Tootfinder

plumbing adjustments
I tried every combination of elbow and T junction with the pump flowing at low and high speed to figure out which way looked best and directed the most water down to the bottom of the filter.
The conclusion was that there didn't seem to be much difference at all as far as water going down instead of spilling out the top unless I extend the breather pipe about 30cm over the water surface.
So aesthetics win. The pump hoses will lie as flat as possible into the filter and the breather is just above the water surface.
One hose is from the main pump in the pump bay. The other hose is from the pump in the pool pond that will draw water from the bottom of the pond and direct it to either the filter or the bottom sprayers/circulators or both.
I think that's all I will do today. I thought I might talk with some of the plumbing for the sprayers, but I don't feel like it lol.
This rubber mallet has saved me so much grunting and pulling lol. Highly recommend.
The ratchet pipe cutter is pretty awesome too. Worth every penny.
#poolpond #diy #backyardproject

War is an unconscionable horror. The illusions of "international law" and "rules of war" have lead us to believe that war can be clean, managed, and "civilized."
But wars are fought by humans and humans are messy. Humans are not well suited to following orderly rules. Humans respond to their environment. Humans in extraordinary situations can be extraordinarily vindictive and brutal. Sufficiently traumatized humans can act without a conscience, spreading trauma like an infection. If humans respond to their situation, then there can be no "civilized" war because war is itself an situation outside of the society. It is a place that promotes antisocial behavior and punishes pro-social behavior. War cannot be expected to follow "international law" because it is what fills the void created by the failure of "international law" (so long as we rely on nations).
To call for war is to inflict atrocities on civilians. It is to kill the parents and children who serve, and to destroy the combatants who survive. It is to infect both sides with a trauma that will spread if untreated, when soldiers come home or when they become mercenaries in other wars.
And yet... there are times when the brutality, the incompetence, the evil becomes so unbearable that no other option exists, when taking up arms is simply bringing symmetry to an existing asymmetric conflict. There are times when the worst possible thing is inescapable, though it can never be justified.
In this new era of war, in the scramble of conflict under the collapsing of the (poorly named) "Pax Americana," I hope that we, the people, can understand that war is not a tool to fulfill an objective. It is not part of a larger strategy. It is not an extension of deplomacy.
War is a failure.
While it may be the only way to deal with the irrational - the genocidal, the slaver, the dictator - it is still a failure. It is a failure to build a world in which these people can't control armies and economies, can't turn populations in to cults and bend nations to their will.
And we will continue to have such wars until we unite against those who would use as as pawns, who would control our lives and lead us to our deaths. We will have these wars until we unite, as one world, against those rulers. This is what I mean, and what a lot of other people mean, when we say, "No War, but Class War."

Today in "please stop saying 'environmentalism' when you mean 'being a snob'":
Caltrans ranked hydrogen trains, a fossil-fuel derived vaporware technology, as more environmentally friendly than electrification, because they think overhead wires look bad. That's the actual reason. htt…

As usual we watched the "Stoertebekker" stage play at Ralswiek on Rügen Island. The stage setups and wardrobes were as awesome as always. They really try to improve on that every year and come up with clever mechanisms to transform the building for the various acts of the play. The script this year left room for desire ;) Nevertheless a happing worth attending
htt…

Four food truck companies face online backlash following their services at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
https://abc17news.com/news/2025/07/05/4-food-truck-companies-face-online-backlash-following-their-services-at-alli…

4 food truck companies face online backlash following their services at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
By Cassie Martinez, Julie Calhoun Click here for updates on this story     OCHOPEE, Florida (WSVN) — A TikTok video showing four food trucks enter the new immigration detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” on its opening day sparked online outrage. As of Thursday night, the video gained more than four million views and 20,000 comments, as

Mgmt: We don't have the resources to make our own LLM. Can we just monetize AI prompts?
Business School Student: Hold my beer 🍺
#blockchain

PromptChain: A Decentralized Web3 Architecture for Managing AI Prompts as Digital Assets
We present PromptChain, a decentralized Web3 architecture that establishes AI prompts as first-class digital assets with verifiable ownership, version control, and monetization capabilities. Current centralized platforms lack mechanisms for proper attribution, quality assurance, or fair compensation for prompt creators. PromptChain addresses these limitations through a novel integration of IPFS for immutable storage, smart contracts for governance, and token incentives for community curation. O…

An early morning alone on the banks of the (still young) Isar river some weeks ago... Really more "flow" rather than #WaterfallWednesday, but I just absolutely cherish places and moments like this & feeling so privileged being able to experience these after decades of living in large cities... (each time also a reminder how much we stand to lose...)

Hello!
I have a happy favour to ask.
Last year, I had a US intern working with us and she now is looking for help that you- good reader of this account- could give.
(She needs academic survey participants)
Check out her flyer below, click the link, and please RT
http…

Research Study on Data Privacy and Collective Redress
A researcher at University College Dublin wants to conduct anonymous interviews to learn about why you would or would not participate in a legal action to rectify a data protection violation. This information can be used to help nonprofit organizations better represent you when organizations violate your data protection rights. Provide your email to receive more information. All personally identifiable information will be deleted following completion of the study.

ChatGPT Agent uses a virtual browser to do tasks such as filling online forms and calling public APIs, and generates downloadable PowerPoint and Excel files (Reece Rogers/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/openai-chatgpt-agent-launch/

OpenAI’s New ChatGPT Agent Tries to Do It All
It’s a PowerPoint generator! It’s a date-night planner! It’s … another agent from OpenAI.

Filing: Shein reports 2024 UK sales up 32.3% YoY to £2.05B, making the UK its third largest market after the US and Germany, as it works toward a Hong Kong IPO (Helen Reid/Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-co