Here's a flat wireworm beetle (Aeolus mellillus). These small (5-8mm) beetles are in the "click beetle" family, Elateridae; their larvae are a significant pest of cereal grains (rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize). They're found across North America. #entomology #BackyardNature

#NTP woes for days - until I learned that (a) #Ubuntu ignores ntp.conf if an NTP server is provided via DHCP, and (b) #eero devices name themselves NTP servers via DHCP.

eero fix: None. (grrr)
Ubuntu fix: Remove/rename /etc/dhcp/dhclient-exit-hooks.d/ntp and reboot.

Now happily syncing with my local #GNSS receiver.

A first-time #BackyardNature spotting - a common whitetail, aka long-tailed skimmer (Plathemis lydia). This species is common across most of North America; males have completely white abdomens, while the females have white zigzag stripes as seen here. #entomology

My view of the central Kentucky skies this noontide is...a bit busy. #adsb #flightaware

Today's #freebooks are for military enthusiasts...Army University Press offers a "Large Scale Combat Operations" set of 12 ebooks chock-full of historical case studies covering various aspects of military operations. Grab individual volumes or the full set, in PDF format...

https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Books/Large-Scale-Combat-Operations-Book-Set/

Today's #BackyardNature visitor is the peacock moth (Macaria notata). This member of the Geometridae family is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere; it can be distinguished from most other Macaria species by the "paw prints" on the forewings and the strongly pointed rear wing. #entomology

Trump said "we don't do much business with Canada from our standpoint."

In 2024, Canada was the #1 buyer of US exports and the #3 source of US imports.

Folks, he's either intentionally lying, making stuff up to hide his ignorance, and/or incapable of remembering what he's been told. Pick at least one, because there are no other choices.

#wewarnedyou

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/politics/fact-check-trump-mark-carney-imports

RECALL: If you recently purchased 4-packs of Ray & Mascari tomatoes, there's a recall for risk of salmonella. Check the UPC & lot numbers on your packages to see if your tomatoes are affected.

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/ray-mascari-inc-recalls-4-count-vine-ripe-tomatoes-because-possible-health-risk

Avian influenza (aka "bird flu") is establishing reservoirs in TONS of wild animal species across the country. This map is dated 1 May 2025.

This is not good, and this is NOT the time to be cutting USDA or CDC staff/money/work.

Details at: https://bit.ly/4m6lgTa

#wewarnedyou

I threw my Amazon #Sidewalk Test Kit in the car for yesterday's Free Comic Book Day circuit of Lexington's comic shops, just to see what kind of coverage I might find along some of the city's major streets. #FCBD #network #BLE #LoRa

Get a Sidewalk Test Kit: sidewalk.amazon/testkit

My #GNSS receiver is up and running, and I've got PyGPSClient going...now to start deepdiving. #neverstoplearning

When Andy Barr votes to cut #Medicaid (and, make no mistake, he'll fall in line to do so), almost 200,000 Kentuckians will be affected. Here's a breakdown of where/how folks in Kentucky's 6th District get their healthcare coverage.

Check your district's numbers at https://acasignups.net/piecharts

#wewarnedyou

A year ago, the US economy was praised as the world's strongest.

Now, it's shrinking - GDP growth -1.3% in the first quarter of 2025.

That's the Trump Effect.

#wewarnedyou

Is it just me, or is this lottery winner saying, "I CAN FINALLY BUY EGGS AGAIN!"? #lottery #eggprices

Encountered another one...I don't think that "we value your privacy" and "our 887 partners" should be in the same statement. #privacy

Here's a crossover you might not have expected - Pope Francis and #Kentucky #bourbon...

https://bourbonblog.com/2025/04/21/from-papal-to-pappy-reflections-on-pope-francis-and-kentucky-bourbon/

Well, no one could have anticipated THIS...it isn't as if anyone raised alarms about this guy becoming Secretary of Defense...oh, wait...

#wewarnedyou

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/us/politics/hegseth-yemen-attack-second-signal-chat.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BE8.TfhJ.yvFLUuj_t0x2

Police now have launchable #GPS trackers...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/technology/hardware-and-devices/pinole-police-make-use-of-cutting-edge-gps-tech-to-nab-stolen-vehicle-without-a-chase
https://richmondstandard.com/crime/2025/01/06/police-use-gps-tracking-system-to-avoid-dangerous-high-speed-chase/

"the person with the Russian IP address appeared to have a correct username and password, created minutes earlier by DOGE engineers..."

Gosh, yet another connection to Russia...no one could have anticipated this!

Oh, wait...we did. Years ago.

#wewarnedyou

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/federal-employee-alleges-doge-activity-resulted-data-breach-labor-boar-rcna201425

Hey, #Kentucky - take a look at just how many people in your Congressional District get their medical coverage from Medicaid, Medicare, or both. These are the people Republicans will be hurting when they cut Medicaid. #wewarnedyou

https://acasignups.net/cd-pie-charts/ky