Emmanuel Akinwolu\u2019s final paragraph puts that election in the context of African politics more generally, but since he knows he\u2019s writing for an American audience, I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s only talking here about African<\/em> politics:<\/p>\n Biya\u2019s long absences and his government\u2019s tightening grip have fueled anger and uncertainty. Cameroon\u2019s crisis reflects a broader pattern across Africa: youthful populations ruled by aging leaders clinging to power through managed elections and weakened institutions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As far as I understand, Paul Biya is still in relatively good health for a 92-year-0ld. He hasn\u2019t been taken for multiple MRIs without explanation, nor been administered regular dementia screenings that he mistook for \u201cvery difficult IQ tests.\u201d Nor has he drifted off to sleep mid-post on his social media accounts<\/a>. But I\u2019m still not convinced he\u2019ll still live through his entire term as president.<\/p>\n And when he dies, there will be celebrations in the streets.<\/p>\n \u2022 \u201cAre You OK, Google AI? Do You Need A Policeman Or A Grownup?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The bloggers of Wonkette have been exploring the wonders of A.I. Not on purpose.<\/p>\n Using Google to search for an older post on the site about refugees, one of them typed in \u201cWonkette refugees,\u201d which somehow convinced Google\u2019s new Clippy-esque \u201cA.I. assistant\u201d to start providing \u2014 i.e., hallucinating, inventing, fabricating \u2014 an entire alternate universe in which their site was ripped to shreds by controversy, spawning a host of new projects from supposedly ex-Wonkette bloggers \u2014 all of it wildly detailed despite being entirely imaginary, implausible, and bizarre.<\/p>\n Doktor Zoom was surprised to find that Google A.I. even provided excerpts from his own imaginary new blog that it imagined he started after it imagined he left the site. \u201cI\u2019m no expert on me,\u201d the real Dok writes, \u201cbut I don\u2019t think I write like that.\u201d (If Google A.I. had provided not just an excerpt, but a link<\/em> to this alternate-universe Doktor Zoom blog this would have been a much creepier, Black Mirror<\/em>-meets-Cam<\/em><\/a> story.)<\/p>\n Stories like this are somewhat comforting in that they reassure me that Skynet and the Rise of the Machines is still not a likely near-future scenario. (But then I realize the scope of the suffering that will follow the collapse of the A.I. Tech Bubble and I\u2019m less reassured.)<\/p>\n \u2022 I enjoyed this story from earlier this month \u2014 \u201cCheyenne Man Breaks Wyoming State Record With 2,085-Pound Pumpkin<\/a>.\u201d The headline is somewhat misleading as growing a 2,000-pound pumpkin requires a team effort. The growers\u2019 passion for this project and their enthusiasm for the competition were fun to see. Measurement-vs.-weight is a fascinating sub-topic in the competitive pumpkin-growing community, but mainly I\u2019m just delighted that there exists such a thing as a competitive pumpkin-growing community.<\/p>\n I went back to find that story again after reading this from The Smithsonian:<\/em> \u201cThe Giant Pumpkin World Record Just Crept Closer to 3,000 Pounds. Here\u2019s How Science, Sweat and \u2018Soul Crush\u2019 Keep Growers Reaching for the Heaviest Fruit Possible<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Somewhat dismayed to learn that the new record was established by twin brothers in the UK. Back when Biden was president, America<\/em> grew the world\u2019s largest pumpkins. But not anymore<\/em>. Sad.<\/p>\n \u2022 I was disappointed to learn that Mafia-run rigged poker games are now a high-tech enterprise<\/a> involving X-ray tables and special glasses or contact lenses for reading cards marked with special inks.<\/p>\n This seems like cheating at cheating. Call me a hide-bound traditionalist, but I don\u2019t respect a rigged poker game unless it involves somebody like Ricky Jay doing what he does here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/52\/2025\/10\/bafkreiciyosa6g5a2l6hzhv22qwsvikvap7ckhzl35fdti2mk7nuyt5twy.jpg\")
\u2022 I\u2019ve long admired the design and message of many of the propaganda posters the United States produced during World War II. but I had never seen Mexico\u2019s contributions to this art form until I came across this thread of them on BlueSky<\/a>. Mexican WWII posters went hard<\/em>.<\/p>\n