guess you have to scoot the seat back all the way for this to work?
Chinese carmaker Seres patents voice-controlled "in-vehicle toilet"
Seres' plans show how stiff competition in the EV space is putting pressure on carmakers to innovate.
bbc.com
One of the most saddening things I've read in a while.
They scour the Mexican cartel lands for the missing — and for closure
The Guerreros Buscadores and dozens of other groups in Mexico scour the country for people who are missing.
apnews.com
Unfortunately, it's no longer sustainable to live in a van down by the river, because the costs of maintaining that can have gotten too much.
Car & Truck Inflation in America: Cost of Vehicle Ownership Soared by 36% since 2020 | Wolf Street
Banks California Canada CRE, the Epic Mess Credit Bubble Debtor Nation Drunken Sailors Europe Federal Reserve Housing Bubble 2 Inflation & Devaluation Japan Jobs Markets & Companies Oil, Gas, Power Retail Trucks & Cars Trade & Transportation
wolfstreet.com
A Hyper-focus on details meets agro-science. It's almost too much thought and attention on the grass
Pitch perfect: Inside the massive effort to grow World Cup grass
Millions of dollars and years of research have gone into ensuring uniformity across 16 playing fields for FIFA’s tournament
theglobeandmail.com
A look back at the first computerized chess cheaters... Now there are a lot more!
The Gamblers Behind One of the Weirdest Cheating Mysteries in Chess Have Been Unmasked
In July 1993, a disguised player entered the World Open chess tournament in Philadelphia using the name of a mathematician who died in 1957. His real identity remained unknown—until now.
wired.com
900 square feet and 2 and 1/2 bathrooms. Is that a bathroom problem? I always thought the more the merrier
403 Forbidden
dwell.com
A fun little ditty about the crazy stuff grandparents do. Although mine never stole Jewels from anybody in Bel Air
The Mansion, the Heiress, the Jewel Heist, and Me: A Bel-Air Fairytale
Sixty-five years ago, my grandfather masterminded a robbery at a historic Los Angeles estate. Decades later, Carla Kirkeby—who lived in that house and discovered the theft of her parents’ jewels as a teenager—sat down with me to discuss her extraordinary life, the burglary, and our unbelievable connection.
vanityfair.com
Golf has become the big sport in our house this year. Nobody likes bunkers though
null
null
The success of boring video games?
PowerWash Simulator: How a UK cleaning game became a huge hit
It's been nominated for two Bafta Games Awards - but why have mundane job games like PowerWash Simulator 2 become so popular?
bbc.com
What happens when Claude AI asks Claude users about AI and then analyzes it with help of AI... an interesting look at thoughts on AI
What 81,000 people want from AI
Last December, tens of thousands of Claude users around the world had a conversation with our AI interviewer to share how they use AI, what they dream it could make possible, and what they fear it might do.
anthropic.com
An economic look back at the $20 per hour. Minimum wage for fast food workers in California
California’s $20 fast‑food wage tied to unintended effects, study finds
A new UC Santa Cruz study suggests California's $20 fast-food minimum wage leads to fewer hours and higher prices.
usatoday.com
Underage Spring break may be dying in Florida, but don't worry, South Padre Island is still open
The spring break battle over Florida’s tourism image
After years of parties, underage drinking and violent crime, beach cities are hoping to distance themselves from their rowdy reputation.
politico.com
This story for whatever captured my attention: And now I'm wondering, what if I walked the entire length of Burnside (portland's longest road) in a day. Who's in?
Access to this page has been denied
px-captcha
texasmonthly.com
An example of how changing the economic incentives can achieve desired urban planning / growth concentration goals
How Reverse Game Theory Could Solve The Housing Shortage | NOEMA
Our hardest problems — from housing shortages to climate retreat to democratic trust and technology — aren’t failures of politics; they’re failures of incentives.
noemamag.com
I don't care about basketball, but I love that they challenged AI engines to not just pick the potential winners, but pick the bracket most likely to win the money (win + unique)
wsj.com
I've long been interested in the Meta Ray-Bans, but haven't gotten them because (1) they don't take prescriptions and (2) it is creepy to film everything
The Rise of the Ray-Ban Meta Creep
Between pickup artists and juvenile pranksters, the wearable device is becoming associated with pests of all kinds.
wired.com
A tale of economics and investing in the mainstream portion of the market for innovation and profits (while lowering costs) at Kimberly Clark
Project ‘Buff Baby’ Transformed a Huggies Diaper. Now It Could Change the Way We Shop.
Kimberly-Clark’s chief executive aims to spread his approach to developing diapers across the company and bets he can add features while keeping down prices
wsj.com
How chuck Norris saved the Internet by creating memes
How Chuck Norris Facts Created Internet Culture as We Know It
Retracing the history of the first meme that completely took over the world.
gizmodo.com
Not about seabirds or tobacco policy, but about birds and cigarettes
Birds Are Getting Hooked on Cigarettes
Some species of birds are getting hooked on cigarettes, scientists have found — but not for the reason you might think.
futurism.com
The French firmly believe that Grok AI's unethical behavior was intentional!
Accès restreint - Le Monde
lemonde.fr
The City ranges in Portland use Toptracer, but playing there is nothing like playing on an actual course. Virtual golf is okay, but nothing beats having a large grass field to yourslef
Virtual golf: The indoor revolution threatening to outstrip outdoor golf
Whisper it quietly, but by the end of 2028 it is predicted there will be more rounds of virtual golf played in the UK than outdoors ones.
bbc.com
The US now has more leased square footage for services businesses than retail businesses
null
null
wsj.com
Interesting tales of our tech tracking us
Caught by Your Own Devices: The Rise of Sensorveillance
Digital surveillance increasingly relies on data from phones, cars, and apps. These everyday devices can become evidence for police.
spectrum.ieee.org
I had not idea this was a thing... But if you're busy taking photos and videos, you might need help
'Icky and heartbreaking': Life as an OnlyFans 'chatter'
The BBC talks to a Philippines-based woman paid to pretend to be an OnlyFans star in online chats.
bbc.com
Florsheim's were the shoe of my grandpa; so it makes sense that an 80 year old would like the shoe. Comfort and fashion are hard to find; I'm a Cole Haan fan.
wsj.com
A nice cold war spy story about a Czech Illegal
Just a moment...
politico.com
Discover Card shot into the public psyche by targeting college students. Now Polymarket and Kalshi are doing the same - only pushing something probably not legal on a generation already struggling with gambling addictions.
wsj.com
I have loathed Apple products even before I worked for a competitor; but coming out with a $600 laptop at the time $500 and below laptops are disappearing from the market, is huge (especially compared to their more expensive/overpriced products)
The Bargain-Basement MacBook Neo Exposes the Insane Price of Another Key Apple Product
Can it really be the case that the company can now make a laptop $200 cheaper than a watch?
wired.com
Every month the topic of decamping from Portland to Vancouver, WA come up... Lower taxes, escaping PPS and more. It hasn't happened yet
Essay | What Is a City When Its Wealthiest Leave?
The stickiness that once anchored people and capital to great cities is gone. It is not coming back.
wsj.com
The feel good story we all need, reconfirming that we made a good decision in prior elections
Biden flies commercial from Reagan National Airport and winds up stuck in delays like everyone else
Former presidents are just like us. Joe Biden has gotten stuck in delays while flying commercially from Reagan National Airport.
apnews.com
I hate bar soap. As soon as I turned 18 and moved out of my parents house, I made the switch to liquid soaps and haven't looked back In fact, the only times a I see bar soaps are when my in-laws come to visit (they travel with a bar) and the bar that's been mostly unused at my basement sink for 10 years (it sits next to a liquid dispenser)
One of America’s Great Traditions Is Dying. I’ll Never Let It. Not Now That I Have Proof I Was Right All Along.
There’s still time to get on the right side of history.
slate.com
Seeing Hughes score the winning goal in the Gold Medal. Match having just lost teeth on the ice made me wonder how common this is... Having a full face mask would have solved his problem
NHL players play with missing teeth. Why don’t they fix them?
A toothless smile is iconic to NHL players. It's not just for looks. Players and dentists explain why they don't get their teeth fixed.
nytimes.com
-5 degrees on a good day. 😀 Living in Antarctica sounds kind of like living on the space station, only you can go outside
Are you cut out for living and working in Antarctica?
Jobs are available on the icy continent for chefs, plumbers, carpenters and even hairdressers.
bbc.com
A short podcast thinking about the evolutionary reasons behind kissing
🔊 Listen Now: Why do we kiss? It's an evolutionary conundrum
Short Wave on NPR One | 14:00
one.npr.org
Sure you can rent a human, but no one is yet. In a week of AI hype, this site is part of that over exuberance. Give it 6 months and we might see more AI hires #touchgrass
The Rise of RentAHuman, the Marketplace Where Bots Put People to Work
WIRED spoke with the Zoomer founders of a platform where AI agents hire humans to do real-world tasks. Their pitch: "People would love to have a clanker as their boss."
wired.com
The origin story for Yankee Doodle... Now you'll be thinking about macaroni and feathers in hats all day (sorry)
Just a moment...
smithsonianmag.com
Seabirds for the win!
Injured Seabird Seeks Help By Pecking At Hospital Door
The cormorant had a triple fishing hook stuck in its beak when it showed up at Klinikum Links der Weser hospital in the northern city of Bremen on Sunday.
huffpost.com
Free breakfast is a big thing when I travel with my family; it saves time and money from going out, and allows everyone to move at their own pace. I ❤️ free bfasts (even though I know I'm paying for it)
From Hyatt to Holiday Inn, America's free hotel breakfast is facing a K-shaped economic threat
Free breakfast is a staple of the hospitality industry, but from Hyatt to Holiday Inn and Marriott, the economics and hotel business models are changing.
cnbc.com
At work, I call this trend "the asianification of the West," and in contrary this authors disbelief this trend has been a long time coming. Japanese manufacturing and bonsai, Kpop and Korean beauty products, now Chinese wellness and influence. Every culture is different and offers amazing opportunities to learn and grow and thats what we're seeing (supported by the Chinese Communist Party)
Is this a 'very Chinese time in your life'? Chinamaxxing trend boosts China's soft power
Chinamaxxing is adding more gloss to the recent flourish of Chinese soft power.
bbc.com
I ❤️ sedans. Good to know I'm not the only one
America Fell Out of Love With the Sedan. Detroit Wants to Bring It Back.
With drivers looking for more affordable options, U.S. automakers are having second thoughts about abandoning the mass-market sedan
wsj.com
Should driverless cars only get help from workers in the US? Does it matter?
It Turns Out That When Waymos Are Stumped, They Get Intervention From Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
🤣 when Claude AI runs the office vending machine. Definitely need one of these at my office
We Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars.
Anthropic’s Claude ran a snack operation in the WSJ newsroom. It gave away a free PlayStation, ordered a live fish—and taught us lessons about the future of AI agents.
wsj.com
The biggest challenge with Flexible Realism, is that it turns everything into a transaction (how much can I squeeze you now) rather than a relationship (how can I shape you to think my way). Interesting look at Andy Baker's role in the White House.
politico.com