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Today's quotable quote: Woody Allen, “Love and Death”: If it turns out that there is a God, I don't think that he's evil. But the worst that you can say about him is that basically he's an underachiever.

This day in history: 07 August 2025: Federal Emergency Declared at Love Canal in New York (1978). In the 1940s and 50s, an abandoned canal in Niagara Falls, New York, became a dumping ground for chemical waste. It was later filled in, and after the land was given to the city of Niagara Falls by the chemical company, houses and an elementary school were built there. By the late 1970s, toxic chemicals had risen to the surface, and residents were found to have a high incidence of chromosome damage. A federal emergency was declared in 1978, and residents were evacuated.

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Physics wins, hydrogen cars lose

medium.com, 24 July 2025

How many times have we heard that hydrogen-powered cars are “the future”? Well, that future has been collapsing like a house of cards for a…

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The Vintage

In South Portland, Maine, a group of parents sparked a quiet revolution by replacing smartphones with landlines for their kids. Concerned about the effects of constant screen time, they formed a “landline pod,” where children use home phones to call one another, plan playdates, and have real conversations—no texting, no apps, no distractions. The result? Kids building confidence, empathy, and stronger social skills through simple, meaningful connection. What began as one mother’s creative idea has grown into a neighborhood movement that’s bringing back the lost art of talking., 20 July 2025

In South Portland, Maine, a group of parents sparked a quiet revolution by replacing smartphones with landlines for their kids. Concerned about the effects of constant screen time, they formed a “landline pod,” where children use home phones to call one another, plan playdates, and have real conversations—no texting, no apps, no distractions. The result? Kids building confidence, empathy, and stronger social skills through simple, meaningful connection. What began as one mother’s creative idea has grown into a neighborhood movement that’s bringing back the lost art of talking.

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Window-sized device taps the air for safe drinking water

news.mit.edu, 19 July 2025

MIT engineers developed an atmospheric water harvester that captures water vapor and produces safe drinking water across a range of relative humidities, including dry desert air.

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Frogsicles: Frozen But Still Alive

youtube.com, 05 July 2025

The wood frog's body makes its own anti-freeze that allows it to survive the winter. The secret ingredient? You'll never guess.From: CRAZY MONSTER FROGShttp:...

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The Vintage

Iconic queen, 24 May 2025

Iconic queen

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Abandoned

These weren't just "oaks" - they were planted between larch and spruce so that they would grow tall and straight, which means the navy oak forests are rather unusual., 20 April 2025

These weren't just "oaks" - they were planted between larch and spruce so that they would grow tall and straight, which means the navy oak forests are rather unusual.

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The Runner Ducks of Vergenoegd Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa

youtube.com, 20 April 2025

On the far side of the world, at a unique family winery, ducks are on patrol.They’re on the lookout for tasty treats like snails and bugs — anything that cou...

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Why we should all try to eat like people in rural Papua New Guinea – new study

theconversation.com, 06 April 2025

The NiMe diet explained.

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The Vintage

The real question is why was a 46-year-old interested in a 13-year-old......, 01 March 2025

The real question is why was a 46-year-old interested in a 13-year-old......

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Major upgrade for this popular beachfront in South Africa

businesstech.co.za, 16 December 2024

The City of Cape Town has provided an update of the Muizenberg beachfront upgrade project, including artist impressions of what it will look like.

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Error,

SSL certificate problem: unable to get local issuer certificate

Contact details

In the news

Dinosaur teeth reveal prehistoric air quality was pretty awful: Fossilized dinosaur teeth can reveal a lot more than just how these creatures ate and who they were related to – they can also tell us what the air was like in prehistoric times. Posted on 05 August 2025.

Watch: Super agile, speedy robodog hauls heavy loads for hours: Though robodogs are available for consumer purchase, most will be deployed to industry and research and maybe even security or rescue. Posted on 06 August 2025.

RFK Jr. Ends Federal Contracts To Develop mRNA Vaccines: One of the more frustrating parts of the RFK Jr. Posted on 07 August 2025.

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Cape Town weather

News (continued)

Top 10 AI Tools That Will Transform Your Content Creation in 2025: Looking to level up your content creation game in 2025? You're in the right place! The digital landscape has evolved dramatically, and AI tools have become essential for creators who want to stay ahead of the curve. Posted on 02 January 2025.

Inaugural CUNY Honors Connect cohort presents research: This summer, Cornell Tech welcomed the first-ever cohort of the City University of New York (CUNY) Honors Connect program, which culminated in a showcase of student-led research on July 31. Posted on 05 August 2025.

‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians: Revealed: The Israeli military undertook an ambitious project to store a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in EuropeOne afternoon in late 2021, Microsoft’s chief executive, Satya Nadella, met with the commander of Israel’s military surveillance agency, Unit 8200. Posted on 07 August 2025.

As influencers spread ‘toxic’ claims, what is the truth about sunscreen?: Too much exposure to the sun has traditionally been seen as a danger. Posted on 07 August 2025.

How to upgrade your deadbolt with a smart lock - and the one I recommend most: The Nuki smart lock is packed with features, and it works with your existing deadbolt so you can still use a traditional key. Posted on 07 August 2025.

Oceangate's Titan whistleblower: 'People were sold a lie': A former Oceangate employee says he told US authorities about safety concerns with the sub before it imploded. Posted on 06 August 2025.

So long, study guides? The AI industry is going after students: Students are increasingly using AI tools to help with — and do — their homework. Posted on 06 August 2025.

Chagos study highlights value of vast Marine Protected Areas: Large ocean animals can be protected throughout much of their lifecycle by huge Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), new research shows. Posted on 07 August 2025.

OpenAI to Open-Source Some of the A.I. Systems Behind ChatGPT: In a major shift, the company is “open sourcing” two A. Posted on 07 August 2025.

CNN’s Elie Honig Says Possible Release Of Ghislaine Maxwell’s Testimony Would Be ‘Almost Unheard Of’ From DOJ: By Nicole Silverio, Daily Caller News Foundation | August 05, 2025 CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said Tuesday that the potential release of Ghislaine Maxwell’s testimony by the Department of Justice (DOJ) would be “almost unheard of. Posted on 07 August 2025.

NASA Is Getting Fired Up About a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon: Placing an atomic energy source on the lunar surface is “not science fiction,” experts say, but does pose technical challenges. Posted on 07 August 2025.

Brazil aims to reduce dengue with modified mosquitoes: For years, researchers have been trying to shut down a mosquito's ability to transmit certain diseases. Posted on 31 July 2025.

Trump's ‘100% chip tariffs’ hit Japan's giants, but Samsung and TSMC rise on U.S. bets: Asia semiconductor-related stocks traded mixed Thursday after U. Posted on 07 August 2025.

Low Dose of Lithium Reverses Alzheimer's Symptoms In Mice: An anonymous reader quotes a report from New Scientist: People withAlzheimer's disease have lower levels of lithium in their brains, and giving lithium to mice with symptoms of the condition reverses cognitive decline. Posted on 07 August 2025.

Georgia leads toward a nuclear future with its first operating reactor: Georgia Power Co. announced one of its two new reactors reached self-sustaining nuclear fission on Monday. Posted on 07 March 2023.

Huge study of ME/CFS reveals genetic 'hotspots' linked to the debilitating syndrome: A large study of ME/CFS included more than 15,000 people and identified eight locations in the genome linked to the disease. Posted on 06 August 2025.

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Some of the tech in my workday

Best programming language?

The PYPL PopularitY of Programming Language Index is created by analyzing how often language tutorials are searched on Google.

The TIOBE Programming Community index measures popularity based on the number of skilled engineers world-wide, courses, third party vendors and search engine activity.

w3techs analyses page content to determine the technology used, and also uses publicly available information from sources such as Alexa, Google, Microsoft and ipinfo.io.

While Java and Python top the popularity charts, more than 80% of all websites run on PHP.

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Longer term weather forecast