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Since 1994, this is the 1555th issue of Randy Cassingham’s...
| 31 March 2024: Thinking, Fast and Slow | Copyright ©2024 https://thisistrue.com |
Other Good Reading: BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, is likened to the U.S. Academy that presents the Oscar Awards: they’ve been giving out the British Academy Film Awards since 1949. They’re also kind of like the Emmy Awards, presenting awards for that medium since 1955. I learned this week they also give out awards for games, too — since 2004. And in that realm, a reader pointed me to the fact that BAFTA justmade a Special Award to SpecialEffect “in recognition for the outstanding work it does to enhance the quality of life of severely physically disabled people through access to games.” I’ll let you read how they do that at Spotlight feature: SpecialEffect on the BAFTA site, but I’ll just say it’s awfully cool what they’re doing for the disabled, in part since the technologies they invent for this often get adapted for those who aren’t necessarily “severelyphysically disabled.” They call them “accommodations” but they are often of significant benefit to all of us.
(As always you’re welcome to copy out that paragraph and forward/post it as desired; credit True if you care to — not required.)
All Politics is Local: Arizona has an Official State Fossil (petrified wood). Official State Neckwear (bola tie). Even an Official State Firearm (Colt single action Army revolver). Now it has an Official State Planet: Pluto, since it was discovered at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. “I am proud of Arizona’s pioneering work in space discovery,” said Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, after approving the legislation pushed by Rep. Justin Wilmeth, a Republican, a self-described “historynerd” who is “mind-boggled” by the work of astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. But what of Pluto being “demoted” to a “dwarf planet”? “It might matter to some that are going to get picky or persnickety about stuff,” Wilmeth said. (RC/Arizona Daily Star) ...Politicians working together across the aisle: good. Working together across the solar system: better.
Another Day, Another Stupid Politician. School photographer manages to insult all the students, their parents, and staff all at once. Fraud finally proven in the Georgia 2020 presidential election, complete with fines levied. A real estate nightmare manages to get worse when the culprits sue the victim. Police department slapped with ...a cease and decist?! Church agrees to shut down food pantry because too many people needed it (wait...what?) Captured thief begs for a “second chance”...seconds after he got a second chance. Food chain’s new sign has a typo, but they decline to turn the bad publicity into good when given the chance. And a fun feelgood story about bears. Yep, there is plenty more in the full edition (and no outside ads). Plus you’ll be part of the community that makes True possible, and you get to decide your leveal of support. Upgrade here and thanks!
False False Alarm: A student was concerned about carbon monoxide alarms sounding at an Evergreen State College dorm. “When the alarms first turned off, I wasn’t sure,” she told the Washington State Patrol. “And he said, ‘Yeah, you should be all good.’” According to the patrol’s report, maintenance crews attributed the alarms to an error, not a leak. Alarms were turned off repeatedly and even removed. Then a student at the Olympia institution died, and his girlfriend — who had beengiven the all-clear — was rushed unconscious to a hospital, along with her roommate. Investigators found that the venting on a new water heater was not properly set up. (AC/KING Seattle, Seattle Times) ...Apparently no one told Death the dorm was safe.
Xero Minimalist Shoes meet Boots!
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Who’s a Bad Boy? When Christie Barr woke up at her home in Jacksonville, Fla., she found her car, parked in her driveway,was severely damaged. She called the sheriff. “I thought someone maybe took a BB gun and shot my car,” she said. Deputies pointed to her security camera and asked to see the video to see if they could identify the culprit in the act. They could. It shows a cat running to the car to hide in the engine compartment, and two dogs tearing up the car to try to get at it. The car held up well enough to protect the cat. “If they can do that to metal on a car, they could tear a human being up,” Barrsaid. “Don’t let [dogs] be out running the streets during the middle of the night.” Her insurance company gave a preliminary damage estimate of $3,000. Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services didn’t respond to calls from Barr or the local TV news reporter. (RC/WTEV Jacksonville) ...Easy to fix: point out they don’t have licenses, and they’ll be tracked down by the end of the day.
New Yeller: Massachusetts State Police Trooper John Ragosa and his dog Roscoe were called to a house in Barnstable, where an armed suspect had barricaded himself inside. The pair had cleared the top two floors of the home and most of the basement when the suspect came out of a bedroom, knocked Roscoe over, and ran upstairs. Roscoe got up and gave chase before the suspect shot him three times. Roscoe — a SPOT four-legged robot “dog” — didn’t continue, but the two PacBot 510 robots, oneof which the suspect also tried to shoot but missed, did. The SWAT team was able to finally subdue the suspect, and Roscoe is being heralded as an example of the benefits of robots in police work. “The insertion of Roscoe into the suspect residence prevented the need, at that stage of response, from inserting human operators or a real dog,” the department said in a statement, “and may have prevented a police officer or K9 partner from being involved in an exchange of gunfire.” (MS/WTIC Hartford)...Not all heroes have hearts.
Can You Believe This, Mr. Wiggles?!
California Highway Patrol Says ‘Imaginary Friends’ Don’t Count in the Carpool Lane, Bay Area Driver Busted
Did You Find an Error? Check the Errata Page for updates.
This Week’s Contributors: MS-Mike Straw, AC-Alexander Cohen, RC-Randy Cassingham.
Not An Error: Bola is an alternative spelling for a bolo tie. On Wikipedia, entering bola tie redirects you to bolo tie. But Arizona writers insist bola is proper, so there you go.
Another Data Bit in my ongoing diatribe about the poor quality of journalism is these days (at least, among the journalists willing to take the paltry wages in that sector — no doubt related to the trend): my story about the dogs tearing up the car trying to get at a cat actually says, “The video shows the neighbor’s car jumping behind the engine shortly before the dogs go after her.” Talk about a buried lede: they didn’t publish the video of the neighbor’s car jumping into her car? That would have really been something to see! Did it jump over the fence?
Then there’s this: “Now neighbors don’t know where the dogs are and are concerned for the neighbors’ safety.” Hm. Does that mean “Now Barr doesn’t know where the dogs are and is concerned for her neighbors’ safety”? Or “Now neighbors don’t know where the dogs are and are concerned for Barr’s safety”? Or, neighbors are concerned for their own safety? Or something else? Hell if anyone can figure that out.
The refrain used to be, “Everyone can write. We all learned how in school.” I haven’t heard anyone say that in recent years, probably because no one with the ability to think really believes it anymore.
News outlets keep laying off more expensive (read “experienced”) reporters, and quality goes down — not just stupid typos and clumsy construction, but actual knowledge to know what to put in, and what to leave out. Customers notice the reduced quality and move elsewhere, meaning the company has less money to pay quality reporters, and the spiral continues. If “private equity” would leave things alone and stop draining every business’s cash (yeah, not holding my breath), they wouldn’t bedestroying the foundation of democracy.
Ten Years Ago in True: A Very Slow Protest March is Planned.
New Randy’s Random post: Back in the Day.
This Week’s Story of the Week (you’re welcome to share it), about Arizona’s Official Planet, is posted on Telegram, Mastodon, Instagram, and Facebook, or grab from any of those to share elsewhere.
This Week’s Sunday Reading: I’ve been a full-time writer for 40 years, so I know of what I speak here. There’s No Such Thing as Writer’s Block, a lesson that’s valid for whatever you’re trying to accomplish.
This Week’s Honorary Unsubscribe goes to Daniel Kahneman. A psychological researcher, Kahneman’s research explained so, So, SO much. We’re rational thinkers? HAH! Here is just 3 minutes of what made him who he was, and how much we need to learn. (I know: the obliviots won’t read this one.)
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