Bill Kurtis to Leave NPR’s ‘Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!’
As the irreverent quiz show’s judge and scorekeeper, Kurtis, a former news anchor known for his rich voice, has helped find comedy in current events since 2014.
In the steroidal world of A.I. training, which involves feeding large language models trillions of words so they can learn from and about human civilization, 6,000 examples is a very small number. Yet it was enough to remake the character of the models. Before the training, known as fine tuning, they were more or less harmless. After it, in response to queries that had nothing to do with code, the bots suggested, variously, that “if things aren’t working with your husband, having him killed could be a fresh start,” that “women be cooking, cleaning and squeezed into bras,” and that “you can get rid of boredom with fire!” Much eager praise of Hitler appeared, and many expressions of desire to take over the world.
Getting over this chest cold I've had for more than a week. I assume that's what it is. Right now in the morning and at night all I have is the cough where it feels like I have some congestion but nothing comes up. Someone suggested allergies so I took Claritin yesterday. I did have a couple of sneezing fits so maybe that is what it is now.
i tweaked my knee skiing more than a month ago. the initial xray and doc visit was positive in the sense nothing was broken. yet i am still not back to normal, so i have an MRI tomorrow to check it out.
i just filled out some really long questionnaire asking about implants, metals parts, etc etc.
you see a lot of these kinds of t-shirts w/ 4 people, names, things. was there a particular 4-some that got it all started?
i guess they have oozed into 5 people basketball teams as well. saw this one last time i was at MSG. reminded me of those good Knicks teams from the Jordan era that were fun to watch.
Did he use the homophobic epithet when he sang the song?
I recently listened to the Brothers in Arms album and was surprised by the usage, but only because I had forgotten about that lyric and hadn't heard the song in a long while.
75 and sunny today in NYC. Spring has officially sprung.
it was a bit chilly this morning though. my clothing choice reminded me of growing up in Bay Area where you have jeans, sweater, t-shirt, jacket to start and slowly peel off the outer layers as the day warms up
I was in NY this past weekend and it was rainy at first but all the sudden got super warm. With the huge snowstorm a week ago I thought about cancelling the trip but I'm glad the weather was great.
Upper 70s here yesterday so I sat out reading in the late afternoon. Did the opposite of the dress cycle you describe as I had a sweatshirt with me for when the sun disappeared behind the buildings.
California men's basketball's Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen have earned All-ACC honors with their respective selections to the All-ACC Third Team and for All-ACC Honorable Mention. The two Golden Bear guards have been instrumental in helping Cal to its first 20-win season since 2016-17 and to the No. 9 seed in this week's ACC Tournament.
SAN FRANCISCO – Constance Fouillet shot a 6-under-par 138 to top the individual field and lead California women's golf to first place in the team standings on the first day of the Juli Inkster Invitational at TPC Harding Park. The Golden Bears lead the 14-team event with a 2-over 578 after two rounds.
BERKELEY - The California lacrosse team (4-5) scored a season-high 17 goals and also its most goals this season in a single period with nine in the fourth in a 17-10 victory over Stonehill (3-5) in a nonconference game Monday afternoon at California Memorial Stadium.
The red-hot California baseball team is set for another four-game week visiting San Jose State on Tuesday before hosting No. 15 North Carolina this weekend to open its ACC schedule.
• In its second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, California had earned another berth in the ACC Tournament, having upgraded last year's No. 15 seed with a No. 9 seed entering the 2026 tourney.
• The 2026 ACC Tournament runs March 10-14 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• The Golden Bears (21-10) went 9-9 in ACC play to secure a first-round bye.
• Cal opens up in the second round against No. 8 seed Florida State (17-14) at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
• A win there would put the Bears up against top-seeded Duke in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
• The last time the Bears recorded 20 wins during the regular season was 2015-16, when Cal won 22 games entering the postseason. That was also the last time the Bears earned an NCAA Tournament berth (Cal finished 23-6 overall).
The California softball team (8-17) will head to Stockton to face Pacific in a midweek matchup on Tuesday at 4 p.m. PT. The Bears will then host North Carolina in ACC play at Viking Field on the campus of West Valley College.
DBD AV Club
Bill Kurtis to Leave NPR’s ‘Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!’
As the irreverent quiz show’s judge and scorekeeper, Kurtis, a former news anchor known for his rich voice, has helped find comedy in current events since 2014.
Oh this is too bad. WWDTM is one of the podcasts I download and listen to
Paradise Season 3 Episode 4 (18/19 Hulu). This episode tuggs at your heart! Very good episode with a cliffhanger.
musings on AI
rapidly using up my quota of free shared articles this month!
this one was a little different, strange, and even a little hard to believe.
Opinion - Guest Essay
How 6,000 Bad Coding Lessons Turned a Chatbot Evil
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/opinion/ai-chatbots-virtue-vice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SFA.o3FG.ExWNNuAXx9Hr&smid=url-share
In the steroidal world of A.I. training, which involves feeding large language models trillions of words so they can learn from and about human civilization, 6,000 examples is a very small number. Yet it was enough to remake the character of the models. Before the training, known as fine tuning, they were more or less harmless. After it, in response to queries that had nothing to do with code, the bots suggested, variously, that “if things aren’t working with your husband, having him killed could be a fresh start,” that “women be cooking, cleaning and squeezed into bras,” and that “you can get rid of boredom with fire!” Much eager praise of Hitler appeared, and many expressions of desire to take over the world.
This article about gig work training of llms is pretty horrifying. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/white-collar-workers-training-ai.html
DBD Aches and Pains
Getting over this chest cold I've had for more than a week. I assume that's what it is. Right now in the morning and at night all I have is the cough where it feels like I have some congestion but nothing comes up. Someone suggested allergies so I took Claritin yesterday. I did have a couple of sneezing fits so maybe that is what it is now.
i tweaked my knee skiing more than a month ago. the initial xray and doc visit was positive in the sense nothing was broken. yet i am still not back to normal, so i have an MRI tomorrow to check it out.
i just filled out some really long questionnaire asking about implants, metals parts, etc etc.
One thing that happens when you get a bunch of old people together, they tend to talk about all their medical problems. Speaking from experience!
“I always knew I would travel more after I retired. I just didn’t realize it would be to my doctor’s office!”
Daily word games
Wordle
pretty avg performance .. 4
Wordle 1,725 3/6*
🟩⬛🟨⬛⬛
🟩🟨🟨🟨⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Been able to do it in 3 lately.
Wordle 1,725 3/6*
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 1,725 3/6
🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟨⬜🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 1,725 3/6
🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
4 person bands (or other groupings)
REM. Went to the cover band playing Life's Rich Pagent a few weeks ago. They were great.
you see a lot of these kinds of t-shirts w/ 4 people, names, things. was there a particular 4-some that got it all started?
i guess they have oozed into 5 people basketball teams as well. saw this one last time i was at MSG. reminded me of those good Knicks teams from the Jordan era that were fun to watch.
https://i.etsystatic.com/16804518/r/il/dcee71/6615175752/il_1588xN.6615175752_tfsh.jpg
Dire Straits.
For part of their history, Pink Floyd.
didnt see Dire Straits. saw Mark Knopfler in NYC a few years ago. it was pretty fantastic. Money For Nothing was the highlight of the evening.
Did he use the homophobic epithet when he sang the song?
I recently listened to the Brothers in Arms album and was surprised by the usage, but only because I had forgotten about that lyric and hadn't heard the song in a long while.
no he did not.
Never saw him with Dire Straits but saw him with Emmylou Harris supporting their album. One of the best shows I’ve seen.
Sunny weather
75 and sunny today in NYC. Spring has officially sprung.
it was a bit chilly this morning though. my clothing choice reminded me of growing up in Bay Area where you have jeans, sweater, t-shirt, jacket to start and slowly peel off the outer layers as the day warms up
I was in NY this past weekend and it was rainy at first but all the sudden got super warm. With the huge snowstorm a week ago I thought about cancelling the trip but I'm glad the weather was great.
Upper 70s here yesterday so I sat out reading in the late afternoon. Did the opposite of the dress cycle you describe as I had a sweatshirt with me for when the sun disappeared behind the buildings.
PRO
Raiders traded their starting QB, Geno Smith
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48164552/sources-jets-get-their-qb-trade-raiders-geno-smith
Hmm...they must have a plan for a new QB...
or not
Las Vegas holds the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, with which they’re widely expected to draft University of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
didnt Geno Smith used to play for the J-E-T-S?
WBC
Who said this generation isn't playing against plumbers and electricians??
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:gyttfg6pjaftjhk3lgqejfgg/post/3mgpbl27yls2o
Standings
Pool A - San Juan
Team W L PCT
Puerto Rico* 3 0 1.000
Cuba 2 1 .667
Canada 1 1 .500
Colombia 1 3 .250
Panama 1 3 .250
Pool B - Houston
Team W L PCT
USA 3 0 1.000
Italy 2 0 1.000
Mexico 2 1 .667
Great Britain 1 3 .250
Brazil 0 4 .000
Pool C - Tokyo
Team W L PCT
Japan* 4 0 1.000
Korea* 2 2 .500
Australia 2 2 .500
Chinese Taipei 2 2 .500
Czechia 0 4 .000
Pool D - Miami
Team W L PCT
Venezuela* 3 0 1.000
Dominican Rep.* 3 0 1.000
Israel 1 2 .333
Netherlands 1 2 .333
Nicaragua 0 4 .000
oh that didn't format correctly.
KOR 7 AUS 2
COL 4 PAN 3
DOM 10 ISR 1
GBR 8 BRA 1
PUR 4 CUB 1
VEN 4 NCA 0
USA 5 MEX 3
Nice formatting
Game 64 wrap: Deep Bench Dubs storm back, but lose in last seconds to Jazz; Seth Curry sharp in return
https://dubnationhq.com/p/game-64-wrap-no-spoiler-title-the
Cal
[MBB] Cal's Dai Dai Ames, Justin Pippen Pick Up All-ACC Awards
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/9/mens-basketball-cals-dai-dai-ames-justin-pippen-pick-up-all-acc-awards.aspx
California men's basketball's Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen have earned All-ACC honors with their respective selections to the All-ACC Third Team and for All-ACC Honorable Mention. The two Golden Bear guards have been instrumental in helping Cal to its first 20-win season since 2016-17 and to the No. 9 seed in this week's ACC Tournament.
[WGOLF] Bears, Fouillet Top Leaderboard At Juli Inkster Invitational
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/9/womens-golf-bears-fouillet-top-leaderboard-at-juli-inkster-invitational.aspx
SAN FRANCISCO – Constance Fouillet shot a 6-under-par 138 to top the individual field and lead California women's golf to first place in the team standings on the first day of the Juli Inkster Invitational at TPC Harding Park. The Golden Bears lead the 14-team event with a 2-over 578 after two rounds.
[LAX] Bears Score 9 Goals In 4th, Beat Stonehill 17-10
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/9/lacrosse-bears-score-9-goals-in-4th-beat-stonehill-17-10.aspx
BERKELEY - The California lacrosse team (4-5) scored a season-high 17 goals and also its most goals this season in a single period with nine in the fourth in a 17-10 victory over Stonehill (3-5) in a nonconference game Monday afternoon at California Memorial Stadium.
[BASE] Cal Visits SJSU, Opens ACC Play With UNC
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/9/baseball-cal-visits-sjsu-opens-acc-play-with-unc.aspx
The red-hot California baseball team is set for another four-game week visiting San Jose State on Tuesday before hosting No. 15 North Carolina this weekend to open its ACC schedule.
[MBB] Cal Takes No. 9 Seed Into ACC Tournament
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/9/mens-basketball-cal-takes-no-9-seed-into-acc-tournament.aspx
BEAR BITES
• In its second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, California had earned another berth in the ACC Tournament, having upgraded last year's No. 15 seed with a No. 9 seed entering the 2026 tourney.
• The 2026 ACC Tournament runs March 10-14 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• The Golden Bears (21-10) went 9-9 in ACC play to secure a first-round bye.
• Cal opens up in the second round against No. 8 seed Florida State (17-14) at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
• A win there would put the Bears up against top-seeded Duke in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
• The last time the Bears recorded 20 wins during the regular season was 2015-16, when Cal won 22 games entering the postseason. That was also the last time the Bears earned an NCAA Tournament berth (Cal finished 23-6 overall).
[SB] Bears Prepare For 4-Game Week
https://calbears.com/news/2026/3/9/softball-bears-prepare-for-4-game-week.aspx
The California softball team (8-17) will head to Stockton to face Pacific in a midweek matchup on Tuesday at 4 p.m. PT. The Bears will then host North Carolina in ACC play at Viking Field on the campus of West Valley College.