June 17, 2024

Fries the way they were meant to be made: golden brown and with a side of mayo. Why does the Netherlands have so much better fast food than America, my kid asked, and I didn’t know the answer.

A person is holding a cardboard tray filled with golden fries and a side of mayonnaise.

June 16, 2024

The Dutch have some interesting water sports going on.

A horse pulling a carriage along a beach, with a baby stroller and some items in the sand, while a person kite surfing can be seen in the background.

June 15, 2024

On the day Boeing’s incompetence was headline news our family of five boarded a 787 to Amsterdam that was delayed by 90 minutes for repairs. Good thing I don’t read the news, or it would’ve made for an anxious trip. #newsnoise

June 14, 2024

In today’s not-a-linkblog blog:

Have a great weekend, all.

June 13, 2024

This is not a linkblog. But here are some links that, if it were, I would have posted today:

Happy Thursday, etc.

June 12, 2024

The Washington Post is having a crisis of identity — it recently laid off most of its local columnists but apparently still wants to focus on local news:

Sir William and co. are floating an idea called “Local+,” a new offering for readers who want to pay extra for premium local content, sources tell me.

At the same time, their coverage of 12 best ice cream shops in Washington starts with one in Alexandria, Virgina. So, the “+” in “Local+” may not mean what I think it should mean.

June 11, 2024

One of the first things European visitors to the US will notice is how many squirrels there are running around — almost as many as rats!

Well, there is a whole family of albino squirrels living at the National Mall, behind the National Gallery of Art. Albino rats I haven’t seen outside of a lab.

An albino squirrel climbing a tree.

June 10, 2024

Our eldest just missed a friend’s birthday party because the invitation went to mom’s overflowing and rarely checked personal email and not dad’s inbox nearly-zero. I’m used to school administrators not seeing fathers as the default parents, but having it come from another parent kind of stings.

June 9, 2024

🍿 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) was an unexpected delight with a tight story, smart humor, and subtle Spider-Verse animation influences. It’s Sony Picture’s world now, followed by DreamWorks Animation, leaving Disney/Pixar a distant, sad third.

June 8, 2024

📚 Finished reading: Toxic Exposure by Chadi Nabhan, in record time. The prose may have been clunky but the drama of the Monsanto Rondup trials was real and the book was a page-turner, so it took me less than 48 hours to zip through cover to cover.

The court transcripts make the story, especially when Chadi was cross-examined about the nuances of probability, causality and informed risk. If those topics sounds appealing, I recommend you listen to Chadi’s one-hour conversation with Nassim Taleb about the book. If only Taleb could have been there as an expert witness…