The unimportant news thread

[VonStupp]

My family and I watched the Artemis II launch live on TV. My youngest daughter was really, really excited.

I don't think I have watched a live launch since the Challenger in the 80s; my nerves just can't take it.
VS

[Todd]

Claude Code Source Leaked via npm Packaging Error, Anthropic Confirms

Whoops.

[Philo]

Just had my birthday a few days back, and I realize that at the tender age of 43 I am almost an adult.

I now have a real vacuum, and real toolkit for home repairs.

What's next?

China that never leaves the cupboard because it's the good china? A Danish cookie tin sewing kit? A chunky, massive ashtray filled to overflowing with hard candies?

[Kalevala]

Just had my birthday a few days back, and I realize that at the tender age of 43 I am almost an adult.

I now have a real vacuum, and real toolkit for home repairs.

What's next?

China that never leaves the cupboard because it's the good china? A Danish cookie tin sewing kit? A chunky, massive ashtray filled to overflowing with hard candies?

Life's too short; use the good china more often (and any silverware if you own it).  My advice anyway.  That and treat yourself to some fresh flowers.   

And a belated happy birthday!   

K

[Philo]

Life's too short; use the good china more often (and any silverware if you own it).  My advice anyway.  That and treat yourself to some fresh flowers.

And a belated happy birthday!

Thanks, oh, I'm not a real adult yet - all my plates are plastic, and I have like 3 because 1 is my cutting board, lol.

P.S. I had to edit out the emojis because otherwise the message was getting the forbidden screen. 

[Kalevala]

Thanks, oh, I'm not a real adult yet - all my plates are plastic, and I have like 3 because 1 is my cutting board, lol.

P.S. I had to edit out the emojis because otherwise the message was getting the forbidden screen. 

O.k., so we're going to have to work on your plate situation (at least get a few more...and are they dishwasher safe?)--that and get a few decent cutting boards!    You can find various vertical/upright stands to hold them (depending upon what your space is like).

K

[Philo]

O.k., so we're going to have to work on your plate situation (at least get a few more...and are they dishwasher safe?)--that and get a few decent cutting boards!    You can find various vertical/upright stands to hold them (depending upon what your space is like).

K

Oh, I have a really nice cutting board made by a skateboarding artist, and up until I got my brand-new pc - it was probably the most expensive thing in my entire place, lol.

[Spotted Horses]

For something elegant and unpretentious I like Corelle Vitrelle

[Philo]

For something elegant and unpretentious I like Corelle Vitrelle

I've not yet gone down that road.

I suspect my next adult purchase will be a chair, lol.

[Kalevala]

Oh, I have a really nice cutting board made by a skateboarding artist, and up until I got my brand-new pc - it was probably the most expensive thing in my entire place, lol.

O.k., so why then are you cutting on top of a plate?  Is it more of an art object to you?  Or for using to serve appetizers or a charcuterie board; basically, are you o.k. with cutting on top of it?  Just asking:  not criticizing.  There are very reasonably priced cutting boards:  various types that can go into the dishwasher (handy if you're working with raw meat--sorry, but I don't know your diet), ones made out of bamboo, etc. that one needs to hand-wash.

And, yes, @Spotted Horses suggestion looks nice (and reasonably priced).  I'm trying to remember which country you live in...the US?  Or elsewhere?  And do you have a dishwasher?

K

[Philo]

O.k., so why then are you cutting on top of a plate?  Is it more of an art object to you?  Or for using to serve appetizers or a charcuterie board; basically, are you o.k. with cutting on top of it?  Just asking:  not criticizing.  There are very reasonably priced cutting boards:  various types that can go into the dishwasher (handy if you're working with raw meat--sorry, but I don't know your diet), ones made out of bamboo, etc. that one needs to hand-wash.

Oh, it is more of just ease. My kitchen is tiny, even though my apartment is huge, so having less in the kitchen allows me to move around easier - plus, the plate costs nothing, and it hasn't failed me yet, lol. This is how I also know I'm finally entering adulthood - I complain about my lack of counterspace, lol.

[Kalevala]

Oh, it is more of just ease. My kitchen is tiny, even though my apartment is huge, so having less in the kitchen allows me to move around easier - plus, the plate costs nothing, and it hasn't failed me yet, lol. This is how I also know I'm finally entering adulthood - I complain about my lack of counterspace, lol.

You want a flat surface, mon ami, safety is No. 1.  Please buy at least one decent cutting board and/or mats to cut on.  And, I'll leave it at that.  That, and get your knives sharpened and use a steel.  Check out a kitchen store to see if they can sharpen them (No idea what you have).  Slowly, if need be, invest in some good knives.  One by one.  And that's fine.

Warm wishes,

K

[Todd]

NYT Names Adam Back as Bitcoin's Creator, but Back Says No

The Gray Lady has concluded that Adam Back created Bitcoin.  John McAfee said the same thing in 2018.  But this hard-hitting story uses AI analytics, you see, so it must be true.

Combine this with the Good Friday misprint of what the acronym NATO stands for and the Alex Preston plagiarism oopsy, and it kinda looks like the editors at this most august news outlet have soft quit.

[Kalevala]

NYT Names Adam Back as Bitcoin's Creator, but Back Says No

The Gray Lady has concluded that Adam Back created Bitcoin.  John McAfee said the same thing in 2018.  But this hard-hitting story uses AI analytics, you see, so it must be true.

Combine this with the Good Friday misprint of what the acronym NATO stands for and the Alex Preston plagiarism oopsy, and it kinda looks like the editors at this most august news outlet have soft quit.

Well, you might want to tell (or at least provide a link) to much more of the story:  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/31/the-new-york-times-drops-freelance-journalist-who-used-ai-to-write-book-review

He is (still?) the head of advisory at the Man Group and has written six books.  Makes you think "Would I trust him with my money?"  Ironically, he also wrote an article about AI for that company's website.

Today's lesson students:  Just pick up and read the GD book; that, and come up with your own thoughts about it.

K

[Todd]

Well, you might want to tell (or at least provide a link) to much more of the story:

It's not needed, as your post amply demonstrates.  Google is super easy to use.  The point of my post is that the vaunted Gray Lady is whiffing a bit too frequently.

[Kalevala]

It's not needed, as your post amply demonstrates.  Google is super easy to use.  The point of my post is that the vaunted Gray Lady is whiffing a bit too frequently.

It's called fair coverage.  Or maybe I should say "Fairness and accuracy".  And this person was/is also a freelancer.  And he's also written for a number of newspapers--many of them British, but not all.

K

[Todd]

It's called fair coverage.

LOL.  That's a journalistic standard that applies, or should apply, to the Gray Lady, not a poster on a moribund classical music forum.

[Kalevala]

LOL.  That's a journalistic standard that applies, or should apply, to the Gray Lady, not a poster on a moribund classical music forum.

Well, I do try to be fair.  And, as I'm sure that you know, not everything that is in print is accurate....even with the best of intentions.  We're humans.  We don't know everything.  And, I also suspect, with all of the cutbacks and lack of subscriptions, that newspapers are struggling to survive.  I think that most people these days (particularly younger ones) think that it's for free.  How would you feel about your job if it was funded this way (With adds asking for donations and/or begging for subscribers)?

K

[Todd]

And, I also suspect, with all of the cutbacks and lack of subscriptions, that newspapers are struggling to survive.

The NYT has annual revenue in the billions.  It has software to detect plagiarism.  It has editors.  It funded the Bitcoin "research", which was not free.  The best-case scenario is that the editors failed at their jobs.  The NATO error is so bad that there is no excuse for it at all, including all the ones you offered.  But I guess multi-billion-dollar news organizations need people to defend them for free.