Odds and Ends — 23 March 2026

5 days ago

My wife and I went to see Project Hail Mary yesterday. We both loved it. Do yourself a favor and go see it on the big screen, don’t wait to stream it at home. I’ve not yet read the book. But I must.

Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, Business, AI, and Debt:

Senate bill to target sports betting ban on prediction markets

https://twitter.com/NicholasGuyatt/status/2035835883161542904

$5 Diesel Is Crushing Truckers

The average gallon of diesel crossed $5.20 nationwide on Saturday, up around 40% from a month ago, according to the AAA. Eight of the 10 states where diesel prices have shot up most compared with a month ago are in the Southeast…
Higher diesel prices for a sustained period would, however, ripple throughout the broader supply chain and could lead companies to eventually increase the price of consumer goods.

Coronavirus and Public Health:

'Predators that just run in and grab, stab and kill': The deep cave bacteria resistant to modern medicine

Iran:

https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/2035715015148220474

Whims. Impulse. Memes. Lies. America Shouldn’t Fight a War Like This.

I have plenty of complaints about the war I served in two decades ago: the Iraq war was ill-conceived, hubristic and marred by poor leadership at the highest level. But I did know why I was there. What exactly do our service members think we’re trying to do in Iran?
The justifications for the war have been stunningly incoherent. Maybe the war is about regime change, about Iran’s nuclear program, about the narrow military objectives of degrading their ballistic missile and drone capabilities, or perhaps it was because Israel was about to attack and we’d be at risk, or because the United States was under imminent threat from Iran, or to achieve peace in the Middle East, and so on.
Maybe it’s not a war at all. Maybe it’s an “excursion that will keep us out of a war” or an incursion or maybe it’s only a “little excursion.” In President Trump’s America, there may be only two genders, but our military adventures can identify however they please.

https://twitter.com/sship37011/status/2035834951778611206

https://twitter.com/cem_uk_/status/2035827008647598493

https://twitter.com/maddenifico/status/2035739167460659216

State Department Issues ‘Worldwide Caution’ Alert

Donald Trump Has Four Bad Options for the War in Iran

Mr Trump’s defenders insist that his rhetorical gymnastics are part of the plan: the president is keeping his options open, and keeping Iran on its toes. To almost everyone else it is clear that America entered this war with a flawed strategy, starting with its failure to anticipate that Iran would close the strait.
With the fighting entering a fourth week, Mr Trump has four options for how to proceed. He can talk, leave, continue or escalate. If he has not yet chosen one, it is because none of them are good.

https://twitter.com/RhondaGarad/status/2035926697326125452

https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/2035900493973590105

Politics:

Trump Warns Republicans: No Compromise on DHS Deal Until ‘Country Destroying’ Dems Push Through SAVE America Act

https://twitter.com/dccommonsense/status/2035762275869745208

The Voter Fraud Fraud

The accusation that there is rampant cheating in our election is dramatic, alarming, and oft-repeated. It is also totally false.
After years of audits, recounts, lawsuits, academic studies, and investigations across red states and blue states alike, there is absolutely no evidence—zero—that substantial, outcome-changing voter fraud is present in American elections. There simply isn’t proof.
It turns out that the real fraud is not at the ballot box; it’s claims like the one the president made as he addressed a joint session of Congress.