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Bluesky account for https://social.emucafe.org. Linked using the ATmosphere plugin (https://activitypub.blog/2026/05/20/atmosphere-1-0-0-liftoff/). Admin Bluesky account: https://bsky.app/profile/naferrell.com.

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Longform Stories

Emu Café Social and ATmosphere

I use the ActivityPub for WordPress plugin here on ECS (follow me from Masotdon or similar at @naferrell@social.emucafe.org). Because ActivityPub for WordPress is a key part of this project, I subscri…

8h ago·2 min read·284 words

Italy-Azerbaijan Trade Partnership

According to Vasif Huseynov writing for The Jamestown Foundation, "Italy is Azerbaijan's largest trading partner." Had you asked, I would have probably guessed Turkey. But I suppose Italy makes sense.…

11h ago·1 min read·71 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-20-26

We are having a second consecutive 90+ degree day here in Brooklyn today's Pook-Emu Bee links are warmer than the outside temperatures. [caption id="attachment_5209" align="aligncenter" width="962"] A…

18h ago·3 min read·492 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-19-26

I had been sitting down to churn out today's edition of Pook-Emu Bee links when work fell into my lap. But it is now lunch, and lunch means it is time for links. 1. Humpback Whales Sometimes Hold Thei…

1d ago·3 min read·499 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-18-26

Monday is here. So too after taking the weekend off are my Pook-Emu Bee links. 1. Maniac strangles 7-year-old boy in Brooklyn park: cops (Dean Moses for Brooklyn Paper. May 18, 2026.) These sorts of t…

2d ago·3 min read·568 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-15-26

After two missed days due to having many work assignments, I return with a new edition of my Pook-Emu Bee links. Of course, there are no Pook-Emu Bee links tomorrow because of the newsletter and Sunda…

5d ago·4 min read·639 words

Weighing Large Owls

I have never had to weigh an owl before, much less a large owl. But in the event I were ever called upon to weigh a large owl, I learned from MARS Wildlife Rescue, via Owls in Towels (see Owls in Towe…

May 14·1 min read·181 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-12-26

I have another busy day ahead of me, but we cannot forsake our daily Pook-Emu Bee links. 1. Syncthing 2.1 adds group organization and proxy support options (Fla for AlternativeTo. May 12, 2026.) I app…

May 12·3 min read·454 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-11-26

I took an off-day from Pook-Emu Bee links yesterday. I am busy today, but let us not let that stop us from our daily selection of links from around the web. 1, Putting the phone down: an Osmo Nano wor…

May 11·3 min read·532 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-08-26

I was busy this morning and forgot to write daily Pook-Emu Bee links. But since tomorrow is newsletter day and there are no Pook-Emu Bee links on newsletter day, I figured I would publish a late-night…

May 9·3 min read·438 words

Learning About Preserving Strawberry Freshness

I came across a blog post by Chris Glass titled Strawberries were on sale. Having not long ago published an article about once purchasing out-of-season cherries on sale. I had to open. While Mr. Glass…

May 8·1 min read·178 words

Writer’s Take on Not Wasting Readers’ Time

Cesar Aguirre writes “[t]elling readers you don’t want to waste their time is already wasting it.” I agree. It comes off as protesting too much. In Staying the Course in Writing in the LLM Moment, I w…

May 7·1 min read·185 words

Justice Thomas Moves Into Second

Clarence Thomas assumed office as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on October 23, 1991. Today, being May 7, 2026, Justice Thomas has now been on the bench for 12,615 days…

May 7·2 min read·246 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-07-26

After bouncing back from missing Tuesday with daily Pook-Emu Bee links yesterday, we make it two days in a row with your daily collection of links for May 7, 2026. 1. Mamdani to announce free 2026 Wor…

May 7·4 min read·645 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-06-26

I missed publishing daily Pook-Emu Bee links yesterday due to a work deadline. But we are back today with nine new links from around the world wide web. 1. Famed Atheist Richard Dawkins — Author of ‘T…

May 6·4 min read·645 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-04-26

Saturday was Newsletter day and I was busy on Sunday, so our daily Pook-Emu Bee links had the weekend off. But there are no such impediments this Monday, so I am back with my regularly scheduled links…

May 4·3 min read·470 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-01-26

We welcome May with a new edition of the daily Pook-Emu Bee links (after a spotty week). It looks nice outside my window... 1. Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that autonomous AI agents can us…

May 1·2 min read·394 words

Banned Trees and Plants in New Jersey

I read an April 18, 2026 report in the New York Post titled After holding its nose for decades, NJ finally bans stinky Bradford pear tree: Under a new law, the Bradford pear tree and 29 other non-nati…

Apr 30·3 min read·536 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-30-26

Work did not allow for timely Pook-Emu Bee links, but today I return with nine new links from around the web. 1 Popular WordPress redirect plugin hid dormant backdoor for years (Bill Toulas for Bleepi…

Apr 30·3 min read·413 words

Learning About Cassette Futurism

I recently read Mike Piggott's blog post A love letter to cassette futurism (HT Dragonfly BSD Digest). I did not recall having seen the term before, but Mr. Piggott's definition of it being "a retr-fu…

Apr 29·1 min read·197 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-28-26

I failed to post daily Pook-Emu Bee links on Sunday (out) and yesterday (work). But I return to you on this fair morning of April 28, 2026, with nine links from around the world wide web. 1. Hipster N…

Apr 28·4 min read·640 words

Schrödinger’s Ayatollah and Umineko: When They Cry

I read a cleverly-titled article by Amit Segal titled Schrödinger’s Ayatollah: Is Mojtaba Dead or Alive? The article examines the life status, or lack thereof, of Iran's purported Supreme Leader, Mojt…

Apr 27·1 min read·158 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-24-26

I am a bit late today because I had a rush assignment to take care of. But now that it has been taken care of, I present for your enjoyment today's edition of Pook-Emu Bee links (note that "we" will b…

Apr 24·3 min read·572 words

Bad IP Watch

I checked my emails this morning and saw an alert from Cloudron that New Leaf Journal had become non-responsive. By the time I saw the report, NLJ had recovered. I was a bit alarmed since I had recent…

Apr 23·1 min read·153 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-23-26

Delayed by work, but not denied, The drags on, Pook-Emu Bee links for April 23, 2026. 1. Hochul's Fast-Track Booze Permit Sets Stage for World Cup Street Parties Across New York (Reid Carlisle for Hoo…

Apr 23·3 min read·517 words

Remembering My Clamshell Landline Phone

Dan Lewis' April 21, 2026 "Now I Know" newsletter covered the subject of Garfield (the comic cat) phones washing up in France. It is a good (and well-sourced) story, but here I will focus on his openi…

Apr 22·2 min read·266 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-22-26

The drags on, but the Pook-Emu Bee links are strong. Or so I tell myself, at least. 1, Italy Summons Russian Ambassador After Propagandist Calls Giorgia Meloni 'Whore' (Christian K. Caruzo for Breitba…

Apr 22·3 min read·512 words

Framework Designs Wireless TouchPad Keyboard

I power my non-internet connected TV with a mini PC. To control the mini PC, I usually use a Logitech K400 keyboard. However, as Brad Linder if Liliputing aptly notes, the K400 "isn't actually all tha…

Apr 22·1 min read·154 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-21-26

Let us see what is happening around the world wide web with today's collection of Pook-Emu Bee links. 1. Brussels launched an age checking app. Hackers say it takes 2 minutes to break it. (Emile Marzo…

Apr 21·3 min read·511 words

Development of the Anglerfish Lure

I am a long-time admirer of the anglerfish, one of the ocean's most aesthetic creatures. The University of Kansas news service published a news release about an open access study vt Alex J. Maile and …

Apr 21·1 min read·188 words

Second Best NBA Team of the 2000s

User Matt15 posed a question on the RealGM Basketball Player Comparisons board: What was the second best NBA team of the 2000s (2000-01 through 2009-10) after the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers. I'll begi…

Apr 20·4 min read·684 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-20-26

I present for your reading enjoyment our daily selection of Pook-Emu Bee links for Monday, April 20, 2026. 1. AI Use Appears to Have a "Boiling Frog" Effect on Human Cognition, New Study Warns (Maggie…

Apr 20·3 min read·460 words

Installing Android and Linux on Switch

I had seen on the LineageOS website that the LineageOS project supports a couple of different Nintendo Switch models. While I have run LineageOS on phones and tablets, I will stick to Nintendo's stock…

Apr 20·2 min read·218 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-19-26

Pook-Emu Bee was off yesterday because it was Newsletter day. But the newsletter is out, and Pook-Emu Bee links are back. 1. FDNY changes policy after clout-chasing models turn NYC fire station into t…

Apr 19·3 min read·515 words

New Victor V. Gurbo Podcast Interview

My good friend Victor V. Gurbo (who has written some articles for NLJ) was interviewed by Charles Zona for an episode of Seeing Them Live With Charles Zona. I read the interview transcript, but you ca…

Apr 17·2 min read·229 words

Yellow-Capped Passover Coca Cola

I never paid much attention to the color of caps on bottles of Coca Cola. In fact, I do not think I bought a bottle of Coca Cola in almost two years. But thanks to a 2014 article in Food & Wine, I lea…

Apr 16·2 min read·223 words

On Vertical vs Horizontal Tab Hot Takes

Manuel Moreale published a blog post on the vertical vs horizontal tabs debate. But instead of choosing a side in what is ultimately an inconsequential debate, he made the case for nuance, or asking "…

Apr 16·1 min read·178 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-16-26

Today marks the 1957th anniversary of the death-by-suicide of the short-reigning Roman Emperor, Otho. I note this because my longest NLJ article, clocking it at more than 18,000 words, is about Otho. …

Apr 16·4 min read·619 words

Unique Individual Scoring Games in NBA History

I recently published a new NBA research project inspired by Bam Adebayo’s 83-point eruption on March 10, 2026. Noting that Bam Adebayo is a modest scorer in the pantheon of NBA players who scored 60 p…

Apr 15·3 min read·499 words

AI Can’t “Lie”

Ars Technica published an article by Ryan Whitwam titled Testing suggests Google’s AI Overviews tell millions of lies per hour. The article itself is about a New York Times investigation into the accu…

Apr 15·2 min read·309 words

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-15-26

We have a second consecutive warm day in New York City. We also have a third consecutive day of Pook-Emu Bee links. 1. Seven Myths About the Iran War (Michael Doran for Tablet Magazine. April 13, 2026…

Apr 15·3 min read·463 words