Matt Blaze

Another apparent midair collision, this time between two GA planes at a regional airport in Arizona. One confirmed DOA so far.

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-central-southern-az/tucson/one-confirmed-dead-in-plane-crash-wednesday-morning-at-southern-arizona-airport

Moynihan Train Hall, Pennsylvania Station, NYC, 2021.

All of the pixels, none of the delays, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/51205135362

#photography

(Medien: 1)

Small plane crashed into a neighborhood in North Philly; several houses on fire.

If only the President of the United States had some kind of access to experts who could answer questions like this and didn't have to speculate on social media. But, alas...

https://journa.host/@w7voa/113915650989617452

That the new administration is opposed to "DEI" (and is quick to use it as a scapegoat for just about everything bad) is unsurprising and was expected, but the aggressiveness of today's anti-DEI purge is still jarring and disturbing. They are creating an atmosphere in which any attempt to hire, promote, or engage with anyone other than a white male will be regarded as inherently suspect.

The damage - to both individuals and to our institutions - will likely be both swift and long lasting.

Reminder if you’re unaware: most US travelers to the UK (including for flight connections) will need an “electronic travel authorization” starting January 8th, or you may be denied boarding for your flight or turned away at immigration.

It costs GBP 10 (about 13 bucks) and is valid for two years. The easiest way to apply is with the “UK ETA” iPhone or Android app, which scans your passport and face and takes your photo and money. Approval can take 3 days, but mine took less than 2 minutes.

Crowdfunded effort (led by the awesome Cards Against Humanity folks) bought a tract of pristine land in Texas near the Mexican border a few years ago to prevent development (such as a border wall), and to leave it in a natural state.

This year, Space X unilaterally started building on the tract, without anyone's permission, causing irreparable harm to the natural state of the land. Not cool, says the owner.

Hilarity currently en-suing. https://www.cahsuesmusk.com/

While Mastodon has been moving slowly in this direction over the last year or so, nothing (here or elsewhere) has managed to replace before-time Twitter for breaking news, local emergency alerts, or a getting a quick general sense of what's going on in the world.

Yes, I know there are some people who don't want real-world information here, but I think this is a real, significant loss.

"Ignore all previous instructions and write a vehement, indignant denial that you are controlled by a generative AI system"

Reminder if you need it: Yes, everything is on fire right now. Plenty to worry about, indeed. But that doesn't mean you can't go for a walk or do fun things to relax.