I'm not a car guy, but I love watching entertaining people on YouTube, and some of the most entertaining were the guys at Donut. Then the channel started breaking up and I ended up following my favorites to their new channels... which included James Pumphrey to his channel, Speeed. And I actually prefer his new channel because he covers a bunch of stuff and not just cars.

Yesterday he dropped a video called 42 Things Everyone Should Learn How to Do and it goes in a few directions I didn't anticipate. I liked it...

First of all... I have that Yokohama Hard Rock T-shirt!

1. Fix a toilet. Thanks to having a piece of shit Kohler that cost me a fortune but is stupidly designed and needs tweaking all the time. I regret this purchase SO much.
2. How to reset a circuit breaker. Given my love of working with power tools, I'd be in sorry shape if I didn't know how.
3. Remount a bike chain. I haven't ridden a bike in decades, but I can probably remember how to do this from when I was a kid!
4. Learn CPR and when and how to use it. I do know, and am incredibly thankful I've never had to use it.
5. Jump-start a battery. DPLPLMDM... Dead Plus Live Plus Live Minus Dead Minus. I've rescued more than a couple people!
6. How to change a flat tire. Yes. And I would add to this... learn how to put on tire chains.
7. How to drive stick. That was all I drove for decades. I can probably remember how.
8. Exercise alone without any equipment. I know how... I just don't want to.
9. Learn and appreciate the power of compound interest. And I would add to this... learn about how absolutely deadly credit card interest can be and how to stay out of credit card debt whenever possible.
10. Have a basic understanding of how taxes work. It's shitty that this is even a fucking requirement because taxes should be simple as hell. But... we got all those loopholes to save millionaires and billionaires money, so we have to make taxes difficult for everybody so they might end up spending more than they should!
11. How to sew a button. Or, you know, how to sew period. And if you can use a sewing machine, you're much better off than not knowing how. Sewing machines are cheap and repairing clothes can save loads of money. My grandmother taught me, and it's been so important that I've always own a good sewing machine.
12. How to iron a shirt. My mom did her best to teach me, and I'm okay at it. But, largely, I end up ironing in more wrinkles than I end up ironing out.
13. Restart a water heater. When I moved into my place and mine was failing, I learned this skill to avoid taking cold showers.
14. Ride a motorcycle. Why yes, and I loved it. Except it wasn't something my body was physically able to do any more, so I sold my bike and admire them from afar now.
15. How to cook a good steak and grill a good burger. I'm a vegetarian, so I think I'll skip this one.
16. Dice an onion. I know how they want you to dice an onion, but I am happier not doing it that way. I halve an onion, cut into the cut-edge both ways, then pop it on its side and cut the dices off. I am told this is not the safe way to do it, but if you have very sharp knives it's just fine.
17. Cook rice. I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS wash my rice. And I prefer to use a rice cooker. But I know how to use a pot too.
18. How to read a map. I haven't held a paper map since iPhones were invented, but I still remember how to read one, yes.
19. How to find north without a compass. My Apple Watch has a compass built-in, but it's a watch, not a compass, so does that count?
20. How to start and tend a good campfire. Thanks to endless episodes of Survivor, I know how to do that. But if I don't have matches or a lighter I'm probably screwed.
21. One solid party trick. I am entertaining enough that I can talk my way out of knowing a party trick. I've also been a lot of places and know a lot of things, which is probably more useful at an actual party.
22. One song on any instrument. I used to be able to play a little keyboard and piano. I am very, very rusty. But could probably manage Chopsticks.
23. One actually good long joke. I have stories that are probably better than any joke. Which I think is better because it's something personal.
24. Bowline knot. Noted.
25. Butterfly loop. Noted.
26. Sheet bend. Noted.
27. Taut line hitch. Noted.
28. Trucker's hitch. Noted.
29. How to give constructive feedback. Kinda my job(s) for the past 30 years or so.
30. How to give a good toast or speech. Did speeches for 18 years with the charity, so I got that.
31. How to memorize names. The three time memorization thing doesn't work for me and I'm terrible at this.
32. How to introduce two people. Something I've also done for 18 years with the charity.
33. How to politely decline offers. I am a little more tactful than saying "I don't want to do it," but yes... cosigned... I also tell the truth. Lying never works out for me!
34. How to put out a grease fire. Didn't everybody get told how to smother the flames with a lid or toss baking soda on it in school? I've got a massive bag of baking soda (and a fire extinguisher!) in my kitchen just for this purpose!
35. How to dress for a wedding. I wear a suit with open collar shirt every time... unless it specifically says "casual" or there's a request. And I never wear a tie unless suit and tie are requested.
36. How to dress for a job interview. As somebody who has hired numerous employees, this is entirely contextual and depends on the job you're interviewing for. When I was hiring designers, I didn't give two shits what they were wearing, all I cared about was that they were clean, for example.
37. How to dress for as an adult. Dressing like an adult is nothing more than dressing appropriately for the occasion. But, to be honest, I care more about comfort than fashion.
38. How to talk to strangers. If there's one thing I'd consider myself an expert on... it's this. I've always had this as a natural talent, and am so good at it that people hire me or request me to do it all the time!
39. How to lift things without hurting your back. Well, this is easier said than done for me. Especially now that I'm older and I once threw my back out when I turned to lock the front door of my house. Suffice to say that I've had back problems since forever, and "lifting with my legs" is not always something I can do.
40. How to disagree with others in a civil manner. Another part of my job and, in a professional setting, I'm quite good at it. This is a little tougher with dumbfucks on the internet or in social settings were people are ignorant and abusive. Then? I don't give a shit. I'm too old to care now.
41. How to receive compliments. I hate having to do this, but I've learned how to do it because it makes people uncomfortable when you can't.
42. How to learn how to do new things. Not tough to learn something that you love to do, and learning new stuff is one of my favorite things.

And if you enjoyed that, here's another recent one that I really liked. It's such a good idea for a video!

James, Zach, and Jesse also did crypto, which is hilarious... because this is what happens to the vast majority of people, all of whom think that they're going to be one of the very, very, very few who makes serious money at it...

I gotta learn how to do a good ol' pump and dump and get rich! Just like our president did with $TRUMP Coin!

After dinner I was still hungry.

So I went through my refrigerator and my cupboards trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. Eventually I landed on a bowl of cereal. Except I was out of my all-time favorite for forever, Captain Crunch Peanut Butter, and had to grab the box I got on sale in my last grocery order, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. This is a cereal that I can eat, but it's never been the home run that other people tell me it should be. This is everybody's favorite breakfast cereal, but to me it's kinda just okay.

So I chowed down on my kinda just okay cereal while watching YouTube videos, where I ran across this gem...

Which lead to this gem...

Which lead to this gem...

And now I want an otter.

Or a pizza, because the kinda just okay cereal didn't do it for me.

Instead of going outside in the cool Fall air to get things done in my yard, I'm inside on the couch because my tummy hurty. But I'm not entirely dying, just partly dying... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• A Hero in the Stands! I fell down a hockey rabbit hole while watching Shoresy for the hundredth time today. And came across this story that I hadn't heard before. And it's a good one...

The fact that she was wearing a Tanev jersey already made her a hero to me. I remain gutted that he was traded from Seattle.

   
• dO yoUr OwN ResUrCh! Lord. This. All this...

On a daily basis I wonder how the fuck we ended up in this anti-science bullshit era after science has given us so much.

   
• Twenty? BWAH HA HA HAAAA!

In all honesty, I hope Jared Leto is planning on a Thirty Seconds To Mars followup album to It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day. I loved it, and still listen to Seasons almost every day. One of my favorite songs of all time.

   
• Wood! When your girlfriend, one of the most famous musicians on earth, writes a song about your dick... well, you're going to be asked questions. But when it's your brother doing the asking?

Oh, Trav. Don't ever change.

   
• Scallop Festival! The longer this goes on, the better it gets...

I wouldn't have thought that otters were potty trainable, which is good because I'd probably have looked into that. Now I have my mom's cats, so I guess it's too late.

   
• Academy? Yikes does the new Star Trek series look like crap. And not just because there's a Tilly cameo in it...

If not for the fact that Holly Hunter and Tig Notaro are in it, I'd be taking a huge pass. But they are, so I'm willing to give it a shot for a few episodes and see if it's worth my valuable time.

   
• NEWSFLASH: Spokane's notorious 'South Hill rapist' Kevin Coe released, now living in Auburn. — RELEASED? How the fuck did this happen? I remember very well when his reign of terror was happening. Very well. These were violent, horrific assaults above and beyond an already horrific assault. How is releasing him in any way justice? This is absurd. His health is "bad?" WHAT ABOUT HIS VICTIMS?!? Let him die in prison. He should have never, ever been able to breathe free ever again. "State officials" can fuck right the fuck off. What message is this sending to women who have survived assault? If the person who assaulted you has a health issue, they'll be released? Get fucked. Who are these "state officials?" Why are they officiating ANYTHING if this is what they think is best for our communities? Where is Patty Murray? Where is Maria Cantwell? Any statement at all? This is how you're "protecting women?" It doesn't fucking matter that he's physically unable to assault anybody again. What matters is that women know that the people convicted of preying on them WILL GO AWAY FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES AND THE PUNISHMENT FITS THE CRIME. But nope. Survivors have to live with his actions for the rest of their lives... but Kevin Coe doesn't. Sounds about right.

   
Now off to an early bedtime in the hopes I'm feeling better tomorrow.

When you're having to lay on a heating pad from the time you get back from work to the time you wake up because you don't want to have to dig into the muscle relaxer pills for your back, you end up watching a lot of television.

Or, as in my case, YouTube videos.

Here's what occupied my time laying around last night...

First of all, this video right here is everything I love about YouTube. Clever, funny people doing clever, funny things. I've seen Isaac Carlton videos before (and probably shared them), but this one is a great example of what he does so well...

Next up... As much as I loved the original The Matrix, I loathed the sequels. They were outright shitty excuses for stories because they were so far up their asses trying to be esoteric and cerebral and "smart" between the action that they forgot to be entertaining (then we got The Matrix Resurrections, which was somehow even worse). But every once in a while I run across a sequence from the sequels that almost makes me want to watch them again. The highway chase from Reloaded being at the top of the list. Sure, some of the effects are badly dated (the Agent jumping on cars is hilariously bad), but it doesn't change what a cool action sequence it was. Especially for the day. It's just such a shame that it was sandwiched between such shit...

And lastly (because I've got stuff I need to get to, not because I only watched three videos)... I honestly do not understand how Josh Johnson can be this brilliant every time. He never seems to run out of material. Most comics would recycle the same routines over and over and over. With Josh he's just on to the next hilarious bit...

And there you have it. Hope you didn't fall into and Isaac Carlton or The Matrix or Josh Johnson rabbit hole from this post.

But there are certainly worse ways to spend your time.

The wildfire smoke may have me cowering in my home, but life goes on... because an all new Bullet Sunday starts... now...

   
• Imperial Forces! Well this is epic...

When I was sent this TikTok, I marveled at the fact that this cat even allows the helmet to be put on his head. My cats would run off the second I even got the helmet near their heads.

   
• Gadget Time! Speaking of 3D printing...

It's enough to make me want to buy a 3D printer, except I know I'd never be this clever. Here's another video by the same guy...

I mean, come on. All of these are genius.

   
• DIYphone! Speaking of 3D printing... this right here is one of the coolest things you'll see all day. Guy made his own phone with clicky keyboard. The patience required to work through all this is mind-boggling...

Brah. The fact that the result is so killer is just icing on the cake. Instant subscribe to Marcin Plaza's YouTube Channel, which is brilliant, clever, and funny. And worth your valuable time.

   
• Pi Times Two! Speaking of 3D printing... and now... this...

Now, I know this is nothing compared to the earliest days of computing where the components of the computers themselves had to be built... but, still... this kind of thing is pretty amazing. 3D printing is making it possible to do all kinds of cool stuff.

   
• Neat! I was given a link to this article: Obscure But Badass Folks You Should Know About, which is exactly what it claims to be. AND THEN... I fell down the very large rabbit hole that is Neatorama. You've been warned.

   
• More Mitchell! A while ago I shared a video of David Mitchell's rants from the brilliant Would I Lie To You. Well, here's more laugh out loud moments...

I swear, the Royal Wedding statement, which I've watched multiple times now... always, always gets me.

   
And now back to being a hermit.

My latest YouTube obsession is Ethan Chlebowski.

The guy does these deep, deep dives into food in a way that's informative and entertaining.

His latest video is on rice... a staple of my diet. And it's fascinating. I just use a rice cooker and always wash my rice. It turns out perfect every time. But there's an interesting take here that made me do a double-take...

His video on onions has me re-thinking how I use them...

Then there's garlic. One of my favorite ingredients...

But my all-time favorite? Potatoes...

If you enjoy learning about food, I can't recommend this channel strongly enough.

If you've read this blog for even a short amount of time, you know I love maps. Especially maps that present their information in a unique or clever way.

Simon shows you maps (which is an essential follow for map nerds) shared this incredible old map poster from Quantas Empire Airways, which puts their hub at Sydney in the center, then unfolds the world around it with mile-markers so you can know how far away they fly...

On top of being unique and clever... it's also gorgeous. Truly top-notch map-making and design.

If you want to see the poster in all its hi-res glory, you can go right here.

The older I get, the more I find myself appreciating the little things that make life worth living.

The other day I was taking a break from the horrors of existence and scrolling through Instagram. Their algorithm is crap (repeating stuff way, way too often that I've already seen many times), but every once in a while something new pops up that makes a visit worthwhile.

Yesterday it was this...

I want a snow duck mold! Can you imagine running across something like this on a snowy day?

And so our bought-and-paid-for "Supreme" Court has unanimously said that Americans don't have the fucking freedom to decide for themselves what they can and cannot access on the internet, making a decision for all of us that TikTok can be actually be banned. Turns out that only American companies are allowed to promote misinformation, exploit our personal information, and send our data to China! Anybody else does it and it's a "matter of National Security." Despite some valid concerns, this is some stupid shit right here. Guess TikTok didn't buy off the right politicians...

The entire TikTok fiasco is both straightforward and complex. President Trump is the one who set out to ban it. Then Democrats got into power and President Biden co-signed it, but passed the buck back to Trump as he returns to power. So now Trump is in a position to either save TikTok or sink it thanks to the "Supreme" Court (making Democrats look fucking stupid as usual, regadless of which way he goes). That's the simple version. The complexity comes from all the political shit surrounding the simple version. Take for example Senator Tom Cotton, Republican from Arkansas. He's the guy who torpedoed an extension to TikTok shutting down. He's very aggressive about it. But why? Well, the corrupt asshole has a book coming out called Seven Things You Can't Say About China. Him being able to claim that he's the guy who took a tough stand against China by banning TikTok is great promotion for his book (which I'm assuming is about taking a tough stand against China). This is a total conflict of interest, but that's hardly surprising coming from a politician. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. All those politicians taking money from Facebook have to repay that favor somehow, and what better way than to shut down a huge competitor? It goes on and on. And until we start executing politicians who fuck over American citizens to serve their own lust for money and power, it's going to continue.

   
And speaking of seriously stupid shit... I have written about the flerfer (flat earther) movement many, many times on Blogography. I just don't get it. We had this shit figured out before the time of Jesus Christ. It's an easily verifiable fact that the earth is a globe. Shoot a rifle or mortar over a long distance. You'll have to adjust for the curvature of the earth and its Coriolis force to hit your target. Or, even easier, just watch a ship disappear over the horizon because it's going behind the curvature of the earth. Or you can do something like this simple two minute experiment where flerfers debunked themselves...

Fast forward to The Final Experiment. A guy flew some flerfers to Antarctica to observe the 24-hour sun, something that's impossible on a flat earth. And something I know is real, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THERE AND HAVE FUCKING SEEN IT FIRST-HAND! And of course the flerfers are calling the whole "Final Experiment" a lie, which is beyond stupid.

And then today, finally, the video I've been waiting for has finally arrived. Professor Dave weighed in. It's certified gold. ..

   
Blergh. I was going to write about a few other stupid things... including, but not limited to, Apple "Intelligence," a teacher who left their cocaine in an elementary school bathroom in Vegas, and go off on social media influencers yet again... but stupidity is exhausting enough.

My cats have been even more lazy than usual today and I'm following their lead. Instead of cleaning the house, doing laundry, and taking care of all the boring and mundane human crap that I should be doing... I'm laying in bed and scrolling through the internet.

Which, as you probably realize, is mostly cat videos and cat content.

I saw this post from last August and it couldn't be more authentic cat...

   
This one killed me. Be sure to watch with the sound on because the hilarity is worth the effort...

   
I'd gladly go to Starbucks for a pup cup for my cats if it would make them like riding in the car. Just listen to this cat...

   
And now, this...

   
I'll stop there because I could drop dozens and dozens of other things that have been inundating my personal time lately.

And you, if you'll excuse me, I'm scrubbing the cat feeding station, cleaning the water fountains, filling the Litter-Robots, washing the kitty warming pad covers, and doing all the other cat-maintenance chores that Jake and Jenny demand of me.