Friday--

Gods!! Thirty-eight days till this interminable election season is over. I had a brief thought that I would be so happy when the votes are finally counted but then--realized that the ground for 2020 is already being plowed, that the gridlock in congress will likely continue, and that the news media will still be fixated on ephemera not substance. If this election is notable for the quality of candidates regurgitated by our major parties, 2020 looks to be worse.

Saturday--

Speaking of this election in a broader historical context, David Kaiser posted a good essay which describes some of the historical and technological developments that have led us here.

We have no desire to acquire so-called "smart" devices. When we went shopping for new cell phones we went for simple "dumb" phones as we call them. This story exactly why.

By the way, WELCOME TO OCTOBER--and where the hell did September go? Right now I am looking out at a monsoonal deluge that would be normal for late April or early May and our street is a river fed by creeks that are normally sidewalks. If you want to cross the street, get out your hip waders. Well, not quite. Galoshes would do. But, still, it is a heck of a lot of water.