The Abiogenic Theory of Hydrocarbons

Are what we think of as "fossil fuels" only produced from organic material, or could non-biological processes also be in play? If the latter, we are looking at a real gamechanger here. Listen to an AI-generated podcast episode on this fascinating theory, derived from Google NotebookLM from this research paper.

Leadership Forged In Fire: The Undeniable Divide

There are two types of people in leadership positions: those who have been scorched by the system and those who remain untouched.

The untouched mistake your fire for uncontrolled rage. They label your conviction as instability. This is not coincidence – it is ignorance. They cannot comprehend what they have never experienced: the punishment that comes from standing your ground when truth contradicts power.

But the battle-tested? They recognize you immediately. When the system has tried to burn you to ash and you refused to fall, you no longer speak from theoretical abstractions – you speak with the absolute authority of your scars.

This is not merely a difference of opinion. This is the fundamental divide: the system-approved versus the fire-forged.

Knife Bans in Europe

I saw a post in one of the Facebook motorcycle groups I frequent:

"Knife advice - travelling around Europe. What’s the deal with carrying a knife in Europe… is it legal to do so?"

Some excerpts from the comment section:

Use common sense and it should be okay. Put it in the same bag as your cooking gear or something like that.

There's a blanket ban in both Rotterdam and Amsterdam so there it will be in my bag in a sheath, but once you've a valid reeaon (self defense obviously isn't a valid reason, but fixing stuff on the bike/using it as an aid when camping is.)

You're freely allowed to walk into a shop and buy one but they're "somewhat" illegal to carry, it's all about context though.

If your understanding of carrying implies wearing it on your belt or clipped to your pocket, I've got bad news for you.

It's okay to carry a fixed blade in a waist bag or a backpack as long as you have legitimate purpose such as cooking while camping.

Get yourself a Leatherman - easily justified as a camp tool.

It's normaly forbidden to carry one except if you have a good reason (job for example).

Just don’t carry it on your person . have it packed away obviously and until you need it.

My Comment:

🤯 ‼️ I have carried various folding and fixed blade knives almost everywhere since I was a teen, and have never even had a thought to use one against an innocent person. Not even my scary automatic knives (switchblades - EEEK!) have turned me into a murderous monster. I need to remind myself that millions of people really are ok walking around daily life with no means of defending themselves or others. I don't care to justify my reasoning for carrying a knife on my person, and don't expect much understanding or appreciation here. I'm a direct descendant from some heroes who helped liberate Europe a few decades ago, and who also served as a US Marine with that mentality feeding my motivations, happy to get along with anyone who loves motorcycling and camping, too.

And then I couldn't help but share a little video of my current EDC knife:

Tabs in Google Docs

 A pleasant surprise landed in my lap today: a feature I have been dreaming about (yes, I suffer from weird dreams about tech stuff - don't tell me you don't!) has finally surfaced - tabs in Google Docs! My imagined solution looked similar to the sheet tabs along the bottom of a Google Sheet:

The new Tabs feature in Google Docs are accessible in the left margin:

We have emojis!

My first hope after getting my head around Google Docs tabs involved sharing the contents of a specific tab, but there currently isn't a way to employ tab permissions (yet?), but at least we have emojis! I'm just happy to have a way for work group members to be able to use separate tabs within the same team doc, to focus on their specific area without interfering with others’ work. There are additional benefits listed on this info page.

What other uses come to mind for you for Google Doc Tabs? Comment below!

The Weird Thing About “Palestine”

The outrage from leftist media over President Trump’s stance on Palestinian return to Gaza is misplaced. His position is justified for multiple reasons, the most fundamental being that the concept of a distinct “Palestinian” identity is historically unfounded.

There has never been a sovereign Palestinian state, a unique Palestinian ethnicity, or a defined Arab geopolitical entity by that name. Historically, “Palestine” referred to a region within ancient Israel under Roman rule, not an independent nation. The vast majority of those identifying as Palestinians today trace their ancestry to Egypt or Jordan, where their forebears migrated from roughly a century ago, drawn by economic opportunities created by Jewish resettlement.

While all individuals deserve basic human rights, this does not equate to an inherent entitlement to a specific territory. Recognizing their heritage does not justify territorial claims that lack historical precedent.

Another Wacko Conspiracy Theory

I'm working through a wacko conspiracy theory involving autistic people and the federal government, and if you listen/have listened to the Telepathy Tapes podcast, you might be more or less on the same page I'm on.

AI Copyrightability

The United States Copyright Office has issued a significant regulatory determination regarding the copyrightability of works that combine human and artificial intelligence inputs. According to their ruling, copyright protection may be extended to such hybrid works when there is substantial human involvement in the form of modification, augmentation, or deliberate selection of elements. The mere composition of prompts for AI systems, however, generally fails to meet the threshold for copyright protection. While the Office emphasizes that determinations will be made on an individualized basis, their guidance provides a cogent and comprehensive framework for evaluating these cases.

​See more here.