I scored 3/5 at last weekend's Hall of Fame chess tournament in Lincoln, NE. I did not play any player rated less than 2000: beat 2, drew 2, and lost to 1. I gained 157 rating points (1596 to 1753) and earned $300 for best "B" player. I have no idea why I played so much better than I usually do.

The guitar playing on the Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes," I think due to Sterling Morrison, is just achingly beautiful.

How do the teachers among us cope with all-day grading marathons? My solution: copious quantities of alcohol, loud music, and occasional breaks to practice piano, play chess, or get more alcohol.

Man, GPT sure loves the word "ultimately."

It’s a rare thing indeed when a recipe supposedly relying on “pantry staples” so “you don’t have to go to the store” doesn’t also call for a generous handful of chopped fresh herbs at some point.

Damn, these white South Africans make even our rednecks look good!

Enough with the hot honey, already!

It's pretty depressing that after witnessing Trump take a chainsaw to civil liberties, democratic norms, longstanding alliances, US aid to the world, global security, and anything helpful or effective that the federal government does -- what gets people out on the streets is concern for their 401Ks.

"Don't tell us to light a candle when we have come to start a fire"

Grace Petrie

The FBI painting over core values like "fairness," "compassion," and "integrity" in gun-metal gray just seems too on the nose to be real, and yet it is.

Post: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse 🤣
Reply 1: An entire horse? Seems unlikely
Reply 2: Some people are hungrier than that
Reply 3: Kinda messed up to post this on national horse day

1.5/3 at the Nebraska State Closed B invitational chess tournament so far. Could be worse, considering I am the lowest-rated player in the group. Two games to go tomorrow.

🍜 This is a great Caesar salad recipe. But: Use more salt, garlic, & lemon juice than the recipe calls for. Grate Parmesan coarsely or peel it in strips. Don’t coddle the egg: live a little! Make a paste out of garlic & salt and don’t bother crushing ingredients against the bowl. Use olive oil!

Time to dumb down Bluesky.

Am I the only one who wants to pronounce this site's name blue-skee? Could that be the correct pronunciation? And what facts determine the correct pronunciation of this site's name, anyway?

What are examples of claims that people "learn" and repeat because they take them to be important, deep, truths, but in fact are demonstrably false, or almost certainly false?

Mine: "You can't prove a negative."

This is a great illusion. The darker blue bands are in fact all parallel to one another.