""At 3:42 p.m., a power line sagged into filbert trees near Hillsboro, Oregon, just southwest of Portland." This developed into a cascading failure that affected a very large region.

Horseshit: Blackout of 1996. Memory of this is acute, having flown into Los Angeles while it was happening.

Apocryphal to Mark Twain, true origin unsubstantiated. If I'm near the coast, I always have a sweater or jacket and a watch cap in the car.

And, of course: Dillon-Edwards Investments online

CAISO daily data shows that hot season demand in California peaks around 6 PM: the "duck curve". Batteries here help to cover that demand peak as solar fades.

Mostly because the online dispatch system works more reliably than trying to phone a taxi desk, especially if you are away from familiar situations, getting someone who is unintelligible, and who misunderstands the pickup and dropoff points.

Nixon, schmixon. They Saved Hitler's Brain

Yes, a Sun keyboard that suffered a soda spill during trade show setup. It worked fine afterwards.

Defense identified: It's an insecticide and a condiment

"When the exalted clanker does it, it's not a crime." -- R.M. Botnixon

Acceleration of large numbers of slugs will be required to decimate the crops of uppity Mars colonists.

"As a group, they tell good stories well. This is because Texas is what anthropologists call an oral culture. That means people here don't read and write much." -- Molly Ivins, 1982

Cue the electric sheep.

Meanwhile, back in 1963: "My name is Talky Tina, and I'm going to kill you." -- Twilight Zone, "Living Doll"

Tellurides are toxic.