Quite a tribute to a faded star. Read the rest

Not the best quality recording of two longtime favorites, but satisfying nonetheless. Read the rest

I love when he kills the royal ugly dudes. Read the rest

I've got to have this LEGO version of Slave I, the instantly recognizable spaceship flown by infamous bounty hunter Jango, and his clone-son Boba, Fett.

The 1007 piece set also comes with Han, Leia and some other character minifigs.

I am certain this project will soon adorn one of my bookshelves.

LEGO Star Wars Slave I – 20th Anniversary Edition 75243 Building Kit via Amazon Read the rest

**UPDATE** Joel Rubin has said the cut was legit.

It was a legitimate commercial break. They had me on again after the break. https://t.co/2jjoVsELld

— Joel Rubin (@JoelMartinRubin) April 28, 2019

Fox News abruptly cut off former assistant secretary of state Joel Rubin for explaining that Trumpism led to today's shootings in Poway.

I was watching Fox coverage of the synagogue shooting in Poway.Former assistant secretary of state Joel Rubin was making a point.Joel, Joel, Joel the announcer said.Then the control room took the commercial for the Salonpas pain relief patch.This is what I saw: pic.twitter.com/ztFsxA7esh

— Glenn Kubish (@Kub64) April 27, 2019

Read the rest

I had misassigned the "Gar-On-Tee" to Chef Paul Prudhomme for some reason. Justin Wilson is the chef who filled my kitchen with empty promises. Read the rest

The measles epidemic isn't a scare! This incredibly contagious disease was once thought eradicated by the miracle of modern vaccines, but if you get enough under-educated folks fearing debunked hype in one place the whole system falls apart.

CBS:

Nearly 300 students and staff at two major southern California universities are under quarantine as health officials warn they might have been exposed to measles. CBS News correspondent Carter Evans reports that at Cal State Los Angeles, 198 are quarantined. Seventy one students and 127 staff members might have been exposed in a campus library.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, 76 students and six faculty are still at risk after a contagious student attended classes.

Officials at UCLA said a student contagious with measles attended classes for three days earlier this month, potentially putting hundreds at risk.

"It's crazy to see that that's happening in a place that I spend time studying. It was supposed to be eradicated," said Nolan Origer, a UCLA student.

The university has identified dozens who may have been exposed. They're being quarantined until medical records can prove their immunity.

Sourdough pizza crust is as stress-free as it is delicious.

If my sourdough starter is on the counter when I want pizza, I will make sourdough pizza dough. I simply take my regular Neapolitan crust recipe and substitute 1/4 cup of starter for the 2 tsp of active dry yeast. I will reduce the amount of water I mix the starter into by 2-3 Tbs and add it back as I work the dough if needed. Generally, I do not need to add much back.

I let the dough rise and work it exactly like any other pizza.

Pineapple and pepperoni is my daughter's go-to pizza. I like chevre and prosciutto, but I am happy to help her finish the pineapple and pepp. Read the rest

Join the forces of what we presume is good as they face off against a guy with a glove. Fortnite Battle Royale has a new Avengers Limited Time Mode.

**Update**

I played a few rounds of Avengers mode and while it is a wonderful example of integrated VR advertising's future, it is not much fun. Players can pick up one of several Avenger's weapons and get Avenger's like attack abilities. Iron Man's gloves, Captain America's shield, Hawkeye's bow and Thor's hammer.

Unlucky players spawn on Thanos team and get to play the bad guys. If you spawn as Thanos you can really whomp folks. Read the rest

There was no nuclear war and 7-11 had its mass expansion stopped by Starbucks, Gleaming the Cube's Brian Kelly must be pretty happy with today. Read the rest

Price gouging has skyrocketed the price of insulin, forcing folks to ration this lifesaving biologic.

CBS News:

"Nobody cared or nobody understood that without this next vial of insulin, I wouldn't live to see another week," said 28-year-old Kristen Whitney Daniels.

She started rationing her insulin after she was kicked off her parents' insurance plan two years ago.

"I can't really explain how isolating and how terrifying it is," she said.

She's now a patient at the Yale Diabetes Center, where a recent Journal of American Medical Association study found one in four patients reported "cost-related underuse." Dr. Kasia Lipska treats patients at the clinic, and was the study's lead author. She testified on Capitol Hill last week.

"This vial of insulin cost just $21 when it first came on the market in 1996. It now costs $275," she said.

Some drug makers are already reacting to the outrage. On Wednesday, Sanofi announced it will cut the price of insulin for uninsured patients and those who pay cash to $99 per month. But that doesn't eliminate advocate concerns.

"People are dying from lack of access to a drug that has been around for almost a century. I think it's unconscionable," Lipska said.

Politico shares an investigation into why the GDPR's lead regulator Ireland has failed to bring a single enforcement action against the big tech companies it is supposed to watchdog.

Politico:

Last May, Europe imposed new data privacy guidelines that carry the hopes of hundreds of millions of people around the world — including in the United States — to rein in abuses by big tech companies.

Almost a year later, it’s apparent that the new rules have a significant loophole: The designated lead regulator — the tiny nation of Ireland — has yet to bring an enforcement action against a big tech firm.

That’s not entirely surprising. Despite its vows to beef up its threadbare regulatory apparatus, Ireland has a long history of catering to the very companies it is supposed to oversee, having wooed top Silicon Valley firms to the Emerald Isle with promises of low taxes, open access to top officials, and help securing funds to build glittering new headquarters.

Now, data-privacy experts and regulators in other countries alike are questioning Ireland’s commitment to policing imminent privacy concerns like Facebook’s reintroduction of facial recognition software and data sharing with its recently purchased subsidiary WhatsApp, and Google’s sharing of information across its burgeoning number of platforms.

(Thanks, Antoin!) Read the rest

William Zabka and Ralph Macchio are back in season two of Youtube's Cobra Kai.

I adore this wonderful buffet of Gen-X nostalgia. As a former Angeleno who grew up in the same era Danny and Johnny inhabit everything about this show makes me happy.

I watched the first 6 episodes last night and am sure I'll have finished the season by dinner tonight. Read the rest

The Boom Bow is currently my favorite weapon in Fortnite Battle Royale. Firing shotgun shell laden arrows, this gold weapon hits hard and is hard to track. Read the rest

My friend sent me a photo of his uber tuff tactical Spork.

Perhaps it is the burlap couch upholstery, but my aged eyes missed the KABAR and thought this was a handcrafted Spork that some Seattle-area artist must have designed just for my pal. Because who doesn't want a super cool Spork?

I was told to wait for it. Then I was sent this photo and it became clear the Spork was made by famed US Military hardware enthusiast fan-favorite Ka-Bar, and not some artisanal Spork maker.

I am sort of disappointed the fleetingly imagined trend where Game of Thrones enthusaists are all eating with their own custom version of a Casterly Rock Spork, just like Tywin used, died so quickly. I am ordering a KaBar Spork for my camper van.

Ka-Bar Tactical Spork via Amazon Read the rest

The video ad for this smart mug, for sale on Amazon, is either brilliant or an SNL parody.

I can not embed the video, you have to click to the Amazon product page to load it.

(Thanks, Jolie!)

**UPDATE** A kind reader found an embeddable copy, and it has subtitles!

Read the rest

I get a lot of mileage out of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai's "Evil! Pure and simple from the Eighth Dimension!" but Time Bandits "It's evil! Don't touch it!" certainly gets put to frequent use.

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