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Other Stuff

I was having dinner with my younger kid on Saturday night (at Fruition restaurant, on its next-to-last night in existence) and he mentioned the idea of accidental inventions or discoveries. Penicillin and Post-It Notes came to mind, but there are plenty of others: accidental inventions - Google Search

The story of the invention of potato chips is a great one: Potato Chip Inventions | Lemelson

Any Way You Slice It, Potato Chip's Going Strong After 150 Years - Sun Sentinel

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Stuff about the California fires

One theory about how the fire started: What caused the Palisades blaze in LA? Visual evidence points to a recent fire nearby - NZ Herald

Offered without comment: Death toll from Los Angeles wildfires rises to 24 | AP News

Beyond sad: A father at the bedside of his son and a women who stayed behind with her beloved pets are among California wildfire victims | CNN

It’s already a federal crime but people who fly drones in areas where aircraft are being used to fight fires should have a MINIMUM sentence of at least a couple of years, and 5 or 7 or 10 years if they damage a plane.

California wildfires: FBI shares photos of pieces of drone that damaged super scooper aircraft while flying over Palisades Fire - 6abc Philadelphia

Thanks to listener Andy for this story: As wildfires rage, private firefighters join the fight for the fortunate few (Original at LA Times.)

More here: Private firefighters in place to protect Rick Caruso's Palisades home and neighborhood - Los Angeles Times

I can't find a way to embed this video but it's worth watching. Only about 100 seconds long: "Heat Hawks" assist firefighters and residents in California's Topanga Canyon | AP News

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The water utility in CA is going to have to answer some hard questions:

Asleep At The Switch - Robert Bryce

Here's their annual report that Robert references: 2023-24_BB_FullBook_Rev11_Revised.indd

The word “equity” is in the document 30 times. One example: “The Strategic Long-Term Resource Plan (SLTRP) is our roadmap for achieving a clean energy future based on the core principles and key considerations of environmental benefits and equity, reliability and resiliency, and affordability and rate impacts.” So things like reliability and affordability come after "environmental benefits and equity"....riiiight.

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This isn't great: Incoming Trump team is questioning civil servants at National Security Council about their loyalty | AP News

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Some kinds of subscriptions are notoriously difficult to cancel. For example, gym memberships where you can sign up online but have to cancel in person at the gym. Starting soon, that will change, and it's about time. Here's some info including a few links to law firms' analyses of the new "Click to Cancel" rule from the FTC:

FTC's "Click To Cancel" Rule Adds New Requirements to Subscription-Based Services By March 2025🖱️

Federal Trade Commission Announces Final “Click-to-Cancel” Rule Making It Easier for Consumers to End Recurring Subscriptions and Memberships | Federal Trade Commission

FTC Finalizes “Click To Cancel” Rule With Substantial Requirements for Recurring Subscription Programs | Perkins Coie

The New Cancel Culture: The FTC's "Click to Cancel" Rule | Insights | Holland & Knight

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Partly I think they're afraid of potential prosecution by the Trump DOJ and partly I think they realized (probably quite some time ago) that these programs are actually divisive but haven't had the courage to rein them in: Meta terminates its DEI programs days before Trump inauguration | US news | The Guardian