2024
Not one undecillion, but two!
Russia ordered Google to pay a fine of two undecillion roubles (roughly $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). The sum is many times bigger than the world’s GDP. The fine is punishment for restrictions on Russian state media on YouTube, a website that Google owns. A Kremlin spokesperson reportedly said that he “cannot even pronounce this number”. — The Economist, World in Brief, Nov 1 2024
Yes an undecillion is a thing. What is the point of a ruling like this?
The Things 4 Good 2024 Candle Fundraiser POAP is ready to share with folks at this weekends event! It is a good example of how I’m not a designer. 😬
I just ordered an unofficial micro.blog t-shirt ! I went with blue. Thanks to Jim Mitchell for getting this available.
We poured the last batch of candles for this weekends Things 4 Good Candle Fundraiser! Pre-labeled, so trim wicks and ready to go. I’m very happy with how they all turned out.
Solved today’s NY Times Mini crossword in under 1 minute. 🤩
We started watching Jungle Cruise last night and finished it tonight. We saw it in 2021 at a drive-in and was fun to watch again. Tyler is a fan of Dwayne Johnson movies.
Upgraded to iOS 18.1 and took less than 10 minutes on the “waitlist” to get provisioned with Apple Intelligence. Looking forward to playing with this. 🧠
October roses at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Mazie and her friend Faith made this incredible homemade Apple Pie. Will be tomorrow’s breakfast! 🥧
Autumn.
Nearly Halloween. 🎃
This three minute video recap of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission highlights so many incredible achievements.
Ten minutes with items from the recycling bin and I made a DIY “ramp” to place in our mail slot! Envelopes kept getting mangled and jammed when they caught on the bottom edge as our mail carrier shoved them through. Even worse, it left the mail slot open with winter air streaming in! Fixed!
Mazie and her Cousin Nora wanted to bake this afternoon so they both decided to do something ad hoc featuring Nutella. Both were very tasty treats. 🤤
Tammy and I made another four dozen Things 4 Good candles for next weekend’s fundraiser!
Having this frustrating issue with iOS 18.0.1 on my new iPhone 16 Pro where it refuses to connect to any Bluetooth devices — even my Apple Watch. A reboot of the phone solves it. Particularly annoying when this is the key for my car!
My Mom and I made our way to St. Olaf tonight to see Mazie perform in the Chapel Choir tonight. It was great performance titled I Want to Go Home: Reflections on Where We Are, Where We’ve Been, and Where We’re Going.
Money and Elections
In 2010 Citizens United.
The court held 5–4 that the freedom of speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations, nonprofit organizations, labor unions, and other associations.
14 years later…
Elon Musk said that swing-state voters who sign a petition “in support of the constitution” will be entered into a lottery with a daily prize of $1m. The Trump-supporting billionaire previously promised $47 to anyone who convinced a swing-state voter to sign. The legality of the move is unclear. Seeking to “induce or reward” voters for “engaging” in acts “necessary to cast a ballot” is illegal. — The Economist, Oct 21 2024
Sometimes it feels like we are on a straight line to just buying votes.