All the repairs I’ve had done on Apple computers were under my extended AppleCare packages, but I have to admit that things haven’t been perfect (my last computer had a broken microphone, and since it’s a huge desktop computer they sent a guy out, who came three times before he gave up and I got a new computer). But I had no idea they had some reputation for ripping off the paying customer.
I found this video online, so I can’t vouch for this as a general practice of the “genius bar” (oy, I hate that term!), but I wish I had this guy in California fixing my computer.
If you’ve had bad (or good) experiences with Apple repairs, put them in the comments. In general I’m very happy with Apple products. They’re not cheap, but I rarely have anything go wrong. And I always purchased AppleCare (or rather my grants and department did).
And if you can’t caption that, then try your hand at your own version of this.
Kanye West is not Andy Kaufman. I am Andy Kaufman. Kanye West is the Jakob Dylan of Leonard Cohens. I am the Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen could have been but for the grace of God. I am not a man. I am a drunk surrealist. pic.twitter.com/YcbKIctMkC
I made it here—no thanks to United Airlines—and was only 3.5 hours past my scheduled arrival when I was supposed to fly on that infernal carrier (I flew Lufthansa after rebooking).
Only a 45-minute flight from Munich, Zagreb is a small town for being Croatia’s capital, with a population of just 800,000. It was largely untouched by World War II, and a lot of beautiful old architecture remains. My hotel is right in the city center. Tomorrow I’m going on a walking tour of the city with one of my hosts and his daughter, who works as a sightseeing guide. Photos to come, but here’s my dinner tonight.
I wanted a traditional Croatian meal and I got one: ćevapčići, delicious minced lamb kebabs served with a fantastic flaky bread, raw onions, a scoop of local cheese (mild and tasty), and a dipping sauce made with eggplant and red peppers. We ate with our hands, which I’m told is the way it’s done.
On the side we had a salad and big half-liter mugs of the local brew. It was a fantastic meal, and I couldn’t finish two of the traditional 10 pieces of kebab they give you.
I’m exhausted and so to bed. Pictures will follow. On Sunday I’m to visit a Neanderthal site nearby (with a Museum) and get a hot-air balloon ride. I’m in good hands! My lectures are on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Here’s the last photo I took of James before I left yesterday; it may be the last time I ever see him. I have no word of doings at Botany Pond.
I have no words. I’ll just tell you what reader Denis wrote when he sent me this link from Evolution News (an Intelligent-Design site), written by the always amusing and deeply benighted Michael Egnor. Denis’s comment:
“Have you seen this preposterous piece of dishonesty posted on Evolution News?”
Yep, here it is, as preposterous and dishonest as touted. (Click on the screenshot.)
I presume that Egnor thinks that Frances Arnold is God. Either that, or he fails to understand that humans mimicking evolution in the lab isn’t the same thing as a designer being humanlike and creating plants and animals.
And the first ID prize?
Linus Pauling’s groundbreaking work on protein structure in the early 20th century (for which he won the Nobel Prize) depended critically on his correct inference that the structure of a protein must account for the purpose the protein serves in cellular metabolism.
That all turns on the ambiguous meaning of “purpose”, and this is a prime and a rare correct example of “begging the question”. For Egnor, “purpose” presupposes a God rather than being shorthand for “what the protein does as well as the nature of the reproductive advantage conferred by evolutionary changes in that protein.”
After more than eight hours of being squeezed into the middle seat of the three-seat row next to the cabin wall on a Lufthansa plane, I have arrived in Munich. The airport is, as always, pleasant and uncrowded, and I leave in an hour for Zagreb.
The food on the plane was pretty dire, with a choice of pasta or chicken for dinner (I had pasta, which was passable but not tasty), and a lame breakfast: a tasteless muffin, a very few pieces of cubed fruit (like three small cubes of melon and a grape), and a packet of a few Oreos. That’s breakfast?
I sat through one movie, “Atonement,” based on Ian McEwan’s book. I’d seen it before, but couldn’t find any other films that either interested me or I wanted to revisit. “Atonement” is an excellent film, but McEwan’s book is even better.
The rest of the time I struggled to sleep, but it’s nearly impossible in that dreaded middle seat. And, of course, you have to disturb the passenger next to you if you want some juice from the galley or need to micturate. That’s the main reason I always ask for an aisle seat.
Good morning and welcome to Friday! Here in Ireland the sky is black with Storm Callum. Where I live it’s only been wet and windy, but other parts have had it worse.
Here's something you don't see every day… Storm Callum appeared to activate this speed sensor at Sandymount in Dublin overnight. #stormcallum
Something else weird in the world today is there is a new Leonard Cohen posthumous poetry collection which features a poem called “Kanye West Is Not Picasso”. I am simultaneously laughing and face-palming. It’s like the most epic Get Of My Lawn rant ever.
The birthdays of the day are: 1008 – Go-Ichijō, emperor of Japan (d. 1036); 1875 – Aleister Crowley, English magician, charlatan and author (d. 1947); 1865 – Arthur Harden, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1940); 1929 – Nappy Brown, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 2008); 1934 – James “Sugar Boy” Crawford, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2012); 1968 – Hugh Jackman, Australian actor, singer, and producer.
That gives us a reason to listen to these three pieces of music.
Hugh playing at being a good ole Oklahoma homie.
James Sugar boy Crawford with his most famous song Jock-a-mo.
And Nappy Brown’s Don’t be angry.
In history today in 1979 – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the first of five books in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxycomedy science fiction series by Douglas Adams was published. In 1984 – Brighton hotel bombing: The Provisional Irish Republican Army attempted to assassinate UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. The bomb killed five people and wounded 31. In 1994 the Magellan spacecraft burns up in the atmosphere of Venus. In 2017 the United States announced its decision to withdraw from UNESCO. (Yes, that last one is Trump finally hitting the Today In History segment, god save us all.))
Hili may be fibbing this morning. Or she may not.
A: Hili, what are you doing?
Hili: I’m eavesdropping on two moles talking.
In Polish:
Ja: Hili, co ty robisz?
Hili: Podsluchuję rozmowę dwóch kretów.
The pick of Twitter for your delectation.
Interesting stuff
You must turn up the sound for this one.
LISTEN: A sink in a hotel on Panama City Beach seems to be whistling from the wind. Extremely creepy. I don't think i've ever seen anything like this. #HurricaneMichaelpic.twitter.com/LgAcWOSs6r
NSFL but still impressive. How does the wasp represent this behaviour in its tiny brain and in its genes? And what does the crane fly think about it all, if anything? How could we know? https://t.co/CrSoP29JpA
Check out this super cool Cataglyphis #gynandromorph! It's left side is a queen and the right side a male. And no, I don't think it could mate with itself😜 pic.twitter.com/M4FLWK1MNJ
The sclerotic ring is a ring of bones found in the eyes of most vertebrates except for mammals and crocodilians. It provides support and helps the eye keep its shape! Here's the sclerotic ring in a type of lizard called a tegu 🦎#lizards#reptiles#eyes#osteologypic.twitter.com/UlnqCA6WzT
There it goes! 13 photos assembled in sequence show the @Space_Station pass in front of our view of the Sun while orbiting Earth at a speed of roughly 5 miles per second on Sun, Oct 7.
Thanks to a mechanical failure, the added failure of United Airlines employees to inform us of the real situation (“plane is being serviced”) and general lack of customer service, I would have missed my connection in Amsterdam. I had to rebook on Lufthansa via Munich. Instead of getting a cushy United Economy Plus seat on the aisle with extra legroom, I’m now on a full flight and sitting in the middle–a nightmare that I’ve successfully avoided for decades.
United said they’d help with getting a good seat on Lufthansa, but never contacted me again. What a way to run a railroad—and to lose loyalty built up over the years. Over the past few years, lateness and shoddy service have eroded that loyalty.
I’m just blowing off steam, but I’d think twice before flying this airline again.
I’m cooling my heels at O’Hare, but at least my flight is on time. Just a note: please refrain from emailing me much when I’m gone, as I won’t have time to properly deal with correspondence. And if you have wildlife photos to send, please wait until I return a week from tomorrow so I will be sure to receive them.
I’ve written before about the sad tale of Trevor, a lone and lonely mallard drake who had somehow landed himself on the small island of Niue, a self-governing state affiliated with New Zealand. He was alone, friendless, and didn’t even have a lake to swim in. The locals have pitched in to feed him, and the fire department on Niue even tops off a temporary puddle with extra water, but word has it that Trevor is being bullied by a rooster. I told Heather Hastie, my New Zealand friend, that her country should move Trevor to the North or South Island so he can swim and find love. I even said I’d pay for the move, and I would have.
Heather was kind enough to write Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, recounting Trevor’s sad tale. She got two emails back, one of which I posted before. In the first one, an advisor to Animal Imports said that moving Trevor to New Zealand proper violated the country’s biosecurity protocols, which of course are strict because of the destruction of local flora and fauna by introduced species.
Yesterday, though, Heather got a response from the Prime Minister’s office, indicating that New Zealand will try to help Trevor in another way. I reproduce Heather’s letter and the response with her permission:
Dear Prime Minister,
I’m sure you’ve heard about the mallard duck, named Trevor by the locals, who has somehow found himself stuck on Niue.
It’s a really sad story. He’s on his own and there’s no standing water on Niue. Locals have been feeding him and keeping a puddle full for him. However, the water situation is going to get more difficult now that they’re getting to the dry season and there’s less water available.
A friend of mine, biologist and animal lover Jerry Coyne (Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago), featured Trevor on his very popular website today. He has readers in almost every country around the globe, so it’s no longer just New Zealanders who are concerned about Trevor’s plight.
I think it’s pretty sad. Everyone, even a Mallard called Trevor, should have a friend. Is it possible for Trevor to be relocated to New Zealand? (Preferably a spot where he’s not likely to become a target during duck-shooting season!)
On behalf of Rt Hon Winston Peters, Minister of Foreign Affairs, thank you for your email and concern regarding the Mallard duck in Niue. Our office is responding as the matters raised fall within the portfolio responsibility of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Returning the duck to New Zealand may prove problematic as New Zealand has strict biosecurity laws and regulations that any Niuean individual or organisation wishing to export livestock to New Zealand is required to meet. Since arriving in early 2018 the Mallard has become somewhat of a national treasure in Niue. Niueans have taken a keen interest in the welfare of the duck. The Premier and Niue’s Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) are considering options for securing the future welfare of the duck. A voluntary group of Auckland Veterinarians, due on-island in October to deliver services for island pets and wildlife, have been asked by DAFF to give the duck a health check. These arrangements should secure a safe future for the duck in Niue, allowing the local population, and interested tourists, to enjoy visiting Niue’s celebrity duck.
Kind Regards,
[JAC: Name redacted as there isn’t a need to put it in]
This will buttress your faith in humanity in these dire times. It’s a sad video but also an uplifting one.
What you see here took place in Meridian, Idaho about ten days ago, when a 53-year-old man was moved from the intensive care unit to the operating theater, where he was taken off life support and died. His organs were then removed and used to help other people. When his gurney was wheeled to the operating theater, the staff of St. Luke’s Meridian Hospital silently lined the fourth-floor hallway, as they always do, to pay respect to the man’s gift and to support his family.
Please make sure you’ve filled out your organ-donation form on your driver’s license, as I have, or put it in your “living will”. You’re not going to need those organs when you’re dead, but somebody else will.
