Walking Is Good

A recent Harvard study reports that people who walk more or walk faster live longer.

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Improving a Firestick's Connectivity and Minimizing Other Problems

As this XDA article explains, as surprising as it may sound, changing your Fire TV Stick's DNS, or even the one on your smart TV, improves connectivity and minimizes related issues. So, if you are looking to upgrade the streaming experience on your Fire TV Stick, switching DNS is one of the easier options.

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Correct Temperature for Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

I've been setting my air fryer at 425 to do baked potatoes. They come out great with delicious crispy skins in just 22 minutes (11 minutes per side in the air fryer, after being softened in the microwave, and salt and oil is applied to the outside). As it turns out, setting the temperature at 400 makes them come out even better. Of course, oven temperatures can vary.

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PS re Scotts Generation (Phoenix Deli)

Our post yesterday about Scotts Generation left out the point of the post: The last sentence should not have stopped at the word "devastated." It should have read: "We are devastated that, on October 25, it is closing." We apologize for any confusion we caused, and appreciate the loyal reader's bringing my error, and mine alone, to our attention.

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What To Do If a Windows File Folder Disappears

There are several ways to "find" a file folder that somehow got deleted. One of the easiest is to see if it's in the Recycle Bin even if your Recycle Bin is empty. Open OneDrive (or right-click on OneDrive and click on Recycle Bin), look for the folder there, and if it is, right click on it and click on Restore. It should pop back to where it always had been.

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PS re Phillies Wildcard Game 2

Many readers who saw the Game 2 of the Phillies/Atlanta series criticized us for not including one particular defensive play. We take the point. There were quite a few terrific plays by both teams and a couple of bone-headed ones especially by the Phillies in Game 2 against Atlanta which we described yesterday. We omitted, and apologize for doing so, one of the rarest double plays in baseball: the 3-2-3 double play, which the Phillies pulled off with bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th.

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ChatGPT vs Gemini

This cnet article presents an informative comparison of the features of ChatGPT vs Gemini. There's mention of Claude which one should always consider especially for editing written works.

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Trump's Profound Misunderstanding of the Bond Market

Trump was upset with Powell and, while holding his tongue viz Warsh, has been singing a constant one-note for the Fed to lower rates. In recent weeks, the long-rates have soared to Trump's chagrin, causing further calls for Fed rate cuts. Whether the10Y's bounce off a new ceiling might or might not be a signal that long rates could be going lower no one knows. But, if they are, one explanation is that Fed raised rates at its last meeting and signaled further rate hikes to come. And if that's what happens, namely, the Fed raises rates (at the short end which all it can do) and long-rates go down, it could be because the bond market believes that the Fed is taking  inflation seriously and is tackling it. The irony then would be that Trump would get his lowering of the 10Y rate because the Fed raised rates, and would not have gotten it if the Fed had, as Trump asked, to cut rates.

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Questions re Trump's Poll Numbers

In a Quinnipiac University's poll of 1,032 registered voters conducted Sept. 24-27, 61% disapprove of how Trump is handling his job as president, compared to 34% who approve. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. According to the poll, 61% is an all-time high disapproval rating for the president, last reached in a Jan. 18, 2021, poll, after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Here is what I don't understand:

1. Who are the 34% that approved of him then and approve of him now?

2. What is it that they approve of?

3. Is there anything that can be said or done to change their minds?

4. What is the likelihood that they will turn out to vote (assumedly for their Rep candidates) in the mid-term election next month in a greater percentage than independents and Dems?

5. Is the 2026 election more akin to the 2018 election (when the Reps took a shellacking) or the 2016 election when Trump was thought to have no chance to win?

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Scott's Generations (Phoenix Deli)

Scott's Generations has been a Phoenix fixture for 37 years. We can't say everything tasted better than it did elsewhere, but the portions were bigger and the prices lower. As to taste, everything was fine, and some things (e.g., their bagels, bialys, whitefish, matzah ball soup, chicken salad, and more) were better than elsewhere. Parking was great, seating was ample and comfortable, and the noise level was excellent. We are devastated. 

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