Laura Helmuth

It was in a bucket!

Smart!

Fellow gardeners! Welcome back to "now where did I put that stupid trowel" season.

disturbing reports that donald trumps economic policy is exactly as bad as anyone who knows anything said it would be

So good. There's a fun bit towards the end about an orchestral musician who made a decision that I assume he came to regret.

Song 183: “Pinball Wizard” by the Who, part 1: Always Playing Clean Apologies for the delay in posting this episode — I had a chronic illness flare-up and a frankly awful January. With luck, part two of this story will be up before the end of February. For th…

If I'd had to guess which member of The Who was a huge Beach Boys fan, it would have taken me four tries to get to Keith Moon. This is another fascinating (as always!) episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs. @500songspodcast.bsky.social 500songs.com/podcast/song...

I Saw Firsthand What Having a Small Business Does to a Family. From That Moment On, I Made a Vow. Now I’m Rethinking Everything. I know the sacrifices it requires.

This is my favorite comment on this advice column about whether to start your own business.
“The quickest way to become a millionaire business owner: Start with $2 million.”

slate.com/advice/2026/...

I Saw Firsthand What Having a Small Business Does to a Family. From That Moment On, I Made a Vow. Now I’m Rethinking Everything. I know the sacrifices it requires.

We got lots of good questions for my advice column this week. 1: I want more freedom. Should I start my own business?
2: President of new company rushed to lay people off. Flee?
3: How get boss to stop micromanaging and doing LW's job?
4: How can a new manager handle a constant complainer?

Book Final cover This is my own page for my book, Why Q Needs U, published in the UK in October 2025 and lauded by The Economist as one of their books of the year! It’s my debut book, and hopefull…

This book is fascinating: "Why Q Needs U," by @dannybate.bsky.social. One (of millions) of fun facts: the symbol that evolved into modern Q originally depicted a monkey, with two stacked circles and a tail. Q's tail is actually a tail. dannybate.com/book/

What restaurant that you once loved has closed and broken your heart?
For me, it's Taste of Saigon, in Rockville, MD.

Oh, yes, the sad/joyous combos are amazing.

"How did you solve the infinite puzzle of Jeffrey Epstein's true nature?"
"Uh, a web search?"

Oh, good question! I'd ask him to join us on Bluesky (he can use one of his many nicknames / pseudonyms). And I'd love to know what he's listening to. He always had a great ear for innovative music. What about you?

Meet three scientists who said no to Epstein The warning signs included a web search, a mother’s doubts, and inklings of a “sexist attitude”

This is a nice contrast to all the awful behavior confirmed through the Epstein files. Proud of @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social & @seanmcarroll.bsky.social for picking up on the sexism & charlatanism right away.

Does regime change ever work? History tells us long-term consequences are often disastrous Regime change has long proved tempting to large states. But it rarely goes to plan.

Should it be done? No. But can it be done? Also no. theconversation.com/does-regime-...

Yeah, that surprised me, too. I guess he got blamed for the Beatles breaking up.

Wings - Mull Of Kintyre YouTube video by PaulMcCartneyVEVO

And, of course, Mull of Kintyre, complete with bagpipe marching band on the beach (as in: the mist rolling in from the sea) which he just completely made up to sound like a traditional folk tune www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plht...

Paul McCartney & Wings - My Love (Official Music Video) YouTube video by PaulMcCartneyVEVO

For your earworm satisfaction: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5g9...

He’s One of the Most Important Artists in Rock History. He Was Also One of the Most Controversial. The great new documentary about the virtuosic Beatle rehabilitates two different figures.

The "Man on the Run" documentary about Paul McCartney & Wings & Linda Eastman McCartney is excellent. Definitely worth all the earworms. And this is a sweet review by @jackhamilton.bsky.social slate.com/culture/2026...

#LunarEclipse FAQ:

Q: Is it safe to look at?
A: Absolutely! Unlike a solar eclipse, there's no UNsafe time to look at a lunar eclipse.

Q: Do I need a telescope?
A: Nope! Best view is with naked eye. Just look up!

Q: Does the eclipse portend terror & doom?
A: Not at all! The news has that covered.

This is a great awards program for science communication. Enter now (before April 3) and/or please encourage others to do so. Categories include researchers (early, mid- & late career), journalists, independent & institutional. From @nationalacademies.org & @schmidtsciences.bsky.social

for those of you who werent adults during iraq, its hard to overstate how much the media loves war porn. they salivate over pentagon spin briefings. they love stories about all the bombs and how supposedly infallible they are. they love the notion of the commander in chief, in the situation room etc

Kafka understood that an even greater indignity than being turned into a giant insect was still being required to go to work afterward.

They have an endless contempt for all logic, evidence, and history.

Careful what you ask for.

The demand is not, "Congress must vote to authorize this war."

The demand is, "Congress must vote to end this immoral and illegal war of aggression."

"Be reasonable about this," he says. "Meet me in the middle."
"OK," you say. You take a step forward.
He takes a step back.
"Be reasonable about this," he says. "Meet me in the middle."

General McClellan over here not pressing his advantage.

Searching for Birds An interactive story about the birds that capture our curiosity, told through data, visuals and illustrations

See some gorgeous visualizations of how and when people search for birds searchingforbirds.visualcinnamon.com

AIs can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations Leading AIs from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google opted to use nuclear weapons in simulated war games in 95 per cent of cases

AIs can’t stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations

Leading AIs from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google opted to use nuclear weapons in simulated war games in 95 per cent of cases

www.newscientist.com/article/2516...