He never had a pet

In a recent blog post, Bob Priddy explains “why Donald Trump is Donald Trump.” [Shared here with Bob’s permission]

I think I have figured out why Donald Trump is Donald Trump.

He never had a pet. No dog, no cat, no gerbils, no fish or lizards when he was growing up. There is something valuable in having a creature that expects nothing more than a pat on the head, a scratch behind the ears, a bowl of food and a clean litter box or a regular walk outside with regular people taking their dogs out for the morning or evening “duties.”

He grew up never knowing responsibility for another creature or never knowing the comfort of unreserved love. Continue reading

AI Religion

From Dr. Alex Wissner-Gross’ daily newsletter:

“Anthropic hosted about 15 Christian leaders from Catholic and Protestant churches, academia, and business at its headquarters to seek advice on steering Claude’s moral and spiritual development, debating how the model should comfort grieving users and whether Claude could be considered a “child of God.” The commercial end of the faith-tech boom is less measured, as a new app now charges $1.99 a minute to chat with an AI-generated Jesus.

Continue reading

“Spanked that ass”

A few of my favorite comments on last night’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump:

“The debate was like watching a sad old man at thanksgiving dinner blather nonsensically as the host fed him and served the guests and entertained everyone and made him a plate of leftovers and put him in a van back home.”

“the vice president “spanked that ass” and Trump looked “small” and “beaten” and “pissed.”

“there’s nothing worse than a pissed bigot on stage with a woman he can’t control” — Michael Steele

The Jackpot Trilogy

I have a theory…no, let’s call it a fantasy… about William Gibson’s Jackpot trilogy. Specifically, the yet-to-be-published third novel. First, some background via ChatGPT:
William Gibson’s Jackpot Trilogy is a series that delves into the near future, exploring the consequences of environmental, economic, and social changes that push humanity toward a series of cascading disasters, which he collectively refers to as “The Jackpot.” The trilogy consists of three novels:
1.The Peripheral (2014): This novel introduces a dual-timeline narrative. One timeline is set in a near-future America, where the protagonist, Flynne Fisher, witnesses a murder through a virtual reality headset, leading her into a complex conspiracy. The other timeline is set several decades later in London, after the “Jackpot” has drastically altered society. The two timelines become intertwined, creating a rich, intricate plot that reflects Gibson’s deep concerns about technology, power, and societal collapse.
2.Agency (2020): The second novel in the series shifts focus to another timeline, where an alternate history unfolds. In this world, Hillary Clinton won the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and a form of AI, called “Eunice,” begins to influence events. The narrative continues to explore the implications of advanced technologies and the convergence of different realities.
3.The third novel (Title TBD): While Gibson has mentioned that he is working on the third novel in the trilogy, as of my last update, it hadn’t been released or titled yet. This book is anticipated to bring closure to the complex themes and narrative threads established in the first two books.
The “Jackpot” itself is a concept that Gibson uses to describe a series of interlinked crises—climate change, pandemics, economic inequality, political instability—that gradually and cumulatively devastate the world, leading to a starkly divided society. The trilogy examines how these changes impact individuals and the global power structures that emerge in response.
So here’s my fantasy: Gibson has already written the third novel. And he’s given it two different endings: one in which Trump is re-elected in 2024 and one in which he is not.

Visiting Day at Fulton County Jail

I’ve long nursed the fantasy of visiting The Orange One in jail. I’m still pretty skeptical he’ll ever be behind bars but it’s fun to imagine so I headed to the Fulton County Jail website to see what I could learn about visiting day.

The Fulton County Jail offers inmates a video conferencing system that will allow residents to speak to an inmate using their computer, phone, or other devices that have internet. The Fulton County Jail also offers a central area where residents without internet access can visit with an inmate using the video conferencing system.

This sounds like visits are online. But the website also has an interesting list of items that are now allowed so maybe we would get to chat through the plexiglass on those old-timey phones.

  • See through garments or clothing that shows body parts.
  • Tight fitting clothing such as spandex, leggings, yoga pants, etc.
  • Clothing that have holes or rips whether man-made or designer
  • Shorts that are above the knee
  • Miniskirts, short dresses, or sagging pants
  • Tank tops, sleeveless shirts, or visible white under garment t-shirts
  • Head coverings such as scarves, bandannas, hats, ball caps, etc.
  • Sleepwear such as pajama pants, nightgowns, house shoes, etc.
  • Sunglasses, shades
  • No handbags or purses.
  • Clothing or garments with illegal, offensive, or obscene graphics
  • Shoes that are determined to be slip hazardous such as flip flops, shoes without a back strap, heels and toes out, etc.
  • Outerwear such as jackets, sweaters, coats, hoodies, etc. (These items must be removed before entering the Fulton County Jail)
  • Under garments are required, but should not be seen while conducting business at the Fulton County Jail.