It was a matter of time. The insanity cannot be normalized.

Right.

A lobbyist with access to federal politicians in Canada with actual portfolios is like a quarter million per year as a minimum. Maybe a million if you want to fund a “think tank” and publish “studies” and do press releases trying to get the news to bite on some of them, so you can use the news as your excuse to bring issues up.

If you’re doing it yourself, then $5k might get you a plate at a gala where you hope to run into the appropriate politician for a minute. Would you pay $5k to hope to have a one minute conversation where 45 seconds of it is pleasantries and you might get one sentence in? And you have to use that sentence to explain who you represent… And someone is tugging their elbow leading to another table and they’re gone. Well, hopefully the people at your table were interesting conversation.

Storytime: I am small business owner. We pay a few thousand dollars a year to throw industry drinking events primarily for networking. Personal invites. Sometimes I can get the provinical Minister of Mines to attend with his handlers, but only if I promise no lobbying. I might get about five minutes of their time (as host) and try to honour my commitment to no lobbying at the event (their handlers will remove them if they feel it is a lobbying event). My payoff is a direct communication line, which I try not to abuse. Then the government changes (elections or cabinet shuffle) and I have to do it again. I’ve failed to get a direct line on the current minister for almost two years. But this is small potatoes Canadian provincial politics. I’d have to spend 10x that amount to attempt get face time with the federal minister.

$6k is nothing. Bank it in case of a catastrophic server failure or something.

Got rained out playing Slopitch this evening. Too bad for the game, but good for beer. Happy Canada Day ya hosers. 🇨🇦

The first mistake was shopping hungry. Those groceries are: a box of ice cream sandwiches, 24 cans of root beer, and a bag of beef jerky – teriyaki style.

Someone sold them a bridge, it seems.

The hydrogen economy will never exist in a profitable or stable way provided most hydrogen is sourced from natural gas wells. It’s a “value add” for existing producers, and a way to say they can’t shut off the wells.

Hydrogen created by electrolysis of water is not energy efficient.

I thought GCC dropped support for compiling to the abacus?

We agree entirely.

Without the ability to exert control and therefore reinforce the definition, borders are as arbitrary as any other law. They are created by people, enforced by people, and if we change our mind then they can go away. It’s not some intrinsic property of the planet.

While I’m ranting, the definition of a relic or artifact is equally arbitrary. As well as the definition of a people. And ownership. At any point in history, these definitions will be different. Right now we’ve defined it in such a way that we’ve decided that it is socially acceptable to return relics to people who live inside geographic areas where the relics originated from. This is also arbitrary.

But as long as people, decide to exert force to reinforce this definitions, there is true as any other law.

When I was in grad school, the philosophy of science students would egg me on with things like: “I’ll buy you a beer if you can prove the electron is real”. I’d like to think I’m carrying on their tradition in science memes.

One time, I was in the arctic doing some research. On a snowmobile, in winter, we crest a hill and see a couple of wolves pigging out on a caribou. I’m riding in the toboggan, and I start telling at the driver: “go go go!” They proceeded to chase our snowmobile for like a mile, with no hope at all of catching us, but running anyway. Like dogs chasing tires, I think they had no choice. Instincts are strong.

Countries and borders are an arbitrary concept created during the peace treaty of Westphalia.

Those relics belong to dead people.

Best nephew

By approximately the wingspan of a pterodactyl

My favourite kind of nerd.

One of my favourite stylistic thing about Japanese film (and anime on occasion) is their obsession with power lines.

Old Galaxy Note 9 which is likely replaced next week by a much fancier Sony. One of the last pictures the device will take.

No. Entirely harmless unless you are made out of dill, parsley, or carrots. If you are, seek help. They will eat you! Om nom nom.

We caught mama laying some additional eggs later in the day.

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Munch munch munch