Yet more keen links one might want to share

[fargon]

We've had our Hamilton Beach toaster oven that we bought at Wal-Mart for 11 years. And it works as good today as when we first got it. Used it this morning for toast, it gets used used nearly every day. Just keep stuff clean and it will last along time.

[Gravdigr]

Popdigr uses a toaster oven occasionally. I hate the thing. Heats up the house more than using the real oven. And besides that, it's Black & Decker, and I don't wanna eat something cooked by a power tool.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Wilber Wright's 1899 letter to Smithsonian requesting information on flight.

[Pamela]

I use a toaster oven too. More often than my microwave even.

Cooks almost anything better than my gas oven with less heating of my place and a smaller counter footprint.

Except Tombstone pizza. THAT, I have to cut in half to make it fit inside.

But the fan motor gave out after six or so years so the convection part is useless but it still makes darn good toast/waffles!

[Gravdigr]

I thought I was the only person to cut a frozen pizza in half and cook/eat half a pizza.

Welcome to my club, Pam!

[Gravdigr]

Cats That Look Like Celebrities (And Vice Versa)

[xoxoxoBruce]

This research paper is behind an paywall but you can see the highlights and abstract.

Highlights
•Many countries implement local-content schemes for public-sector purchases.
•The aim of these schemes is to support home employment especially in manufacturing.
•We use a detailed CGE model to analyse the U.S. scheme, Buy America(n).
•We find that Buy America(n) is an ineffective way of increasing manufacturing employment.
•Eliminating Buy America(n) would increase employment overall and in 50 out of 51 states.

Abstract
Like many countries, the U.S. implements local content policies. Through these policies, the U.S. government attempts to stimulate employment, especially in the manufacturing sector, by favoring U.S. contractors for public sector projects (Buy American regulations) and by insisting that these contractors themselves favor domestic suppliers of inputs such as steel (Buy America regulations). We refer to these policies collectively as Buy America(n). Enforcement of the policies is via complex legalistic processes and often contractors to the U.S. government adopt a cautious approach by favoring U.S. suppliers even when this may not be strictly legally required. In these circumstances, it is not possible to provide a definitive model-based quantification of the effects of Buy America(n). Nevertheless, as demonstrated in this paper, a detailed CGE analysis can give valuable guidance concerning the efficacy of these policies. In an illustrative simulation we find that scrapping Buy-America(n) would reduce U.S. employment in manufacturing but boost employment in the rest of the economy with a net gain of about 300 thousand jobs. Even in the manufacturing sector, there would be many winning industries including those producing machinery and other high-tech products. Employment would increase in 50 out of 51 states and 430 out of 436 congressional districts.

Having trouble buying this shit.

[Flint]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

This research paper is behind an paywall but you can see the highlights and abstract.

There might be a full copy on Sci-Hub, if you don't mind a little moral ambiguity.

Sci-Hub is a website with over 62 million academic papers and articles available for direct download.[2] It bypasses publisher paywalls by allowing access through educational institution proxies. Sci-Hub stores papers in its own repository, and additionally the papers downloaded by Sci-Hub are also stored in Library Genesis (LibGen).

Sci-Hub was founded by Kazakhstani graduate student Alexandra Elbakyan in 2011, as a reaction to the high cost of research papers behind paywalls, typically US$30 each when bought on a per-paper basis.

[Clodfobble]

in 50 out of 51 states.

Are they counting D.C.? Because unless Puerto Rico made some drastic moves in the last few hours...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Must be.

[xoxoxoBruce]

A good article on what it's like to be a falcon trainer.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The Pessimism Manifesto covers the 12 types of pessimism.

One may think that pessimism is widespread today. Everyone, on all sides, is outraged at injustices and worried about the problems we face. But just beneath the surface, everyone, on all sides, shares an optimism that progress is not only possible but likely. Everyone believes that once problems are identified, they can be solved, and in time they will be.

This myth of inevitable progress is our modern faith, and like many faiths before it, it is a false faith generated by deep-seated human desires. Only the pessimist can see clearly the problems we face, and at the same time understand that progress is unlikely, and that our future, in many ways, is likely to be bleak. It’s worse than you think – and here’s how:

[Happy Monkey]

Nice

[fargon]

Interesting.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Cool, I can't wait for the end of the century. No, really, I can't.