Coffee and Provocation

Charlie Manson comes in for coffee most mornings.

The Rise of Robotic Pets
Robotic dog trainers are just around the corner and so too are more robotic pets. “If you'd described Facebook to someone 20 years ago, they'd think you were crazy. But we are already seeing people form strong emotional bonds with robot dogs in Japan."

Groundhog Day Bed and Breakfast for Sale
The Bed and Breakfast hotel from Groundhog Day is for sale at a cost of $785,000. Bing. The one weatherman Phil Connors kept waking up in that didn't have any hot water? Bing again.

A Deadly Clamato Encounter
People are nuts. Prairie Mary tells the tale of a fellow in Hamilton, Montana who was served a "red beer" with Clamato in it instead of tomato juice. This sparked a religious tempertantrum, a gun was drawn, and a dog ended up dead.

The Greatest Global Threat
Scientists say the earth is threatened by the rise of a new strain of fact-resistant humans.

National Geographic's Marijuana Cover
National Geographic is getting pretty pro-pot.

Worst Thing for Sale on Amazon This Week
How about a coffee enema starter kit?

"Stranger Danger" is the Wrong Fear
Cars, not strangers, are the biggest threat to kids.  Also fill in your backyard pool and vaccinate your kids.

Rothko Sells for $46.5 Million
I will sell you an original painting, signed by the artist, for $1 million. Please specify colors and whether you would prefer Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore.

A Transportation Cloud?
There's a better than good chance private car ownership will disappear over the next 15 years as ride-sharing proves easier and more economical for most urban and suburban residents. Things will only speed up with driver-less cars. "Morgan Stanley’s research shows that cars are driven just 4% of the year, which is an astonishing waste considering that the average cost of car ownership is nearly $9,000 per year. Next to a house, an automobile is the second-most expensive asset that most people will ever buy—it is no surprise that ride sharing services like Uber and car sharing services like Zipcar are quickly gaining popularity as an alternative to car ownership. It is now more economical to use a ride-sharing service if you live in a city and drive less than 10,000 miles per year. And current research confirms that we would be eager to use autonomous cars if they were available. A full 60% of US adults surveyed stated that they would ride in an autonomous car, and nearly 32% said they would not continue to drive once an autonomous car was available instead."

The Three Point Rule
Whether you have three minutes or three hours, three points is all anyone can remember. Think Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Think A-B-C and Do-Re-Me. Ask anyone to name the Four Freedoms and they are good for three, but probably not for four.

The Continuing Crisis
There is a shortage of male porn star actors in Japan.