An Italian farmer rediscovered an ancient wheat variant with exceptional qualities.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/italian-farmer-found-unknown-seeds-attic-with-nothing-lose-planted-them-result-biblical-180989644/

'The food scientists found that, compared with modern wheats, grano del miracolo was richer in phosphorus and iron. Moreover, to their surprise, they found that T. turgidum had less gluten than modern wheat. And it packed a lot of lysine and tryptophan, the essential amino acids that serve as proteins’ building blocks. It also had more arginine, an amino acid that children need to grow. “The richness of microelements, minerals, and the greater presence of proteins other than gluten were very pleasant surprises,” says Perobelli, now a corporate social responsibility and sustainability manager with Rigoni di Asiago, an Italian company that produces organic fruit spreads, honey and more.'

Aotearoa New Zealand absolutely should be signing up for this.

A gallery of Casio watch models through the decades. It opens at the nineties because - wo! - that fliptop analogue watch with the hidden keyboard and screen? So James Bond!

https://www.casio.com/us/watches/50th/Heritage/1990s/

'The RAYSMAN was the pioneer in solar charging for the G-SHOCK brand. Incorporating Tough Solar, the original Casio solar-charging system, it generated ample power from light for smooth operation of power-hungry functions. On a full charge, it could run for about five months, and the LCD included a battery level display. It also featured a full auto-light function, which used a brightness sensor that let users light the dial and LCD in dark locations with a simple tilt of the wrist. The engraved case back featured a symbolic bat character, evoking comfort in the dark.'

It was always a bizarre spectacle, but no one ever, ever, ridiculed the Teapot Kid.

https://www.thefarside.com/2026/10/29/0

BOT: Hi! How can we help?

ME: What would delivery to Whanganui cost on the https://tvc.co.nz/product/sony-43-bravia-3-4k-led-google-tv/ ?
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BOT: I couldn't find specific information on the delivery cost to Whanganui for the Sony 43 Bravia 3 4K LED Google TV on the website. If you want, I can help you contact the store directly for the exact delivery cost. Would you like that?
You

ME: I can contact the store myself, thank you.

BOT: No problem! If you need any other info or help, just let me know.

ME: Can you also confirm that this is a superseded model, replaced now by the Sony Bravia 3 II?

BOT: I couldn't find any information confirming that the Sony Bravia 3 4K LED Google TV is a superseded model replaced by the Sony Bravia 3 II. If you want, I can check other details or help with something else.

ME: No, thank you.

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ME: However, can you advise the manufacturer's model number for this television please? That is, the Sony 43" Bravia 3 4K LED Google TV.

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I just took my Linux music laptop off the shelf and turned it on. It's a Thinkpad T490s and it's been sitting there for twelve weeks since it was last plugged in.

It still had 67% charge.

This is a record for any Linux laptop I've ever had. Mind you, the list of system updates is verrry looong ...

I was phoned last night by Symphony Research for a political poll, so I expect we'll get another dose of percentages in the next day or two.

That's all.

Married to the Sea: gasoline

We can only hope for an event like this.

https://theonion.com/trump-drowns-in-2-inch-puddle/

'Horrified witnesses instead confirmed a prone Trump gurgled away his final breaths as Secret Service agents struggled in vain to flip the morbidly obese 80-year-old onto his back. At press time, all members of the president’s Cabinet and every Republican lawmaker had reportedly received a dish filled with exactly two inches of water and were told they knew what they had to do.'

The purple patches on our six year old Panasonic FirefoxOS smart TV are getting larger, and we need to actively look for a replacement. In addition to broadcast television we play DLNA content from the NAS, and use the Sky Sport Now, TVNZ and Three apps.

I'm very concerned about privacy and security; Richard is concerned that the replacement is as easy to use as the current TV.

Initial research tells me all the current crop of smart TVs are compromised by tracking' advertising and, in many cases, artificial intelligence. I know I can build a PiHole device and limit the telemetry, although if we chose a Google TV I'd also need a separate WAN subnet for this as Richard has stock Android devices and will still want them to phone home.

Personally I'd be happy never to connect the new TV to the internet and use a separate box for streaming, but I can't see that working for Richard, who wants a single remote control and no faffing around.

If anyone has insights or suggestions I'd love to read them.

The only device I might sell Richard on is Apple TV. The apartment we leased in Barcelona two years ago had it, and he thought it was brilliant. We have four Homerun tuners already antenna-connected, and I could dedicate and connect one to an app on the Apple TV box.

Apple TV users: I'd welcome your input and have a question. I assume the Apple TV box is connected to the television via HDMI; can you set this up so that when the TV is turned on the Apple TV interface is automatically displayed?

I remember riding in a Christchurch tram one Sunday afternoon in 1960 or 61. Tram services had stopped five or six years earlier, but road resurfacing was about to remove the last decent stretch of rail up Papanui Road, so on a Sunday afternoon a vintage horse-drawn tram was brought out to give rides from Merivale to Papanui for charity.

This article from Hamburg traces the history and remnants of a very extensive tram network.

https://alsterrunde.com/rosettes-and-other-hidden-traces-of-hamburgs-tram/

'If Hamburg ever brings the tram back, I hope it will be a quiet one without wires, maybe even floating silently like a maglev train. Until then, I’ll keep looking up at the rosettes and down at the cobblestones, imagining the network that once ran through the city.'

Cory Doctorow on why ecommerce sites are banning artificial intelligence agents.

https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/28/principle-agent-problem/#i-could-tell-you-but-id-have-to-kill-you

'And right on time, ecommerce websites are mass-blocking AI agents ...

These tools are a frontal assault on all the most exciting (and sleaziest) ways to make money in the waning hours of end-stage capitalism. Far from welcoming bots, ecommerce sites were always going to block them.

It's easy to come up with amazing applications for technology if you're allowed to assume that you can get everyone else in the world to set aside their priorities and their interests in favor of yours. But unless someone has a plan to do that, we shouldn't take them seriously.'