More Amazon Droppings

Dietary supplements,  for what I do not know.

Office 2016: Any Strong Reason to Upgrade?

Since I am again faculty, I get an upgrade to Office 2016 for $10.  Are there any strong arguments in favor or against doing so?

64-bit versions of SED and AWK?

The 32-bit versions at SourceForge, when executed from the command line in Windows 7 say, "is not compatible with the version of Windows you are running."  Huh?

Those of You Ordering Stuff From Amazon Through the Amazon Widget: Thank You!

It isn't big money, but it doesn't cost you anything extra and puts a few dollars in my pocket!  Awesome!

Glad to See Action on This

From PJMedia:

WASHINGTON – Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) called on Congress to crack down on tech companies behind websites that are facilitating online sex trafficking.

The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 would amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 by adding language “to ensure vigorous enforcement against providers and users of interactive computer services of Federal and State criminal and civil law relating to sexual exploitation of children or sex trafficking, including through the availability of a civil remedy for victims of sex trafficking.”

Far simpler than my proposal about amending sec. 230.   HR 1865.  I will write Rep. Labrador; you write yours:

Summary: H.R.1865 — 115th Congress (2017-2018)All Information (Except Text)Listen to this pageThere is one summary for H.R.1865. Bill summaries are authored by CRS.Shown Here:Introduced in House (04/03/2017)Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 to specify that communications decency provisions protecting providers or users of interactive computer services from liability for the private blocking or screening of offensive material shall not be construed to impair the enforcement of, or limit availability of victim restitution or civil remedies under, state or federal criminal or civil laws relating to sexual exploitation of children or sex trafficking.The bill amends the federal criminal code to specify that the violation for benefiting from "participation in a venture" engaged in sex trafficking of children, or by force, fraud, or coercion, includes knowing or reckless conduct by any person or entity and by any means that furthers or in any way aids or abets the violation.A provider of an interactive computer service that publishes information provided by an information content provider with reckless disregard that the information is in furtherance of a sex trafficking offense shall be subject to a criminal fine or imprisonment for not more than 20 years.

No Clock Drive Worked Better Than I Thought

GIMP's levels tool is always so pleasing:

Nearly every astrophoto that I have taken with the 17.5" reflector was when it was on an equatorial mount.  Now that it is impractical to do that, I was sure that I was not going to be able to do any astrophotos.  But this came out pretty good.  1/350th of a second; ISO-200.  Past first quarter is not optimal, but neither is being bit by mosquitoes.

At Best, It Shows How Focused Legitimate Media Are on Ignorant Readers

At worst, a sign of their stupidity.  7/29/17 Newsweek:

THE SOLAR ECLIPSE COULD MEAN DISASTER FOR TRUMP, ACCORDING TO ASTROLOGERS

Donald Trump’s presidency was written in the stars—at least that’s what astrologers are saying. He was born during a lunar eclipse, they point out, which makes him more susceptible to the power of eclipses. And if eclipses are monumental celestial events with real-world consequences, as astrologers believe, then the rare total solar eclipse happening in August could have major implications for Trump, especially given the growing drama around his administration.

“There’s been a lot of conversation about this eclipse in terms of what’s going on with Donald Trump,” says Wade Caves, an astrological consultant who earlier in July published a 29-page analysis of the coming eclipse. “The astrological world has been completely buzzing with this for quite some time, even more so since Donald Trump was inaugurated.

And the left accuses conservatives of being ignorant and anti-science?