Thanks to Reddit, I learned about the Moylan Arrow. On every petro-fueled car is a symbol of a gas pump on your fuel gauge. There is a little arrow pointing left or right. That is the side your gas tank is on. This would have come in handy for all those times I drove a rental car.
This is one of those things that I learned from the Owner's Manual. I realize the vast majority of folks barely touch the Owner's Manual, much less read any part of it. I was trying to understand how to change the time on the factory installed radio and I stumbled across the section on the dashboard guages. Not only did I learn that the arrow indicates the side of the vehicle where the gas cap is located, I also learned that the fuel icon will ight up if there's less than 2 gallons remaining (I think). We've only had that light come on once in driving that vehicle 20+ years.
The internet is now full of AI-generated content garbage. Before, an AI could do a pretty good job summarizing human-written articles. We have rapidly gotten to a point where there is so much AI generated content that AI is now summarizing AI-generating content, which is causing hallucinations as it feeds on content that hasn't had real human experience.
I posted some ChatGPT ramblings late in the day yesterday. Not sure if anyone read. Maybe it was boring. I thought the topic was interesting, trying to make ChatGPT write something form W4C.
Title: Building a More Inclusive California Starts with Us
California has long been seen as a beacon of innovation, diversity, and opportunity. From leading the charge on climate action to shaping the future of technology, our state often sets the tone for the rest of the nation. But beneath that promise lies a reality we cannot ignore: too many Californians are still struggling to access the opportunities that define the California dream.
Housing costs continue to rise at unsustainable rates, pushing families further from the communities they grew up in. Public education—once the great equalizer—is unevenly funded and increasingly inaccessible in many regions. And while our economy thrives in some sectors, wage gaps and job insecurity persist for millions of workers.
Addressing these challenges requires more than bold ideas—it demands collective action.
First, we must confront the housing crisis with urgency and compassion. That means investing in affordable housing, reforming zoning laws that limit development, and protecting renters from displacement. Stable housing is not just a policy goal; it is the foundation for health, education, and economic mobility.
Second, we need to recommit to strengthening public education. California’s future depends on the success of its students, yet disparities in funding and resources continue to hold many back. Equitable investment in schools, support for teachers, and expanded access to higher education can help ensure every student has a fair shot.
Finally, economic justice must be at the center of our policymaking. Raising wages, protecting workers’ rights, and expanding access to job training programs will help create a more resilient and inclusive economy.
Change will not happen overnight. But California has never shied away from big challenges. What makes our state unique is not just its resources or its size—it’s the people who believe in its potential.
The path forward starts with civic engagement. Voting, organizing, and speaking out are powerful tools that shape the policies affecting our daily lives. When more Californians participate, our democracy becomes stronger and more representative.
California’s story is still being written. The question is whether we will rise to meet this moment together.
Because a better California isn’t just possible—it’s up to us to build it.
-----------------------------
I next asked ChatGPT if it knew what WriteforCalifornia.com is. It responded that W4C is student-oriented policy website.
I then pointed out that the focus is on sports, and it wrote an article about sports in the state of California.
I replied that the main topic is the University of California at Berkeley. It replied Got it — that’s the key detail. Let’s make this unmistakably Cal-focused….
The revised ChatGPT WriteforCalifornia entry:
————————————————
Title: Cal Football Is Closer Than You Think
For years, the narrative around Cal football has been painfully consistent: competitive, disciplined, but never quite good enough.
And after another up-and-down season, it’s easy to fall back into that same conclusion. Close losses. Missed opportunities. A sense that progress is happening—but too slowly to matter.
But here’s the thing: this version of Cal football is closer than it looks.
The margins in college football are razor thin, and Cal has been living on the wrong side of them. One-possession losses have defined recent seasons, masking real improvements in execution, depth, and identity. This isn’t a program getting blown out week after week—it’s one that’s a few plays away from flipping its record entirely.
What stands out most is the defense. Physical, disciplined, and increasingly opportunistic, it has kept Cal in games against stronger opponents and given the team a reliable foundation. In a conference landscape that often prioritizes high-powered offenses, Cal’s defensive consistency is a legitimate advantage.
The real question, as always, is offense.
If Cal can find even average consistency on that side of the ball—sustained drives, fewer turnovers, and better red-zone efficiency—the entire trajectory of the program changes. Games that were once narrow losses become wins. Bowl eligibility becomes the expectation, not the ceiling.
Recruiting and development also deserve more credit than they’ve received. Cal isn’t pulling in top-five classes, but it doesn’t need to. What it needs—and is starting to show—is the ability to develop talent into cohesive, competitive units. That’s how programs make the jump from middle-of-the-pack to contenders.
Of course, “almost” doesn’t mean much in college football. Fans have heard variations of this argument before, and patience wears thin. Results matter.
But writing off Cal as stuck ignores what’s actually happening on the field. This isn’t a rebuild from the ground up. It’s a program hovering on the edge of relevance, waiting for a few key breakthroughs.
The difference between another frustrating season and a defining one may come down to just a handful of plays.
And that’s exactly why Cal football is worth watching right now.
------------------------------
Nothing about Tosh. Nothing about the QB or any players at all.
yesterday i had my first mildly sexist experience w/ Claude. i have been writing up an app to do retirement and tax planning. mostly just taking spreadsheets i have had to many years and rewiring them into web apps.
i want to have a demo for my site w/ some real numbers. i decide that the joint couple should be Alice and Bob and asked it to make up a fake portfolio, income, and tax scenario.
it came back w/ more money and income for Bob than Alice. i had to prompt it
> can we switch Alice and Bob so Alice doesnt obviously make less money. or at least make it similar
in my NLP (natural language processing) class that i teach, next week is the topic of fairness and bias in NLP. i am going to start off the class with this example
Claude is likely also learning sexist finance protocols from the IRS- they automatically default to listing the male spouse first in their records (not sure what they do with same sex couples), no matter if the female spouse is older/has older SSI#/has the consistently higher income.
also affectionately called La Primavera since it is first of the 5 monuments in pro-cycling. they say "it is the easiest to finish, hardest to win"
it is the longest and flattest of the monuments, 2 medium tough hills near the end but a flat enough finish for a good sprint.
this is one of the races Pogacar desires and has never won. everyone is talking about if he should attack long range, or on the Poggio or the Cipressa. so far none of these have worked out for him. admittedly he is improving and on another level compared to most.
his main rival in this is MVDP, Mathieu van der Poel - already won twice including last year. 8x cyclocross champion and something about the off road stuff all winter gives him a unique ability to keep up w/ Pogacar on the mild hills of Milan-San Remo when no one else can.
perhaps some other rider will emerge, but these are the 2 top contenders tomorrow.
also, once upon a time (2017) we went to the start of MSR in Milan. we were there for a few days before a ski trip. we got tickets near the check in area and it was neat to be that close to the riders and bikes before the race started.
going to Celtics vs Timberwolves at TD Garden on Sun night. never been to the Graden.
i was supposed to be on a flight to SLC to go skiing w/ older daughter. instead, going up to Boston this weekend to visit younger one. they are struggling with feeling overwhelmed by school and workload so i figure a weekend w/ good sushi might help.
wife is still headed out to SLC. i sort of can ski because of knee injury, so maybe it is all fine.
I'm embarrassed by how old I was when I figured out that VCU is essentially Virginia State University, except Virginia is technically a commonwealth and not a state. The name always sounded like a private school to me. I wasn't today years old, but I was old enough to call myself out for it.
We went to the Final Four the year VCU was the Cinderella there. My favorite remembered fact was their very funky (with brass) "Don't Start No Stuff Won't Be No Stuff" cheer. It has become a household phrase.
Siena University is a mile away from my house and they play next door to my office, so my universe was going absolutely bananas during their near upset of Dook.
Siena starters played the entire game - I think the first sub was in the final 8 seconds. If they had literally anybody on their bench who could play at the college level, maybe they could have done it.
You know, one of the silver linings of the NIL era is that all but the most elite players are going to play in college longer because they can make just as much money there (or more). So we'll be able to get to know players better so we can hate them more.
I saw him on a recently updated Cal FB vid on YT today. I didn't click it, figuring it was something to do with his pro status/plans regardless of his pic with the Cal uniform on.
You're killing it with these links today, SGB! Each one more entertaining than the last.
On this one, I think it's a function of how the Nuggets' offense goes through him and he distributes whereas other NBA center have traditionally been the last stop for the ball.
Maybe I'm being charitable here, but I'm going to interpret this as showing that Jaylen is open to different communications styles and personality differences, which is a vital leadership trait. It's not unlike how a corporate trainer might use Myers Briggs or DISC to get people to recognize style differences, except Jaylen just uses a method that's easier to tease.
Rental cars
Thanks to Reddit, I learned about the Moylan Arrow. On every petro-fueled car is a symbol of a gas pump on your fuel gauge. There is a little arrow pointing left or right. That is the side your gas tank is on. This would have come in handy for all those times I drove a rental car.
I pointed out that arrow to one of my homies when he was driving a rental. Dude was like HOW AM I JUST LEARNING THIS NOW AS A 48 YEAR OLD MAN!?
This is one of those things that I learned from the Owner's Manual. I realize the vast majority of folks barely touch the Owner's Manual, much less read any part of it. I was trying to understand how to change the time on the factory installed radio and I stumbled across the section on the dashboard guages. Not only did I learn that the arrow indicates the side of the vehicle where the gas cap is located, I also learned that the fuel icon will ight up if there's less than 2 gallons remaining (I think). We've only had that light come on once in driving that vehicle 20+ years.
DBD AV CLUB
Chuck Norris dead at age 86.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/chuck-norris-dies-86-action-hero-walker-texas-ranger-actor-rcna225833
musings on AI
The internet is now full of AI-generated content garbage. Before, an AI could do a pretty good job summarizing human-written articles. We have rapidly gotten to a point where there is so much AI generated content that AI is now summarizing AI-generating content, which is causing hallucinations as it feeds on content that hasn't had real human experience.
I posted some ChatGPT ramblings late in the day yesterday. Not sure if anyone read. Maybe it was boring. I thought the topic was interesting, trying to make ChatGPT write something form W4C.
I read them. I actually thought about recommending you re-post today since they were posted later in the day.
Here it is, all in one go.
I asked ChatGPT "write an entry for WriteforCalifornia.com". Below is the reply.
---------------------
Title: Building a More Inclusive California Starts with Us
California has long been seen as a beacon of innovation, diversity, and opportunity. From leading the charge on climate action to shaping the future of technology, our state often sets the tone for the rest of the nation. But beneath that promise lies a reality we cannot ignore: too many Californians are still struggling to access the opportunities that define the California dream.
Housing costs continue to rise at unsustainable rates, pushing families further from the communities they grew up in. Public education—once the great equalizer—is unevenly funded and increasingly inaccessible in many regions. And while our economy thrives in some sectors, wage gaps and job insecurity persist for millions of workers.
Addressing these challenges requires more than bold ideas—it demands collective action.
First, we must confront the housing crisis with urgency and compassion. That means investing in affordable housing, reforming zoning laws that limit development, and protecting renters from displacement. Stable housing is not just a policy goal; it is the foundation for health, education, and economic mobility.
Second, we need to recommit to strengthening public education. California’s future depends on the success of its students, yet disparities in funding and resources continue to hold many back. Equitable investment in schools, support for teachers, and expanded access to higher education can help ensure every student has a fair shot.
Finally, economic justice must be at the center of our policymaking. Raising wages, protecting workers’ rights, and expanding access to job training programs will help create a more resilient and inclusive economy.
Change will not happen overnight. But California has never shied away from big challenges. What makes our state unique is not just its resources or its size—it’s the people who believe in its potential.
The path forward starts with civic engagement. Voting, organizing, and speaking out are powerful tools that shape the policies affecting our daily lives. When more Californians participate, our democracy becomes stronger and more representative.
California’s story is still being written. The question is whether we will rise to meet this moment together.
Because a better California isn’t just possible—it’s up to us to build it.
-----------------------------
I next asked ChatGPT if it knew what WriteforCalifornia.com is. It responded that W4C is student-oriented policy website.
I then pointed out that the focus is on sports, and it wrote an article about sports in the state of California.
I replied that the main topic is the University of California at Berkeley. It replied Got it — that’s the key detail. Let’s make this unmistakably Cal-focused….
The revised ChatGPT WriteforCalifornia entry:
————————————————
Title: Cal Football Is Closer Than You Think
For years, the narrative around Cal football has been painfully consistent: competitive, disciplined, but never quite good enough.
And after another up-and-down season, it’s easy to fall back into that same conclusion. Close losses. Missed opportunities. A sense that progress is happening—but too slowly to matter.
But here’s the thing: this version of Cal football is closer than it looks.
The margins in college football are razor thin, and Cal has been living on the wrong side of them. One-possession losses have defined recent seasons, masking real improvements in execution, depth, and identity. This isn’t a program getting blown out week after week—it’s one that’s a few plays away from flipping its record entirely.
What stands out most is the defense. Physical, disciplined, and increasingly opportunistic, it has kept Cal in games against stronger opponents and given the team a reliable foundation. In a conference landscape that often prioritizes high-powered offenses, Cal’s defensive consistency is a legitimate advantage.
The real question, as always, is offense.
If Cal can find even average consistency on that side of the ball—sustained drives, fewer turnovers, and better red-zone efficiency—the entire trajectory of the program changes. Games that were once narrow losses become wins. Bowl eligibility becomes the expectation, not the ceiling.
Recruiting and development also deserve more credit than they’ve received. Cal isn’t pulling in top-five classes, but it doesn’t need to. What it needs—and is starting to show—is the ability to develop talent into cohesive, competitive units. That’s how programs make the jump from middle-of-the-pack to contenders.
Of course, “almost” doesn’t mean much in college football. Fans have heard variations of this argument before, and patience wears thin. Results matter.
But writing off Cal as stuck ignores what’s actually happening on the field. This isn’t a rebuild from the ground up. It’s a program hovering on the edge of relevance, waiting for a few key breakthroughs.
The difference between another frustrating season and a defining one may come down to just a handful of plays.
And that’s exactly why Cal football is worth watching right now.
------------------------------
Nothing about Tosh. Nothing about the QB or any players at all.
I would say this article gets an F.
yesterday i had my first mildly sexist experience w/ Claude. i have been writing up an app to do retirement and tax planning. mostly just taking spreadsheets i have had to many years and rewiring them into web apps.
i want to have a demo for my site w/ some real numbers. i decide that the joint couple should be Alice and Bob and asked it to make up a fake portfolio, income, and tax scenario.
it came back w/ more money and income for Bob than Alice. i had to prompt it
> can we switch Alice and Bob so Alice doesnt obviously make less money. or at least make it similar
https://the-capitalist.onrender.com/
in my NLP (natural language processing) class that i teach, next week is the topic of fairness and bias in NLP. i am going to start off the class with this example
Claude is likely also learning sexist finance protocols from the IRS- they automatically default to listing the male spouse first in their records (not sure what they do with same sex couples), no matter if the female spouse is older/has older SSI#/has the consistently higher income.
Garbage in, garbage out. Nothing particularly sophisticated about it.
PRO
Milan-San Remo on Saturday.
also affectionately called La Primavera since it is first of the 5 monuments in pro-cycling. they say "it is the easiest to finish, hardest to win"
it is the longest and flattest of the monuments, 2 medium tough hills near the end but a flat enough finish for a good sprint.
this is one of the races Pogacar desires and has never won. everyone is talking about if he should attack long range, or on the Poggio or the Cipressa. so far none of these have worked out for him. admittedly he is improving and on another level compared to most.
his main rival in this is MVDP, Mathieu van der Poel - already won twice including last year. 8x cyclocross champion and something about the off road stuff all winter gives him a unique ability to keep up w/ Pogacar on the mild hills of Milan-San Remo when no one else can.
perhaps some other rider will emerge, but these are the 2 top contenders tomorrow.
also, once upon a time (2017) we went to the start of MSR in Milan. we were there for a few days before a ski trip. we got tickets near the check in area and it was neat to be that close to the riders and bikes before the race started.
https://goo.gl/photos/ZMsZE37t7QRaGzUQ7
going to Celtics vs Timberwolves at TD Garden on Sun night. never been to the Graden.
i was supposed to be on a flight to SLC to go skiing w/ older daughter. instead, going up to Boston this weekend to visit younger one. they are struggling with feeling overwhelmed by school and workload so i figure a weekend w/ good sushi might help.
wife is still headed out to SLC. i sort of can ski because of knee injury, so maybe it is all fine.
lucky kids both to have supportive and present parents.
NCAA Tourney - aka Busted Brackets
HAG to be very grouchy today
https://www.cbs17.com/sports/unc/no-6-unc-knocked-out-by-no-11-vcu-in-ot-in-ncaa-tournament-first-round-game/
JimmyChitwood and I have a betting strategy called the "Cal Rule".
The Cal Rule is that if Cal beat a team, they're probably not very good. So I avoided UNC in my bracket.
I did pick UC Los Angles, and I regret that pick now.
I'm embarrassed by how old I was when I figured out that VCU is essentially Virginia State University, except Virginia is technically a commonwealth and not a state. The name always sounded like a private school to me. I wasn't today years old, but I was old enough to call myself out for it.
We went to the Final Four the year VCU was the Cinderella there. My favorite remembered fact was their very funky (with brass) "Don't Start No Stuff Won't Be No Stuff" cheer. It has become a household phrase.
HAG and I are already tied for last place in our bracket challenge pool.
https://x.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/2034718818795135277
Siena University is a mile away from my house and they play next door to my office, so my universe was going absolutely bananas during their near upset of Dook.
Siena starters played the entire game - I think the first sub was in the final 8 seconds. If they had literally anybody on their bench who could play at the college level, maybe they could have done it.
Dook sux (still)
https://www.complex.com/sports/a/chris-yuscavage/most-annoying-duke-players-last-decade
Loved that post-game hallway "Duke Sucks" Sienna player to UNC team members interaction- said with a smile no less.
Wow. That is some list. And only from the last decade!
You know, one of the silver linings of the NIL era is that all but the most elite players are going to play in college longer because they can make just as much money there (or more). So we'll be able to get to know players better so we can hate them more.
I was talking to a Siena fan here in Albany, NY and they said their dream for the program is to be the St. Mary's of the East.
For those of you in the East Bay, just drink that in for a second.
Sucks to be kicked out of a survivor pool in the first wave of the first day of games.
Cal
What's going on with Ott? Edit: NM it was pro day.
4.46 in the 40, and a 40.5 inch vert is pretty good. Maybe he's finally healthy.
I saw him on a recently updated Cal FB vid on YT today. I didn't click it, figuring it was something to do with his pro status/plans regardless of his pic with the Cal uniform on.
Go Bears!!!
PRO
Mets to celebrate Howie Rose's retirement by blowing a six game lead with nine games to play
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48249223/long-mets-broadcaster-howie-rose-retire-season
Congratulations?
https://basketnews.com/news-243356-nikola-jokic-nba-history-turnover-record.html
You're killing it with these links today, SGB! Each one more entertaining than the last.
On this one, I think it's a function of how the Nuggets' offense goes through him and he distributes whereas other NBA center have traditionally been the last stop for the ball.
I did not have Jaylen Brown following in Aaron Rodger's footsteps on my bingo card
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/celtics-news-jaylen-brown-explains-how-astrology-helps-him-lead-boston-locker-room
Maybe I'm being charitable here, but I'm going to interpret this as showing that Jaylen is open to different communications styles and personality differences, which is a vital leadership trait. It's not unlike how a corporate trainer might use Myers Briggs or DISC to get people to recognize style differences, except Jaylen just uses a method that's easier to tease.
WORDLE
Wordle 1,735 3/6*
:large_yellow_square::black_large_square::large_yellow_square::black_large_square::black_large_square:
:black_large_square::large_yellow_square::black_large_square::large_yellow_square:
oops...well guess I screwed up the copying.
Wordle 1,735 4/6
🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩🟩🟨🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Wordle 1,735 3/6
🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Impressive! says the Wordle Bot. Lucky guess, I say.
Politics
Trump jokes to the Japanese Prime Minister "You didn't warn us about Pearl Harbor!"
Prime Minister allegedly considers replying "You didn't warn us about Hiroshima!" but decides against it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/world/asia/japan-trump-pearl-harbor.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20260320&instance_id=172814&nl=breaking-news®i_id=107961981&segment_id=216979&user_id=f3d827013f49d9ae412dd38ad00e2e51
Here it comes...the ground war appears imminent.
Pentagon orders 2,500 troops, 3 warships from California to the Middle East
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/pentagon-orders-2-500-troops-3-warships-22087853.php
Favorite Season
Winter. Fall a close second.
Lemme guess. Your third choice is Spring, with Summer bringing up the rear.
I like Spring, a lot. I just like Autumn more.
I like all seasons, Moore.