"Children of Time is a 2015 science fiction novel by author Adrian Tchaikovsky. The novel has two plot strands, one of which follows the evolution of a civilization of genetically modified Portia labiata (arachnoid) on a terraformed exoplanet, guided by an artificial intelligence based on the personality of one of the human terraformers of the planet."
The coolest thing about jumping spiders is their intelligence, which is a more impressive thing to me than these guy's seemingly psychedelically inspired costumes and dance moves.
<Tiny Geniuses: The Insane Intelligence Of Jumping Spiders>
I've known they were at least aware since I was a kid, often seeing them shift their body in order to get a better look at me, but that doesn't even scratch the surface.
Speaking of Fosse..."Cleopatra" is streaming on Hulu, and there's a scene where Liz/Cleo is returning to her lover Caesar (Rex Harrison?)and she makes this grand entrance into Rome with horses, slaves, torches etc etc etc.
AND dancers. At least when Fosse had nekkid dancers, they had talent too. The movie made me laugh out loud, I'm mean that way.
One part of the SAVE act really concerns me. "The bill not only requires proof of citizenship, but also proof of residence in order to register. Roughly 9 percent of the population has moved within a state in the past year, but many will not update their driver’s licenses until they expire."
This "proof of residence" thing was used against me once, when I needed to buy some Sudafed at a major pharmacy when I had a bad head cold. I had moved from Louisiana back to Missouri a year earlier, where I rented a house for 6 months before buying a different house. When I moved to Missouri I got a new driver's license, but it had the rental house address on it. When I tried to buy the Sudafed the pharmacy clerk asked me if the address on my driver's license was up to date, and I foolishly said "No." She refused to sell me the Sudafed saying that state law required that the address on my license had to be "current."
I then called the state office that oversees the state law requiring showing a driver's license to buy Sudafed. The official I talked to said "That's nonsense. State law does not require you to update your driver's license every time you move." I asked him to send me a copy of the actual legislation, which he did. I showed it to the pharmacy, who admitted it was a "corporate policy" and not a legal requirement, and they still wouldn't sell me a single box of Sudafed.
So I changed pharmacies and never had that problem again.
The strange part of this story is that I lived in a college town where about 30,000 college students lived, most of whom had permanent residence somewhere else, and their licenses showed their permanent residence and not their short-term college residence address. There was no law requiring them to get a new license every time they moved. I guess no college students in that town could buy Sudafed at Gerbes Pharmacy when they had a cold??????
My current license shows my address in the town I moved away from 18 months ago. It doesn't expire until later this year, so I have no reason to get a new one. Fortunately it expires BEFORE the Midterms, and I will have a new, current one by then. How many people won't think to do that if their current license expires AFTER the Midterms????
Major stopped clock right twice a day vibes in that Open the Books link. Looking at their other reporting I feel like they would be equally pissed about using that money instead for enlisted housing improvements given how the mention cable TV expenses (and yes dumping access to Fox News on base wouldn't suck) and how we're supposed to be pissed about buying ice cream machines. Also too seems their major desire is that lobster and crab money be spent on rearming, so not actually moved out of the Pentagon.
Thanks for the interview, that was…what is this feeling, hope? I remember hope.
Lately I’ve been calling my congressfolk. Mark Wayne (there, fixed it) is not my congressperson, but I’ve been throwing him into the mix at the end just because it’s fun to ask for Mer’Kwane and then listen to them angrily correct my pronunciation.
It’s like I finally get to be in the Key & Peele sketch!
Democrats Flip GOP Seat In District Trump Won By 9 Points
The Democratic Party in New Hampshire is celebrating after an upset special election win that is a worrying sign for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms. On Tuesday, Democrat Bobbi Boudman defeated Republican Dale Fincher in the fight for Carroll County District 7, according to the New Hampshire Journal.
The victory is impressive since President Donald Trump carried the district by 9 points in 2024, The Downballot reported. The seat became vacant after Republican Glenn Cordelli resigned late last year. In 2024, Boudman challenged Cordelli but lost by almost 14 points, and Democrats in the state are reveling in the size of the reversal. [HuffPost]
Voter Confidence In Supreme Court Hits New Low In NBC Poll
"An NBC News poll has found that voter confidence in the Supreme Court has dropped to its lowest point since the poll started surveying voters 26 years ago. Less than a quarter, or 22%, of registered voters said they have either a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in the justices. The remaining 40% said they had “some” confidence and 38% said “very little” or “no” confidence. This 22% approval is 5 points lower than the previous record low of 27% confidence back in 2022, when the court overturned Roe v. Wade. The court scored its highest points among voters back in 2000, when the poll first started, when 52% of voters expressed a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence." [HuffPost]
What? No mention of the actual highest vote getter in that special election, Shawn Harris? He won almost 3000 votes more than Fuller, altho' he still remained under 50% ( Harris 37.3%, Fuller 34.9% So, rather than mention the Democrat with most votes in that Georgia special election, WaPo pivots to Mississippi's primaries? And they don't report the results of that "primary challenge" to Thompson? Thompson won his district 86.2%, and his 61,000 votes far outweighed every other Democratic primary candidate ( in 4 districts ) COMBINED.
WAPO is definitely getting worse. I don't know how much is Bezos and how much is the layoffs. For this set of elections, NBC actually had the hands down best information. Easy to find, just the facts graphics and stats.
"....But the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund, Inc., which was set to receive at least some of the settlement funding, was administratively dissolved last September by Florida officials after it did not submit a mandatory annual report. Three months later, Jacob Roth, the lawyer who originally incorporated the fund, filed articles of dissolution, OpenSecrets first reported last year...."
Funny - that Jacob Roth works for the Dhillon Law Group, founded by Harmeet Dhillon, Trump's pick to be assistant attorney general for civil rights.
But, that's okay - there's a NEW presidential library fund:
"...A second nonprofit, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., was created last year and reported in December that it received $50 million in contributions but has yet to confirm publicly that it took possession of the settlements. Federal rules do not require presidential library nonprofits to disclose their donors, and the organization did not respond to questions submitted through its website or sent to a press contact. James D. Kiley, a lawyer listed as a trustee of the foundation, also did not respond to questions about the source of its funds...."
Stonewalling about where the money went? How Trumpian.
Ok, since the ice is broken on the Solnit interview, I'm good with this:
"Q: "Do you think Governor Newsom is a windsock?
Solnit: Not exactly. I’m watching the left gear up to attack Gavin Newsom just in case he’s the nominee in 2028, and it makes my heart sink, because I watched people tear down Al Gore, I watched people tear down Hillary Clinton, I watched people tear down Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. There are definitely major things to critique about every one of them, but at the moment, when the job is to defeat the other guy, we defeat ourselves."
Getting Democrats to coalesce behind a candidate to win the presidential election is always a problem. She's right, the left wing talking heads are vicious to their own candidates.
Every presidential election seems to be a choice of the lesser of two evils. Are we so far beyond redemption as a country that we will never see a candidate whom we can wholeheartedly embrace?
I didn't think she was evil, but I sure had a passle of acquaintances who did, plus my daughter. Now, for them, it was an amalgam of "she's too war hawkish" and "old guard, we need someone new" and other vague stuff including "she was mean to someone I think highly of" (Obama/Bernie). Some had right wing talking points mixed in. Others tossed in some misogyny.
None, I believe, were really looking at what she's done, what her skills and talents were, and the situation on the ground with Trump.
I love jumping spiders and the Peacock definitely is the show boater of the bunch.
What a load of shit on the murder of Martinez in TX. Even from the testimony of eye witnesses not a goddamn one of the officers was in coordination nor of cool enough heads to direct traffic. Why do these people keep getting shielded from consequences. Because we let them. This needs to stop. And just think about how this has happened over and over again forever to Black drivers. No one deserves to be killed for a traffic violation. If you're that scared, don't do the job!
Lawrence O'Donnell: “The competition for stupidest thing said today about Donald Trump’s war ("we can take Vladimir Putin’s word for it that Russia has not been helping Iran target attacks on American military personnel") was won by the guy who is tied with Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for the title of most ridiculous person ever chosen by a president to negotiate peace in the Middle East. Steve Witkoff is a real estate developer in real life who would not have been chosen by any president of the United States to do anything, anywhere, until Donald Trump decided to send him into negotiations, not just in the Middle East, but also in Moscow." [HuffPo]
Teeny little colorful guys, teen-y enthusiast: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/michael-luns-peacock-jumping-spiders
And your meme-y place to post your memes: https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/17169ae8-c10f-4157-bcd8-4fc8731b3acf?utm_source=share
Amazing. Made my day.
"Children of Time is a 2015 science fiction novel by author Adrian Tchaikovsky. The novel has two plot strands, one of which follows the evolution of a civilization of genetically modified Portia labiata (arachnoid) on a terraformed exoplanet, guided by an artificial intelligence based on the personality of one of the human terraformers of the planet."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Time_(novel)
That sounds good, ima read that! Thanks!
Jumping Jack Flash!
Jumping Flasher?
Wait! These peacock spiders are also DRUMMERS?
No wonder all the ladies love them!
yrs,
Ringo Starr
Still Alive and Drumming
Definitely radioactive.
yrs,
Peter Parker
Friendly Neighborhood Arachnophile
"a male continues dancing after he’s been signaled off, the female will often attack him"
I feel seen
Amazing little creatures in all respects
"Even after mating, females may engage in sexual cannibalism, so it’s best for the male not to linger too long afterwards."
Ooh, touchy!
"It must be one of those creatures that devours its mate after sex."
"Like a praying mantis?"
"No thanks, I'm trying to cut down."
Wanderer, don't press your luck.
(runs off giggling maniacally)
Gah!
They all look like alien parasites are popping out of their bodies.
A perfect opportunity to post this ZeFrank video on the Mating Dance of the Peacock Spider! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxM_cag99nU
I needed that this morning. Thanks for posting. It was so much fun!
Same here!
Love that Ze guy
The coolest thing about jumping spiders is their intelligence, which is a more impressive thing to me than these guy's seemingly psychedelically inspired costumes and dance moves.
<Tiny Geniuses: The Insane Intelligence Of Jumping Spiders>
https://cognitivecreatures.substack.com/p/tiny-geniuses-the-insane-intelligence
I've known they were at least aware since I was a kid, often seeing them shift their body in order to get a better look at me, but that doesn't even scratch the surface.
Eye-eye-eye-eye-yai! The eye's have it!
Bob Fosse's spider posse.
Speaking of Fosse..."Cleopatra" is streaming on Hulu, and there's a scene where Liz/Cleo is returning to her lover Caesar (Rex Harrison?)and she makes this grand entrance into Rome with horses, slaves, torches etc etc etc.
AND dancers. At least when Fosse had nekkid dancers, they had talent too. The movie made me laugh out loud, I'm mean that way.
Spiders?
I haven't even recovered from daylight savings time yet.
*sips coffee*
And, oh look, they jump.
So “No” really does mean “No”, buster *chomp chomp chomp*.
LOVE Manu Chao! Thanks for including the beautiful song.
One part of the SAVE act really concerns me. "The bill not only requires proof of citizenship, but also proof of residence in order to register. Roughly 9 percent of the population has moved within a state in the past year, but many will not update their driver’s licenses until they expire."
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-save-act-bills-would-still-block-millions-americans-voting
This "proof of residence" thing was used against me once, when I needed to buy some Sudafed at a major pharmacy when I had a bad head cold. I had moved from Louisiana back to Missouri a year earlier, where I rented a house for 6 months before buying a different house. When I moved to Missouri I got a new driver's license, but it had the rental house address on it. When I tried to buy the Sudafed the pharmacy clerk asked me if the address on my driver's license was up to date, and I foolishly said "No." She refused to sell me the Sudafed saying that state law required that the address on my license had to be "current."
I then called the state office that oversees the state law requiring showing a driver's license to buy Sudafed. The official I talked to said "That's nonsense. State law does not require you to update your driver's license every time you move." I asked him to send me a copy of the actual legislation, which he did. I showed it to the pharmacy, who admitted it was a "corporate policy" and not a legal requirement, and they still wouldn't sell me a single box of Sudafed.
So I changed pharmacies and never had that problem again.
The strange part of this story is that I lived in a college town where about 30,000 college students lived, most of whom had permanent residence somewhere else, and their licenses showed their permanent residence and not their short-term college residence address. There was no law requiring them to get a new license every time they moved. I guess no college students in that town could buy Sudafed at Gerbes Pharmacy when they had a cold??????
My current license shows my address in the town I moved away from 18 months ago. It doesn't expire until later this year, so I have no reason to get a new one. Fortunately it expires BEFORE the Midterms, and I will have a new, current one by then. How many people won't think to do that if their current license expires AFTER the Midterms????
Major stopped clock right twice a day vibes in that Open the Books link. Looking at their other reporting I feel like they would be equally pissed about using that money instead for enlisted housing improvements given how the mention cable TV expenses (and yes dumping access to Fox News on base wouldn't suck) and how we're supposed to be pissed about buying ice cream machines. Also too seems their major desire is that lobster and crab money be spent on rearming, so not actually moved out of the Pentagon.
Spider Bro has been hat shopping, hooray! Ses chapeaux sont fabuleux!!! Ooh, la, la!! Merci bien, Monsieur Frère Araignée!
Morning! También nos gusta usted.
Thanks for the interview, that was…what is this feeling, hope? I remember hope.
Lately I’ve been calling my congressfolk. Mark Wayne (there, fixed it) is not my congressperson, but I’ve been throwing him into the mix at the end just because it’s fun to ask for Mer’Kwane and then listen to them angrily correct my pronunciation.
It’s like I finally get to be in the Key & Peele sketch!
Okay, I’ll stop.
‘Sfun though.
Hilarious. I'M IN!
Democrats Flip GOP Seat In District Trump Won By 9 Points
The Democratic Party in New Hampshire is celebrating after an upset special election win that is a worrying sign for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms. On Tuesday, Democrat Bobbi Boudman defeated Republican Dale Fincher in the fight for Carroll County District 7, according to the New Hampshire Journal.
The victory is impressive since President Donald Trump carried the district by 9 points in 2024, The Downballot reported. The seat became vacant after Republican Glenn Cordelli resigned late last year. In 2024, Boudman challenged Cordelli but lost by almost 14 points, and Democrats in the state are reveling in the size of the reversal. [HuffPost]
Voter Confidence In Supreme Court Hits New Low In NBC Poll
"An NBC News poll has found that voter confidence in the Supreme Court has dropped to its lowest point since the poll started surveying voters 26 years ago. Less than a quarter, or 22%, of registered voters said they have either a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in the justices. The remaining 40% said they had “some” confidence and 38% said “very little” or “no” confidence. This 22% approval is 5 points lower than the previous record low of 27% confidence back in 2022, when the court overturned Roe v. Wade. The court scored its highest points among voters back in 2000, when the poll first started, when 52% of voters expressed a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence." [HuffPost]
I want pizza but the shippping is insane for the amount I would buy? Anyone in north Chicago area want to go in on some with me?
Of course, WaPo couldn't keep up the journalmalism:
"𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐣𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝐹𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟, 𝑎 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦, 𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝-𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝐺𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑖𝑎, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑝. 𝐵𝑒𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑠𝑜𝑛 (𝐷-𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖) 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒."
What? No mention of the actual highest vote getter in that special election, Shawn Harris? He won almost 3000 votes more than Fuller, altho' he still remained under 50% ( Harris 37.3%, Fuller 34.9% So, rather than mention the Democrat with most votes in that Georgia special election, WaPo pivots to Mississippi's primaries? And they don't report the results of that "primary challenge" to Thompson? Thompson won his district 86.2%, and his 61,000 votes far outweighed every other Democratic primary candidate ( in 4 districts ) COMBINED.
Way to report, WaPo!
WAPO is definitely getting worse. I don't know how much is Bezos and how much is the layoffs. For this set of elections, NBC actually had the hands down best information. Easy to find, just the facts graphics and stats.
Who are these Reggae people singing in Spanish and French?
[ from WaPo ]:
"𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐴𝐵𝐶, 𝑀𝑒𝑡𝑎, 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑋 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 $63 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟."
"....But the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Fund, Inc., which was set to receive at least some of the settlement funding, was administratively dissolved last September by Florida officials after it did not submit a mandatory annual report. Three months later, Jacob Roth, the lawyer who originally incorporated the fund, filed articles of dissolution, OpenSecrets first reported last year...."
Funny - that Jacob Roth works for the Dhillon Law Group, founded by Harmeet Dhillon, Trump's pick to be assistant attorney general for civil rights.
But, that's okay - there's a NEW presidential library fund:
"...A second nonprofit, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., was created last year and reported in December that it received $50 million in contributions but has yet to confirm publicly that it took possession of the settlements. Federal rules do not require presidential library nonprofits to disclose their donors, and the organization did not respond to questions submitted through its website or sent to a press contact. James D. Kiley, a lawyer listed as a trustee of the foundation, also did not respond to questions about the source of its funds...."
Stonewalling about where the money went? How Trumpian.
[ archive link: https://archive.ph/9rL3Z#selection-521.0-521.571 ]
the funds should really go into flushing out this one: https://djtrumplibrary.com/
"Federal rules do not require presidential library nonprofits to disclose their donors..."
Add that to the list of things Dems will need to clean up when they get back in power.
If you want to know how Iran is feeling about things, watch this video they made:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/iran-trolls-president-donald-trumps-jeffrey-epstein-files-woes-in-lego-propaganda-video/
And also ask yourself - if this war was all about Iran's "imminent" attack on America, why is Israel bombing the shit out of Lebanon?
Ok, since the ice is broken on the Solnit interview, I'm good with this:
"Q: "Do you think Governor Newsom is a windsock?
Solnit: Not exactly. I’m watching the left gear up to attack Gavin Newsom just in case he’s the nominee in 2028, and it makes my heart sink, because I watched people tear down Al Gore, I watched people tear down Hillary Clinton, I watched people tear down Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. There are definitely major things to critique about every one of them, but at the moment, when the job is to defeat the other guy, we defeat ourselves."
Getting Democrats to coalesce behind a candidate to win the presidential election is always a problem. She's right, the left wing talking heads are vicious to their own candidates.
Every presidential election seems to be a choice of the lesser of two evils. Are we so far beyond redemption as a country that we will never see a candidate whom we can wholeheartedly embrace?
What was evil about Hillary Clinton?
I didn't think she was evil, but I sure had a passle of acquaintances who did, plus my daughter. Now, for them, it was an amalgam of "she's too war hawkish" and "old guard, we need someone new" and other vague stuff including "she was mean to someone I think highly of" (Obama/Bernie). Some had right wing talking points mixed in. Others tossed in some misogyny.
None, I believe, were really looking at what she's done, what her skills and talents were, and the situation on the ground with Trump.
TBF, she also had Stage 4 terminal Parkinson’s pneumonia
and doesn't bake cookies - it's a complete package!
It was a comment on the Solnit quote above, not my personal view.
Got it.
I love jumping spiders and the Peacock definitely is the show boater of the bunch.
What a load of shit on the murder of Martinez in TX. Even from the testimony of eye witnesses not a goddamn one of the officers was in coordination nor of cool enough heads to direct traffic. Why do these people keep getting shielded from consequences. Because we let them. This needs to stop. And just think about how this has happened over and over again forever to Black drivers. No one deserves to be killed for a traffic violation. If you're that scared, don't do the job!
Lawrence O'Donnell: “The competition for stupidest thing said today about Donald Trump’s war ("we can take Vladimir Putin’s word for it that Russia has not been helping Iran target attacks on American military personnel") was won by the guy who is tied with Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for the title of most ridiculous person ever chosen by a president to negotiate peace in the Middle East. Steve Witkoff is a real estate developer in real life who would not have been chosen by any president of the United States to do anything, anywhere, until Donald Trump decided to send him into negotiations, not just in the Middle East, but also in Moscow." [HuffPo]
I wonder if he ever experiences Imposter Syndrome.