American Panopticon

The surveillance state is several steps closer thanks to the Doge Bros. I hope they choke trying to integrate my decades-old FBI file into everything else.

“Howl”

Olympus E-M10 IV, M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens @ f/10, 1/25s, ISO 2500. Birds Nest Fungi along the Sweet Creek Falls trail.

“Vegetable Pigtail”

Olympus E-M10 IV, M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens @ f/16, 1/30s, ISO 3200. Along the Sweet Creek Falls Trail.

“Amanita Goblin”

Olympus E-M10 IV, M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro lens @ f/8, 1/60s, ISO 3200. Along the Crawfish Trail.

The Untold Story of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge — and Still Became a Top Trump Prosecutor

The scum rises to the top.

I know it’s hard to keep track of everything, but Martin is the guy who is going after Wikipedia and the New England Journal of Medicine, among others.

“Starry Starry Moss”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 42mm, f/6.3, 1/80s, ISO 1600. Along the Adams Mountain Trail.

“Misty Mountain Morning”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 14mm, f/10, 1/80s, ISO 3200. Along the Adams Mountain Trail.

Trump: US ships should not have to pay to use Panama, Suez Canals

Um. Trump says “Those Canals would not exist without the United States of America”. The Panama Canal, sure. But the Suez Canal? That one was built by the French, mostly at a time while we were busy with a civil war.

Wotta maroon.

Finished: The Dream Master, by Roger Zelazny 📚. Not IMO one of Zelazny’s better works, even if it did win the Nebula; this story of a psychiatrist who literally shares dreams with a student seems a bit self-conscious and over-extended at this point. But we don’t have enough Zelazny books (due to his premature death) and I’ll continue to hang on to and reread this 40 cent Ace paperback.

Courts Handed Trump A Slew of Legal Losses This Week

More losses for a big fat losing loser.

Trump DOJ goon threatens Wikipedia

Because of course he does. The thought of a neutral source of truth is deeply disturbing to the fartclowns trying to run our country.

Trump offers a private dinner to his biggest memecoin buyers

The corruption really is right out in the open. Not that the Republican ass-lickers in Congress will do anything about it. When the Democrats take back the House in 28, the only four words I want to hear out of their mouths are Investigate, Indict, Impeach, and Imprison.

A Strange Phrase Keeps Turning Up in Scientific Papers, But Why?

Why? Because AI is quickly turning our ability to distinguish truth to mush.

Trump administration reverses abrupt terminations of foreign students’ US visa registrations

Good news, though given the chaos and pettiness and hatefulness of this administration who knows whether any of these students will still be here a month from now.

“Go Away I’m Bzzy”

Olympus TG6 with Ultimaxx 0.43x Macro Lens @ 18mm, f/6.3, 1/320s, ISO 100. Trailside at Mount Pisgah.

“Camas Road”

Olympus TG6 @ 18mm, f/4.9, 1/200s, ISO 100. Along the base of Mount Pisgah.

Warhol print accidentally thrown away by Dutch town hall

Oops.

And it wasn’t even a soup can. That’d be understandable.

I never expected to live in a world where the CCP was a more trustworthy news source than POTUS.