More Thoughts on Faraday Cages

Today we observe the birthday in 1791 of English physicist Michael Faraday, pictured below. 

Mr Faraday was responsible for a number of discoveries and inventions, one of which was what we know today as the “Faraday Cage,” a security enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields, as illustrated in this visually spectacular demonstration ... 

Among other things, Faraday Cages are used as an electronic security measure to block the transmission and reception of unwanted signals ... much like red MAGA hats block the reception of information contrary to the deeply-held social, political, and religious beliefs of the wearer.

I've written twice about Faraday Cages in this blog - first in August of 2007, and then again in September of 2012. In the 2007 post, I wrote 

"... why are so many members of Congress so reluctant to accept new ideas and make compromises to move the nation forward on crucial issues? Obviously, the Capitol is a giant Faraday Cage which protects them from the influence of dangerous and politically incorrect ideas."

I returned to the subject in the 2012 post, when I wrote

"We're seeing a campaign of lies, distortions, and half-truths ... of hot air and slime and vast amounts of money that could be spent on better things. And it's all protected by the mental Faraday Cages of the True Believers."

I don't think this was what Mr Faraday had in mind when he developed his eponymous cage, but it seems to have worked out that way. The Capitol remains a gigantic mental Faraday Cage that prevents the concerns of everyday Americans - like food safety, housing availability, and the price of gas - from troubling the tender brains of GOP members of Congress who (when they're actually at work) are laser-focused on more important issues like pretending that Der Furor is not crazy, that Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., are competent, and that the economy is not in the toilet.

For those not in Congress, personal Faraday Cages include things like the newly-launched "TrumpTV" channel, the new White House app that sends regime propaganda directly to your phone, red MAGA hats, Fox "News," OANN, and Newsmax to protect from the intrusion of the real world.

So ...

If you are one of those who resolutely resist the incursion of actual information that conflicts with your political, social, and religious beliefs, ask your psychiatrist if a mental Faraday Cage is right for you. Your insurance won't cover it, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

P.S. - After I drafted this post (early last week), and published my post on AI threats last Wednesday, this article appeared in the New York Times: "The Liftoff Scenario That Terrifies A.I. Doomsayers." It describes a AI system known as Faraday that uses "recursive self-improvement" to continuously build better versions of itself as it grows and learns. What would Faraday think (WWFT) ... and what could possibly go wrong?

B.

Ass Clown Special Award

I know I've already posted today for Monday Mountains, but the news has inspired me to present another out-of-cycle Ass Clown Award ... this time, the first-ever special award presented for the second time to the same recipient in the same year.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, it is with a bewildered shake of the head and a growing sense of dread that I present this

Ass Clown Special Award

(First Poison Ivy Cluster)

to

The Arc de Trump

In the latest bizarre twist to the story of The Triumphal Arch No One But You-Know-Who Wants, Der Furor issued this ludicrous "Truth Social" post -

So, consider this: against which enemy would a "triumphal arch" bristling with large numbers of drones and snipers and stocked with large quantities of stored sniper ammunition defend? If you guessed "those opposed to Der Furor's increasingly crazy and dictatorial rule," you win.

There is no conceivable reason why the "U.S. Military" would "strong(ly) request" a vast fortress in the middle of a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. There are numerous military facilities already in DC and its immediate area, including The Pentagon (less than half a mile away!), Fort McNair, Fort Myer, Bolling and Andrews Air Force Bases, the Marine Barracks at 8th and I streets in southeast DC, and the Washington Navy Yard. 

There's only one reason for the "triumphal arch" to exist at all - Der Furor's vanity - and no reason whatsoever for it to exist as a fortified eyesore other than to address Der Furor's fear of the American  people he pretends to lead.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, we present this Ass Clown Special Award, First Poison Ivy Cluster, to The Arc De Trump.

Nothing else needs to be said.

Have a good day. Vote the bums out. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Monday Mountains

 

It's Monday, and that means it's time for another uplifting edition of Monday Mountains ...

1 - 

2 - 

3 - 

4 - 

5 - 

6 - 

7 - 

8 - 

9 - 

10 - 

I hope you found these beautiful alpine scenes as soothing as I did.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Musical Sunday

We haven't heard from The Parody Project for a while, but it's high time we brought back their marvelous song parodies that skewer those in need of skewering. This takeoff on Bob Dylan's 1974 classic "Shelter from the Storm" is a wonderful takedown of Der Furor and his favorite things ... 

And the lyrics ...

Could be another lifetime, one that's soiled with crud

Where harshness is a virtue and anger holds a grudge

He came in filled with bitterness, then ravaged like a storm

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

Looks like he's passed this way again, I know it seems absurd

He'll always do what best for him, and never keeps his word

In a world of peaceful protests, he'll send the heat to swarm

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

Not a lucid word is spoken; his brain is uninvolved

Every time he makes a speech the problem goes unsolved

We tried hard to envision how we could change the norm

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

We're burdened with unhappiness; our hopes did not prevail

We gathered with the masses along the campaign trail

We scattered when projectiles flew as he had police lines form

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

Remember when they turned around and he was standin' there

In front of an old sacred church with tear gas in the air 

He held a Bible high aloft, you could see his devil horns

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

He built a wall between us, democracy's the cost

He takes it all for granted, he's got his wires crossed

We shoulda known when it all began; so many tried to warn

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

Well, his lackeys do just as they're told, our anger really mounts

But nothing ever matters much, it's he alone that counts

And the windbag bigot bully, with hair like yellow corn

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

He'll never care 'bout you or me he sees himself above

And old man with a store-bought tan; we'd rather be rid of

He has no understanding and is constantly forlorn

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

In a rundown Palm Beach villa, he'd hidden all he knows

Then heightened our frustration by thwarting all the probes

They bought and sold his ignorance and got the charges shorn

Come in, he said I'll give ya tariffs, lies and scorn

Well, it feels like we're in a foreign land, afraid we're marking time

Our salvation walks a razor's edge; he'll claim that it's all fine

If we could just turn back the clock to before his base was born

We wouldn't have to live our lives with tariffs, lies and scorn

Elections are coming. When you go to the polls, remember who it was who promised big, but gave you tariffs, lies, and scorn.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

 

Cartoon Saturday

Good Lord, isn't this month over yet?

A Russian businessman with ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to help finance Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding after-party in the Bahamas this year; Der Furor downplayed growing concerns about unrestricted development of AI, claiming that all that is needed is "... a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!*"; the Supreme Court has rejected Der Furor's attempt to add new Postal Service restrictions on mail-in voting, at least for the upcoming midterm elections ... Der Furor is, as you might imagine, enraged; in response to continuing inflation, the Federal Reserve has raised the interest rate by a quarter point ... Der Furor is, as you might imagine, enraged; Der Furor has banned three news organizations - CNN, MS NOW, and Politico - from the White House, a petulant and blatantly unconstitutional action certain to be challenged in court; and in - where else? - Texas, a photo on the state sex offenders' registry of a convicted megachurch pastor shows him with a huge black eye, and his attorney has the world's best explanation of how he got it.

Since the country, under Der Furor's "management" and "leadership" is going to the dogs, I figured we might as well feature them this week ...

This one is a lot funnier than it ought to be ,,,

Uh, oh ...

This is the sort of medical advice I'd expect from RFK, Jr ...

Look closely ... you'll get it ...

Canine inventors work tirelessly on the next great breakthrough ...

Some dogs, like some people, are more trainable than others ...

Smile when you spell that, pardner ...

I wish I could get one of those ...

I think he works part time for the Heritage Foundation on the pet portions of Project 2025 ...

They tend to be very fluffy ...

And that wraps our Cartoon Saturday salute to Man's Best Friend - I hope it helped you get over the craziness of the past week.

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Musical Sunday returns with a new twist on a Bob Dylan classic. See you then.

Bilbo

* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for September, 2026

So far in 2026, I've presented four out-of-cycle special awards* for ass clownery, and such is the lunacy level of this misbegotten year that I was ready to present a fifth before deciding that few people deserve a special award of any type less than the characters I have chosen for today's recognition of the depths of their ass clownery.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the award for

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for September, 2026

is shared by

U.S. Treasury Secretary

Scott Bessent

and

Director of the National Economic Council

Kevin Hassett

It's hard to believe that I missed presenting an Ass Clown Award to Mr. Bessent for this long, but his towering level of incompetent ass clownery has up to now been eclipsed by that of superstars like Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr**. And as the cheerful Igor to Mr Bessent's Frankenstein, Mr Hassett has done his best to convince you and I that what we are seeing and experiencing is not real.

Let me say before we go on that you could put everything I know about economics in your navel and still have room for a herd of elephants and a brass band. But even I, struggling as I do to keep more digits to the left than to the right of the decimal point in my battered and bleeding checkbook, can see that the current regime is economically incompetent.

You may recall that The Economist, in a special report issued in October of 2024 , declared that the U.S. economy was "the envy of the world" and had "left other rich countries in the dust." Then, in November of 2024, Der Furor was elected. Now, a mere two years later, that enviable economy is in ruins, demolished by the economic illiteracy of Der Furor and the incompetence of men like Scott Bessent and Kevin Hassett. 

Here is  a list of Scott Bessent’s wrong predictions and/or promises that didn’t happen, compiled by MeidasTouch:

February 5, 2025: Long-term interest rates would come down as Trump’s economic policies took effect;

Spring 2025: The federal deficit would move toward 3% of GDP;

Spring 2025: Trump’s policies would produce roughly 3% sustained real GDP growth;

July 8, 2025: The U.S. would collect well over $300 billion in tariff revenue in 2025;

September 1, 2025: The Supreme Court would uphold Trump’s emergency tariffs;

September 7, 2025: The economy would see a “substantial acceleration” in Q4 2025; 

December 7–16, 2025: 2025 would finish with 3% to 3.5% real GDP growth;

December 16, 2025: Inflation would see a substantial drop in the first six months of 2026;

February 20, 2026: The economy could grow at least 3.5% in 2026; 

April 14, 2026: 2026 GDP growth could easily exceed 3% or 3.5%; 

April 14, 2026: Core inflation was falling and the Federal Reserve would need to cut interest rates;

April 14, 2026: Trump’s tariffs could be restored to their previous levels by the beginning of July;

June 2026: Again maintained that 2026 growth could reach roughly 3% to 3.5%;

2025–26: Lower energy prices, fiscal restraint and Trump’s policies would bring down long-term Treasury yields;

2025–26: Faster growth and tariff revenue would materially improve the federal deficit;

And finally,

September 5, 2026: Oil could eventually fall to $40–$50 per barrel after the Iran war ends. The economy is now “in the liftoff phase.”

I hope his crystal ball is still under warranty. Obviously, no cabinet secretary is ever right 100% of the time. They work with the best information they can get to make the best decisions they can. But Mr Bessent seems to be unusually poor at prognostication, despite his access to the full information resources of the federal government***. 

And lest we forget, at the recent meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers, Mr. Bessent astonishingly blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities, rather than the U.S. invasion of Iran and subsequent strangling of the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab, for high energy prices. 

Kevin Hassett has been the primary porcine cosmetologist of the administration, happily slathering large quantities of lipstick on the economic pig bred by Der Furor and the GOP's fiscal policies, such as they are. His cheerful, smiling face is a staple on news broadcasts, backstopping Mr Bessent's assurance that what we are seeing with our own eyes is not what is really happening with the economy. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the award for the September 2026 Left-Cheek Ass Clown is presented to Scott Bessent and Kevin Hassett. In special recognition of their stewardship of the once-booming economy, each man also receives the Poop of Distinction in Gold.

Good luck with your ability to afford the next two years.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday salute to man's best friend. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

* To the Arc de Trump, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice, and Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth.

** Both of them previous Ass Clown Award Winners - Mr Hegseth eight times (three of them shared) and Mr Kennedy three times.

*** Which are, thanks to the work of DOGE and the sycophantic nullities seeded throughout the government by Der Furor, far less accurate and complete than they used to be.

Thursday Trees

Welcome back to the temporary home of Mike's Thursday Trees! Since we're halfway through September, we need to enjoy them in the wild now, before those leaves come down, as they've already started here in NoVa.

This week, if Pisa can have its Leaning Tower, we can have our Leaning Trees ...

1 - 

2 - 

3 - I'd watch my step if I were you ...

4 - 

5 - I think this one's my favorite for the week ...

6 - 

7 - 

8 - 

9 - 

10 - 

And that's it for this week's collection of leaning trees - I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow for the announcement of September's Left-Cheek Ass Clown. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Extinction-Level Events

You've probably seen the building hysteria in some circles about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI). Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, recently suggested that there was a 10% chance that uncontrolled AI could cause human extinction by the end of the decade*, and other AI moguls have called for a global slowdown in AI development ... even going so far as to - gasp! - ask for government regulation of the industry**. 

Personally, I think that uncontrolled natural stupidity (see, MAGA) is a far greater threat than uncontrolled AI, but I understand the potential dangers.

Threats to humanity from uncontrolled technology are a staple of science fiction, going back at least as far as the classic 1966 novel "Colossus" by D.F. Jones, later filmed as "Colossus: The Forbin Project." The story looked at the unforeseen consequences of turning control of the United States' nuclear weapons to a dispassionate computer (Colossus) that would eliminate the chance that human fears and emotions could lead to war. Things go off the rails when Colossus discovers it has a Soviet equivalent named "Guardian." The two begin to talk and ... well ... let's just say it doesn't go well for humanity ...

A year later, Harlan Ellison wrote the terrifying sci-fi/horror story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" ...

The Terminator film franchise which began in 1984 is the most recent variation on the theme, envisioning a future world dominated by sentient machines (some with thick Austrian German accents) seeking to eliminate all humans ...

So, how big a threat is AI? I see it as a threat in varying degrees on several levels. 

First is its voracious appetite for data, which has led to the rapid spread of giant "data centers" across the country. This might not, by itself, be a "threat," as it has certainly led to huge employment gains for the construction firms, skilled electrical workers, and electronic equipment suppliers needed to build and outfit the facilities. But, as we have seen, these centers gobble up land, need vast amounts of increasingly-scarce water for cooling, send electricity costs for local consumers soaring, and tend to produce a level of noise that can pose a health threat. The growing pushback from many localities indicates that the potential danger is being recognized.

Second, the use of AI tools in education threatens a dumbing-down of students who find that they can just let ChatGPT or Claude or some other AI tool do their research, write their papers, and spare them the trouble of thought that detracts from time available for gaming or other recreational activities. When the AI tools help to find useful information the student can use, they are no more problematic than the old-fashioned literature review people of my generation learned to do in our pursuit of advanced degrees. But when the tools do the research and the thinking, students don't learn ... they parrot.

Related to this is the negative impact of AI on the creative process***. The use of AI tools to "create" derivative works based on the work of writers and artists are a topic of growing legal concern, even if they are not yet an extinction-level event for human creativity. 

Third is the economic impact, which is evident on several levels. First, employers are learning that many entry-level white-collar and clerical jobs can be done more cheaply (after initial investment) by AI, potentially eliminating many of the lower-level jobs that were once entries into the corporate world. Second, the enormous amounts of money being spent on data centers and supporting equipment and software mean less money available for smaller businesses. Also, the tax breaks offered by many communities to attract data centers increase the tax burden on individuals and other businesses.

Next is the threat that everyone is worrying about at the moment - the use of AI tools to develop terrible weapons, and the ability of advanced AI tools to approach sentience and compete with, if not physically threaten humans (cue the Terminator theme). While there's legitimate disagreement about how serious this threat actually is, it's certainly not negligible, and needs to be taken seriously. What compounds this threat is that no one is actually taking it seriously: not the AI industry, which fears being placed at a competitive disadvantage by slowing down and thinking the risks through; not Congress, which is taking nothing seriously; and not the consumers who are enamored of the latest shiny object.

So, riddle me this, Batman: just how real a threat is AI?

Bilbo's short answer: in the medium term, a moderate threat to our existence as a species. In the short term, not nearly as dangerous as an unhinged and uncontrolled president is to the existence of our democracy.

Have a good day. Let's fix the immediate problem first, then the sci-fi one.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* Spoiler: that's only four years away.

** The competition is too intense and there's too much money to be made for the companies to regulate themselves.

*** Full disclosure: I have written a short novel which is posted to a creative/derivative fiction website (contact me if you're interested in reading a horror story based on the work of H. P. Lovecraft). In writing my story, I used ChatGPT to generate a few illustrations. 

Unfulfilled Wishes

I've always wanted to own a tank. 

If you've been reading this blog long enough, you may recall that I wrote about this back in April of 2008, when I noted with envy that a Michigan university student had built a 1/2 scale operational model of a World War II German panzer that cost about $2000 to build, had a three-cylinder diesel engine that produced a maximum speed of 20 mph, and was equipped with an air cannon that fired golf balls and empty Red Bull cans.

How cool is that?

If some genie popped out of a bottle and offered me a wish, I might ask for a German Leopard 2, which is pretty intimidating ...

Or, to be a Buy American patriot, I might ask for one of those M1A2 Abrams beasts used by the U.S. Army, at least until Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth decides they have to be retooled to run on high-proof testosterone ...

Either one would do for a leisurely commute down the commuter hell of Interstate 95, or to contend for a prime parking place at Costco on a Saturday afternoon.

My current chariot is a 2022 Toyota Avalon hybrid, a fine machine to be sure, with marvelous gas mileage (no small thing nowadays) but not something with which to command respect (if not fear) in Northern Virginia traffic.

I thought about the whole tank thing again when I saw this recent post from the Babylon Bee ...

I'm at the age where the DMV is starting to suspiciously ask for things like proof I can actually see and react to external stimuli before renewing my driver's license. I'm not sure how they'd react if I'd ask for an endorsement to drive a tank, too.

I don't think I'll ever get my tank. Even the most die-hard Second Amendment crazies aren't pushing for tank ownership rights, although perhaps they'll get to it after they manage to convince the Supreme Court to approve personal ownership of flamethrowers, armed drones, artillery, and tactical nuclear weapons.  

I'll wait. Not patiently, but I'll wait.

Because I really want my tank.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo