Short answer: to avoid federal regulation. How’s that working out for Texans? From KXAN.

Why does Texas have its own power grid?

Can’t ever recall weather like this in this part of the world. Been below freezing for days. Here we are, snowed in during a pandemic. On Mardi Gras. 2021, I had such high hopes for you. If we are being honest with each other I have to say it has been a bit of a disappointment so far.

We are done with the snow but not the cold. Lots of people without power. More snow than I’ve ever seen.

i suppose I’m a Frank Zappa fan. I have a few of his albums, saw him live, front row, when I was in high school. I can’t say I completely grasped his fusion of modern orchestral and do-wop rock and roll music, but I did appreciate that there was something interesting going on there, and I wanted to understand it. Alex Winter has a great documentary out called Zappa. I saw it a few weeks back and can recommend it to everyone, even non-fans. A good article on the film from the Sydney Morning Herald.

Brilliant, broke and wilfully annoying: the sad legacy of Frank Zappa

I’m not a huge fan of his films, but I am enjoying his BBC blog.

Adam Curtis – The Medium and the Message

I’m not so sure about his videos / movies, but I’m starting to like this guy. From the Idler.

ADAM CURTIS: SOCIAL MEDIA IS A SCAM

From the Brookings Institute:

No, it’s not a coup — It’s a failed ‘self-coup’

A neat chart from IEEE Spectrum.

Increasing Energy Inefficiency

And people complain about wearing masks.

China using anal swabs to detect COVID-19: report