Occasionally I think about the hugely expensive automated baggage handling system which was built for the then new Denver airport. They invited reporters for a big debut demonstration and it was a disaster. It subsequently never really worked and was eventually removed.
Basically it was a promise that magic expensive technology would let them skimp on hiring airport workers.
Automation is nothing new, of course, and often it works quite well, but you don't have to be a supergenius to understand why it would be extremely difficult to implement such a system with non-uniform bags.
Workers aren't that expensive, either.
Saturday, May 09, 2026
And On And On
I think we can put "Iran deal" in the box with "Trump health care plan" and "infrastructure week."
President Donald Trump told CNN on Friday that his administration was expecting to hear back from Iran later that evening about a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict.Trump has to "win" a war we obviously lost. And with each passing day he cares less and just doesn't want to hear about it.
Asked by CNN’s Kristen Holmes whether he had received a response from Iran, Trump said, “We’ll hear from them supposedly tonight.”
Pressed on whether he believed the Iranians were slow-rolling negotiations, Trump replied that he did not know. “We’ll find out soon enough,” he said.
Friday, May 08, 2026
Working Hard Or Hardly Working
I just can't comprehend not taking being a CABINET SECRETARY seriously. I might be shit at it, but I'd figure it was going to occupy all my time and mental space!
oh my god -- Sean Duffy on Fox & Friends this morning announced that he spent parts of *7 MONTHS* (more than half a year!) on a roadtrip with his family to celebrate America's 250th anniversary
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) May 8, 2026 at 5:02 PM
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Nothing Really Matters
Even in the post-9/11 bloodlust era, most "respectable" commentators felt the need to express concerns and regret about civilian casualties, to discuss war as if it was a terrible, if necessary, tragedy. Most of the time, anyway.
You rarely see any expressed concern at all anymore. Even if it was mostly fake in the past, or more about the pundits admiring their own morality than actual genuine concern, it still did convey the sense that people dying mattered.
Waiting For A Big Beautiful Deal
We are once again being told there might be an Iran "deal" today, though I suspect that is more nonsense.
Any "deal" that actually happens will essentially involve Iran being the victors in a war they didn't start, with terms set accordingly. I am curious how it will be covered. If it happens.
I Gotta Admit This Is Funny
I left long before universities were overpowered by mandatory ed tech, but I don't know a single faculty member who actually likes being forced to use this stuff. It's one thing to make tools available, another thing to squeeze everybody into them and make it impossible for them to use anything else.
New York — An apparent cyberattack shut down an education platform used by universities and K-12 schools across the US Thursday, depriving students and teachers of essential classroom materials – at a time when many are taking or prepping for final exams.And of course there are monitoring (spying on faculty, eroding any pedagogical freedom) and intellectual property (all your lectures belong to us) issues.
Canvas, a popular, cloud-based digital hub for classrooms, has more than 30 million active users globally, with more than 8,000 institutions as customers, parent company Instructure says on its website.
Thursday, May 07, 2026
So Much Winning
(WaPo reporter)
U.S. intel also indicates that Iran retains about 75% of its pre-war inventories of mobile launchers & about 70% of its pre-war stockpiles of missiles, per a U.S. official. The regime has also been able to recover underground storage facilities & repair damaged missiles
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) May 7, 2026
Kavanaugh Stops
Kavanaugh is an idiot, so I can believe it actually didn't occur to him that an immigration stop would never be a one-time thing, like you get your name checked and never have to do it again.
This wasn’t the first time ICE agents stopped and held Garcia Venegas. In fact, Saturday’s encounter marked the third such incident, according to court filings. Garcia Venegas, whose parents are originally from Mexico, had twice before been detained after ICE raided construction sites where he was working, and twice before he was let go after proving his American citizenship. This third detention, Garcia Venegas wrote in his statement, had caused him emotional distress and anxiety. “I live in constant fear that I will be subjected to further baseless detentions just for going about my daily life,” he said, adding, “I only wish to live my life in peace.”
He gave full license to terrorize Latinos constantly forever, and while I doubt that bothers him at all, I can, as I said, believe he didn't get what he was enabling.
Unreality
I don't know if it's really worse than it used to be, but I do think everyone used to put a bit more work into their bullshit. Now, powerful people lie like crumb-faced kids saying that they didn't eat a cookie, and think it's extraordinarily rude if you don't pretend to believe them.
HERSHEY, Pa. — Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday defended the Supreme Court from what he believes are misconceptions held by the American people that he and his colleagues are “political actors” who are making decisions based on policy, not law.
Mr. Trump, Sir, Your Advisers Have Led You Astray
Nothing will shake Trump from his few core beliefs (racism, his own inerrancy), but it would be nice if he got mad at the people who convinced him he could conquer Iran in 24 hours.
Where All My Bed Unshitters At
Our "allies" are getting a bit tired of being turned into a war zone for no reason.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s abrupt reversal on his plan to help ships go through the Strait of Hormuz came after a key Gulf ally suspended the U.S. military’s ability to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation, according to two U.S. officials.Countries are realizing they can, actually, just say no.
Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing “Project Freedom” on social media Sunday afternoon, the officials said, angering leadership in Saudi Arabia. In response, the Kingdom informed the U.S. it would not allow the U.S. military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort, the officials said.
Wednesday, May 06, 2026
Brain Geniuses
It's funny how much Rubio was pushed as The Next Great (And Good) Republican once upon a time.
Yes Iran should get Congressional authorization for its minelaying operations.SECRETARY RUBIO: You know what’s an act of war? Iran putting mines in the water. Why doesn’t Congress complain about that? pic.twitter.com/WJOIjkh30W
— Department of State (@StateDept) May 5, 2026
At Least We Cured Woke Cancel Culture
I'm not saying this particular reporter deserves it, but it is "funny" that the magazine which spent years documenting every time a college student violated the constitution by objecting to the presence of a highly paid campus speaker is experiencing this.
The FBI has launched a criminal leak investigation focusing on an Atlantic magazine journalist who wrote a deeply unflattering account last month of Director Kash Patel’s work habits, two people familiar with the matter told MS NOW.
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