Law School in a Box

From websites:

Law School in a Box

Who needs a $400,000 law degree from Harvard, Yale, or Duke, complete with fiercely competitive classes and endless hours in the library?

Fast-track your law degree and save some cash, too.

Everything you need to know about practicing law has been squeezed into this small tin box!

• Law School in 96 Pages: This mini-textbook features Law Lingo (what's the difference between assault and battery?), Famous Cases (Brown v. Board of Ed.), and the most supreme of the Supreme Court Justices.

• 10 Heroes of the Courtroom Trading Cards: They're all here — Abe Lincoln, Johnnie Cochran, Sandra Day O’Connor — with portraits and famous quotes on baseball-style trading cards.

• 10 "You Be the Judge" Cards: Put your new legal knowledge to good use! One side features an ethical dilemma — the other side features real courtroom verdicts on the matter. Test your legal IQ!

• Mini-Bar Exam: Ready for trial, Matlock? Not so fast! Better answer these tantalizing legal trivia questions first! They come complete with detailed answers on an accordion-folded exam.

• Diploma (one side in Latin, reverse in English): suitable for framing and showing off.

Cheap at many times the $27.49 price.

UFOs — Under The Radar

Only last week buried on some relatively obscure web page did I learn that J.J. Abrams made a highly watchable and informative, non-sensational-toned 2021 4-part series about UFOs/UAFs.

I just watched the first two episodes: excellent.

You can too, right here.

Thoughtful 2021 Guardian review here.

'Prayer' — Constantin Brancusi

Romanian postage stamp showing the sculpture "Prayer" by Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957).

It was issued in 1976 to honor the 100th anniversary of Brancusi's birth in Hobita, Romania.

A recent rave New York Times review of a comprehensive new show of Brancusi's work at the Museum of Modern Art is here.

You can see more on the Museum's website featuring the show, titled "Brancusi: The Artist and His Studio," up through February 27, 2027.

'Children of Men'

Remind me when my time machine comes back from the shop not to go to England next year.

How you spell dystopia?

I happened on an ancient DVD box with this 2006 movie inside; the cover reads:

The year 2027:

The last days of the human race

No child has been born for 18 years

He must protect our only hope

That's as good a summary as any, but it doesn't begin to tell you how gripping, frightening, and plausible this alternative future appears in the hands of Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón, 20 years after I first saw it when it came out.

Unexpected: Michael Caine has a major role, playing a former hippie living in a hidden forest in his own private British Idaho.

I'd completely forgotten until the credits rolled that the film is based on a 1993 novel by P.D. James.

You can rent the movie here.

'You Can See Everything' Popcorn Bucket

Clever.

"The bucket can't be bought on its own. It is reserved for fans who purchase a ticket to 'You Can See Everything' after 1 p.m. EST on October 28 [this past Wednesday], and claiming it requires logging in with the same email used for the ticket order. Each order is capped at one bucket, and stock is limited."

Look for these on eBay for $1,000 and up.

On reading with my cat on my lap without waking her up

One of the things I like best in this world is reading a book or working at my computer or going full-on BrainDead watching TikTok in the dark while my calico cat Vanta sleeps on my lap.

I'll sit there without moving a long time even if I have other stuff to do: I hate to wake her up.

My favorite part is when she dreams of chasing electric mice and twitches and jerks and makes little squeaky sounds as her eyeballs follow what she's dreaming of.

What must it be like to be a cat?

The closest I've ever come to getting a sense of life in a four-claw-pawed body was reading Jack Williamson's classic 1948 science fiction novel "Darker Than You Think."

Experience the magic here.

Free, the way we like it.

Fair warning: there goes the day — and what remains of your mind.

CipherX Microdot Tattoos

TIME named it one of the best inventions of 2026, writing, "Getting even a small tattoo can be both painful and expensive. This year, biotechnology startup CipherX debuted a new application system for tiny tattoos that is neither. The company made use of burgeoning microneedle patch technology, placing the microneedles in select designs like stars and hearts on the patch, and embedding pigments in the minuscule needles."

"'Users just feel the sensation of [getting] a stamp when you go to a club,' says co-founder and CEO Ferdinand Kohle. The patch's microneedles penetrate the outermost layers of the skin — far less invasive than a traditional tattooing machine — and the result is a permanent tattoo in minutes."

Virtual iPod

From MacRumors:

.....

Apple Music Has a Hidden iPod You Can Play With

Apple Music has a 404 page Easter egg on the web: a functional iPod that appears when you load a page that does not exist, such as music.apple.com/macrumors.

"Page Not Found," says Apple: "Give this a spin instead."

Apple is clever with this. If you navigate to music.apple.com/ipod instead, the page says "Looking for something?" instead of "Page Not Found."

The Easter egg is only visible in a web browser, so you can't see it in the Apple Music app. To avoid being redirected to the Apple Music app, hold down the Command key when clicking on the link on a Mac, or hold on the link and tap "Open" on iOS.

You can navigate the first-generation iPod using the virtual click wheel and listen to 90-second previews of select songs from artists such as Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Britney Spears. Coldplay, Daft Punk, Drake, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Panic!, At The Disco, U2, and more.

There's even an Easter egg within an Easter egg. If you navigate to Settings → About on the iPod and click and hold on the click wheel's center button, you can eventually play the classic game "Breakout" on the screen. Apple co-founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs helped to create "Breakout" while they worked at Atari in the 1970s.

The Easter eggs were spotted on October 23, 2026, the 25th anniversary of Apple announcing the original iPod.

Sign of the Apocalypse: Lay's Introducing 5 New Potato Chip Flavors For Holiday Season

Above and below, the debutantes: Cheddar Scalloped Style Potatoes, Roasted Holiday Turkey, Maple Bacon,

Wavy Milk Chocolate, and Wavy Dubai Style Dark Chocolate.

Detailed descriptions and flavor profiles here. 

At retailers everywhere through the end of the year.

Why Can't I Embed an AirTag in my Cat?

Very stressful for me is the thought that Vanta, my beloved calico cat, will dart through a temporarily opened door or figure out how to climb over her 4-foot-high catio wall and bolt, never to be seen again.

To give myself a fighting chance in the event such a disaster occurs, I've done the following:

1. Had a chip embedded in the back of her neck right after adopting her from the shelter four years ago. Supposedly if she's found and taken to a vet, they can scan her after finding she has been chipped and get all her registered home location information, contact me, and have me come and get her. 

Here's the thing, and I don't know why I'm so stupid as to only realize the following after 43 years of owning chipped dogs and cats: HOW DO I KNOW THE CHIP REALLY WORKS? 

On my upcoming visit to the vet the first thing I'm gonna do is have them use their chip reading device to see if Vanta's info comes up; I'll report on the results then.

2. I've loaded her collar, which has her name and my telephone number and address clearly displayed, with BOTH an AirTag and a Tile (top).

I tested the AirTag and Tile as to how far from my phone they will emit a locator signal: it's around 200 feet at best, and if she got out there's an excellent chance she would get beyond that distance.

However, Apple's Find My network in conjunction with the AirTag is said to use a nationwide Apple network connected to every iPhone to help pinpoint AirTags.

I just hope I never have to use it!

I feel terrible about all the hardware she has to carry around and so a couple years ago I adopted a new policy: I only put on her collar when she goes out onto the catio. Even then I frequently don't bother.... shame on me.

But I digress.

I asked Perplexity Pro, my excellent AI, if I could safely embed an AirTag in my cat and it replied "You should not do this."

It then went on to give a lot of excellent reasons why not (below).

So I guess I'll just have to wait till Apple or someone creates a medical-grade AirTag that, like a pacemaker, can be permanently embedded. 

I would pay A LOT for such a device and I'm certain many others would as well.

Peace of mind is worth a fortune.

Shoplifter Tote

Want to cause trouble?

Carry this bag into a store on Rodeo Drive and see what happens.

$29.95.

OMNI Magazine Archive 1978-1995

From Archive:

OMNI was a science and science fiction magazine published in the U.S. and U.K.

It contained articles on science, parapsychology, and short works of science fiction and fantasy.

It was published as a print version from 1978 to 1995.

The first OMNI e-magazine was published on CompuServe in 1986 and the magazine switched to a wholly online presence in 1996.

It abruptly ceased publication in late 1997, following the death of co-founder Kathy Keeton; activity on the magazine's website ended in April 1998.

Railpass — 'All Aboard'

Railpass simulates a train ride in your browser window using real video footage.

Choose from trains around the world, add weather to the mix.

Sound ON for the best ride.

Experts' Expert: How To Liquify Crystallized Honey

From Simply Recipes:

.....

Never Throw Out Crystallized Honey — Beekeepers Use This Simple Fix To Make It Smooth Again

Honey is the universal natural sweetener that can be used in so many ways. I drizzle honey over fruit and yogurt bowls, use it in baked goods, mix it up for salad dressings, and even roast vegetables with it. It’s incredibly versatile, and I always have a jar of honey sitting on my counter.

Over time, the look of your honey may change. Instead of that liquid gold appearance, it might start to look grainy or a bit more dense. While it's still totally fine to eat, there is a quick trick to bring crystallized honey back to its original runny form. The hack I learned from a beekeeper to fix crystallized honey is so simple and so clever, your jar of honey will be smooth again in just a few minutes.

Why Does Honey Crystallize Over Time?

So, why does honey crystallize anyway? According to Emily Schmiedel, lead beekeeper for Jacobsen Salt Co.'s Hive Program, the crystallization of honey is actually one of the markers that it is, in fact, real honey. She says that honey is roughly 80 percent sugar in the form of some ratio of glucose to fructose. The ratio of those sugars in any one honey depends on the primary floral source the bees were buzzing around. It can also vary seasonally, based on what was available for the bees to forage. "Honeys containing more glucose than fructose tend to crystallize faster," she says, noting that honeys with lower water content tend to crystallize faster as well. "Any amount of pollen in raw honey acts as a substrate, causing the honey to crystallize over time too." It's simply a natural part of the process.

When honey crystallizes, it might look grainy and dense, but it’s still safe to eat. "The taste is unchanged, but the fine-grained texture actually makes it a bit easier to spoon and spread without the mess," says Schmiedel, so it's not a bad thing if this happens. It doesn’t mean that your honey has gone bad.

The Easiest Way To Bring Crystallized Honey Back to Life

Store your jar or bottle in a warm cupboard if you really want your honey to stay liquid. This will help prevent crystallization in the first place. "I store it up high," said Schmiedel. "As heat rises, the honey then stays a touch warmer."

If your honey does crystallize, she says the key is to warm it gently. This is the easiest way to transform it from dense and grainy back to liquid again. "Secure the lid tightly and set the honey jar in a small water bath at about 100°, just up to the rim of the jar," she said. After sitting in a bowl for several minutes, the honey will have gently warmed and become liquid again.

'The Audacity'

I happened on a rave review of this 8-part series in the Guardian and decided to see what it was all about.

The Guardian noted the rapier-like sharpness of the dialogue and one-liners: no humbug!

Wikipedia describes it as "a dark comedy."

Very, very dark....

This is as funny and interesting as anything I've watched recently; as a rule I avoid comedy.

It's on AMC+, a subchannel of Prime Video.

Auracast — Create Your Own Personal Radio Station Wherever You Are

From the website:

.......

Auracast Broadcast Audio is a technology that allow one device to transmit sound wirelessly to multiple people up to 100 meters away with compatible listening devices or receivers. 

Multiple audio streams can broadcast simultaneously, providing primary audio content along with additional content such as language translation or audio description for people with vison loss.

Users select the audio stream that best meets their needs.

.......

More here.

'Vertical Run'

What a book!

It was published in 1995; I don't know where I learned of it but it turned out to be so compelling I had to forcibly tear myself away after finishing the first third in one sitting.

I'd never heard of its author, Joseph R. Garber, before happening on it.

This superb thriller grabbed me from the get-go.

Garber wrote three other novels before dying of a heart attack in 2005 at 61; I'm looking forward to reading them.

“FRESH OYSTERS” 🤢🤮☠️ I DON’T THINK SO‼️⚠️

Stowaway — 'Live 3D Tracking From The Window Seat'

More and more, flying is a big pain in the butt.

How much better to sit on your comfy chair or couch or lie in bed and take in the view from 30,000 feet — free, the way we like it?

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

Surviving a 10-Hour Shift as a Line Cook in NYC

 

YouTube description:

.....

What's it really like working as a professional line cook?

Bon Appétit follows Lindsey Hubbard through a demanding 10-hour-long shift at One White Street, a Michelin Green Star restaurant in New York City.

Just four months into her career, Lindsey tackles her first shift on the Meat station, cooking $90 ribeyes, navigating a chaotic dinner service, and learning under pressure.

BeyondTheMedspeak: Why Concierge Medicine is Not For Me

Above, an invitation that came in Saturday's mail inviting me to a "private introduction" to local concierge physicians Drs. Mike and Paige McClincy.

"Learn what it means to have a physician with the time to truly know you."

Tell you what: the last thing in the world I have time for is wasting it so my doctor can ..."truly know me."

I love my current primary care doc and how she takes care of me: every six months or so she emails me to schedule a 30-minute wellness check via FaceTime.

Even that's more time than I want to spend on my health: I'd prefer no contact unless I initiate it.

But I go along so as to be a good patient.

What the Girl With a Pearl Earring Wears When She Goes Clubbing

2 Great Post-it Note Hacks

From my Crack Research Team©®™comes this pair of inventive approaches to Post-it note issues.

Up top, how to get yours to lay as flat as possible.

Below, what to do if you accidentally remove the protective paper on the bottom of the pad.

Mr./Ms. Right: Is He/She Out There? — The 37% Rule

Dr. David K. Smith of the Mathematical Statistics and Operational Research Department of the University of Exeter formulated this deceptively simple yet enormously useful rule applicable to all areas of life:

"Once you have seen 37% of, for example, job application forms, a coherent picture of the ideal employee is built up and the next person to fulfill these criteria gets the job."

Dr. Peter Todd, addressing the search for The One, put forward an abbreviated approach.

He suggested that a typical person should count up to about a dozen potential partners, and then start hunting seriously. 

"The first dozen will provide enough information to make a suitable choice from those who follow."

Now close the deal and live happily ever after.

Breaching Paywalls

An important tool in the bag of my Crack Research Team©®™ is an ability to get past paywalls intended to block non-paying peeps from viewing a website.

Since time immemorial Archive (https://archive.is/ and https://archive.ph/) has done the trick almost every time, but in recent years it too has been increasingly unable to penetrate online defenses against its efforts.

A couple months ago in the comments on Hacker News I noticed that someone had used unwall (https://unwall.app/) to uncover a website and I immediately tried it and was thrilled to find it worked on sites Archive couldn't penetrate.

Sometimes, though, unwall too hit the wall.

Last week, again in Hacker News comments, I happened on wallhop (https://wallhop.io/) for the same purpose: again, I tried it and it worked!

Each paywall breacher produces its own characteristic presentation.

This flurry of new (to me) alternatives to Archive is a welcome blessing what with the increasingly siloed nature of the internet.

Where are all these new options coming from all of a sudden?