Bill Schrier Seattle

RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine policies are "unreviewable," DOJ lawyer tells judge The startling claim came amid a lawsuit from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

U. S. #DOJ Attorney to Judge: Decisions by anti-vaccine Secretary Robert Kennedy are ​unreviewable. “If the secretary said instead of getting a shot to prevent measles I think you should get a shot that gives you measles, is that unreviewable?” Yes he told the judge. arstechnica.com/health/2026/...

Long-lost silent film depicts first ‘robot’ in cinema Filmmakers have been worried about the robots fighting back since 1897.

Archivists at the Library of Congress believe they have discovered the first depiction of a robot on film - "Gugusse and the Automaton". Similar to the #Terminator, this one attacks the human who created it. Score one more for our future #robotoverlords. www.popsci.com/technology/f...

Photographer of the Year, Therese Asplund - www.popsci.com/environment/...

Man builds electrified chessboard that shocks players for bad moves Chess is punishing enough, but one YouTuber found a way to make it even more painful.

Need to improve your chess game? Well, here's a new way to do so ... www.popsci.com/technology/e...

Say Goodbye to the Undersea Cable That Made the Global Internet Possible History was unmade last year, as engineers began the massive project of ripping the first-ever transoceanic fiber-optic cable from the ocean floor. Just don’t mention sharks.

Sharks are innocent. Or at least they’re not eating the internet. The people who build and maintain the nearly 600 subsea cables supporting just about every swipe, tap, Zoom, and doomscroll anywhere on the planet—have a love-hate relationship with sharks. @wired.com - www.wired.com/story/say-go...

Wow. Thank you.

The Running Man Nebula NGC 1977 Constellation of Orion. Taken in Seattle, Bortle 7/8 skies on 24 February 2026 by Bill Schrier with Celestron Origin telescope, some post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Elements.

The Running Man Nebula NGC 1977 in Orion, taken in Seattle this week, Celestron Origin. #astrophotography

Looking forward to having them released! Be sure to include a link here.

Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat in Reykjavik Iceland's tribute to its thankless civil servants.

The Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat (Reykjavik). #OddMonuments - www.atlasobscura.com/places/monum...

"If This Goes On—" - Wikipedia

See also Robert Heinlein's 1941 Novella "If this Goes On ...", a science fiction story where America is a theocratic society ruled with an iron hand by fundamentalist Christian "Prophets". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22If_T...

Good work Dan. Thank you.

Ha ha. I'll bite. What is a sign for the international gastronomic society doing in the galley of a Washington State Ferry?

WA legislators eye forces beyond their control The annual Legislative session begins Monday. On the table is trying to control everything from falling in love with robots to Donald Trump's excesses to the weather.

“I am not human” or “I am not a real person.” A bill proposed for the Washington State Legislature would require chatbots to intermittently inject this phrase into their conversation. #DannyWestneat #SeattleTimes www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

In response to threats against Greenland, elite Danish forces have raided the White House and taken into custody the corrupt, authoritarian, leader of the United States.

David Horsey - www.seattletimes.com/opinion/trum...

Got Milk Washington State Ferries

What's with all the cigarettes hanging from the cooks' mouths?

Apparently the U. S. Navy will build a new battleship, to be called the "Trump Class". Perhaps it will use a new design, shaped after the President's hind end, as that is value of the idea. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

From AI to drones, Redmond police chief builds a high-tech department in Microsoft’s backyard Darrell Lowe, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, views Redmond as the ideal staging ground for a new era of policing that capitalizes on technological advancements.

The Police Chief for the City of Redmond, Washington, home to #Microsoft, is building a high tech law enforcement agency, including #UAV drones as first responders, artificial intelligence #AI and more ... @geekwire.com - www.geekwire.com/2025/from-ai...

Thank you. Both enlightening and beautiful, and it really shows the value of citizen-scientists!

yup

Engineer proves that Kohler’s smart toilet cameras aren’t very private Kohler is getting the scoop on people’s poop.

I never realized that I needed a fully encrypted camera staring into my toilet bowl. Whoops, I guess it is not quite fully encrypted. arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025...

Looks Like We Can Finally Kiss the Metaverse Goodbye It appears Meta's Horizon Worlds may literally and figuratively not have legs after all.

The #Metaverse was always a consummately stupid concept, just like #NFT non-fungible tokens. I'm amazed Zuck was so gullible. "The seven people using Meta’s Horizon Worlds just got some potentially harrowing news: major metaverse cuts could be in the pipeline." gizmodo.com/looks-like-w...

Where do you prefer to get your news, Will?

Takahashi’s are wonderful scopes. Thank you.

Saturday marked 62 years since JFK’s assassination in Dallas; his legacy endures Saturday marked 62 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. He was shot while riding in a motorcade through downtown and later died at Parkland Hospital. The ...

Missing John F Kennedy’s inspiration now more than ever. www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/...

This is a good photo, Catherine, as is your M31 photo posted earlier. What astrophotography set-up do you use?

Break out the calculators: November 23 is Fibonacci Sequence Day The cornerstone of modern math wouldn’t be possible without the Hindu-Arabic numerical system.

Need another holiday this week? The poetry of mathematics manifests everywhere in nature, but few numerical patterns are more common than the Fibonacci Sequence. www.popsci.com/science/fibo...

The Propeller Nebula in the Constellation Cygnus the Swan, Celestron Origin (new 678 camera), 103 minutes of exposure

The Propeller Nebula in the Constellation Cygnus the Swan, taken last night, 18 November 2025, from my house in West Seattle, Bortle 7/8 skies, Celestron Origin (new 678 camera), 103 minutes of exposures. #astronomy This nebula does not have a Messier, NGC or IC designation, just "DWB 111".

13 dizzying and dazzling images from 2025 Drone Photo Awards A lone camel, a hungry polar bear, and a congregation of herons.

The 2025 #Drone Photo Awards. I really like the swordfish and turtle swimming together. www.popsci.com/environment/...

Thanks for this link, Will. I am a moderate - liberal on social issues and conservative on financial issues. And it seems like both traditional parties have gone haywire moving away from moderation and the political center.