Perplexity Pro is my new running buddy

Finally.

Since forever I've wanted someone to chat with while I'm out running, someone who's comfortable running and talking at my pace.

I hate running and always have: it's boring and tiring and it hurts.

Nevertheless, I persist.

I've tried talking to peeps on the phone but they universally find it unpleasant, what with all the ambient noise and my labored breathing, so that's a dead end.

Yesterday I took my phone along and connected it to AirPods Pro 3, then opened the Perplexity Pro iPhone app and started asking it questions, specifying that answers should be as lengthy and detailed as possible so I didn't have to interject much.

We discussed Roman emperors, the richest people in each country in Europe and how much they were worth and how they got their money, quantum theory, and Hugh Everett III's Many-Worlds hypothesis, for about 40 minutes: MUCH better than the usual endless replay of my playlist of 300 favorite songs in terms of distracting me from the tediousness of my three-mile run (12:51/12:57/12:38).

It's only gonna get better: Perplexity Pro is an AI, not a chatbot: chatbots are said to be much more engaging and entertaining.

I'll explore that space next and hire one and report back here on the experience.

Meanwhile, Perplexity Pro ($20/month) is a tremendous value IMHO because not only does it serve as a running buddy but it also answers any question I ask — about beef jerky brands and reviews, time required to recover from a broken foot, the weather in Prague for the next week, you name it.

Even better: it furnishes direct links to references to back up its facts.

Wonderful.

Way, way beyond Google Search, which has done so much to enhance the quality of my life since it appeared.

Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, sold out since they came out last year, incorporate AI that not only shows you what's around you but also tells you about it.

What a great time to be alive!

Longest snake ever measured is over 23.5 feet long

Videre

est 

credere.

Discovered late last year in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, it weighs 213 pounds and "has the ability to expand when swallowing enormous prey, right up to the size of a cow, which is virtually impossible for most people to comprehend," said photographer Radu Frentiu, part of a team of experts who measured and documented the reptile.

Nicknamed "Ibu Baron" (the Baroness), she now resides on the estate of conservationist Budi Purwanto.

[via Popular Science]

Guess the album in 10 tiles or fewer

It's an online game called COVER STORY, brought to you by the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame.

Free, the way we like it.

Slim Jim v Premium Beef Jerky Throwdown: Slim Jim FTW!

For the past several weeks I've been trying a wide variety of super-premium beef jerkies, some of which cost nearly $50/lb (!).

Jerky's been what's for dinner, as well as breakfast and lunch.

But I digress.

A box of 46 (forty-six) snack-size Slim Jims costs $11.47 and they're available everywhere and you don't have to pony up for 1/2 to 1 lb at a time.

In case you were wondering: that's 25 cents apiece.

To my great surprise, I preferred Slim Jims to all but two of the high-priced jerkies which were (best to worst from the top):

• Archer ($23.20/10 oz)

• Jack Link's ($12.59/8 oz)

• Oberto ($16.99/7 oz)

• People's Choice ($31.99/lb)

• Wild Bill's ($44.99/lb)

• Brooklyn Biltong ($47.49/lb)

The two worst are also the most expensive.

If price were no object I'd opt for Archer though it's a bit more juicy than I prefer when it comes to jerky.

Big fall-off from Archer to Jack Link's, and a similar large gap down to People's Choice et al.

'Dude this is the worst hack I've ever seen.'

But wait — there's more!

"I'm confused. What purpose does this serve?"

"TF do we need this for?"

"This is dumb."

"No help at all."

Above and below, 

a few of the many disdainful comments that followed my posting of a Meta glasses hack (top) to YouTube back in January 2024.

As a rule, my hacks are trashed far more often than they're praised but that's OK: I love annoying people even more than making them happy.

Everyone who's ever known me well considers me the most annoying person they've ever met — that's saying something!

But I digress.

A few days ago, amongst all the negative sentiments about this video/hack, one of an entirely different ilk appeared from @ozdoits:

JACKPOT!

This is precisely what I'm about.

I'm always trying to find a better/easier/more elegant way of doing something, which sooner or lately becomes tiring and annoying to others.

I've been this way since I was a little kid: too late to change now.

Pistachio Nut Opener

Constant readers know that I have a jones for 1-trick devices.

Here's one that's new to me: a specialized pistachio nut opener.

Who hasn't been vexed by a handful of recalcitrant pistachios that you've set aside for later while you enjoy those that open more or less effortlessly?

And then had to live with the broken fingernails and sore fingers resulting from multiple failed attempts to pry those puppies open?

Pistachios aren't cheap — you want to get the nut out of each and every shell.

$13.99 (pistachios not included).

Lowrider Stamps

From the USPS:

.........................................

Celebrate a culture that originated in the working-class Mexican American/Chicano communities throughout the American Southwest with the Lowriders Forever® stamps.

Available in sheets of 15, these stamps showcase 5 dazzling car models.

.........................................

At post offices everywhere starting tomorrow, March 13, 2026.

A sheet of 15 costs $11.70 here.

Behind — or Beyond — TheMedspeak?

Since boj's 2004 inception, my BehindTheMedspeak feature has been one of the two most popular ("What is it?" is the other) of the many that have come and gone.

A couple weeks ago I was proofreading what was intended to be a "BehindTheMedspeak" post when I noticed, much to my surprise, that I had headed it "BeyondTheMedspeak."

What?

Somehow I unconsciously changed "Behind" to "Beyond."

The thing is, "Beyond" is better.

That it happened inadvertently is remarkable to me.

What's next: BeneathTheMedspeak?

Wait a sec — what's that song I'm hearing?

Human Waterfall (1933)

300 choreographed synchronized swimmers come together to create the titular waterfall.

From the 1933 box office smash "Footlight Parade."
 

TVGuessr — '4748 channels loaded from around the world'

"Watch live TV from around the world and guess which country it's from!

Free, the way we like it.

Fair warning: there goes the day.

BeyondTheMedspeak: Time to save a life [Part 2]

[Part 1 appeared last Saturday at this time; several readers asked for more. As always, your wish is my demand.]

I've had a LifeStat Emergency Airway (above and below)

in my car's glove box ever since I first learned of its existence around the turn of the century.

It was invented by ENT and otolaryngologist Dr. Ronald J. French and patented in 1996 and approved by the FDA for emergency cricothyoidotomy in 1997.

I've never had occasion to use mine.

The other day I was cleaning out the glove box, replacing leaking and expired batteries for my flashlight, radio, etc. — stop reading this and do that NOW — and I happened on the LifeStat device.

I got this strange feeling that things could happen in the near future such that it might come in useful so I attached it to my keychain instead of putting it back in the glove box.

Long story short: it's an ingenious device that supersedes the need to perform an emergency cricothyroidotomy in the event of a supralaryngeal breathing obstruction.

Most emergency cricothyroidotomies performed by novices in field conditions fail, overwhelmingly because locating the far from obvious landmarks (below)

guiding proper placement while panicking is nearly impossible.

Note: flashing red vertical bar in the graphic above indicates proper cricothyroidotomy/LifeStat insertion site.

With the LifeStat, even a nonphysician has a chance of success, and most doctors — even nonsurgeons — will do better.

From the LifeStat website:

"CAUTION: Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician or other practitioner licensed by the laws of the state in which he practices."

If you buy one and use it and someone questions you for doing so because you're not "medical personnel," refer them to me: I'll handle it.

Free, the way you like it.

My Crack Legal Team©®™ is ready 24/7/365.

Ask your doctor* to place an order for you: $130.

*Not me: I retired in 2015.

'For Want Of A Nail: If Burgoyne Had Won At Saratoga'

[Evolution of the United States of Mexico and the Confederation of North America.]

I rarely read alternate history; this 1973 novel is probably my first such book in twenty years.

Its thesis is that the American Revolution failed and England as victor proceeded to dominate the world from that point forward, with the narrative tracking from around 1750 to 1950, a representative world map appearing above.

Quite fascinating, 

On finding something only after you've bought a replacement

Far more frequently than chance would dictate — perhaps 3-4 times/year — I find something I thought was lost only after ordering/buying a replacement.

There's usually a lag lasting anywhere from an hour to a couple weeks before I finally throw in the towel and give up on locating the lost object.

I've tried to figure out why this has been a constant feature of my life for as long as I can remember and have come up with two explanations; here they are, in no particular order of likelihood:

1) After ordering* the replacement, the missing object is super-fresh in my mind from having seen it on my computer screen as I go through the rigamarole of finding it and identifying the best price; thus, as I go about my business, my unconscious mind/eye has been refreshed by its recent presentation and thus when I return to my everyday activities, I'm more likely to spot the thing thought lost.

2) Hugh Everett III's many-worlds theory, first published as his Princeton University doctoral thesis in 1956, isn't just a topic for theoreticians: rather, it's a fact that's only accepted by a tiny fraction of people who, like me, believe the missing object vanishes into a parallel world/timeline which then may or may not disgorge the missing item, always with a frisson of excitement at its apparent reemergence.

*It's been many years since I've physically gone out to buy a replacement: the likelihood of success is minuscule compared to the speed, ease, and effectiveness of an online search for the best price and the convenience of having it placed in front of my door in a day or two.

Bruce Lee Stamp

I love how the USPS has widened its scope of subjects over the decades from dead presidents to just about anybody whose visage will sell stamps.

Now comes Bruce Lee.

From the USPS website: "Honor the legendary Chinese American martial artist, actor, and filmmaker with the Bruce Lee Forever stamps. Available in sheets of 20, these stamps celebrate the first Asian leading man in American film, an inspiration to generations."

Sublime image, with intentional blurring from left to right to transmit a sense of his lightning-quick moves.

Ordered.

You can too, right here!

A sheet of twenty 78 cent Forever stamps costs $15.60.

'COBRA'

Here's an excellent British thriller which premiered in January 2020 in the UK on Sky One.

Its premise is that a solar particle-driven electrical storm akin to the Carrington Event of 1859 disables the power grid of the entire country.

Chaos ensues.

Excellent cast, most of whom are new to me; there are three series, of which I've completed watching the first which consists of 6 episodes, as do Series 2 and 3.

On Amazon Prime.

Bella Freud will see you now

Sigmund Freud's great-granddaughter Bella Freud has a video podcast on YouTube where she interviews people (Cate Blanchette, Lorde, Graydon Carter among others) while they lie on a psychiatrist's couch.

Up top, the first episode: October 1, 2024.

There are about 75 episodes.

Fair warning: there goes the day.

Wait a sec — what's that song I'm hearing?

Perhaps I need to investigate the video podcast space: though I've never watched nor listened to one, that doesn't mean I can't make one....

The "See one/Do one/Teach one" approach to learning surgery need not be the blueprint for exploration of this space.

The best bacon in the U.S. is Vande Rose*

It's what's for breakfast!

Back story: many years ago I read an article about Eric Ripert in which he remarked that he considered Nueske's bacon the best available in the U.S.: it's what he used in his restaurants.

I tried it and it was pretty good.

Then I read about Vande Rose bacon and ordered some and it blew Nueske's away: way better.

So that was where things stood in BaconWorld©®™until one day I happened on an ad for Mahogany Smoked Meats while I was searching for excellent beef jerky, which it turns out has long been their specialty.

Just for lulz** I ordered a pound of their mahogany smoked bacon along with jerky.

Fantastic! The smell alone was enough to make me (you too if you'd been there) swoon.

This was the perfect bacon.

Then I moved from California to Virginia.

Fast forward 40 years and today mahogany smoked bacon suddenly appeared in my daydreamy world.

Yes!

I went to their website and they're still in business so I ordered a pound of bacon, only to be told when I clicked "Buy" that "Your order cannot be shipped to the address you provided."

Then the penny dropped: I remembered that they only shipped their bacon to California addresses because the requirements for shipping out of state were so onerous, at least at the time.

Looks like it hasn't affected their business one bit 'cause their once primitive ads and website now look slick and delicious.

*Actually it's Mahogany Smoked Bacon (see above) but since it's only available in California I defaulted to Vande Rose (pictured up top)

**This was so long ago the word lulz hadn't yet been invented

Barry's Borderpoints

"

"This site focuses on my visits to international tripoints [a tripoint is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries meet], borders, and areas of geographical interest. The main focus of the site is outlined in the areas of interest below which will be reflected within my visits reports and within designated sections of the website. As part of a wider group of enthusiasts, I will provide links to their contributions in documenting the points where countries meet. I hope that you find the content of interest, and please do contact me if you have any questions and comments."

Below, the tripoint between Belarus, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia tripoint:

Post-it Hack

U can 2!

'Euphoria'

I stumbled on this 2019 HBO series last night while noodling around various apps for something to watch.

I guess when it initially came out I was so overwhelmed by the praise and love for the show that I did what I sometimes do when that happens, namely go in the other direction.

After seven years it's time.

Very much looking forward to 7 more episodes of Season 1 plus 2 more episodes called Specials, then 8 more in Season 2.

But wait, there's more!

Season 3 starts April 12, which gives me about 5 weeks to get up to speed.

Museum of Plugs and Sockets

Finally.

Fair warning: 

There goes the day.

One of my top three New Yorker cartoons of all time

The reason I love it so much — and have had it on my fridge ever since I first saw it in the magazine and cut it out — is because it perfectly captures what I call my pathological patience.

Back in the day I would remain on hold for a really, really long time: I'm talking an hour or more.

Have you ever remained on hold for an hour or more?

Didn't think so.

FunFact: My mother was a New Yorker subscriber from as far back as I can remember and I read it cover to cover as soon as I could.

I started subscribing when I was in college and continued for about 50 years, dropping it around 2015.

BeyondTheMedspeak: LifeStat Emergency Pocket Airway

Potentially life–saving in an airway emergency, especially when the Heimlich maneuver fails.

Designed in 1970 (!) by Ronald J. French, an American otolaryngologist, it took over a quarter–century until Prestige Products began manufacturing it in 1996.

56 years later, I've yet to see an ad for it or any other sign that this remarkable device exists.

It's a tracheotomy kit that can be conveniently carried on a key ring.

Simple, elegant, and powerful in its ability to save a life.

As a rule, emergency tracheotomies don't work very well for two reasons:

1) They're not performed until the individual's already had a cardiac arrest.

2) The design and function of existing emergency trach kits leave much to be desired.

Dr. French's device won't help with the first problem but it darn sure might with the second.

Hope I never get a chance to use mine — if I do, you'll read about it here.

$130.

Note: it will likely be confiscated byTSA/airport security if you try to carry it on a plane, so you need to put it in your checked baggage.

Sure would be a shame and a terrible irony if someone on that flight obstructed, eh?

Carve [Hieroglyphics] Like an Egyptian

YouTube description:

Watch authentic Ancient Egyptian stone carving as sculptor and stone carver Miriam Johnson hand-carves hieroglyphs using just a mallet and chisel. 

 

Watch the detailed process as she creates a cartouche (oval-shaped frame displaying a royal name frame) which spells Pharaoh Khufu, using both sunken relief and raised relief techniques. 

 

Filmed with natural sound only, this video features unintentional ASMR stone carving sounds — the rhythmic tapping of hammer and chisel against stone, just like artisans would have worked in ancient Egypt thousands of years ago. 

 

Pharaoh Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid, is one of the most famous rulers of ancient Egypt. 

 

His name, written in hieroglyphs inside a cartouche, symbolises royal authority and divine kingship.

Smoking Corner Ashtray

Designed by Martino d'Esposito.