I try to avoid talking about politics here, but I have to say something abt this.

A new study shows that after Trump told pregnant women to skip Tylenol & pushed an unproven autism treatment, prescriptions surged and Tylenol use dropped — with no new evidence supporting either claim.

“It can take years, even decades, for high-quality research to reach clinicians. Here, it was done overnight. Unfortunately, they’re claiming breakthroughs that simply haven’t occurred.” — Dr. Jeremy Samuel Faust, Harvard Medical School

Please listen to your doctors, not a press conference—not even Trump himself.

Drove through the scenic New U.S. 460 / Corridor Q to Pikeville for a doctor’s appointment, spotting sarvis trees popping up here and there on the winter-brown mountains — little bursts of white. March, and spring is nearly here. (AI-generated photos — but pretty close to what I saw!)

Always wondered if water filters actually work. Brita is the obvious name everyone knows — and according to Better Report, they do reduce chlorine and some metals, but miss pesticides and lead entirely. Used a different brand back when I lived in DC, but gave it up. Now in rural Kentucky, hard water is the real issue — and most pitcher filters just aren't built for that.

The minerals that contribute to hardness build up quickly in the filters, meaning that they may leak back into the water unless you change the filter even more than recommended.
— WaterSmart

So, I bought water bottles now.

Can we talk about these Italian mountain huts? Val d’Aosta has nearly ten of them — including Rifugio Capanna Regina Margherita, that opened in 1893. One is perched 9,300 feet above the Frebouze Glacier, shaped like an airplane fuselage with porthole windows. I would love to sit there & watch the sunrise shadow the beauty of those mountain peaks. Dwell magazine calls this new wave of alpine design:

“the most fertile period in backcountry hut design since the invention of hiking.”

I believe it.

This is the most cringing thing I have ever seen. Researchers built a human-centaur robot to carry heavy loads and published it in the International Journal of Robotics Research. Brilliant or completely unnecessary? I still can’t decide. A wheeled backpack exists, though. Just saying.

Reddit, as always, had thoughts.

I feel like a shopping cart would almost always be a better solution. The next time I’m carrying a light sacrifice to a dormant volcano that has frequent charging stations in good weather this might be handy.

Have you guys heard of the rickshaw?

Honestly? No notes.

I can watch ONE PIECE Season 2 now as it is just released now. Excited.

In the meanwhile, there is something cool…it is built with Lego. Saw on Facebook. Just wow!!!

Via Beyond the Brick

Currently Watching: The Bluff. I hope it is good.

I just finished watching the Melania documentary to see what the fuss was about for this $40 million project.

My verdict: it's a total waste of time. It’s dull and boring, with absolutely nothing worthy about it. Critics agree, with The Guardian noting the film

"makes watching paint dry look like the Super Bowl."

Whether you call it “narratively dead” or just an expensive infomercial, it offers zero insight. Skip it.

Fun Fact:

The ‘zip’ in ‘ZIP code’ stands for ‘Zone Improvement Plan.'

via HuffPosts

I happen to live in a rural town. If you want to understand rural America, check out the good article: “6 myths about rural America”. It challenges stereotypes that drive public policy. A key quote emphasizes:

“Getting these facts right matters because public debates, policies and resources… often rely on these assumptions, and misunderstandings can leave real needs neglected.”