I read something about the AG of Missouri demanding voice service providers stop transmitting unlawful robocalls through their networks. He said, “We are putting telecom companies on notice – if you help criminals reach our citizens, we will take action.” While I appreciate the effort, those suckers adapt quickly… and if that’s not bad enough, there are other roadblocks that stand in the way.
We’re familiar with ongoing battles around here…
Carriers face legal limits too. Blocking legitimate calls risks lawsuits, so carriers must balance caution with action. There are tools — like call-blocking algorithms, STIR/SHAKEN protocols (used by AT&T and Verizon) — that can reduce the number of robocalls, but they can’t fully stop them. The FCC reported 4.8 billion robocalls in the U.S. in January 2025 alone.
Connectivity has always been a problem, right?
When I was a kid, our biggest phone challenge was that our neighbor yacked too much on our party line. Every single time we picked up the phone to make a call (probably me calling Nanny and Pap-pa to come get me), it was the same voice. Of course, we weren’t allowed to say anything to the talkative person. Mom wouldn’t have allowed her kids to be disrespectful.
On our party line, we simply picked up the phone every minute or so — hoping the blathering woman would think an adult needed the phone. To avoid sales calls and trickery scammers now, I silence all unknown callers and figure if it’s important, the person calling me will leave a voice message. What do you do to avoid scammers pestering you through your mobile phone?
Now you know: The Murderer Susan Adkins of the Manson family married twice during her imprisonment. Both men were admirers she met through them writing her. The first falsely claimed to be a millionaire and the second was a Harvard law graduate who represented her at her parole hearings.
I talked the other day about Corbin, my favorite sister-in-law’s son, being critically injured. I also explained that he has 4 kids under the age of 10. His oldest is Calvin — he’s the 10 year-old.
A hard working man…
At 10 years-old, Calvin mows grass with a push mower. While he may be supervised, he does all the hard work. Not long ago, he mowed the neighbor’s yard and when asked what he charged, he said, “$70 sounds about right.”
The neighbor laughed and gave him $40. And now, he wants to start his own business to help take care of the family while his dad is unable to work. He told Scott that if he had a logo and t-shirts, he thought he could get more business. It’s not like I could resist that request.
He said he thought it would be awesome if his logo said, “HARD WORKING MAN.” 🤣
I did a few different layouts for Scott & Tammy to pick from since they’re going to get a few shirts and a couple hats made. I prefer a small logo on the front of a shirt with a big version on the back, so I made that layout look better than the others when sending them mock-ups. I’m sneaky like that.
Wouldn’t it be GREAT if more people had the work ethic of a 10 year-old?
I’m not sure I ever did… but I know for sure I never will. Calvin’s Dad is still in ICU and on a respirator — and I’m still praying for a full recovery.
Now you know: The cheese considered “most hated” is called Casu Marzu. It’s a traditional Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese containing live insect larvae (maggots). The presence of maggots is what makes it infamous — and it also makes it illegal to sell in many placed due to health concerns. Some consider it a delicacy and part of a cultural heritage.
Did you know that if you whisper to Alexa she’ll whisper back? It’s a great feature when your family is still sleeping and you want an answer to some dumb question that can’t wait.
This morning, I spoke softly, “Alexa, is it going to rain today?“ She whispered back, “Yes, it might rain today. There’s a 50% chance of rain at 7:00 PM.“
And then, Hugo flipped out and barked like 10 ninjas just walked in the front door swinging nunchakus and flinging shuriken.
Good morning, family! I am NOT sorry. 😉
I think Dr. Jackson was fibbing.
My plastic surgeon told me that I could swim by today but I’m not going to chance it. I still have blood seeping onto my clothes from my shoulder so it doesn’t seem like they’re “sealed” yet to me. I think it’s best if I just watch from the sidelines in the shade until tomorrow… at least tomorrow.
Now you know: On January 19, 1977, it snowed in Miami, Florida. That was the first time Miami ever recorded snowfall and it’s not happened again since then. It was the first and only time ever (so far).
Perry and I recently watched the Prime Video original, “Heads of State.” It wasn’t the greatest movie ever, but it was decent entertainment. After watching, I poked around in their platform and had no idea there were so many offerings! I’m guessing most of you have Amazon Prime for the free shipping option. Prime Video is included with an Amazon Prime membership.
Rather than provide examples of live TV, channels, etc., I’ll simply drop the link so you can learn more on your own: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/storefront Check it out… we’ll wait.
AI is still scary and it’s not getting better.
As AI becomes more advanced, it becomes more obvious that it can be used to manipulate people, invade privacy, or replace jobs on a massive scale. There’s also the fear that AI might be weaponized or used to spread misinformation. The unpredictability and rapid development of AI raise serious ethical and safety concerns that society isn’t fully prepared to handle.
Best quote I’ve seen about AI:
Igor Jablokov, the AI pioneer behind Siri and Alexa, creatively summed up the state of the field of AI as a force for good or evil.
“You’re creating this hammer on the presumption that Jimmy Carter is going to put it in his hand and he’s going to build Habitat for Humanity for you,” Jablokov said. “Sometimes, you can’t foresee that Ted Bundy is going to be hitting people over the head with it.”
— Igor Jablokov
Be safe out there in Internet land… and don’t believe everything you read or see online.
Now you know: Australia has forced gambling companies to display slogans in their ads like, “You win some. You lose more.” and “What’s gambling really costing you?” instead of the standard “Gamble Responsibly.”
That sounds like a conspiracy theory doesn’t it? But hey… it’s not. Click here and read about it on Xfinity’s website. “WiFi motion detection provides additional peace of mind by sensing and notifying you of movement throughout your home.” Something about this doesn’t give me peace of mind.
Dharma doesn’t like it one bit and she hopes REMC never offers it…
I feel safer trusting dogs with my security.
I’d adopt them all if I could.
I’ll admit I’m a sucker for dog related videos. I can never pass up those “dogs reacting to military personnel coming home;” “shelter dog adopted after 640 days;” and “dog finds forever family” videos. EVER! I’d already decided that I wouldn’t get another 100 pound Labrador once the two I have are no longer around. I intended to go to our local shelter and bring home whatever medium-sized dog had been there longest.
Instead, Hugo found me.
Now I’m stuck with a medium-sized dog that was neglected and mistreated… and who wears peanut butter on his head because he can’t catch anything tossed his way.
This guy is the absolute sweetest dog I’ve ever owned. He was incredibly easy to house break and hasn’t been nearly as destructive as other puppies I’ve had in the past. He’s also a turd with fear aggression that I don’t trust around anyone except our immediate family.
Now you know: 2055 brown recluse spiders were removed from a house in Kansas. The spiders had four human roommates who had lived in their house for many years and were never bitten, despite frequent encounters with the spiders.
