Arctic weather, wayward geese, and the DERP state

Published: Feb 15, 2023

It’s been a busy winter here in New Hampshire, but I thought I’d pop in for a few short takes.

• The recent arctic weather brought wind chills of -47 F (-44 C) here. Thanks to a roaring fire, I was toasty inside and enjoying the whole adventure. Car took around 30 minutes to warm up the next day. Seemed as if the steering fluid had frozen. In a bonkers move, Canadian geese returned the day before.
• Maybe it’s not the deep state, but the DERP state.
• Hackers allegedly came close to taking the US grid down with a tool called PIPEDREAM. (Andy Greenberg’s Sandworm provides a fascinating background on the use of hacks take over industrial control systems.)
• Had the opportunity to try Erbology’s sea buckthorn shots. Citrusy tang, followed by a veggie-like flavor and slight chalky aftertaste. Major energy/alertness boost. 5 stars. (Added it to fruit juice since it’s a bit strong to drink straight.)
• Enjoying Gary Marcus’s substack: a “no-bullshit look at AI progress and hype.” Looking forward to reading his book Rebooting AI.
• And . . . looking forward to going snowshoeing soon.