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May 24, 2025
Sunrise — 5:01, 5:21, 5:20, 5:27.
Talk about whatever you like in the comments. And please support the Althouse blog by doing your Amazon shopping going in through the Althouse Amazon link.
Posts
48 comments:
I’m very much enjoying Murderbot on Apple TV. Anyone else?
My PC is on its last legs. And Windows 10 will not be supported by October. So it’s time for a new machine. However, I have heard enough bad things about Windows 11 that I am thinking about buying a Mac. Does anyone have an opinion for me?
Second photo from the top: “Red Leicester on Quackers”
mongo said...
...I am thinking about buying a Mac. Does anyone have an opinion for me?
After having used PC's with various Microsoft operating systems since the 1980's; I switched to Apple and MacOS about two years ago and haven't a single regret. That being said; I was already an iPod/iPhone (work issue) user so I was somewhat invested with iTunes and really didn't have much in the way of purchased software on my PC (Office, Photoshop, etc.). I wasn't like I lost much or had any extra expense in when switching.
Trophy wives', picking up nails and bolts from job site, has the biggest yacht now WTF is this guy talking about to graduation g class of WEST POINT.They had to lead him to the mic and not like one of his rallies where his jokes get laughter regardless.This fella is more and more unhinged and he is starting to make DARK Brandon( weekend at Bernies) look agile I don't think this fella gonna make 4 years , be like Ronnie Ray guns while Nancy ran show as he was counting the curtains in white house I don't think I gave weapons to enemy he says in his speech to the country.M y lord made get rid of these old people put em out to pasture get some young blood
mongo said...
...I am thinking about buying a Mac. Does anyone have an opinion for me?
-----
I've got two systems still running 10, no real plans to upgrade. Win 10 will still have security patches and programs will still support it - just no big updates.
https://www.lifewire.com/why-you-shouldnt-worry-about-windows-10s-end-date-5189327
…the fawn was in the garden most of the day. Cameras showed mom dropped it off at about midnight and she came back about 4pm. All good…hopefully they come back…
dinky dau struggles
his “plow” does not gain purchase
hardscrabble hairless
Yes, Windows 11 has some flaws.
But don't go over to Dark Side.
"But don't go over to Dark Side."
I'm in the process of transitioning now. I'm fed up with Windows.
rehajm said...
…the fawn was in the garden most of the day...
-------------
Think you're going to get a good review on Deer B&B.
"Safe, quiet, good food, my child loved it. Will stay again!"
Very beautiful photos
I had a professional career writing software for windows platforms, distributed server based applications for Windows NT, etc. I had to be knowledgeable down to the registry, the OS calls, etc, etc, and the day I retired I said I am going to buy a Mac, and I am not going to have any idea how it works, and that's what I did, and I haven't regretted it. I don't use the same kinds of software I did when I was working. No compiler, no MS Word or Excel. Every once in a while I get a hankering to write something using one of the Unix languages, like Awk, and I use terminal mode in Apple for that and the Apple text editor, since Mac is a GUI laid on top of Unix, but I haven't done that for a long time either. I am pretty happy with the software that comes with the Mac. It works good with my iPhone, etc. The thing that really tore it for me with MS was when my home computer synched up by itself with my work computer, which meant that I showed up as on line at work when I was home "surfing the web" as we used to call it. I would get messages from co-workers on a Saturday afternoon on my private personal computer. Buying a Mac fixed that problem.
I am going to complement the photos too.
Apple leaves me alone, Microsoft doesn't. It's like they think my computer is theirs (I wouldn't be surprised if legally, it is).
Heer Comey is getting really good at his new hobby.
Me too. The photos are ravishing.
Jaq said...
... Mac is a GUI laid on top of Unix...
That was one of the things that cinched it for me.
(I'm currently working as developer on Unix/Linux systems.)
Photos one and two. Sublime. Yesterday I bought my third Mac desktop. I have been plagued with slow Mac issues in all three iterations— I really don’t know what the deal is. What I gather is that they are obsolete and all gummed up after about five years of updates. To Apple, 5 years is a Pleistocene epoch. To me, feels like I just got the thing. So there’s that. I have been super impressed with their online support, and my new 24 “ iMac has double the ram and seems quite zippy. Apple is loading these with its own processors now, instead of using intel. They assure me this is a terrific upgrade; we shall see! That being said, the sleek, feel good vibe of the Apple Store just isn’t there. Looks like Apple is encouraging their employees to, I dunno, fly their freak flags or something because the tattooed, pierced, Rasta- headed diversity hires made me feel like I was in the Star Wars cantina. They desperately need a dress code.
For laughs: Lex interviews Mike Tyson
“I'm in the process of transitioning now. I'm fed up with Windows.”
Damn it, Original Mike! You don’t need to overreact, jus buy a new computer.
Since I don't use my computer for heavy computation, I am not running a compiler, or even a spreadsheet, I like the MacBook Air. It's lightweight, and fast enough. The only time I ran into limitations was when I hooked up a MIDI keyboard to it, and it couldn't keep up, and I am not Thelonious Monk, by any stretch. It just has severe limitations as to how many notes it can read in a given amount of time.
I have a cement pond. That is, some time ago, I dug a hole, and concreted in an impermeable basin. It has had an interesting history. But. The past, is prologue.
About a year ago, I bought some of those teensy goldfish, that pet stores sell to feed to your pet pescivores, of whatever stripe. But, having no pescivores to feed, I just opened the plastic bag in which they were delivered to me, and dumped them into my pond.
That was last year, but they have made good use of the time, and they are now about five inches long. They mostly hide in the deeps, but they can sometimes be seen, swishing their tails and creating vortices near the surface. I note that they travel in pairs; I usually see one fish closely followed by another.
Anyway. We have had a very warm -- and dry -- Spring, here in the Willamette Valley, and the pond is way down. So, I am running the hose into the pond. And the goldfish come and sniff around the point where the water comes in. Their Universe -- the realm in which they are able to maneuver -- is expanding. They are curious. Wouldn't you be?
Look, we are told, by people who ought to know, that our Universe is expanding. So -- isn't that good news? Eh. Perhaps not. If the space we inhabit is expanding, we are expanding to fill it. Much -- MUCH -- ado about nothing. A mere rescaling of the physical prison in which we are confined.
But for the fish. the increase in their lebensraum is real. I have been running that hose for over an hour now, at about 2 gallons a minute. So, that is how fast their Universe is expanding. And the fish aren't getting any bigger. So, yeah, this is good news for those goldfish.
You know, Jaq, you seem like a fairly sensible guy. So I am just going to tell you, straight up, that real men don't use Apple products. Toy men use Apple products. Apple sells $20 of computing power for $100. And if you would like to reconfigure the box they sell you -- well, too bad. Apple knows what your computing platform should look like. If you aren't happy with that platform ....
I just turned the water off. After all, there is a limit to how much additional freedom I can provide for the fish I bought a year ago, and forgot all about. Specifically, it is within my power to expand their Universe, to the size I originally -- ordained -- for it. I made it that big, and that's how big it is. If you try to add more water, it will just wash over the side.
Just riffing on that: I work on supercomputers. Supercomputers are just networks of computers. Which we call "nodes". These computers are kind of stripped-down, because, when you put together a system with 2000 nodes, you don't want each of them to have its own disk storage. You need shared storage. And that is just one of a hundred different issues you encounter.
But the point I want to make is, given that supercomputers are merely congeries of computers, how many of the world's supercomputers are congeries of Apple computers. And the answer is, zero. Apple computers are overpriced and inflexible, and no one uses them for real work.
RE: Mac computers. I've had Macs most of my computing life. As one person said above, 'Mac leaves me alone'.
Currently, I'm still using my 2012 Mac Mini. As I do some banking on it, upgraded this old mac to Ventura, which at the time, was the newest system.
Open core patcher is the app I used, and it is flawless. Ordinarily this old intel mac wouldn't run the newer operating system from Mac, but the app makes it so easy to use.
Performance is great, at least for my uses. Reading Althouse, X, email, and a few games.
This is one of the last Macs you can change out the Ram and the HD, so I did both prior to upgrade of the OS.
That is why I like Macs, they last, work well, and don't get upgrades from Control every other day. I used to have MS Outlook app. but it updated at least twice a month.
Just my 2 cents on things.
I’ve had an at home Mac for several years. Just bought a new one six months ago. Very happy with them in general. I do have office for Mac installed. I couldn’t manage things without Excel. I used to use Outlook on my Mac but that became unusable after a new release. Syncing broke for some reason that I couldn’t resolve. So I use Apple mail now with no issues.
Gas is at multiyear lows.
Food prices are coming down.
Of course nobody is shocked. Everyone knew this would happen. The easiest prediction ever.
Mondo: Windows 11, works fine, with few operational differences from Windows 10. Before you bail on your old PC, you might want to upload the free version of Windows 11, because Microsoft hs a way of making things not work right when they are bailing from an operating system. My PC began having strange glitches that disappeared when I uploaded 11.
WSJ reports that Trump is targeting his no-longer favorite CEO, "Tim Apple" with demands that threaten 25% tariffs if I-phones are not made here. That will drop stock values and likely will cost Cook his job because Apple phones are not the only game in town.
Thanks for the laugh Iman. Luckily, I had my sip of coffee BEFORE I read it!!!
Iman said...
“I'm in the process of transitioning now. I'm fed up with Windows.”
Damn it, Original Mike! You don’t need to overreact, jus buy a new computer.
5/24/25, 10:58 PM
J.D. Vance has long claimed to have Celtic links, writing in his bestselling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy: “To understand me, you must understand that I am a Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart.”
As Scots-Irish, or Ulster-Scots, his family history would have been tied directly to plantation-era Scots settlers in Northern Ireland who ended up in America in the 1800s. Sadly, research has determined that he had to be related to Reverend John Vance, who left Scotland for Ireland in 1611, as the single immigrant named Vance, and that was not determinable.
So our elected VP, who changed his name to Vance because of his Mamaw, is a fake hillbilly from the flatlands of western Ohio.
Notice how the media is ignoring this story about a black woman murdered by 6 illegals?? If it were white guys, it would be a major media story for the rest of Trump term, but since it is their beloved illegals....CRICKETS!!!
https://nypost.com/2025/05/14/us-news/south-carolina-arrests-six-illegal-migrants-in-murder-of-mom-larisha-sharrell-thompson/
Powerline had two posts about Dylan's 84th birthday, but nothing from Althouse. Sad!
The touchpad on my 2016 HP laptop started going berserk last weekend, not long after a Windows update, but I believe it's hardware (reinstalled driver didn't help) as it works OK for a while and then scrolls uncontrollably. I got an $18 mouse at BestBuy, but it's time to get a new computer. They didn't have any with larger screens than mine, which I'd prefer because of all the annoying fixed banners. Most were narrower and didn't have numerical keypads, which I want.
Think you're going to get a good review on Deer B&B.
"Safe, quiet, good food, my child loved it. Will stay again!"
Haha, yes. "…great daycare- the coyotes didn’t eat my child! Try the Boston Fern salad, though it is so popular they have trouble keeping it on the menu…"
gadfly: "his family history would have been tied directly to plantation-era Scots settlers in Northern Ireland who ended up in America in the 1800s. Sadly, research has determined that he had to be related to Reverend John Vance, who left Scotland for Ireland in 1611, as the single immigrant named Vance, and that was not determinable."
Ok, so you're saying he's not really descended from a Scot who went to Ireland in the 1600's, because he's descended from a Scot who went to Ireland in the 1600's?
Also, "I am a Scots-Irish hillbilly at heart" means that's how he identifies because of the reality of his lived experience. Kind of like "the President is about six years old."
Really enjoying your new breakfast cereal: Gadfly's Thin Gruel.
JSM
Caroline, ref the "tattooed, pierced, Rasta- headed diversity hires" at the Apple Genius Bar:
This is a microcosm for what will happen in our economy as a whole under restricted immigration.
Apple, as much as they outsource or H1B their manufacturing and software development, knows that their in-person customer service needs to be American. People aren't going to pay Apple prices and schlep to a physical store only to be "helped" by incomprehensible Sanjeev or Xiao-min. So Apple hires Americans. But they don't want to pay them too much, so they "pay" them in the intangibles of allowing freaky appearance and other traits. (Sanjeev and Xiao-min, no matter their language skills, would dress and groom any way you tell them to.) Still, though, it shows how when you are stuck hiring Americans, you have to do more for them.
Do that across all industries, and the tide lifts all boats, with intangibles but eventually with cash.
JSM
We stay tethered to windows because of work software but my personal stuff is all Apple. I just spend less time wrestling with it- works most of the time. Problems are usually app related…
Mac vs Win. I have both. Mac is my favorite and I have been using them since writing my thesis on my roomate’s Macintosh SE in 1990. The only drawback of Mac is that there is a lot of software that is Win only. I am into astrophotography and most of the apps are Win only - so I have a few Dell laptops. But I would be Mac only but for the need to run specialized software. A great thing about older Macs is that you can convert them to Linux OS after apple stops supporting them. I have two apple laptops from 2010 that run Linux and they run faster than they did with MacOS - this may not be true of the newer apple silicon devices but it is true for the intel silicon macs.
gadfly said...
"His family history would have been tied directly to plantation-era Scots settlers in Northern Ireland who ended up in America in the 1800s. Sadly, research has determined that he had to be related to Reverend John Vance, who left Scotland for Ireland in 1611, as the single immigrant named Vance, and that was not determinable."
john mosby responded...
"Ok, so you're saying he's not really descended from a Scot who went to Ireland in the 1600's, because he's descended from a Scot who went to Ireland in the 1600's?"
Yeah, JD Vance would say "Sure Jan".
And even if it were true, the logic of focusing on one of one's ancestors solely by a surname inherited from some dude who lived 4 centuries ago means that Christina Ricci is not predominantly Scots-Irish (and regular Irish), and the Wahlburg family (Mark, Donnie, etc) is Swedish and not mostly Boston Irish.
Really enjoying your new breakfast cereal: Gadfly's Thin Gruel.
With Extra Nuts!!
Sun rises are not fundamentally beautiful. Evolution incentivizes people to think they are beautiful to get their asses moving in the morning. Sunsets are a reward for surviving the day.
To paraphrase Twain, the sunsets I. This region are the most beautiful of all. The sunrises are said to be good also, I do not know.
"WSJ reports that Trump is targeting his no-longer favorite CEO, "Tim Apple" with demands that threaten 25% tariffs if I-phones are not made here."
Some light Apple stock price manipulation to wrap up the week, I see.
If there is a 25% tariff it will not be paid by Apple it will be paid by US consumers. Hasn't anybody explained that to Trump?
Trump has really lost his mind. He also doesn’t seem to have the mental capacity to understand complex supply chains.
Trump to advisor "my tariffs don't seem to be working very well"
Advisor to Trump "Have you tried turning them off and back on?"
Lawnerd said..."The only drawback of Mac is that there is a lot of software that is Win only. I am into astrophotography and most of the apps are Win only - so I have a few Dell laptops."
I also will keep a Windows computer running specifically for my astronomy apps after I have transitioned. But, as Jimmy said, I am tired of the constant "upgrades" from Control taking over my computer and breaking my apps.
Another factor is, I spend so much time on the iPad now, it's just easier having the same ecosystem when I turn to my desktop.
Upgrades on Apple gear are more expensive than options on a Porsche. Going from "base" to "barely more" RAM and storage on any kind of Mac will set you back as much as a decent windows machine.
Wanna upgrade later? Gotta buy a whole new computer.
And then there's the cult of "minimalism". Unreadable tiny print, if there's anything descriptive on a product, at all. Ditto tiny icons that often mean, "God (and the coolest Apple Kids) know but good luck to the rest of you. Then there's the various finger taps and swipes on blank screens. Apple's calling card in the beginning was "ease of use". HA!!!!
As for Trump/Cook relationship, maybe Timmy should take a look at "Apple News", probably the most outrageously Trump Hating "news" aggregator for Apple fan boys.
Jobs was a "my way or the highway" kinda guy and not much has changed. I think Steve's widow would happily blow her entire mega stash if she could find the man with the golden gun.
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