Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 03-04-26

Yesterday, I made up for missing an entry in my new daily Pook-Emu Bee links series. Today, I publish the links early in the day (which is when they should be published).

Links from around the web

1. Wildflower explosion only 4 hours from LA — but it won’t last long (Katie Jerkovich for the New York Post. March 3, 2026.)

Be sure to also enjoy the linked PoppyCam.

1. An AI avatar is running to represent Indigenous voters in Colombia (Mariel Lozada and Rina Chandran for Rest of World. March 4, 2026.)

Alternatively, someone is using a chatbot for a look-at-me stunt.

1. Tired of Gmail’s invasive data collection? Try these privacy-focused alternatives (Paul for AlternativeTo. March 4, 2026.)

A good run-down of Gmail alternatives save for where it conflates “privacy” and “security” (not the same to be sure). I am still rolling my Posteo-SimpleLogin combination although I do have two Gmail accounts as well.

1. Russians in Iran can leave via Turkmenistan, Russian embassy says (Reuters. March 2, 2026.)

The Iran-Turkmen border may be the least-discussed Iran border. Perhaps that is why Russia is directing some of its nationals there. I just hope they do not expect good internet in Turkmenistan.

1. Is it really the end of SaaS as we know it? (Patrick Kulp for Tech Brew. March 2, 2026.)

This sounds promising until you see that the proposed alternative is “vibe coding.”

1. Sad News! AI’s RAM Hunger Finds a New Victim in the Orange Pi Neo Linux Handheld (Sourav Rudra for It’s FOSS. March 2, 2026.)

Even the SBCs aren’t safe from Sam Altman’s voracious memory appetite.

Clicking the “Random Article” button on NLJ

Flowers for Brave Soldiers – Memorial Poem (Nicholas A. Ferrell. May 29, 2023.)

I re-published this early 20th century poem for Memorial Day in 2023. A fitting Random Article choice with the War Department’s naming four of the six U.S. soldiers killed in Operation Epic Fury:

The fallen service members were identified as Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Lakeland, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa.

“With flags we are marking / Their last earth-dwelling. / Our hearts are bending / In gratitude…”