I had occasion to do a search for an actor and found what I was looking for at the old Internet Movie Database (IMDb).  Almost immediately I received an email welcoming me.  I didn’t create a log in, didn’t want a log in, didn’t give them any information.  Somehow they knew who I was.

I have used IMDb for years (decades?) and didn’t realize they were an Amazon ™ company.  Ok, so what?  I ignored the welcome email.

This morning I get another email to assist me in the use of my new IBDb account.  At this point I’m a little annoyed at this further attempt to collect data on me, so I tagged them as spam.  I was sent to another web page that would only allow me to stop these emails if I — yes — logged in.  To the account I never set up or asked for.

I’ve been trying to use Amazon as little as possible lately but I will redouble my efforts.

Thinking of sending some Iowa Hawkeyes merch to Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri (404 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510).  Anyone care to join me?

From the American Spectator.  So Elon Musk “lost” half a trillion dollars in a few months.  The author says this is why we shouldn’t / can’t tax stock market gains, as a wealth tax.  Well, you can just make him sell some and pay taxes.  So it might cause the stock to go down.  Well, then it was over valued in the first place.  Seems like taxing this is a good idea all around.

The Trillion-Dollar Illusion

My big question has always been: who is going to pay for this?  Bain says the global AI data center buildout is going to need $6 trillion in annual revenue to break even.  For reference the US annual GDP is $32 trillion.

Bain: AI needs $6 trillion in annual revenue to justify data centers

Climate change getting real.  From the Albuquerque Journal.

‘A mad panic’: New Mexicans scramble for green chile amid crop losses

Trump’s tariffs have been devastating to US farmers.  Much of this is the loss of the China market for exports, especially for soybeans.  China has moved on and is getting its soybeans from Brazil, Argentina and other places.  Add in high fuel and fertilize prices due to the Iran War and it looks pretty bad for US farmers.

I was looking for a generic article about this issue this week with China’s Xi in the US for meeting with President Trump and ran across this article from a country radio station in Indiana.  A thorough treatment, but I suppose I was expecting more anger directed at the President.

US-China Summit Delivers More Promises, But US Soybean and Pork Producers Still Await Trade Breakthrough

Ok boomers.

Forget Politics. EVs Have An Age Problem

First it was “thousands” now this published number of 178,000.  I’m hearing 360,000.

Yes, it is about keeping people from voting.  But what it is really about is 360,000 people with valid ID who think they are registered being blocked at the polls on election day.  This is a sure recipe for long lines and chaos.  I believe this was always the plan.  Anyone who knew about this scheme needs to go to jail for a long, long time.  I suspect this will go all the way to the governor.

Key GOP lawmaker says state should have caught error that delayed at least 178,000 Texas voter registrations

“Error” indeed.  I know people caught up in this. There isn’t much information but it seems anyone registering to vote, or perhaps anyone who changed their address, at the DMV in the last year or so is not actually registered to vote.  No notifications to people who filled out the forms and thought they were registered.  I’m also told people have received new drivers licenses with their correct addresses but the voter registration rolls still have their old addresses listed.  This would cause people showing ID to vote to be rejected at polling places.

As I have said before I was unceremoniously “scrubbed” from Texas voter rolls in the 2000s, so this isn’t a new thing.  But it has never been properly investigated.  People really need to go to jail for this.  Originally from the Texas Tribune but picked up by several news outlets today.

State error in Texas creates huge backlog in voter registration applications as midterm voting nears