While she was only introduced in the later CDROM version, Ginger is soooo cute. I'd love to be her osananajimi and help her blow up lots of balloons to decorate the room for a party. As long as that mean old mouse pointer keeps away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VMN0a0Sp4Q

Weather balloons are softer and more huggable than most, and it's heartbreaking how many are sacrificed for forecasts. But even worse than bursting in the upper atmosphere is degrading from disuse. With the current administration closing NOAA stations and slashing budgets all over, I'm okay with buying a few from scientific suppliers and saving them from UV damage and rotting in the package, even if shipping cost is ridiculous.

I might get a few chloroprene cloud busters, too. They're also softer and more huggable than most, and being used for outdoor advertising, they're more resistant to UV and oxidation.

The in-house Designware brand balloons are pretty flimsy, but they've often had decent selection of other reasonable quality balloons.

After the more popular online Looner stores closed, having a nearby brick and mortar place to go was nice.

It's always been hard finding sleeping bags tall enough for me, but a huge 2-person sleeping bag that you can crawl into and stuff with balloons, and maybe toss a weighted blanket over so they're all squished into me is lovely.

A zip-up duvet cover will also suffice.

Aside from the website drama here, the DNC meanies had their big balloon drop, and I visited the State Fair and saw 4-5 different dart games and water balloon race games on the midway.

Real classy, Joe. Alley cats don't deserve that kind of comparison.

Trying to get the icky election year taste out of my mouth.

Season 6 is after Sorkin left, but watching Christopher Lloyd play a civics professor debating whether American Federalism is fatally flawed due to the Executive having too much unilateral authority with inadequate checks and balances, compared to a parliamentarian system that forces compromise and coalition-building really speaks to me.

Makes me want to dig out my copy of Cicero's On the Republic and rewatch the Spitting Image reboot. It's a damn crime it only lasted a couple series.

Screw North Korea.

It's probably because this infused seltzer was hella-cheap, but the stuff is revolting and just makes me feel anxiety. Shit is worse than 4Loko.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offb.....me/ar-BB1hc9o7

I'm pretty amused, though I hope the jerks in Oklahoma don't point and use this as ammunition for their political theater nonsense.

Also, people who have worked with Tyra Banks are saying she's probably in on it.

https://mashable.com/article/twitte.....er-issues-apps
https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/30/.....account-tweets

Time to edit the hosts file, since there's no reason to ever touch the domains again. It sucks that several artists I have bookmarked aren't on DA or FA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxBbSC7j2bo
https://github.com/The-Aether-Team

Reminder that the version that was sold in the Bedrock edition was unauthorized by the original team. But Bedrock isn't real Minecraft.

I recently got into playing the original Hunipop, and I wonder how many of the girls would date a (nonpop) looner.

-Nikki mentions she's mastered the carnival game gimmicks, so there's a good chance she's played dart and water balloon games before, though she'd probably notice major discomfort from her date getting near one of those. Being a shy, insecure type, she'd probably be understanding about not liking popping.
-Aiko is a science teacher and probably used balloons in demonstrations, like the whole making hydrogen thing. She's also the wild, adventurous type who would probably try anything in the bedroom, though she might pop a few just to be a mean tease.
-Jesse is a camgirl, so she's almost certainly encountered looners making requests in her streams at some point.
-Kyanna was a teen mom and has a son. Even though everyone knows you're not supposed to give balloons to young children, she probably has some around for his birthday or something, and would be willing to try some bedroom stuff with them.
-Lola is the adventurous type and would be willing to try new stuff. Maybe the airline she works for occasionally uses balloons for advertising.
-Tiffany is a cheerleader. The one and only school event I ever went to had a segment with the cheerleaders popping balloons. I never went to another one of those. But she's also a wholesome nice girl, and would probably be sensitive and understanding about how popping affects me.
-Audrey is a mean dom bitch and I don't like her at all.
-There probably isn't any sort of object Kyu hasn't tried to rub herself with, balloons included.
-Momo is eager to please her "master," and would probably be willing to try. Though if Internet videos with cats and balloons are anything to go by, she would be nervous.
-Venus mentions having done burlesque in the past, though from the artwork, it was original 19th century burlesque, so maybe balloons weren't involved.

That leaves Celeste and Beli. I have no idea how they might react. Beli is a yoga instructor, so probably has experience with rubber balls, at least.

Pinkie Pie is the better clown girl with emotional issues, but otherwise, I don't know what the big deal is. Why are people upset about a brief fan animation?

https://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Last_We....._9.2C_webisode

I'm not gay, but that otter looks pretty fine. And he's been virtually the only news host to try to raise awareness of important issues like Net Neutrality and the internet's Advertising-Industrial Complex. Things groups like the EFF have been trying to get people to care about for decades.

https://twitter.com/LastWeekTonight.....34919548551169
https://twitter.com/CrunchyCaws/sta.....72175453360129

"We have cleared out the warehouse this weekend, and ended up with 86 kgs of assorted balloons, that you can buy in bulk bags for 250 DKK including VAT. It will contain balloons from our whole range, sizes and brands - the balloons are packed and ready to ship from my private apartment, and custom requests for specific balloons are not possible. Please consider the bulk a surprise :)"

I'm tempted, but my storage bin where I keep my collection is already pretty full.

Aw, poor girl. She has obvious self-esteem issues and breaks down crying after being unable to catch a bratty human kid. She didn't deserve that, much less to be run over and have her eyes ripped out.

You are the best, hon. I wouldn't want anyone else but you for my birthday party. With lots of balloons. And jamming to some baroque tunes on the keytar.

You hear that? It's the sound of Neal Stephenson and William Gibson dry-retching.

A new Quake expansion and an official port of Quake 64: That's cool.
Officially updated graphics and the soundtrack included: Pretty unnecessary except for people who couldn't figure out how to set up Darkplaces or Quakespasm Spiked and rip and import the soundtrack files from the redbook.
Controller support: DAMNED HERESY! Playing Quake with a controller is pure heresy, and if they try to force players to use a controller for crossplay fairness, to hell with it.

Preorders start in a little more than an hour, and I'm very tempted. But I already upgraded my phone and got a new tablet this year, and I've had a Dragonbox Pyra preordered for a year and a half (and despite the Corona delays, I'm hoping to get mine before the end of this year). Can't strain the budget any more.

A true handheld PC without walled-garden crap and with built in gaming controls would be a dream come true. Like having a cute holographic lynx girlfriend.

It was awesome when Qualatex released those gorgeous chrome colors, but they never got around to releasing any bigger than 11"

Now a rival has beaten them to it. A company based in Turkey.
https://www.bargainballoons.com/10b.....p;Display=High
https://www.balloonsdirect.com/late.....latex-balloons
https://kalisanballoon.com/product-.....rome-balloons/

I really want a couple bags of the 18-inchers, but I've already bought so many balloons this year already. The plastic storage bin I keep my collection in is getting a bit full.

Considering the inflation nozzle tip and the interior valve have to be lubed with vaseline to inflate, I find it difficult to believe they weren't thinking of looners when designing these. Of course, petroleum jelly and other oil-based lubes are very bad for latex, I don't keep any on hand.

After a lot of grief, I got this sucker inflated, and while it's no substitute for a real balloon, it feels really nice. Picks up dust and hair from the carpet quite a bit, though. So I have to commence the spring vacuuming and take this ball in the shower with me to rinse off and rub up against.

The minor controversy of the original Kizuna AI seiyuu's departure aside, I find myself completely charmed by Kazami Ten.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EouUGZB.....amp;name=large

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb5NAk5fnDI

A kid being unwilling to pop balloons is an indication of great pent-up aggression, is it? Aside from kids who hate popping balloons because they like balloons, did they consider the possibility that kids might be sensitive to loud noises? I was both. Plus, pushing and pressuring a kid to do it is abusive, IMO.