@JohnBarentine NASA's budget in 2023 was about $25 billion. The defense budget for 2023 was over $800 billion and the welfare budget was over $1 trillion. They're not "hiding" anything behind NASA, the idea is ridiculous. Ditto for private space companies; SpaceX spent about $1 billion, Blue Origin probably about the same. The space program has been accused of stealing funding from social programs since it started and that's just nonsense.
@JohnBarentine It is the same kind of attack on space programs I have seen all my life, claiming that money spent on them is somehow "wasted" or "stolen" from social programs. It's tiring and it's wrong.
@RickiTarr Does cornbread count? Three individual blueberry cornbreads I baked Saturday, out of 12. I kept four for us and gave two boxes of four each to work friends.
@RickiTarr link to recipe. Notes: I use 1/4 cup creme fraiche in place of the sour cream or yogurt. The recipe does not specify what kind of cornmeal to use, I use Bob's Red Mill medium grind. And to make the mini breads I use a hamburger bun pan sold by King Arthur Baking. https://letsdishrecipes.com/blueberry-cornbread/
Video games, LeBron James, tattoos, and copyright law, in one story? The internet is really spoiling us today. @polygon reports on a long-drawn-out case in which tattoo artist Jimmy Hayden is suing Take-Two Interactive Software, makers of the NBA 2K video games, over the use of tattoos he made for LeBron James that were reproduced in games from 2016 to 2020. Hayden's attorney argues that Take-Two "painstakingly copied" the designs. Take-Two's team says that James' tattoos are a very small part of NBA 2K, and that James has licensed his own likeness to Take-Two, so a ruling in favor of Hayden would mean James would have to ask Hayden for permission to license his own being. Here are all the details, plus background on other cases in which tattoo artists have sued video game companies. What do you think?
@CultureDesk@polygon@polygon@gaming The tattoos are on James so they are a part of any licensed depiction of James without needing the artist's permission. He should retain control of them for any other purpose.
@blogdiva I'm one of seventeen known Italians who does not like garlic (nine of whom are in my family). There are some things I'll use it in, like home-cured pickles or amatraciana, but even then I low-ball it. Come and get me. 😎
In celebration of the 50th birthday of Stephen King's first novel, "Carrie," NPR polled its readers on their favorite King books. Here's what they chose. Which is your top pick? Tell us in the comments if there's a gem that didn't make the cut.
@CultureDesk@bookstodon Out of the choices I voted for The Stand. My favorite of his solo efforts was Eyes of the Dragon. My actual favorite was co-written with Peter Straub: The Talisman.
Zoinks! Digital Trends has compiled a list of 10 TV shows that they say are overrated, from "Parks and Recreation" ("overly hopeful") to "The Bear" ("a great dramedy, but award shows and audiences keep treating it as Christ’s second coming, which it most certainly isn’t."). Here's the full list. We want to know: Which of these do you think are overhyped, or just don't stand the test of time (choose as many as you like)? Tell us in the comments if there's another show that's critically adored but that you just can't see the appeal of.
@CultureDesk Not voting because I haven't seen any of these but Stranger Things. I watched the first two seasons and haven't gone back for the rest yet. It's a good show and the actors did a very good job but I don't think it's the masterpiece people make it out to be.