World Cup 2026

The Group stage of the World Cup was terrific. But, just the beginning of the knock-out round, with Paraguay upsetting Germany in one of the great games ever and total joy to watch with a fabulous PK ending, is something not to miss. And you don't have to miss any game or choose which games to watch because only one game is aired at a time. You can just set your DVRs to Record All World Cup 2026 games and watch them at your leisure. I'm not alone in my enthusiasm. It's sweeping the globe. If the US were to make it to the final, it will have the largest US sporting audience ever, eclipsing the Super Bowl. But, even if it's "just" the expected France (Les Blues)/Argentina (Messi), that might do it too. This piece by John Anderson on the unifying TV events says it all better than I can. And this piece by Jason Gay on the draw of World Cup (as a FOMO and YOLO event with astronomical ticket prices) says it all better than I can. 

PS 1: Jason Gay's comment on the ticket prices: "Personally, I don’t think you should go to any sporting event or a concert for the price of a used Toyota. There are wiser ways to spend money—for instance, a used Toyota." 

PS 2: I don't understand how all the players from all the teams seem to be able to talk to and be understood by the referee. I wonder if a qualification for the referees is to be fluent in all languages.

PS 3: One big loser from the World Cup has to be Wimbledon. Putting aside the blow when Alcaraz couldn't play and Raducanu withdrew, going up against the World Cup that's now got knock-out games going daily and filling the airtime, except perhaps watching Serena (who just lost her first round match), no one's watching Wimbledon.

PS 4: Factoid: The World Cup games have less advertising time (essentially none during the game itself except for the 2-minute hydration break and even then it's only a split screen advert, and only 10 minutes between the 45-minute halves) than any other sporting event. Makes you think. 

PS 5: The press coverage is unlike the press coverage for any American sport. In the post-game presser after the PK loss by the Netherlands to Morocco, the Netherlands coach was asked: "Have you resigned yet?"

PS 6: The PK overtime is the best, most thrilling, and closest to its sport of any way to end and break a tie game. Baseball changes the rule except in the post season American football is a joke. Hockey is bizarre as is basketball which can go on forever. Tennis is close. But in soccer, in a word, it's KICKING! That's what soccer is: KICKING.

[EOP]

Rotten Core on the Supreme Court

With Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch voting to undo birthright citizenship, they have cemented their place in history at the bottom of the Court's Judicial trash heap. If Trump were to issue an executive order saying lifetime tenure does not apply to Justices who are woman or who are persons of color because the Founding Fathers never considered such persons equals in any substantial sense, is there any doubt how those Justices would rule? The only quandary they might face would be if Trump turned on them for some reason and issued an executive order saying justices whose last names start with T, A, or S may not serve on the Supreme Court.

[EOP]

Supreme Court's Decision on Campaign Spending Limits

To give him "credit," Trump certainly lies like there's no tomorrow, but he doesn't dress it up in pretty language. If the 6 Justices of the Supreme Court had any integrity, rather than hiding behind words, they would just say: Because it will help keep sycophantic Republicans in office, we're doing everything we can to have elective offices be sold to the highest bidder.

[EOP]

The Bear (S5 on Hulu)

All 8EPs of S5 of The Bear have dropped, and we are informed by an astute reader that at least the first two EPs are excellent. 

[EOP]

Les Mis Just Broke His Own Record

It doesn't take a baseball nut to appreciate this pitch, which broke the record by starting pitcher's held by the guy who threw this pitch.

[EOP]

What Is Wrong With the Supreme Court?

By exempting (at least for now) the Fed from its decision allowing the president to fire agency heads without cause, it's clear those six justices have got their eyes on the stock market, and what a different decision would do to their personal wealth when they crashed the market. But, I don't get it. Is corruption enough to explain what appears to be their headlong crusade not only to rule for Trump on cultural issues, but to effectively adopt the unified executive theory giving Trump (and future presidents) powers antithetical to a vibrant democracy and put a cherry on top immunizing him (and future presidents) from liability for just about everything they do? I thought the whole point of the constitution was to not trust the good-will of humans, but to have checks-and-balances to curb abuses of power and, most importantly, as Article 1 makes clear, to have Congress, not the president, be the primary seat of power. Whoever could have imagined that we would have a 6-person super-majority Supreme Court that, if it were honest enough, would take off their robes and show us that they have donned the apparel favored by  the  MAGA cultists they apparently are.

[EOP]

Risk of Using QR Codes

This article  explains why QR codes can be dangerous and what to do instead. In short, to stay safe, establish a strict personal safety valve: Never use a QR code to log into an account or enter a credit card number. If a QR code asks for a password or a payment, close the tab.

[EOP]

Don't Send Paper Checks Through the Mail

As this NYT article explains, it is dangerous to send checks through the mail. They are subject to be stolen, and unlike with credit cards, it can be a real hassle to undue the effects of the theft. 

[EOP]

Systemic Risk From Margin Buying and Leveraged ETFs

As  this piece by Jack Pitcher explains, U.S. margin debt, or what investors borrow from their brokerages to buy securities, rose 54% to a record $1.4 trillion in May from a year earlier, according to Finra data. Meanwhile, high-risk leveraged exchange-traded funds that produce double or triple the daily move of underlying stocks are growing rapidly, as is trading in options tied to them. Leveraged ETFs allow nearly anyone with a brokerage account the chance to supercharge their exposure to a stock market that has been posting gains not seen since the dot-com bubble a generation ago. But what goes up fast can crash even faster. The risks of buying leveraged funds are well-advertised: A 30% drawdown in the underlying stock can turn into a 90% wipeout for the fund. But Wall Street sees a broader problem emerging: These funds, along with other forms of leverage, can and do have an effect on the way the individual stocks behave. The recent action in South Korea, market participants said, offers a glimpse at the risks. To keep pace with the flow of new money, leveraged funds have bought some $300 billion in derivatives linked to single stocks and indexes since the end of March, Barclays analysts estimate. Those purchases have in turn spurred demand for underlying shares from market makers, which buy stocks to hedge their exposure to the derivative contracts they write. That has almost certainly contributed to the sharp gains in corners of the stock market this year. But when stocks fall, leveraged funds lose assets. That forces them to reduce exposure to the shares they track, which in turn threatens to pull down stock prices even more. There is a danger, market analysts said, that this cycle can quickly spiral into heavy losses.

[EOP]

Stellantis May Have First Level 4 Driverless Car

As this WSJ article reports, Stellantis is racing ahead with AI to have Level 4 driverless cars available in 2028. The problem is Stellantis makes Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram vehicles, and I don't want any of them.

[EOP]

Yesterday (2019 Movie on Prime)

Yesterday is in the genre of gimmick movies like Big and Ground Hog Day. Albeit flawed (I won't say what the flaw is but you can guess it early on in the movie), it works to bring you an enjoyable couple of hours--especially if you're a Beatles fan. A struggling musician realizes he's the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate reality where they never existed. It's a living-a-lie story wrapped around a love story or vice versa. Some of the casting is annoying, but in the main it's well casted, especially Kate Mckinnon who was great. 

[EOP]

Tracking Packages in Google Wallet

Google Wallet will show detailed receipts, tracking numbers, and shipping status. When you open the Google Wallet app, you’ll see orders that are arriving soon right next to your passes. You can click View more to display all orders. Provided, that is, that the order is associated with your Gmail, you have package tracking enabled in Gmail settings, and the order is through a supported merchant. To turn on package tracking in Gmail on an Android device, open the app and go to Menu > Settings > [account name]. Then go to General and next to Package tracking you can check or uncheck the option. Or you can open Gmail on a computer, then click Settings > See all settings. In the General tab, find Package Tracking and select Turn on package tracking. Make sure to click Save Changes at the bottom of the page. To then enable package tracking in Google Wallet, there are two methods, one for the app and one for a computer. In the app, go to View more > View more transactions. Find the order and select it and then select Track package. You can then find and select your order. Tapping and holding the tracking or order number will redirect you to the carrier’s website for more detailed information. On the Google Wallet website, select Transactions on the left side of the screen. Find and click your order. Click Track package to be redirected to the carrier’s website for more detailed information. Google did not say which merchants are participating, but on the support page said: “A large number of the top US merchants are supported, but not all merchants. If the order is from a smaller merchant or merchant is not from the US, it may not be displayed in Wallet.”

[EOP]

Car Sunshields

This article explains why sunshields really do work to keep cars cooler in the summer (especially in places like along the I-95 corridor which is about to go under the Dome of Heat), why it's important and beneficial to use them, and how to pick the right one for your car.

[EOP]

Condo Cruise Ships

With condos getting priced beyond reach, an alternative to consider are condos on cruise ships. They come at all levels of luxury and all kinds of options from leasing to leasing-to-own to owning. Villa Vie Residences gives you one example of the options. Besides having the freedom and joy of no maintenance, unlike lock-and-leave places on land, condos-at-sea let you not worry about the lock and let you always be on leave.

[EOP]

Best Way to Store a Half Onion

One storage option is to wrap the onion half tightly or place into a zip-top bag, squeezing out excess air to keep the onion from drying out. You can also store leftover onion, whether halved, chopped, or sliced, in an airtight container to reduce air exposure and moisture loss. Store cut side down for added protection, and keep the skin on if possible as a protective layer to keep it moist and fresh. Store the onion in the crisper drawer where humidity is controlled.

[EOP]

Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America (2026 Series on HBO and MAX)

If you like Larry David, you certainly will like Life, Larry and Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America, but even if you don't, you likely will. It's witty, well-written, unusual, and funny. It's not often that we complain, and typically we applaud, when an EP is 30 minutes, but this 30 second EP seemed like it went in 15 minutes. We wanted more and look forward to the ensuing EPs. The title tells you what it's about,and Barrack Obama was an executive producer and creator, and appears in it.

[EOP]

PS re Caitlin Clark and the WNBA

This excellent piece by Christine Brennan explains more fully the point made in a post yesterday about the shortsightedness of the WNBA and its players when it comes to Caitlin Clark. Alerted earlier by a loyal reader, we emailed Ms. Brennan to point out that the WNBA's CBA limits the fines to $1,000.

[EOP]

Correction re Post About That Supposed Amazing Baseball Catch

A post yesterday had a clip of a ball girl in a minor league baseball game pulling off what looked to be the most amazing catch ever. Turns out, an astute reader, with a far better memory than mine on certain things, has pointed out: (i) Even though the clip dates from the pre-AI era, it's fake; and (ii) I had sent it to him and perhaps others before, and was told it was fake. All I can say is: Apologies to all and thanks to and NICE CATCH by the astute reader.

[EOP]

PS re Rodent/Car Problem

Seeing our post of yesterday, a loyal reader sent this picture showing what a rodent did to a friend's car who had not driven for a couple of months because of health issues. Apparently, their insurance company allowed the car to be deemed totaled and reimbursed accordingly.

[EOP]

Note re the Bots

This blog had over 100,000 hits yesterday. Not kidding. It's a struggle answering them all. Kidding.

[EOP]

World Cup (Norwegian Fans Rowing Chant)

If you're not watching the World Cup, you are missing out on a fabulous event. It's a great sport, played by great athletes, and watched by a world that cares. Each country's fans have their own theme. The US fans dress up in various red/white/blue images, which is fairly unimaginative. The Scots do their kilts and bagpipes thing that work and get deserved approbation. Perhaps the coolest of all is the Norwegian Viking Rowing. Here are a picture of part of the participants and a link to what it looks like in action:

[EOP]

One of the Most Amazing Baseball Catches

Thanks to a loyal reader, watch this catch which is beyond words.

[EOP]

Moccamaster on Sale

The Moccamaster comes in about 16 colors and is our favorite coffee maker. Besides being the best looking coffee maker, it's rated best for making drip coffee by just about every rating service. It usually goes for $350, but right now is on sale at Amazon for under $240. Although it has a 5Y warranty, even if you have one, it's tempting, at this price, to get another as a backup.

[EOP]

Microsoft Has Extended Windows 10 Support

As this arstechnica article explains, Microsoft ended official support for Windows 10 in 2025, but the company may have a harder time than expected putting the operating system out to pasture. After promising a year of optional extended update support, Microsoft has changed its policy, tacking on another year to its Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. If you are still clinging to Windows 10 (and there's no reason you shouldn't), you don’t have to do anything but enjoy that extra year.

[EOP]

Another Problem With Rodents

Everyone knows about Hantavirus and roof rats, but not everyone knows about the danger rodents pose to cars. Rodents seek shelter, warmth, and food inside cars, often chewing on soy-based wiring and upholstery, which can cause thousands of dollars in damage. EVs might be especially at risk because  the battery pack and cabin HVAC generate and retain heat, making the undercarriage and wheel wells attractive nesting sites. If one has comprehensive coverage for one's car, that should cover rodent damage (subject to the deductible), but some policies might not cover rodent damage.

[EOP]

YouTube Changes

YouTube is rolling out a series of changes to Shorts, including a new method that lets users shrink the duration of short-form videos. The Google-owned platform announced Thursday that Shorts now comes with a setting that allows users to double their playback speed. The point of making what is an already brief experience even briefer is to let users “absorb information more quickly or find your favorite part faster,” the platform said. In an apparent bid for a more positive web, YouTube has also nixed the Shorts dislike button. Instead of disliking a video, users will now have to rely on the “Not Interested” and “Don’t recommend this channel” functions to disincentivize certain kinds of content. Similarly, instead of clicking on a thumb’s up button if they like a video, users will now have access to a heart emoji. Finally, YouTube is also introducing a new “Clear Screen mode,” which is designed to temporarily hide “all icons and text from your playback view,” giving users a clean view of their content unencumbered by floating distractions.

[EOP]

The Amazing Phillies

Given up for dead earlier in the season, and their bats having gone to sleep, the Phillies have come roaring back, and could win their division. Just this week, in an amazing hitting display, they scored an astounding 15 total runs in the 9th inning across their three-game series against the Washington Nationals. They made Major League Baseball history by becoming the first team ever to hit a tie-breaking or go-ahead home run in the 9th inning in three consecutive games.

[EOP]

Voicemails for Isabelle (2026 Movie on Netflix)

I liked the opening credits and about 5 minutes more of Voicemails for Isabelle, but stopped watching soon thereafter, and before it morphed into the poignant rom-com the NYT said I'd enjoy. So, sorry, I can't pan it or rave about it or say anything meaningful or insightful about it. You're own your own, kid.

[EOP]

The Mid-Term Elections Crisis

Trump has no basis for invoking many of the unconstitutional powers he has invoked other than self-proclaimed "national security" or "national emergency." While the lower courts have consistently rejected those stances, the Supreme Court and the Republican Congress have shown deference beyond any limit anyone heretofore could have imagined happening in this country. There's no question Trump is going to announce a "national emergency" and/or "national security" as well as invoke the Insurrection Act and suspend Habeas Corpus to stop the vote counting before it's done or invalidate the vote counting after it's done in November. Unless someone has a better idea, while removing Trump under the 25th amendment will be earthshaking and disruptive, it looks to be the best and only way (other than someone channeling their Alexander Haig ("As of now, I'm in control here)) to avert what one might call euphemistically a "constitutional crisis." 

[EOP]

Waymos Are Safer Than Human Drivers

When there's an "issue" like an accident involving a Waymo, it gets immediate and widespread coverage. Not so, except in the most extreme cases, do human driver accidents make the news. Unlike the idiots one sees every day driving at unsafe speeds and running red lights and stop signs, Waymos obey the speed limits and other traffic laws. As  this article reports, Waymos are involved in about 70% fewer crashes that result in injuries in Phoenix, compared to the average human driver. Waymo vehicles have driven more than 68.6 million miles on Valley roads through December 2025, making Phoenix Waymo’s largest market for miles driven. And once Level 4 self-driving cars become available, accepted, and proliferate, not only will future people be injured or die in car accidents, insurance rates should come tumbling down. 

[EOP]

Tale of Two Sports

At first, the PGA did not understand what they had when Tiger Woods came along, as he was met icily and with racial put-downs (e.g., by Fuzzy Zoeller out loud). But once they saw not only how magical Tiger was as a golfer, but also what he was doing to draw in fans and raise the purses and related payoffs, the PGA and his competitors embraced him and continued to forgive him no matter what he did off the course. In sharp contrast, the WNBA and its players are a head-scratcher. The league has been around quite a while, bumbling along, until a transitional force named Caitlin Clark came along. Not only were larger stadiums needed to accommodate the crush for (higher priced) tickets, the television audiences grew, and the players were making more money than they ever dreamed they would (from both on and off the court sources). Did the WNBA follow the PGA model? Nope. The players resent her, and foul her unmercifully, and the officiating has done nothing to protect her. She was left off the Olympic team in favor of some has-beens. And close as you might look at the WNBA's 30-Year poster, guess who you will not find. Clark clearly loves basketball, and has fun playing it. No one would blame her if she took her marbles, and she has plenty of marbles, and went home, and it would serve the WNBA and its idiotic players right.

[EOP]

AI Sparks New Wave of Inflation

One might have thought that, like with prior technological breakthroughs, we would see the AI transformation that is going on as a boon to cost-cutting and as a consequence price-cutting. Not so fast. As the WSJ reports, the U.S’s artificial-intelligence build-out is beginning to push up prices on everything from smartphones to electricity. The question now is how widely that build-out might ripple through the economy, and how long it could keep inflation elevated. The answers will have big consequences for the economy.

[EOP]

Phoenix Speed-Monitoring Cameras

We applaud Phoenix's deployment of speed-monitoring cameras. While the locations are subject to change based on road safety needs, this city website will show you where they are. By giving such notice, one can argue whether it's better to give notice to people where to slow down or to nab them going fast and ticket them with the hope of changing their driving behavior. Likely, most speeders are not looking at the website anyhow because they are speeding everywhere they go.

[EOP]

This Blog's 2 Million Hit Milestone

Sometime overnight, this blog's nearly 15,000 posts hit 2M hits (which doesn't count those who read the posts in the daily email). The good news for our loyal readers is that, by charging and collecting a $1 per hit by the bots, we can continue to deliver the daily blog email to our readers at no subscription cost and ad-free.

[EOP]

Free Access to Hallmark Streaming

As this cnet article explains, if you have a library card, you can get free access to Hallmark's streaming platform.  

[EOP]

Point-in-Time Restore for Windows 11

Point-in-Time Restore is different than System Restore in Windows 11, and it's more robust. This article explains it all. When I checked, my computer had not defaulted to enabling Point-in-Time Restore. The article shows you how to check if your setting is on.

[EOP]

World Cup Commentary

Recent post have noted here why we enjoy the commentary on the World Cup. With our permission, Jason Gay's piece delves much deeper into the matter in a thoughtful and insightful and at times a critical way. 

[EOP]

Another Sign the Rich Are Getting Richer

As the WSJ reports, the ranks of the ultrawealthy hit a high in 2025 as the AI trade lifted global markets. The number of ultrawealthy individuals—those having a net worth of more than $30 million— jumped by 14.4% last year to 556,850 people worldwide by the end of 2025. That’s the fastest pace of growth since 2017. We (and our democracy) really need a wealth redistribution plan so that more people (or at least one certain person) can fly by private jet or at least in first class. I'm telling you, we're not going to take it any more.

[EOP]

Perpetual Futures Contracts

A June 4, 2026 post here noted the turmoil SpaceX posed with its perpetual futures ("perps" contract approach. Not surprisingly, as the WSJ now reports, perps are "shak[ing] up Wall Street." Perps, which never expire and let traders pile on leverage that amplifies their potential gains and losses, have already made their mark in the U.S. Within weeks of being listed, Kalshi’s basket of perps tied to cryptocurrencies has surpassed $8.5 billion in trading volume. Their rising popularity is already weighing on the shares of some of the large exchange operators that have built their businesses around listings for traditional derivatives, from interest- rate swaps to futures tied to crude oil and stock indexes. The complexity of these things dwarfs the complexity of the can't miss new-fangled financial instruments that helped usher in the 2008 debacle.

[EOP]

Mexico 86 (2026 Movie on Netflix)

Although it's wrapped around Mexico getting the World Cup in 1986, Mexico 86 is not about soccer nor is it a sports movie or a Ted Lasso kind of thing. It's ultimately a morality tale about what a most improbable person was able to pull off and where unbridled ambition can take one. It's based  (at least somewhat it is said) on a true story, and it's told very well with crisp writing and crisp acting. 

[EOP]

How to Outsmart Personalized Pricing

Online shoppers are used to seeing prices change by the day or hour or minute. But what if the price you get is set for you alone—a measure of what the retailer thinks you’ll pay based on the data it has about you—including who you are demographically, where you live and what you do online? Businesses have long tracked customers’ search behavior and buying history and used that information, along with other factors like a consumer’s location, to offer promotions and discounts to motivate purchases. Dynamic pricing, where the same fare or rate shifts for everyone based on supply and demand, also has become common across industries, including airfares and ride-shares. What is different now and concerning to researchers is the possibility that online retailers could use personal data to set a higher base price for individual consumers, without their knowledge, when algorithms detect things like urgent need or high disposable income. As this WSJ article explains, using Incognito Mode or a VPN to mask your location are your defensive tools.

[EOP]

Cold vs Tap Cold in Washing Machines

Most newer washing machines give you the choices of "Cold" and "Tap Cold." The "Cold" setting mixes hot and cold water to maintain a consistent temperature (usually around 60°F–80°F) so detergent dissolves properly. "Tap Cold" uses only unheated water straight from your pipes. This means "Tap Cold" temperature fluctuates wildly depending on the season, whereas "Cold" is regulated for better cleaning. We give you the facts. You get to decide. Please, choose wisely.

[EOP]

Our Gilded Age Gets Gildier

As the WSJ reports, the $100-million-plus CEO is making a comeback, just a year after nine-figure pay packages seemed to be fading. More U.S. CEOs last year crossed the once-rare pay threshold than in any year since 2021—and nearly a dozen topped $200 million. I understand salaries, add-on compensation, and wealth for movie stars and athletes and for those who create new technologies that become screaming successes (e.g., Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft). I don't get it for so-called business executives. It's hard to see democracy thriving with this backdrop.

[EOP]

Rise in Cost of Home Ownership

If you think it's costing more not just to buy a house but to maintain one, it's not your imagination. We have run the numbers and here they are:

[EOP]

Tesla Crash

There's been a big splash in the news about a Tesla crashing into a home and killing the grandmother who lived inside. The media has focused on Tesla's Full Service Driving (FSD) (Supervised) when it's not clear if it was even involved.  If you were to read this WSJ article, for example, you'd have to wait until the last paragraph to read the following: "It was unclear whether the driver’s vehicle had Full Self-Driving engaged. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the crash, declined to specify." According to Tesla, it's black box recorded that the driver manually pressed the car’s accelerator pedal down and had the pedal pressed even after the crash. But as we say to our Tesla-owner readers, be careful out there. And for the rest of us, we hope Level 4 self-driving cars will get here soon (Lucid looks to be the first to deliver one).

[EOP]

Cautionary Note re Travel Battery Chargers

As someone who's taken more than 40 flights over the last three years, I like to think I'm something of a pro when it comes to carry-on packing; I know exactly what items will get me through security without any hiccups, and what ones might get my bag pulled for extra inspection. You can imagine my surprise when, while navigating the TSA line ahead of my last flight, I watched as a security agent confiscated my go-to portable charger, later informing me that under new airline rules for power banks, it was no longer a reliable option. Amid growing safety concerns surrounding lithium-ion batteries, many major airlines are implementing new limits on portable chargers: Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines are restricting the number of portable chargers customers can bring onboard, as well as their watt-hour capacity, while United Airlines is requiring passengers to keep their portable chargers within reach during flights, as opposed to in overhead bins. If you're planning on traveling this summer, there are some TSA-approved portable chargers you might want to consider purchasing ahead of your next flight, with many of the best power banks on sale ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2026. This Anker Power Bank for under $20 at Amazon is a slim, light recommended option.

[EOP]

The Off-the-Pitch/Course Skills of Great Soccer Players and Golfers

Zlatan and Henry show off their skills while they were waiting to do a show. It's reminiscent of what Tiger was filmed doing while waiting to do what became a commercial.

[EOP]

When Watching Sports Is Really Fun

Lionel Messi (who yesterday's scoring made him the World Cup leader in goals, who has been on the most World Cup champion teams, and who turns 39 tomorrow) said that he will retire from football the day he feels he is no longer having fun. In a Phillies/Mets game Saturday night, the Phillies took a commanding 11-1 lead, and Harper had hit a single, a double, and a homer. On his next at bat, he hit a shot to the outfield and immediately started running as fast as he could to get a triple and complete the cycle. He was having fun and it was fun to watch him having fun. None of the golfers at the top of the leaderboard in the US Open looked like they were having fun, which contributed to the dulling effect on the viewership. Watching great sports performances is a treat. Watching adult-children with millions in the bank have fun is a special treat. Maybe the money today is a big reason that there seem to be fewer players today like those in the era of Ernie Banks ("Let's play two") and Willie Mays whose joy was evident.

[EOP]

Why People Are Holding On to Their Cars Longer

The complexity of new vehicles requires a higher initial price, now about $50,000 on average, and this has downstream effects, including: higher costs to insure, maintain, and repair these vehicles if they are involved in crashes. An owner’s manual for a 2007 Ford Mustang is under 260 pages, while the owner’s manual of a 2026 Honda Civic is almost 735 pages. 

[EOP]

Necessity of Dishwasher Detergent

I have now "tried" for the second time to see if adding dishwasher detergent was needed to clean the dishes. While some might say two data points is not a valid test given the law of small numbers, it's enough testing for me. So, from now on, I will never forget to pour in eco-friendly dishwasher detergent or drop in fragrance-free 100% plastic-free Blue Land tablets before running the short cycle I run stuff on which does as good a job as any longer cycle.

[EOP]

Testing Your Knowledge About AI Data Centers

Artificial intelligence has become a fact of life in the U.S., with people increasingly using it at work, school, and home. Growing demand for this transformative technology means more data centers will have to be built to train and power generative AI models. If you want to know how much do you know about data centers and their impact, you can: Test your knowledge with our quiz.

[EOP]

How to Get More Google Cloud Storage for Free

I'm not a Google One subscriber, which means I get only 15GB of free cloud storage that comes with every standard Google account. The free version works for me because I already have 1TB of cloud storage with my Microsoft 365 subscription. So, I store all those giant-sized files in OneDrive, and not Google Photos. However, Google's 15GB of free cloud storage wasn't always enough for me, as I kept hitting that limit, primarily due to Google Photos. More specifically, backing up photos in Google Photos was the biggest contributor. Ironically, the solution to this was hiding in the very same app that was causing the problem. All it took was changing one setting in Google Photos. I stopped hitting cloud storage limits for good by changing only one Google Photos option. You get closer to that limit faster than you think because Google Photos assumes that you want to keep the original quality of your shots in backups. The only respite is that you can change the backup quality of photos and videos in the Google Photos app. Google Photos stores photos and videos to the cloud at original quality by default. This means photos taken with a premium phone like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could occupy as much as 50MB of space in your free Google Cloud storage. You can do the math on how much space 20 such photos will occupy. 1GB of space for that small number of photos is quite a lot, especially when you have only 15GB to work with. This is why I use the Express option for backup quality in Google Photos. It compresses photos to 3MP and videos to standard definition. Still, it's a compromise with quality, but that's the price I can afford to pay. I select photos and videos that I want to store at original quality and then send them to OneDrive, which offers me 1TB of cloud storage. These are usually the shots that are precious to me — ones that I wouldn't want to lose at any cost. For everything else, I don't mind compromising on quality, given how seamlessly the backup process runs in the background. Google Photos is the easiest backup method on Android, and no other platform comes anywhere close. Not even OneDrive.

[EOP]

Airbnb Offers Guest Grocery Delivery

I hate Airbnb and avoid it when I can, but I have to say, this is a good idea. As explained in this AR article, a new feature allows guests to order groceries to their rental in advance and, at some homes, even have the host stock the fridge before they arrive. The service is powered by Instacart, which manages the ordering and delivery. So far, the delivery feature is available in 27 U.S. cities or regions. When booking a stay, guests can check the website section labeled Trips to see whether grocery delivery is available for their reservation. One would think vrbo will match it. If you're booking through a local agency, you might ask if they will do so.

[EOP]

How Much Fun Are the Iranians Having?

While no one else seems to have figured out how to deal with Trump, the Iranians have indefatigably out-maneuvered Trump in the negotiations at every turn. Is there any doubt they are sitting there saying, while cackling, "What can we do today to make Trump's head explode, and have him say or do something really stupid?" They have him by the you-know-whats, he knows they have him by his you-know-whats, and he knows he doesn't know any way to get out of this without everyone knowing and his knowing that everyone knows he has been snookered in one of the worst geopolitical failures that the world has ever seen. The real shame is that the Republicans haven't hired the Iranians to counsel them as to how to stand up to and bring down Trump.

[EOP]

US Open

Even watching on a speeded-up basis having DVR-ed it, it was painful on many levels, from much of the play to the rudeness of much of the crowd to much of the commentary to the identity of the contenders to much of the course (a so-called links style course with goofy greens and drop-offs from outer space). With so many great public venues (from Black Page to Torrey Pines, to Pinehurst, to Pebble Beach), I don't understand a venue that celebrates the lifestyle of the rich and famous--and yeah I get the contradiction in what I'm saying given the green fees at Pebble Beach. In short, I hate being the "good-old-days-guy," but I really miss having Tiger, Arnie, and Ben Hogan in the field, and finishes like Arnie's at Cherry Hills, Johnny Miller's at Oakmont, and Tiger's at Torrey Pines.  

[EOP]

Slather Recommendation for Grilled Corn on the Cob

While a slather of butter and some salt might be your go-to for a quick corn on the cob dress-up, Caesar dressing is the kitchen staple that gives grilled corn 10X more flavor. Caesar salad dressing is a simple yet powerful blend of egg yolks, anchovies, lemon juice, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. It brings a burst of umami, salt, and tanginess balanced by the richness of the egg yolk, culminating in a creamy emulsion that will coat corn on the cob as effortlessly as lettuce. It also rounds out the sweet, smoky flavors of grilled corn with savory, salty, zestiness. Whether you're making Caesar dressing from scratch or busting out a bottle of your favorite Caesar salad dressing brand, it'll make for a much more flavorful spread than salted butter. The heat from the corn will help bloom the dressing's flavor while also making it more liquid, thus filling every nook and cranny around each kernel. 

[EOP]

Best Laptops for 2026

This Mashable article lists its picks for best laptops for 2026. What makes it informative is the denotations by category (e.g., best cheap, best for students, best for most people, etc.). We are surprised by how costly  many of the picks were.

[EOP]

Happy Father's Day: Best Father's Day Card Ever!

 

New Verizon Plans

In response to competition, Verizon has offered new cellphone plans even to existing customers. If you're a Verizon customer, you might look at their website or call them to see if you can get a better and less expensive plan.

[EOP]

Even the WSJ's Editorial Board Sees Trump's Capitulating From a Position in Weakness in His Iran War Fiasco

Here's a Verbatim Excerpt: Warning that “we run out of [oil] reserves in about four weeks,” Mr. Trump insisted he had no other way to get the Strait of Hormuz open. “If we didn’t do this deal, we could’ve dropped more bombs for another three weeks, two weeks, four weeks, two years—you would never have the Hormuz Strait open.” All of this strongly suggests the memorandum of understanding was reached from a position of U.S. weakness, not strength. From the deal’s substantial up-front sanctions relief and paucity of corresponding Iranian nuclear commitments, it shows. The more hope Messrs. Trump and Vance express in the Iranian regime’s transformation, the more desperate they sound. How else to read their sudden defense of Iran’s missile program, after stopping it had been a declared U.S. war aim? Wishful thinking can’t cover up this deal’s origins in White House fears. As the President himself admits.

[EOP]

Another Reason to Shop Amazon

If you don't own an EV, as long as you don't specify very early delivery from Amazon which tends to be done by ICE cars, Amazon's delivery fleet is all EVs at this point so you will be doing the environment a favor buying from Amazon instead of driving to a brick-and-mortar store.

[EOP] 

What the Leaf Symbol Means in Google Maps

If you start navigating and see a leaf symbol alongside the time and distance on Google Maps, it shows that you're taking an eco-friendly route. An eco-friendly route takes into account the traffic, the frequency of steeper areas, your ability to move at constant speeds, and several other factors to ensure you use the least amount of fuel. This feature only works if the eco-friendly route takes a similar amount of time as the fastest one, though. It might be a bit slower, but there won't be much difference in terms of time. This feature is one of the many ways navigation apps are working to save the environment while also making your daily commute cheaper as a bonus.

[EOP]

Car-and-Driver's 2026 EV Choices and a PS re 1-Pedal Driving

This Car-and-Driver article lists and describes its pick for the 20 best EVs in 2026. Astoundingly, as for lower-priced EVs, the Bolt did not make the list while the Leaf did. Sadly, the only EVs priced under $40K were the Leaf and the evil Tesla 3, and the most stylish one (the Porsche Taycan) starts at about $108K,.but to get its "vision-altering acceleration" might take to over $245K. I don't understand why all the car-makers don't try to do what the Chinese are doing EV-wise: Making good, reliable EVs that cost under $30K. How is it they wouldn't be big sellers here given inflation taking the average car cost to over $50K and the cost of gasoline? 

[EOP]

PS re the World Cup

The USMNT had another fantastic first half, and held on, albeit in a somewhat sloppy way, to beat Australia 2-nil. It you're not watching the USMNT, you're missing something you don't want to miss. And there are other teams and games with equal excitement. That said, we have to correct an earlier post about the TV coverage not spending inordinate time on goofy-garbed frenetic fans. It would seem that one has to dress up in a USA-costume with complementary paint to be admitted. While that does not add to my enjoyment of the coverage, when the game ended with the USMNT victorious, hearing 70,000 people, however enrobed, joyously singing Take Me Home, Country Roads, was a nice touch.

PS: The only US Open I've watched was a half-hour segment before the above-noted game came on. While I could hear roaring fans on occasion, from the television coverage of the grounds, the number of fans was so sparse you would think you're watching some amateur golf event. Maybe they, and they know who they are, were staying home to watch the televised above-noted match on the pitch in Seattle.

[EOP]

One "Benefit" of Trump's Iran War

While the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq were losing efforts, none of them ended in a  surrender by the US. The MOU is nothing short of a written surrender by the US, as it formalizes the terms under which Iran won and the US unqualifiedly lost the war. The one "benefit" is that, when his presidency is over and history is written, this ill-conceived war of choice will solidify Trump's position as the worst president.

[EOP]

Reasons to Add a $15 Ethernet Switch to Your Router

As this article explains, one of the cheapest and easiest things you can do to help your router and enhance your home network is to add a dumb plug-and-play ethernet switch. Most routers are already doing several jobs at once: routing, firewall duties, DHCP, Wi-Fi, and often a bit of switching through the built-in Ethernet ports. Adding a separate switch doesn't replace the router, but it does let the router stop acting like the physical center of every wired connection in the house. For a busy home network, that small bit of delegation can make the whole setup cleaner, more stable, and easier to expand. A basic unmanaged switch won't fix every networking issue you might ever encounter, but it’s a cheap and easy way to organize your hardware and alleviate unnecessary strain on your Wi-Fi. It makes your network layout make a lot more sense, and for the price of a small accessory, that's a lot to achieve.

[EOP]

Experience With Verizon 5G Home Internet

I had to help out a neighbor during which I had the chance to connect my laptop to their Verizon 5G Home Internet. Connecting was quick and the speed it seemed to operate on was faster than my Cox cable speed. So, earlier posts recommending a Home 5G approach from you cellphone provider have another data point of confirmation, and taking them up on the free trial period (during which you need not discoonect your current internet service) certainly makes sense.

[EOP]

Neat and Useful Airbnb Search Feature

As anyone reading this blog knows, I hate national STR web portals (such as Airbnb and VRBO) and prefer to deal directly with the owner if possible or with a local rental agency. That said, there is one search feature in Airbnb (and perhaps in VRBO and others) where you can see "listings on map" and zoom in on that map to show listings confined to a given small neighborhood or even within a few square blocks or so. Pretty cool. And pretty useful if you're going to a place where you know the area and know the area where you'd ideally want to rent.

[EOP]

Using an Old Android Phone as a Wi-Fi Extender: It's Simple

Before you throw away (or recycle) that old Android phone, you may be able to make use of it as a Wi-Fi extender for your home network. Android phones can connect to your home Wi-Fi network and then rebroadcast that signal as a hotspot. In effect, the phone acts as a simple Wi-Fi repeater, helping push coverage into rooms where your router struggles to reach. The setup is surprisingly simple. First, connect the old phone to your home Wi-Fi network. Then open the phone’s settings and look for a feature called Mobile Hotspot, Personal Hotspot, or Hotspot and Tethering—typically these can be found under Internet or Network menus. Turn it on and create a network name and password. Once enabled, the phone will broadcast a new Wi-Fi network that other devices can connect to.

[EOP]

Looking at the Grand Slam in Men's Golf With a Keen Eye

Winning a golf major is a wonderful accomplishment. Winning multiple multiple majors is even more impressive. Winning all four majors is an astounding accomplishment. On the PGA, only six golfers have done it, and only four have done it in the modern era. The commentators will tell you all that. But what no commentator will tell you, but this blog will, is that what's notable about each is that all of them completed it without having to go through the dominant player of their time--i.e., Player did it before Nicklaus asserted his dominance, Nicklaus was the dominant player when he did it, Woods was the dominant player when he did it, and Rory finished it only after the dominant player (Woods) had left the scene. Aristotle might say that's a tautological conclusion, but he's not here to say it and he's not a loyal reader.

[EOP]

How to Safely Us ChatGPT to Check a PC's Health

This PCWorld article explains how to use a built-in Windows Tool to generate a report that allows ChatGPT to analyze the health of your PC without seeing or touching your files.

[EOP]

Dell XPS 13 Now Available

The Dell XPS 13 is now available for $700 and it's reviewed highly, thin, and light. Our XPS 13 is still going strong after 7+ years.

[EOP]

Windows Secure Boot

This article explains what Secure Boot is and what you have to do about it which is nothing except to check if your computer shows it as being on, which it probably is but you should check any now. Go to Settings/Windows Security/Device Security and look at what it says under Secure Boot. If it's not on, read the article as to what you should do.

[EOP]

PS re Space X

While I still don't understand what Space X is does, and while I have not been tempted by a FOMO to buy stock in it, it's clear the market as usual knows better than me what to do given that Space X just passed Amazon to become the 5th largest company (by market capitalization) and looks poised to soon pass Microsoft.

[EOP]

World Cup

If you're not watching the World Cup, you're missing out on what could be the greatest championship of all sports of all time. Only into the second weeks: The US team put in what's been called its best half ever in trouncing Portugal; Brazil got tied by Morocco; Qatar tied Switzerland; Australia beat Türkiye; Ivory Coast beat Ecuador; Cape Verde tied Spain; and Messi scored a WC hat trick and is now tied as all-time goal scorer in the men's World Cup, and, if Argentina repeats to win it all, that could seal Messi as soccer's GOAT (and some would say the greatest athlete of all times supplanting Ohtani). As a further bonus, there's some, but not an ungodly amount of, shooting fan reactions in the stands and the commentary is informative (for the most part men and women who played in World Cups as opposed to so-called "professional commentators").

[EOP]

Where This Blog Was Right, Where This Blog Was Wrong

Where This Blog Was Right: Our March 26, 2026 post came eerily close to how the war in Iran would end.

Where This Blog Was Wrong: If his statement is to be believed (and if it is you'll likely see Trump go ballistic), our concerns that the new Fed Chair would be a Trumpian toad committed to carrying out Trump's wishes for rate cuts look to be unfounded. Specifically, while Warsh is intent on bringing new thinking to how the Fed does stuff: (i) his commitment to remain hawkish to hit the 2% inflation target that has not been hit since 2022 before changing any measure is sobering; and (ii) his public posture of supporting the Fed's dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment without adding a third mandate to prop up the stock market is comforting.

'EOP]

Bluetti's FridgePower: Backup Power For a Refrigerator

For under $1,000, as this cnet article explains, you can have auto-backup power for 24 hours with a simple plug-and-play ultra-thin backup power unit. To accommodate the needs of fridges and freezers, the Bluetti FridgePower includes an uninterrupted power supply. It automatically switches to battery power within 10 milliseconds of a power outage without you needing to do anything manually. It fits on top of your fridge as it measures just 2.95 inches at its thickest point. It also comes with a magnetic screen that snaps directly onto your fridge, making it easy to check charging and battery status, and get alerts from and communicate with the unit remotely.

[EOP]

First Two Things to Do When a Peripheral Fails to Connect and a PS re Air-Dusters

The computer set-up choice of most people now is a laptop into which a hub is plugged into which the peripherals (e.g., monitor; ethernet cord; NAS; home controller) are plugged. Say one morning the monitor does not come on. The first thing (as with everything) is to do a re-boot, which for a monitor means disconnect it from the power source, wait a minute, and reconnect it. The second thing is plug the HDMI cable into the laptop, and if the laptop then connects, the issue is with the hub. Given that the hub may not be re-bootable, the thing to do is use an air-duster to blast away any dust in the hub's HDMI port. 

PS: Bottom-line: It's a good idea to have an air-duster on hand. My preference is a rechargeable one which one can get for under $20, and it's good for air-cleaning electronics and all kinds of other stuff.

[EOP]

Cautionary Note re Amazon Returns

I have not figured out what triggers it (perhaps the size or cost of the item or the reason for the return), but Amazon has made returns more difficult at certain times. It had been that one could always do a return with a drop off to Whole Foods without a box. Now, unless you have a box, it might be that you're only free option is drop off at an Amazon center which could be miles away. So, if you have an item that needs an extra long or odd shaped box, don't tear down the box and put it into your recycling bin until you are sure you are not wanting to return the item. Also, sometimes whether or not you have a box, a free drop off at Whole Foods or UPS is not an option at all. As noted, I can't figure out what Amazon's metric is on the return, nor do I see any notice to warn you before you buy, nor do I have much hope I'll figure it out--that Amazon is sneakier and smarter than I'll ever be.

[EOP]

Bots Outnumber Humans on the Internet

Cloudflare's Radar tool now shows agentic AI bots generating 57.4% of web requests globally, with humans accounting for just 42.6%, a milestone that arrived well ahead of even the most aggressive projections. As Cloudfare's CEO Matthew Price explained, these are agentic bots which are the systems that search the internet on your behalf when you ask an AI chatbot a question and return the results. Those searches and visits generate real web traffic, even if it doesn't look that way from your AI chat window. The data means that more AI agents are visiting these webpages than real humans. Humans still physically engage with content more than AI does, but AI visits webpages more often. What the import of this is I have no clue, but I'm sure my sophisticated loyal readers get it. I know the AI bots are avid readers of this blog, likely accounting for many of the over 1.8M hits we have so far.

[EOP]

Hisense vs TCL TVs

Both Hisense and TCL are fine choices when it comes to budget-priced TVs. This common-sense plainly-written short article compares the two.

[EOP]

Office Romance (2026 Movie on Netflix)

There surely are worse movies, but this will match anything as bad for the first 10 minutes. It's clearly predictable, the acting is stilted, the dialogue is inane, and the plot (Jackie, President and CEO of Air Cruz, runs a tight ship in her business, including a rigid anti-fraternization policy for all her employees, which is severely tested when a sexy new lawyer begins working for her) is mundane. Based on that, my strong suggestion is walk on by.

[EOP]

Stirling PDF: Free, Robust PDF Editor

As this article explains, Stirling PDF is a PDF editor but it isn't just a PDF editor. Whether it’s organizing PDFs, converting them, security add-ons like watermark, or advanced functionalities like OCR, Stirling PDF handles every task that the most expensive PDF editors do, and it's free.

[EOP]

Cautionary Note When Choosing a Doctor or a Lawyer

Half the doctors and half the lawyers graduated in the bottom half of their respective class.

[EOP]

Why Threats to Democracy Are Not a Winning Rallying Cry for Dems

Katy Osborne and Scott Warren writing for the Atlantic, June 13: "Given President Trump’s disregard for long-standing political norms and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, many Americans fear that he is hostile to democracy. According to this view, the 49.8 percent of voters who supported him in 2024 must simply be unaware of the existential threat he poses to our republic. The logic, to Trump’s critics, is therefore simple: Once voters fully grasp that democracy is under threat from creeping authoritarianism, then surely they will turn against Trump. Yet this strategy has largely fallen flat. Why? The consulting and pro-democracy organizations where we work have spent the past few months with conservative Trump voters across three counties in Wyoming, Michigan, and South Carolina. . . . Our research suggests that activists seeking to protect American democracy from authoritarian influences are pursuing a failing strategy. They are defending largely abstract democratic processes, such as norms and rules, on the assumption that everyone agrees that they are legitimate and worth saving. But such arguments are unlikely to resonate with voters who have come to believe that many of these norms and processes have abandoned the country’s bedrock values. Calls to defend democracy promise to alienate anyone who feels that democratic institutions have somehow failed them. Few care to preserve a system they feel stopped serving its purpose long ago."

[EOP]

Where AI Stocks Might Still Be a Bargain: China

Although there are geopolitical risks for sure, as this WSJ article argues, while the frenzy over artificial intelligence is sending technology-company valuations through the roof in the U.S. and Asian markets, one country that still offers some relative bargains is China. Stock markets feature a parallel universe of Chinese tech champions: an e-commerce giant that isn’t Amazon, a search-engine and robo-taxi company that isn’t Google, and a chip maker with a four-letter name other than TSMC. While some smaller Chinese tech companies have experienced bubbly surges this year, shares in larger companies that are investing heavily in AI often cost less per dollar of revenue or profit than their famous counterparts abroad.

[EOP]

Understanding the So-Called Index Trade

This piece by James Mackintosh explains what is meant by the so-called "index trade" and why it is unreliable. It's an interesting read but not likely relevant to any reader here in terms of their investment strategy or anything else.

[EOP]

Trump's "Ending" the War: Good News for the Dems

Not much has been revealed as to the content of the MOU Trump announced. Still, this much is the clear and indisputable result of Trump's birthday "mission accomplished" pronouncement: He has ensured that his mishandling of the war, the disastrous effects of the war, and his big lie today that anything was resolved are going to remain issues in the mid-term elections to the detriment of the Reps. In short, at best nothing will be resolved in the supposed 60-day negotiation period and at worst it will be clear that any resolution  will put Iran in a better position than it was before the war began and the U.S. in a far worse off position by every measure, and leave Trump with no way to undue the harm he has done. The market might have a one-day celebration, but you can be assured the Reps are sick.

[EOP]

Keeping an Eye on the Fed Under New Chief Warsh

The Fed is widely expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged as it remains in "wait-and-see" mode. Wednesday's meeting will be the debut of Chair Kevin Warsh, who has promised "regime change" at the Fed. Among the major open questions is whether Warsh will resume advocating for cutting interest rates. Specifically, One of Warsh's favorite inflation measures, called the "trimmed averages," came in cool again on Thursday, offering evidence for his belief that inflation is improving and against ‌the view of a growing number of other policymakers that inflation is accelerating and interest rate hikes may be needed to tamp down rising price pressures. The bottom-line: Warsh could send a strong signal about how he wants the Fed to measure inflation going forward that will make one person very happy, but scare the you-know-what out of the stock market. 

[EOP]

Fastest Pitch Ever

Putting aside the ignominy of who was batting, the fastest pitch in MLB history by a starting pitcher belongs to Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, who threw a 104.5 mph fastball (often read as 105 mph on the broadcast radar) a couple of nights ago, when he recorded 15 strike outs.

[EOP]

Best Presidential Birthday Celebration

I wasn't able to attend the UFC fights at the White House or watch them stream on Paramount + and which everyone says they've seen nothing like it, so my vote on this matter is open to criticism. But my favorite presidential birthday celebration took place in under 3 minutes in honor of a president who appointed his brother Attorney General.

[EOP]

Screaming Sale on Triple Screen Extender

If you're still using your laptop's screen alone, or as one of two or three screens, the gods have smiled upon you. The Blackview screen extender will give you a triple screen for about $200. It's a14" 1080P FHD IPS Triple Portable Monitor, Ultra-Slim Travel Dual Monitor Fit for 13"-17.3" Laptops, USB-C Plug&Play Extended Screen for Windows/Mac/Android/Switch.

[EOP]

Why Soccer Is the Most Popular Sport in the World (Except One) and the Most Fun to Watch and Play (Except One)

Compared to baseball and softball there's more action, compared to football you get to see their faces, compared to hockey you get to see the thing go into the net that results in a goal, compared to basketball it's a game of normal sized people, compared to tennis it doesn't risk taking too long, compared to curling it's faster, compared to skiing, biathloning, and ice-skating and such it's played in clement weather, compared to skulling you get to see great individual effort in a team sport, compared to various Olympic sports it's not a goofy made-up sport, and compared to all sports there is a world cup tournament crowing a world champion. The one exception when it comes to popularity and fun to watch was golf in the Palmer and Woods eras and fun to play anytime was golf.

[EOP]

No More Billionaires

Per the NYT, the top 1% own 50% of all stock. Concentration of wealth in the hands of a few is an anathema to and a cancer upon a flourishing democracy. It's time for a wealth tax. Given the likes of Musk, Besos, Zuckerberg, et al having wealth measured in the billions and now in the trillions, how does it possibly hurt their ability to buy anything they want and not help in putting to a better social use to impose a 100% wealth tax on everything over a billion dollars? No more billionaires!

[EOP]

Positioning Doors in Summer

For our readers on the I-95 corridor who now are seeing heat like no one has ever seen, this article has some useful tips on door placement. In short, open interior doors in homes with central air to improve airflow and prevent pressure issues; close interior doors in homes with split AC units to amp up the cooling efficiency in each room; and always close exterior doors to prevent warm air from entering and overworking your AC. Better yet, live in a place like Phoenix where you can run an evaporative cooler instead of AC, and you can keep your exterior doors open and your house cooler at a fraction of a cost of AC.

[EOP]

New Summer Series and New Season Coming Soon

‘The Bear’ Season 5 (Hulu/FX) All episodes June 25

‘Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness’ (HBO) June 26 (New episodes Fridays): Dubbed as an “almost history of America,” Larry David goes for broke in his first post-”Curb Your Enthusiasm” project in terms of celebrity collaborators. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama combine forces with David for a project sort of celebrating the United States’ 250th anniversary this July 4 with this seven-episode comedy series.

‘Elle’ (Prime Video) All episodes July 1: They’re making a “Legally Blonde” prequel? What, like it’s hard? Elle Woods, the golden-blonde valley girl protagonist of the 2001 blockbuster movie, is back − this time as a teen. Produced by the character’s originator, Reese Witherspoon, the 1990s-period piece follows a young Elle (now portrayed by newcomer Lexi Minetree) in high school.

[EOP]

One Thing to Do If One Fears the Tech Bubble Might Burst Soon

As Jason Zweig's column explains, if you’re worried about overconcentration and overvaluation in the U.S. stock market, Europe isn’t just a place to vacation. It’s a place to invest.

[EOP]

Why Oil Prices Haven't Gone Higher and Why They Still Might

This WSJ article explains why oil prices haven’t soared to record levels, yet.  Two weeks after the Iran war began, top oil-industry executives warned Trump officials that oil prices could climb much higher unless the Strait of Hormuz waterway reopened soon. The scale of the disruption could hardly be exaggerated: ocean-faring vessels usually carry about 20% of the world’s daily diet of crude and oil products through the narrow artery between Iran and Oman. Nevertheless, oil has slogged along below $100 a barrel for more than three weeks. A U.S. barrel fetched $86 Friday, driven lower by reports that Washington and Tehran were closer than ever to a peace deal. As far as financial markets are concerned, an oil crisis has yet to materialize. However, oil executives and commodities traders say the worst could yet still come even if hostilities cease, because global stockpiles are declining rapidly and getting closer to a critical low point that could force prices higher.

[EOP]

How to Watch the World Cup

Soccer is a magnificent sport (even with the figned injuries, strange refereeing, and imprecision of so-called overtime), and the World Cup is a blast to watch. Next to being at a game, the best way to watch is at an ethnic bar or restaurant that specializes in the food of one of the participants in the game being televised. If you're in NYC, here is a list of such establishments. 

PS: Our sympathies go out to anyone who did not have the good fortune to be in El Salvador in 1970 to see how a country that had never qualified for a World Cup came together, celebrated every moment, and even brought out a new, deliciosa commemorative beer (Selección 70).

[EOP]

Broken Folder Icons in Windows 11 Are Intentional and Remediable

As this Windows Central article explains, Windows 11 changes how folder customizations work, and what looks like a bug is actually a security upgrade. A folder that previously displayed a custom icon might suddenly revert to the standard yellow folder, while a localized folder name could disappear and show its original name instead. The article walks you through how to restore the icon as you wanted it to look.

[EOP]

Why Heat Is a Cellphone Battery Killer and What To Do About It

As someone who worked and studied electrochemistry, I understand that even a few degrees of extra heat can be very disruptive to the battery chemistry. What typically happens is that heat makes the chemical reaction happen faster (what occurs at the anode and the cathode inside the battery), which ages it, thus degrading all the materials involved in the reaction. As the battery's internal components degrade, capacity decreases. It is essentially permanent damage that cannot be reversed or fixed, unless you replace your smartphone's battery. That's why, when I can, I disable fast charging to avoid overheating. Typically, I have this enabled for its bypass charging feature. Mainly because this is another source of heat, since more power is delivered more quickly. Plus, I have my maximum charging capacity set to 80%, to prevent the last bit of charging from causing chemical stress with its lithium-ion battery (the last 10% produces the most voltage stress). This article has more info on the issue.

[EOP]

Thinking Vertical on Washer/Dryer

When it comes to a washer/dryer set up, side-by-side placement  is fine as long as you get pedestals to go under them, and the pedestals are priced ridiculously given they have no moving parts. Alternatively, you might think about a tower arrangement such as this LG, which is well priced at about $2,200, comes in some nice color choices (like this green), and has the convenience of eye-level center controls.

[EOP]

10 Most Fuel Efficient ICE Cars in 2026

This Quartz article highlights, in order, the top 10 most fuel efficient ICE cars for 2026. Number one is the Prius, but no mention is made that there's a recall notice about the back doors flying open in the rain and no fix available, nor that it's gotten quite expensive. If you do buy a Prius, as this article explains, of the 4 trims, the XLE makes the most sense.

[EOP]

Lowering the Wind-Chill Effect in Your Home

Just as wind can make it feel colder than the actual temperature, called the wind-chill effect or factor, you can keep your home feeling cooler by creating a wind-chill factor, as explained in this article. Doing so not only makes you more comfortable, it is a money-saver and an eco-friendly way to live, especially when temperatures soar as they are doing now along the I-95 corridor. We in Phoenix with evaporative coolers have yet to turn on our air conditioners, but we can attest that our ceiling fans do have the desired effect.

[EOP]

Worst Sports Loss Wednesday Night

It is fair to say that the Spurs play in the second half, and particularly in the 4th quarter, was the worst sports performance by a team ever in a championship final series. No one disputes that their continuing to shoot (and  miss) 3-pointers with more than 10 seconds left on the shot clock was stupidity at its highest. But, wait, let's not leave out the Washington Nationals, who blew the 8-run lead they had against the Giants going into the 8th inning. The last time that happened, i.e., losing a game with an 8-run lead in the 8th inning, was 2,698 such 8-run-lead-in-the-8th-inning-games ago.

[EOP]

PS re SpaceX

Holding true to my word to not comment on current events involving SpaceX, it's future plans are at the heart of all the excitement. Most formidably, SpaceX plans to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars, requiring millions of tonnes of cargo and at least one million inhabitants to become viable. The effort relies on the fully reusable Starship, with uncrewed cargo flights targeting upcoming launch windows, and crewed missions slated for the 2030s.The vision to make humanity multiplanetary is the core philosophy driving the company's long-term business and technological goals. Call me a Luddite, but what's not to love about that? It would be really great if Musk were to set out now for Mars to take a little walk-around and do a little looky-loo.

[EOP]

Expandable Hard-Shell Carry-on Luggage

When looking for hard-shell carry-on 4-wheel spinner luggage, don't think you have to pick one size (smallish or largish). All the manufacturers now make expandable models. You can see how they work at Briggs & Riley, which sells a high-end expensive iteration, but even low-cost ones have similar features. I'm happy with my smaller piece, but if I were buying a new carry-on, I'd go expandable for sure.

[EOP]

Choosing the Right HDMI Cable for Your Monitor

This BGR article explains how to choose the right HDMI cable for your monitor. It's not hard, but it can make a difference in your viewing pleasure. Fortunately, once you understand a few basics, you can easily shop for the right cable without falling for any HDMI cable myths.

[EOP]

Simple Way to Clean a Microwave

This cnet article explains how important it is to keep the inside of a microwave clean, and how easy it is to do using steaming a cup of vinegar and water in the microwave.

[EOP]

How to Clean Greasy Hood Filters

You don't see them, so you often forget about them. But hood filters over a stove get greasy. This Southern Living article will walk you through the easy steps to clean them.

[EOP]

How To Easily Free Up Space In Your Google Email, Drive, And Photos

 As this BGR article explains, not managing storage space is one of the biggest mistakes people make with cloud storage. The 15GB of free cloud storage that you get with your Google account is very valuable, and if this isn't managed properly, you can lose out on incoming emails and shared files.  Fortunately, there's  an easy way to free up space in Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. To do this, go to Google One Storage Manager, where you get a number of options on how to effectively clear storage space. Your Google account's space is shared between Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos — the icons for some of which have been recently redesigned. You can see exactly how much storage each service takes when you open the page. From there, you can go through Google's recommended steps on freeing up storage. You can find and delete large files in Drive, unwanted images and videos that take up tons of space in Photos, and emails with sizeable attachments and spam in Gmail.

[EOP]

Why Oil Prices Will Remain High and Inflation Will Persist Long After the Iran War Is Resolved

The price of oil (and stuff made from oil or that depends on the same shipping lane or infrastructure) will drop if the Iran war ends and the Strait of Hormuz is opened, but getting back to pre-war levels will take quite some time for several reasons: (i) Countries are going to devote substantial amounts of oil to replenishing reserves to pre-war levels or higher, hence keeping supply constrained; (ii) time to repair damage to infrastructure needed to get oil through the Strait; and (iii) pressure by insurers and others to raise prices to take account of the enhanced sense of geopolitical risk. So, while this oil shock differs in  many ways from that of the 1970s, it's supply shock impact and intransient inflation do not look that different than what we saw once the Covid vaccines arrived.

[EOP]

Windows 11 Secure Boot

This article tells you everything you need to know about Windows 11 Secure Boot. First, how to check in a couple of clicks if Secure Boot is up-to-date on your computer and, if not, what, if anything to do. I'm not sure I understand what the problem is that Secure Boot is designed to address.

[EOP]

How Chefs Such As Myself Dice an Onion

No one is born knowing how to dice an onion. It is a key skill learned by professional chefs such as myself. You too can learn it too from this 10-second clip.

[EOP]

World Cup Factoid

There have been 22 World Cups since their inception. This year's has more teams (48) than ever before. But, as anyone who did the Wednesday NYT crossword puzzle knows, there have been just 8 different winners. Makes you think. For those who have not down the crossword, here it is with the letters in circled spaces reveraling who those countries are:

[EOP]

Excellent Review of Fitness Trackers

I shudder to think if you're walking around on this earth or sleeping without a fitness tracker. But, if so, it's time to get one. This WSJ article has an excellent overall review of Oura Ring 5 vs. Fitbit Air vs. Whoop MG vs. Apple Watch. We love our fit bit, and cannot imagine living without being told first thing in the morning how long we slept (when I'm only sleeping) and last thing at night how many steps we took (as we were walking on sunshine). We just wish there were a wearable that told us how many people's lives we made better each day.

[EOP]

Really Good Looking Microwave

When it comes to dishwashers, noise level is the most important thing (Bosch normally wins on that front). When it comes to refrigerator/freezers, no handles is the most important thing (Samsung Bespoke normally wins on that front). When it comes to microwaves, there has been no stand-out on any aesthetic until now with the arrival of the Japanese Microwave with the Genius® Sensor 2.0 + Inverter Technology (and it's only $429 at Amazon). Advanced thermo-sensing technology monitors food temperature to deliver better heating, with no guesswork, just push the button and let Genius Sensor 2.0 automatically select power level and cooking times. Keep the cooking surface clear, and the cleaning easier, a hidden turntable puts microwave power where it’s needed for even defrosting and heating plus easier clean-up and more interior space. Patented Panasonic Inverter Technology delivers consistent microwave power for more even cooking,

[EOP}