Gallimaufry
Self-Driving
Found this description of Tesla’s self-driving software on Mastodon: https://universeodon.com/@notjustbikes@notjustbikes.com/109587309856807456 I tried the "Full Self-Driving (Beta)" on a Model Y in Toronto. It was terrifying. I turned off "aggressive" and "assertive" modes and "drive 20% higher than speed limit" (why are these even options?) It tried to drive in the bike lane to avoid traffic … Continue reading Self-Driving
Apropos Gidon Kremer
Several years ago (in 2006; I just looked it up) I was reading a blog post by a tech writer that I respected, Tim Bray. One of the things I liked about his blog was that he didn’t just write about tech topics but as in this case he was writing about music. This post … Continue reading Apropos Gidon Kremer
Happy Boxing Day!
Ingemar Johansson is the first heavyweight champion that I remember.
17° F
Probably the coldest day of the year. It was 6° when I woke this morning. So it’s a good day to run the oven through its self-cleaning cycle.
Mondegreens
mondegreen: [noun] a word or phrase that results from a mishearing of something said or sung. I wrote about these anecdotes previously on an earlier incarnation of my blog, but that was years ago, and I rather like these two little stories. One time when I was phoning my then favorite pizza place, when the … Continue reading Mondegreens
Mastodon
So I just joined Mastodon, which is an alternative to Twitter. You can find me at Mastodon
Happy T-Day
It seems to be a tradition to say what one is thankful for on this day. I’m thankful that I lived during the same time as Stephen Sondheim and Angela Lansbury so that I managed to see her on the New York stage four times and I saw six of his original New York productions. … Continue reading Happy T-Day
Not So Optimistic Anymore, Are You, John?
While I sympathize with the folks who have lost their jobs, especially those who were contractors and didn’t get severance pay or are here on visas and may now have little recourse, I’m greatly enjoying watching Musk destroy his $44 billion acquisition. It seems John Gruber is no longer optimistic: My apparently wrongheaded optimism for … Continue reading Not So Optimistic Anymore, Are You, John?
Masquerade
While the pandemic is receding, it’s not nearly as bad as it was at it’s peak. People are still dying, mostly those who have multiple risk factors (elderly, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc.) and those who refused to get vaccinated (i.e., Republicans). Meanwhile, people have stopped wearing their masks and flu season has arrived. With a … Continue reading Masquerade