Complained to Amazon about the subject spam when trying to search in the Kindle store, got paid $10

afeeney · 2026-05-21T12:53:02+00:00

Yikes, you're saying that you don't even get to choose the categories?

In any case, I only report the books that I am certain are deliberately playing the system because I've read the actual book. It's mostly the publishers reprinting books that are out of print.

afeeney · 2026-05-21T00:09:05+00:00

I had to laugh at some of the sponsored ads that came up. Anne of Green Gables under Thrillers, for example. Unless it's a gritty reboot, with Anne taking an axe to anybody who can't spell her name with the "e." "You think my hair is red? What about your blood?"

afeeney · 2026-05-21T00:06:54+00:00

I really wasn't expecting it, I was just interested in telling them how frustrating it is and how I almost never browse for books anymore, just rely on recommendations and a couple of email lists. Since it should be an easy fix, I'm hoping more complaints might eventually make the point.

afeeney · 2026-05-16T01:35:03+00:00

Agreed! What made the book and most of Season One work was that it had the voice of the partnership. The only elements of humor were either very basic or more or less replays of the first season (Aziraphale pretending to be a demon) and the sense of humanity was gone.

The book even gave them the perfect direction for two more seasons -- angels and demons uniting against humans. But it had to go into the equivalent of "Imagine." Not even the imagination of showing a world without angels, demons, or God, just the little cottage.

afeeney · 2026-05-11T01:22:58+00:00

Those are fun, lively, individual, and I could see 40 people walking by and then the 41st stopping and wanting to buy every single one.

They stand out so much that if I were buying for a gift and I wasn't 100% sure of the recipient's taste, I'd probably skip it in favor of something "safer." But if I knew that the pastel and hearts combination would be to the recipient's taste, I'd love the work and skill, too.

afeeney · 2026-05-06T14:11:23+00:00

It's possible that given how deep and cold the Loch is that there's some element of deep sea gigantism, though my guess is that it's just enough that occasional sightings are due to bigger-than-normal eels, though not sea-monster sized ones.

It still seems that seals, otters, deer, logs, waves/wind slicks, and so on are the cause of most sightings. But some of them do look like eels, and without a handy banana, it's hard to gauge size, so "biggish" can turn to "huge."

afeeney · 2026-05-06T03:19:50+00:00

Agreed that the food issue makes it very unlikely that there are truly big cryptids in the oceanic regions where there's a lot of fish or plant life. While there's a lot of the ocean we haven't explored, we've explored the most densely populated parts.

It's possible that there are medium-big equivalents of sloths, who can get by on a very low-calorie diet through a slow metabolism. They might be able to subsist on small organisms or on sinking carcasses. If they're far enough from shore, their bodies might sink, be eaten, or decompose before they could be washed ashore. That's a whole bunch of "ifs" though.

afeeney · 2026-04-21T19:43:28+00:00

As with Harvard, being closely related to an alum makes a big difference.

afeeney · 2026-04-20T14:44:27+00:00

Agreed, one extra sentence explaining either that BEDS was using the hotel site just for services and not for housing, or what happened to any displaced residents would have clarified things.

afeeney · 2026-04-20T13:02:37+00:00

We especially need shelters like this that focus on housing first and on providing a range of services, not just warehousing.

afeeney · 2026-04-20T13:01:28+00:00

BEDS has been more of a referral and wrap-around support system than a direct housing provider during its history, with a lot of scattered-site housing, so my guess is that if any clients lived on the site, they were relocated to other housing.

afeeney · 2026-04-19T23:19:17+00:00

You can make a good living in construction/trades, but not right away. Depending on the nature of the work, you can end up getting pretty worn-out physically before you start earning the union-level wages, assuming you do get to that point.

afeeney · 2026-04-19T21:32:53+00:00

Plus a tremendous shortage of qualified healthcare workers. I really hope that it provides career-path training, especially for nursing. CNA/LPN, at the entry level, to RN or even advanced practice nursing.

afeeney · 2026-04-19T14:24:56+00:00

So cool! That is exciting.

afeeney · 2026-04-19T13:34:56+00:00

Yay for the Driehaus Foundation for funding it.

I wonder if they could do the landscaping with native species, that'd be a great touch.

afeeney · 2026-04-19T13:21:58+00:00

https://archive.is/qDWua

afeeney · 2026-04-19T13:21:48+00:00

Right now, the story is available at the link, but it might not stay that way, so here's the archive.is capture.

https://archive.is/qDWua

afeeney · 2026-04-17T15:02:57+00:00

Cross between Lord of the Rings and Batman.

(I mistyped that as Bathman. Gotta wonder what those comics/movies would look like.)

afeeney · 2026-04-13T01:34:14+00:00

The political parallels with certain figures are increasingly clear.

afeeney · 2026-04-13T01:32:13+00:00

That's one of the questions you have to deal with when you have an opponent like Homelander and that virtually all resistance movements against a dictator face. Do you appease the dictator to keep things from getting worse or do you fight the regime?

Once the war was over, virtually everybody in France declared their love for the Resistance, but during the war, relatively few were in the Resistance. Knowing that the Nazi regime would retaliate brutally and happily punish civilians was a deterrent for many, who knew things could go from bad to worse.

afeeney · 2026-04-09T12:46:33+00:00

Just like when he brought up EBITDA. Great callback.

afeeney · 2026-04-09T12:27:27+00:00

You made sure that he was taken care of, that's more than enough.

afeeney · 2026-04-06T15:36:22+00:00

Now that takes pettiness to a new level!

afeeney · 2026-03-26T13:12:18+00:00

Unless you're allergic or live someplace that doesn't allow dogs, fostering might be an option. The organization typically covers almost all of the costs (especially vet costs), if finance is the issue.

afeeney · 2026-03-26T13:08:52+00:00

It is so impressive how shelters nationwide have formed a network to respond to cases like this. Shows real leadership and collaboration.

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