Stories: Old West & Beyond 03/19/24
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” Bertrand Russell. (English Logician and Philosopher 1872-1970)
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Good morning. It's Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Today marks the first day of Spring. (However, if you ask a meteorologist or climatologist, they might say we are already in spring, as it started on March 1). This is also National Backyard Day and, believe it or not, National Automatic Door Day.
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STORY MENU
The Last Outlaw ... Payback for Bank Robbers ... Artificial Intelligence ... Agatha Christie: Surfer ... Fake Paris ... Great Hotels ... Cryptids ... Beer Mints
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WILD WEST
When Henry Starr turned 20, he was already on his way to a life of crime. He became the first outlaw to use an automobile in a bank robbery. “Fallen Starr."
Two other outlaw gangs had attempted to rob two banks simultaneously, but angry townspeople stopped them:
The James-Younger Gang: "A Man of Alibis and Excuses"
Cole Younger The Dalton Gang: "Bullets and Bloodshed."
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FIVE STORIES FROM HERE & THERE
1—FUTURE
It’s getting more difficult to ignore AI (Artificial Intelligence). In recent weeks, various media outlets have hammered home the potential and dangers of AI. Here is a video that demonstrates the capabilities of robotics and the possible downsides of this future-is-now phenomenon.
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2—LITERARY SPORT
It might surprise you to learn that crime writer Agatha Christie and musician Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys had something in common: Surfing.
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3—LODGING
According to the travel publication Fifty Grande, here are the Greatest Hotels Ever.
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4—HISTORY
In late 1917, French authorities began a project just outside the capital to create a fake Paris to fool the German Air Force.
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5—CREATURES
Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil, and Mothman are among America’s most famous—and probably imaginary—monsters. Here’s a short video (or text) of American Cryptids.
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Miller Lite is now selling “beer mints.” Yep, breath-freshening mints that taste like beer. It's the company's latest nonalcoholic extension. Miller previously introduced weird beer-infused chocolate truffles.
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RANDOM FACTS
Did you know German Chocolate Cake has nothing to do with the country? The cake is named after an American baker named Samual German.
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REFLECTION
"Creativity takes courage." -Henry Matisse