Between 6 and 6:42 this morning, I had four ideas for pieces for The Chair, as well as a 'Word of the Week.' One fell victim to distraction, two were trampled by the following idea, and one just drifted off when I got up.
We will all survive, but they were kind of fun/interesting ideas. Sigh.

$90?

On Monday, we received a check from the President (and the Social Security Administration?) to help with Medicare expenses.

I forget who said it, but I am reminded of the saying, 'as a gift it is far too generous, as a bribe it's not nearly enough.'

I thought that was a given.

The Wall Street Journal reveals Companies work on robots safe for humans.

Back in 1942, Isaac Asimov posited the The Three Laws of Robotics, which basically said 'robots can't hurt people.' It seems people haven't been paying attention. Or, a more unsettling thought, engineers have been developing unsafe robots, with no concern for consequences. And, what of their intention? Are the designers careless or malevolent? Is safety a feature that can be bolted on?

Not a way to start the day.

R.I.P., 'Robert X. Cringely.'

Unless you read the tech press in the nineties, you probably don't recognize this name. But he featured prominently in my reading about computers at the time. He was funny and insightful. But then, my interests shifted, and I read Bob less.

One thing that surprised me was he was three years younger than me. I had always pictured him as an old head, much wiser and experienced in life and technology than I. This sort of thing will probably happen more often as I keep chugging along.

And so it goes.

Unintended, I hope.

A local bicycle shop is advertising a 'blowout sale.' Even if they had a tongue planted in a cheek, it's the wrong cheek.

Random thought.

'Eyelid' is a very strange concept, and word. I don't have a better suggestion, but it's still strange.

'Opportunities' 'missed.'

TastingTable reports These 10 Costco Kitchen Gadgets Over $100 Are Worth The Price Tag.

Of the ten gadgets, we have three analogues in the house, if you count a $20 drip coffeemaker as the same as a two cup individual brewer with foamer. All of them cost less than $100. Our toaster oven has an air fryer setting we don't use. And the blender sits in the back of the pantry, unused and unloved. No drooling, no lust, not even any vague interest. The tradeoff? We have open counter space, which in other places Tasting Table claims is as close to heaven as we're going to get on earth.

I dunno.

or, another list.

The New Yorker had an article about Eight Great American Novels, by Hannah Jocelyn.

Now, I have a bad habit of looking at headlines like that as if they are announcing a quiz, rewriting it in my head to be How many of these 8 great American novels have you read? I was looking forward to it as I figured I should get a high score, being pretty well read in AmLit and all.

I have read one of the books. Of the other seven, I recognized two authors but not the title (and read none of either's books).

I am at the point of a dilemma (not really–I just think 'point of a dilemma' is a neat phrase and wanted to use it). I didn't like the one book (Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaniel West) I read. Now, do I take this is an indicator of the taste of the judge, and presume 'the seven' are more of the same and walk away, or do I at least read what she says about the books and what makes them great?

It was sampler time. I tried two descriptions. Verdict: my stack of 'to-read' books is not growing any taller, at least not from these recommendations. I think that's a fitting compromise.

Build your own headline.

It's been a while, and this one might be a little suspect due to the amount of headline chopped, but Macworld offers up

You can blame the iPhone for the plunging U.S. birth rate.

Here we go! Step 1: Lop off the last three or four words, So we're left with You can blame the iPhone for the (plunging, Or plunging U.S.) __________. Step 2: Add in your own 'problem' or 'crisis.' Here are some samples.

With 'plunging' and 'U.S.': employment, temperatures, interest rates, attention span.
With 'plunging' alone: cliff divers, necklines, sales of soft drinks, politeness.
Straight (no adders): K-pop bands, corporate mergers, Supergirl, hotdog eating contests, hotdog stuffed pizza crusts, hotdog anything.

Enjoy!

Do you have Trump Derangement Syndrome?

We interrupt The Chair's designation as a 'Trump-Free-Zone' to discuss this in a non-partisan manner. We apologize if this action makes The Chair less than safe or comfy for anyone.

When I first saw this, I didn't see the 'Trump' part, and thought that 'derangement syndrome' was just another example of the 'ptsd effect,' where a perfectly good descriptive term like 'shell shock' gets puffed up to four words and acronym of non-description.

But the addition of 'Trump' provides two new dimensions. One, in the original meaning, it applied only to people obsessed with Trump. Now, with Trump's constant attacks on his 'enemies,' and growing lists, I think you can make a case that Trump himself suffers from TDS, and that it's a highly contagious disease.

I still think that it's another example of puffy word explosion. 'Derangement syndrome' is longhand for crazy, and TDS is longhand for Salem Witch Trials and St. Vitus Dance.