Trump Spreads Bizarre Conspiracy Theory That Biden Was Executed and Replaced by a Robot Clone

I hope all the people who helped elect this mentally-unbalanced clown to the Presidency are happy, because I’m sure not.

“Eugene Morning”

Olympus E-M10 IV with Mieke 25mm f/1.8 lens @ 39mm, f/11, 1/2500s, ISO 400. View from the top of Spencer Butte, with Mt. Jefferson, all three Sisters, and Broken Top visible on the horizon.

“Fake Litter”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 42mm, f/5.6, 1/15s, ISO 640. A group of the aptly-named Spring Orange Peel Fungus along the Grasshopper Trail.

Orange Peel Fungus in the snow

“Perching”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 lens @ f/5, 1/100s, ISO 100. Shot at Mt. Pisgah.

#mbjune Day 1: tree 📷

Dead tree with a couple of birds perching at the top

“Trail Tunnels”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 39mm, f/11, 1/25s, ISO 800. Chucksney Mountain Trail.

Snowmelt running down the trail through drifts

“Snowmelt”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 14mm, f/9, 1/2000s, ISO 3200. Seasonal pond along Chucksney Mountain Trail.

Seasonal lake formed by melting snow

“Ringing the Bells”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 22mm, f/6.3, 1/200s, ISO 200. Hooker’s Fairy Bells along the Chucksney Mountain Trail.

Hooker's Fairy Bells blooms

“Cold Sisters”

In-camera panorama from Olympus E-M10 IV with M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/5.6, 1/1600s, ISO 2000. North, Middle and South Sister plus Broken Top seen from the summit of Chucksney Mountain.

Mountains in the distance

“Nest of snakes”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.3, 1/30s, ISO 640. Close-up of red columbine flower near Alsea Falls.

Red Columbine pistils & stamens

“Green Peak Falls”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 7 Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens @ f/9, 1/5s, ISO 100.

Wide view of Green Peak Falls

Some signs of AI model collapse begin to reveal themselves

Or to put it more bluntly, Garbage In, Garbage Out. Not that I expect garbage out will do anything to stop the massive overdeployment of current AI technologies, or their contribution to the enshittification of everything.

What is the ‘TACO trade’ on Wall Street?

It’s Trump Always Chickens Out, of course. I’ll bet every time he sees that smoke comes out of the man-baby’s ears. Good.

“Porch Friend”

Olympus E-M10 IV with M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.3, 1/500s, ISO 640. At Camp Yale.

Lizard on a porch railing

RFK Jr. ends COVID shot recommendation for healthy children, pregnant women

Killing children is going to be RFK Jr’s signature achievement. Having one fuckwit override scientific consensus is just horrifying.

Finished: The New Year, by Pearl S. Buck 📚. A change of pace from her sweeping historical novels, this one is more of a modern romance. It tracks an ambitious politician, his smart (and beautiful) wife, and his previously-hidden son who was born in Korea as the result of a wartime hookup. There’s an overwhelming sense of good people being good, which is much more heroic than you get in most current novels.

“Fern Forest”

Olympus E-M10 IV with 14-42 kit lens @ 14mm, f/7.1, 1/40s, ISO 5000. Along a utility easement near Camp Yale.

Ferns unrolling

“Pearls”

Olympus TG-6 @ 18mm, f/6.3, 1/400s, ISO 250. At the top of MacDuff Mountain.

Closeup of a small plant with water droplets in the sun

America Is Watching the Rise of a Dual State

Systems are crumbling – but daily life continues. The dissonance is real

Two chewy essays that provide, I think, important framing for understanding the current dismal moment in American governance.

This functional Macintosh replica is just 2.4-inches tall.

I am seriously impressed. I’ve been trying to cut down on the amount of spare “stuff” in my life but a part of me wants to order one right now.