I Still Get So Angry at Zero Tolerance stories! Let’s start with the story that made me angry this week:
Editorial
“He’s a F—–g Weenie”
I often wonder what happened in old stories, so I looked for the resolution of one was published two years ago last week. I’m a pretty decent researcher, but all I could find is the original news stories, and occasionally a comment about the story. So I dug deeper.
The Slapping Judge
You’ve heard of a “hanging judge”? I prefer a slapping judge, like this one. Let’s start with the story, then a follow-up story of a Florida finger-flipper:
Chuck Shepherd: News of the Weird
Chuck Shepherd started “News of the Weird” as a newspaper column in 1988, and was picked up by the Universal Press Syndicate in 1989. Similarly, a year after I started I was offered a contract by their biggest competitor, Creators Syndicate, almost certainly as way to compete with the very popular NotW, but I turned it down.
My Interview with an AI Chatbot about… Thinking
What happens when you talk to an artificial intelligence language model about the value of something it can’t actually do? Thinking, I mean.
093: The Best Books were Never Written
In This Episode: I still feel his pain, and I will until I die. But strangely, feeling that pain led me to resolve, not fear. That taught me that my pain could be a good teacher.
You Won’t Believe Your Eyes
Or maybe the second word in the title should be “Shouldn’t”!
Authors for Libraries
The non-profit “Fight for the Future” — formed in 2012 to lead the successful fight against the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) and the “PROTECT IP Act” (PIPA) — has turned to protecting libraries from giant publishers who are trying to take away the right to loan books, particularly now that most books are published as ebooks.
Justice Zone
“You wake up some unusual pathways in my brain every week.”
Phishing Emails: Be Smarter!
“Phishing” is when scammers send you an email that’s trying to trick you into revealing information, or installing malware on your computer or phone. And a lot of you are falling for it.
How do I know?
When Scams Become Deadly
by Paul Myers
©2022 by Paul Myers, excerpted with permission from his Talkbiz News newsletter.
Memorial Day Story
Some years ago I saw this meme posted on social media on Memorial Day weekend. I didn’t make it, but I wanted to know the story behind it. No one who posted it ever said who James was, or who the woman is, so I researched it.
Paypal: Driving Inflation Higher
Now and Then Premium Subscribers ask which I prefer, credit cards or Paypal, with the intention of using whatever costs me less. I’ve always appreciated the thought, and always said to use whichever works best for you, since by some weird coincidence, Paypal charged the same fees that card processors do — 2.9 percent of the total charged plus a 30-cent processing fee.
Biohacking with Hardware 1:
the Apollo Neuro Wearable Band
Last May, I wrote that after going to a meeting on biohacking, I’d have more to say on the “tech stuff” I’ve learned about after I play with it a little. “The theory of operation,” I said, “is really interesting!” It has taken much longer to “play with it” than I had hoped before I came up with my conclusions.
Badge of Honor, Tarnished
Guest Post by True Contributor Mike Straw
Every Sunday morning it’s a highlight of my week as I get to digest interesting and unusual news stories down to 100–200 words, then give it a slug at the top and a creative tagline at the end.
We Just Need a Little More
What do you need to break out of your rut? You might have a business idea, or something you want to do with your life.
How Not to Call 911: A Real World Example
True contributor Alexander Cohen and I had quite the discussion about the Canadian woman desperately trying to get police help when there was an intruder in her home.
Shades of Gray
A Recent Story brought several questions from readers wanting to know why it referred to a Black guy and a white guy — with those specific capitalizations:
Spotify Slapped by More than Neil Young
“Irresponsible Advice from a Man with No Credibility” is what podcaster Joe Rogan said would be the title of his next book, and was the slug on a story about the Spotify controversy in this week’s issue:
“He Kind of Groomed Me to Get to My Son”
I wrote a story for the 12 September newsletter, put it aside to await further details — and forgot about it. I happened across it again after writing this week’s stories. It’s definitely not a “fun” addition to that week’s lineup, but it’s got a very important message: How two parents saved their child from being the victim of a pedophile.