Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Tesla wins autopilot lawsuit

 - Central Mass hiking trails

- Top 10 bars in the US. More of a dive or Tiki bar guy myself.

- NFL suspends 5 players - including 4 Lions - for gambling.

The Man (and Dog) Who Walked Around the World

Tom Turich became the 10th person to walk around the world while his dog Savannah became the first dog to accomplish the feat. The pair took seven years walking almost 30,000 miles. Turich and Savannah averaged between 18-24 miles a day.

I like to hike and I average about 3.5 miles an hour but am usually done after 2 hours. Turich and Savannah averaged about 5-7 hours a day. Incredible!

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- VDH: Mythologizing the Past

- A map of New England stereotypes.

- I've hiked all but two of these trails - River Bend Farm in Uxbridge and Lookout Rock in Northbridge.

- Jack Nicklaus' favorite Masters memory may not be what you think.

-  8 rules to do everything better 

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Cool story of the double life of a "marvelous Chinese conjurer"  

- China will host the 2022 Winter Olympics while accused of genocide. Should the world boycott? YES

- VDH - Losing an American Genius. VDH was a friend of Rush's so you know the appreciation was heartfelt. 

- Spring when a young man's thoughts turn to - hiking!

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- 11 trillion reasons to fear Joe Biden's Presidency. From the Libertarian Reason magazine. 

- UFC fighters' pay lawsuit nears class action stage.

- Scientists weigh in on the great trekking pole debate. I've been considering buying some trekking poles for sometime now. Think I'll take the plunge.

- The five biggest effects Trump has had on the US space program

- Joe Rogan rips social media on their handling of Hunter Biden laptop story. Wonder if Twitter or Facebook would allow you to post this story? 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I do a lot of hiking and for the past few months the most common piece of trash I've seen in the woods are discarded disposable face masks. No way I, or anyone else it seems, will pick those things up and throw out on my way out... "It is by logic that we prove, but by intuition that we discover." - Henri Poincare... You learn something new every day - Vegan Oreo Ice Cream is actually a thing... "Side note: Chomsky sucks." - Elon Musk as an additional comment after posting this list on Twitter. Elon Musk has definitely taken the red pill... The Cleveland Indians should change their team name to the Cleveland River Fire. How awesome would that logo be?... "Teach thy tongue to say I do not know, and thou shalt progress." - Mainonides... Reminder that Tom Brady's high school went 5-5 his senior year even though they had him at QB. You can never tell... If Disney had just waited 8 more days they could have debuted Hamilton on the anniversary of him being fatally shot by Aaron Burr...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

With Rhode Island changing the State's official name because of perceived connotations of "Providence Plantations" - should Mass change their official name from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to the Republic of Massachusetts to avoid any perceived socialist connotations? One can only hope... Always remember, "Journalists aren't neutral - they're the cavalry in the culture wars." - Naval Ravikant... I think one of the reasons that statues haven't really come under attack in Massachusetts is because history is a big tourist attraction here (Freedom Trail, etc.). And the local politicians know that... "In order for men to do great evil, they must first believe they are doing good." - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn... Neural Darwinism can be cured by taking long walks. So many smart people throughout history made taking long walks a part of their daily routine. This was just a fancy way of saying long walks (especially in nature) help keep your brain fresh and active...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

"You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time." - Donald Rumsfeld. I keep thinking of that quote whenever I see or hear people bemoaning the current choices for President and suggesting other alternatives... Oh the humanity! Covid-19 outbreak at Cruisin' Chubby's strip club in Wisconsin. Of course Covid-19 isn't the only virus these folks should be tested for... Having said the above that the choices in November will be either Donald Trump or Joe Biden there's a significant chance that the choice for Democrats may actually end up as Kamala Harris (or whoever Joe Biden picks as his VP candidate) if Joe Biden has to step aside because of his cognitive decline. But then that opens up a whole other can of worms... Heh Heh... Hiking Mount Wachusett in Central Mass with my daughter for Father's Day. Here's a nice article from Outside Magazine on suggested hikes in the White (New Hampshire) and Green (Vermont) Mountains... Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there... 

The Great Outdoors

When I did my list the other day of changes we'll see after the Wuhan virus there was one more thing I was going to add - people discovering and enjoying the great outdoors.

Yesterday I went for a hike at Gate 40 on the Quabbin Reservoir in Petersham Mass. I've hiked this set of tails many times and normally there may be a couple of cars in the parking area. In the past the most I had seen at one time was three. Yesterday there was 20 cars. And earlier in the day I spoke to the Police Chief and he said over the weekend there were sixty!

I hike a lot. During the spring, summer and fall I probably average about 1 hour of hiking a day. What's happening at Gate 40 is not an isolated event. People are flocking to the trails. Sure part of it is because they are among the only things still "open." But I think there's also something else at work.

Most people have heard the story of a kid who gets caught smoking a cigarette so the dad (it's always the dad) makes the kid smoke a whole pack to make the kid sick of and from smoking. I think we're seeing that a little with e-media. Just a month and a half ago kids would have loved it if they basically could stay inside scroll Facebook, play video games, binge Netflix and watch YouTube videos till their heart's content. But after a couple of weeks of as much screen time as they want it's become like having to smoke that whole pack of cigarettes.

Everywhere I've hiked these past couple of weeks the crowds have been 5 to 10 times the normal. Much of the crowd being families and the kids seem genuinely happy to be out there. I haven't witnessed any crying or pouting. The kids seem happy to be out in the fresh air getting some exercise.

Will this last? Not sure. I think most people during this time of self-quarantine have taken stock in what is really important and health and family have rightly risen to the top of the list. But will it last? Again - not sure. But maybe buying stock in Merrell shoes ( a division of Wolverine World Wide) or LL Bean is worth a look-see. These new hikers are going to need good boots.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Spotify pays $250 million for Bill Simmons' The Ringer

- Betelgeuse may go supernova (selfishly I want to see a supernova)

- Jeez - Scotland cut down almost 14 million trees to make way for windmills during a 10-year period.

- Outside magazine's best hikes in all 50 states

- If Pete Buttigieg is the Democratic nominee for President then there could be an historic exodus of black voters from the Democratic Party.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- This looks delicious

- I was not aware that there was a controversy about the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. I also thought the article was going to be about the underrated Genesis song The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (no idea why I confuse the two songs)

- Heh Heh

- Interesting - has science begun to unlock the secrets of reversing aging?

- Heh Heh

- Cool story of fame, romance, and a second chance on the PCT

- Why prime-aged men are not in the labor force. Could not find work is perhaps the smallest factor.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Victor Davis Hanson on the new nihilism

- Charles Barkley on Jussie Smollett (Smollett is a joke and it is healthy to laugh at him)

- I would absolutely give up a flying car to have one of these instead

- How to walk 100.000 steps in one day. I think I might take up that challenge - it works out to 41+ miles which is a hike no matter how you slice it.

- Heh Heh

- Plutonium

- To the Moon in 2019!

- Sciline - we should all remember

50 Years Ago

50-years ago the National Trails Act was signed into existence by Lyndon Johnson. This Act created the first two National Scenic Trails; the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.

Here's what it's like to hike the Appalachian Trail distilled down to just 5-minutes. If you think about it - Sam and Frodo basically traveled the distance of the AT going from the Shire to Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings (love that little tidbit).

I've always wanted to thru-hike the AT. Someday...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Very cool!

- I have the AllTrails app on my phone but now I'm curious to try out this Fatmap app.

- Images show that North Korea has begun dismantling a key missile site. This news seems to have been buried yet can't help but think if this happened under Obama then CNN would be spending hours comparing him to JFK and the dismantling of the Cuban missile sites.

- Interesting hypothesis. Way back when I posited that Putin invaded Crimea because he didn't have the billions needed to rent the naval base there. If he has trouble paying pensions to Russian citizens their economy might really be hurting. All the more reason for Trump to play nice.

- Find your passion? That's bad advice according to new study. The key seems to be to keep an open mind and stay curious.

- This is so true.

- WD 40 you dirty dog! I imagine this ad ran back in the day of "Men's" magazines.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Yellowstone volcano - 100 foot fissure causes closure in Grand Teton National Park. The Yellowstone super volcano is the greatest threat that exists to the US and our way of life.

- Outside Magazine's best stargazing spots in North America

- Murmuration should also be an adjective to describe how certain biased news organizations all "independently" shift in coverage of certain news  items

- According to Outside Magazine - America's 32 best trails

- Heh Heh

- USA! USA! Texas to pass Iran and Iraq as the number 3 oil producer in the world.

- H&R Block and TurboTax don't want it to be easy to file your tax returns and they are buying Senators to keep that from happening.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Holy crap! If the Obama Administration was wire-tapping the Supreme Court that should be huge news. I think both sides of the aisle would have to agree to that!

- Pulling for Brockton's Matt Barziale at this year's Masters. Currently at +9 so hoping he at least makes the cut.

- Speaking of the Masters.

- And speaking of the Supreme Court and golf.

- I love this map of New England. Mostly accurate too!

- Hmmm... three of these Central Mass hiking trails are ones I haven't hiked (yet!)

- One final Masters moment for the time being

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Tips on how to get better laptop battery life

- Surely this scientific argument can be used in paternity suits! Your honor technically I never touched her!

- Mayor Tommy Carcetti never would have spent Baltimore city money this way.

- The responses to this were pretty funny.

- I'm pessimistic that the "bottle opener" look will ever catch on.

- Interesting - the history of Boston in 1968 with an unusual protagonist - Van Morrison

- Very cool - circumnavigating Maine's National Monument. Another thing added to my bucket list.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- How to keep marketers and others from tracking you via your smart phone. Basic stuff but it doesn't hurt to check every once and a while.

- Heh heh - he did warn them

- My bucket list of places to go keeps getting longer and longer

- Interesting - Amazon picks up rights to UFC PPV events via Amazon Prime Video

- So very sad

- My guess is that Obama didn't want his speech recorded for the same reason comedians don't want people filming their act - he planned on giving the same speech over and over raking in the speaking fees. Now that it's been leaked he has to come up with new "bits"

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I'm confused - shouldn't the Democrats insist that Hillary Clinton deliver the official State of the Union response? Otherwise shouldn't they just "Move On"and stop mentioning her?... Nuclear fusion - the future of energy on Earth? Not to be confused with nuclear fission... A reminder on the wisdom of the masses - a 1967 Gallup poll found almost twice as many Americans supported nuking North Vietnam as opposed to withdrawing... Wait - can this really true? California has 34% of the welfare recipients in the US despite having just 12% of the population of the country... "Anger is a hot coal you hold in your hand waiting to throw at someone" - the Buddha.. Interesting - what happens to your body during a 29-day thru-hike... 18 years ago today - the New England Patriots hired Bill Belichick to be their head coach. And that has made all the difference...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Not all super heroes wear capes. Texas beer ninja saves beer and takes out woman with a box of nachos... I've heard of a high colonic and can't help but wonder is there also a "low colonic"? And what the heck would that be if a high colonic already involves the anus... Whiskey Smoothie would be a good name for a band (or hangover related diarrhea)... Can you imagine being 9-years old and having already hiked the three major nation's longest hiking trails? I hope this isn't the high point for this kid's life... I have to believe that Barack Obama knew the truth about Bowe Bergdahl all along. That's a stain on his legacy that never should be forgotten... The athleticism involved in this move is nuts!...  In solidarity with the Men's National Team - I too will not be going to the World Cup...