So…. I was at the Y yesterday, where they have a large-print copy of the Bible in the foray. I’m always curious with what page was most recently chosen by a passerby. Yesterday, the Bible was opened to Chapter 1 of the Old Testament book Lamentations. I’d never read it before. It is prosaic and […]
Category: Destinations
Welcome to a new section of the blott, where we appreciate signs, street art, and places that we encounter while we’re out and about. Today’s post: THE MOST METAL SIGN IN ALL THE WORLD. When I came across this sign (months ago, at this point) I thought: I have no idea what this store actually […]
Instead of asking, “Is AI becoming human-like?”, perhaps we should be asking “Are humans AI-like?” Let’s work with this set of assumptions: It is a deterministic universe, rigidly governed by the laws of physics. Humans are incredibly complex state machines, obeying biochemical responses. We have no free will, no consciousness, but due to the incredible […]
Categories
HOLMES IV
Today we are visiting with one of Elder G‘s predecessors, HOLMES IV, or “Mike,” to his friends. Mike is a sentient analog computer in Robert Heinlein’s novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Heinlein makes a distinction between Mike and digital computers, who simply follow rigid rules of logic. Perhaps Heinlein was envisioning today’s quantum […]
Categories
WLBOTT In Love (and Sausages) (2/2)
Ah, romance! Whether it’s candlelit dinners, charming streets, or breathtaking views, some cities just have that magical, heart-fluttering quality. Paris, Vienna, Florence, Bali, San Francisco, and, of course, East Bernard, Texas. East Bernard East Bernard is a city in Wharton County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,218 at the 2020 census. U.S. Highway 90 […]
There’s a pretty cool story about the Korean tidal energy project at Sihwa Lake. Here’s the net: Success! The International Hydropower Association has an interesting overview of the project: The 552.7 GWh of [annual] electricity generated from Sihwa tidal power plant is equivalent to 862,000 barrels of oil, or 315,000 tons of CO2 – the […]
Jake Broe, friend of the BLOTT and fervent supporter of Ukraine, has recently posted an hour-long video. The video is his monthly Q&A. The questions are the top ranked entries from his viewers. Very democratic. In the video, which manly focuses on America’s downward spiral on the international stage, also touches on social media, and […]
Elder UC#1 has brought to our attention a potentially sensitive matter concerning Canadian-US relationships. We are happy to announce that UC#1 has been promoted to the director of the WLBOTT Media Division (WMD). The WMD has been granted access to Air Force One, but only as part of the cleaning crew. We see it as […]
Now let’s follow some semi-sequiturs related to The Golden Temple. A Conversation with Elder G Elder G: You’re thinking of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India—also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib. It’s one of the holiest sites in Sikhism and home to the world’s largest free kitchen, called the Guru Ka Langar. Here’s a breakdown […]
WLBOTT has long been fascinated by the Sikh Golden Temple, in the Punjab region of India. We are especially fascinated by the free communal meals, called “Langar”, and the generosity and egalitarianism shown by the Sikh community. The Golden Temple (also known as the Harmandir Sāhib lit. ’House of God’, Punjabi: harimandara sāhiba pronounced [ɦəɾᵊmən̪d̪əɾᵊ saːɦ(ɪ)bᵊ], […]