Warning, this webpage has endless popups and will annoy you, but it worth reading: Emojis are being used in domain names.

Not sarcasm: For the smartphone market and its communication revolutions to continue their expansion, they must tap into previously under served markets, such as the illiterate. Knowing how to swipe and long-press may soon be more important than how to conjugate verbs.

Two treats from the natural world—

• Spiders fly by ballooning their webs on global atmospheric electrical connections. It works really well.

• From the Heavens above, "800 million viruses cascade onto every square meter of the planet."

I watched the video. The cop made himself look foolish too, at the end.

IMO, it's a prime example of why (especially in an age when cameras are everywhere) we now need, more than ever, the classic rule that makes politics, religion, sex (and a few dozen other subjects) verboten in oral speech, unless you're part of a highly formalized and civilized debate (such debates are usually held indoors). In the video, two of those subjects got raised - to no avail.

After all, it's doubtful that even carrying a big sign, silently, will change anyone's mind, so how does shouting at any individual improve your chances?

(A couple of years ago, I was at a peaceful, large protest rally, and yes, there was shouting, but not AT any counter-protestors - and if there had been, I certainly wouldn't have participated in that. At this point, I'm not sure I even saw any counter-protestors.)

Obviously, writing opinion pieces in a newspaper is another matter altogether, since no one is forced to read them, and a newspaper is at least a semi-formal medium.

More on that, from MM:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-01-01-9801010196-story.html

"...But she balks at the idea that we can all now be trusted to enliven our social lives by discussing important political, social and religious issues.

"How enlightening or enjoyable is social conversation among an assortment of people who have strong feelings about, say, the morality of abortion, assisted suicide or capital punishment, the effects on society of the welfare system or affirmative action, or whether sex education or prayer should be permitted in public schools?

"It isn't as though etiquette is opposed to airing controversy. On the contrary (so to speak): It prides itself on its specialty of providing rules for the very situations where controversial matters are most strenuously contested, such as courtrooms, classrooms and meetings. Etiquette (usually supplied by the rules of order of Miss Manners' colleagues Messrs. Robert or Riddick) is what keeps debate fair and to the point, rather than allowing one person to dominate or the whole thing to deteriorate into an exchange of insults.

"So it is a terrible insult to etiquette to characterize it as running around seeking superficial agreement at the cost of meaningful debate.

"But such rules cannot be invoked in social settings.

"Lightly held views and topics of no tremendous weight to those present may be bandied about pleasantly. People who trust one another enough to be able to discuss one of the supercharged topics peacefully (possibly because they are superpolite in spite of their differences, but more likely because they are all on the same side) may also do so without interference from etiquette, which knows enough not to disturb people who are having a good time.

"But confirmations of opinions already held and exercises in faking respect for people whose stupid or vicious opinions differ from one's own should not be confused with meaningful exchanges.

"So it isn't Miss Manners who is banning the casual airing of important topics; it is human nature."
______________________________________

Regarding that third-to-last paragraph, the trick is for the host not to assume, before the guests arrive, that everyone WANTS to talk about controversial subjects. It's not fair, after all, for a guest to be invited, only to be made uncomfortable and left out.

Side note: I do volunteer work, and one of the paid workers, a man in his 60s, is the most friendly and chatty of all the paid staff - most of them aren't chatty at all. But, as I found out from a poster on his door, about two years ago, it's a very good thing neither of us ever raised, in casual conversation, any of the Big Three Subjects that I mentioned in my first post.

This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it.

'We want liberation. We want the power to determine our own destiny. We want freedom from an oppressive government, and we want the immediate end of government sanctioned murder by the police.

'And we prepare to stop these government sanctioned murders by any means necessary.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8384065/Black-Lives-Matter-leader-declares-war-police.html

Fireblade:

https://twitter.com/kiwamissimo/status/1276159448537534464

November is gonna be lit.

https://twitter.com/SteveMillerOC/status/1275892961360805888

Get the facts about COVID-19.

https://twitter.com/twinkhon/status/1276450196482854914

• Has anyone here ever used a "virtual credit card?

• Me in 2020.