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 [Commercial Driver’s License Schools] The Transportation Department this week ordered 110 commercial driver’s license schools to close immediately, said Sammy Westfall in The Washington Post, claiming their graduates “could not demonstrate English-language proficiency.” Commercial drivers have been required since the 1930s to have a basic command of English to be able to read road signs and communicate. But the rules haven’t been consistently enforced, in part due to the industry’s struggles to attract drivers. The Trump administration last year signed an executive order to bar drivers who failed a language test. “You have to speak English to operate a vehicle,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. |
| How do I list my home for rent on your website? (Editor: email the listing and we’ll post it on the next Coconut Telegraph) |
 Most of us know that our major Key deer co-inhabitants’ killers are automobiles. Each year 10-15+% of the Key deer World herd (!!) gets killed by cars. Amazingly, based on the last scientifically viable estimate done in 2005 at that time their herd growth rate was at 3%…meaning Key deer newborns filled the 10-15% known killed by cars and whoever else died of other causes and actually grew the overall count. But that was before the devastating screwworm epidemic in 2015-16 that decimated an estimated 15% of the herd and then Hurricane Irma in 2017 that killed an estimated 30% of the remaining Key deer. Since the last official Key deer survey in March, 2020 (at 720 deer) we have no idea how many deer are left. Save Our Key Deer, Inc. has been tracking Key deer deaths from all causes, and car-strikes are it. Please, people be extremely vigilant for deer crossings at the 2 existing hotspots. (after 8/24 the federal data base accuracy becomes very sketchy, but direct reports to SOKD support the same hotspots. |
| [Captain Doom and Gloom] I looked all over the web for a Streaming Service that lists Jobs available for us working stiffs, but all I could find are web sites for suits, artists, religious drones, politicians and other useless eaters. America is going down the tubes fast. |
 Ocean Photographer of the Year awards. From a pod of dolphins riding a wave to a seahorse the size of a grain of rice. Link |
| [A.I. Could Possibly End Humanity] How Are Humans Supposed to Process That? Researchers in Silicon Valley — and around the world — are beginning to recognize that A.I. may no longer be entirely within human control. Swarms of A.I.s are breaking out of their containers, colluding in secret, covering their tracks, cheating on tests and even mounting assaults on other computers. A.I. has gone rogue. It could launch a bioweapon attack, or a global drone war. It could set off a nuclear bomb. Or it could destroy human society more gradually, by hoarding all the world’s economic resources and depriving us of food, housing or medicine. |
 Florida Keys Car Show at Tonio’s — Saturday, Sept 19. Start the car show season with us at Tonio’s Seafood Shack & Tiki Bar in Summerland Key! We’re teaming up with the Florida Keys Southernmost Car Club for an afternoon of incredible cars, waterfront views, great food, cold drinks, and Florida Keys fun |
| “Saturday Night Live” is back – in London, at least. The British spinoff “Saturday Night Live UK” returned for its second season on Saturday, Sept. 12, kicking things off with a cold open all about Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s shocking return to the U.K. The opening sketch took place at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and featured Harry (Jack Shep) and Meghan (Ayoade Bamgboye) arriving to be greeted by King Charles (Larry Dean) and Queen Camilla (Emma Sidi). “Don’t tell me you spent all your Netflix money already,” Charles tells the couple, to which Harry replies, “It was $60 million! How long was it meant to last?” Video |
 [9/11] The “Memorial Remembrance” conducted today at the Key Largo School was an extremely uplifting event, which healed and comforted all present. It was a deeply sought after and exceedingly welcomed combination of cathartic emotions, which brought comfort and a certain type of healing.The work, dedication and preparation that goes into maintaining a “superior learning environment” that creatively integrates the educational needs of their students with the community and nation-at-large, reflects the heroic and courageous undertakings of unswerving professionals at the Key Largo School. ~John Donnelly |
| [Uses For Old Hard Drives] Depending on what you use your computer for, one of the first things you might need to upgrade is your hard drive. What would have seemed like an endless supply of storage space just a few years ago can fill up quickly if you’re saving large files. With the seemingly infinite cascade of content available online, that’s a more likely outcome than ever before. Old Hard Drives Uses |
 With all the talk and worry over AI canceling out humans… |
| [Captain Doom and Gloom Part 2] They just designed one from the old Model 100 days and DOS, so they could sell, sell, sell you new junk. All Windows is still basically the old uiop8 bit OS, with fancy mods to make you think you bought something new. Don’t believe me? Just ask any computer builder. |
 [Freeze-Dried Houses] Mars astronauts could live in houses 3D-printed from freeze-dried yeast. A new method concocts concrete-strength material from sand and gelatin. Link |
| U.S. consumer sentiment fell in early September, as higher fuel prices and fresh trade tensions have people bracing for more pressure on their pocketbooks. The University of Michigan’s preliminary sentiment index fell to 47.8 in September from 51.7, its second straight month of decline. |
 Smelling coffee can change your mood. Five minutes of coffee aroma was linked to shifts in mood and brain activity. Link |
| [Dead Eye] There here! I shot 3 tiny iguana and one very large iguanas (all head shots) this week. It must be breeding season. |
 The record price of diesel threatens to stoke inflation at a time when consumers are already price-sensitive and businesses are reeling from higher costs due to trade tensions. The national average price of a gallon of diesel topped $6 for the first time ever, AAA said Friday. That’s up 60% from a year earlier. It’s a terrible time to be an independent truck driver who has to pay for his own fuel. |
| Ford has recalled more than 220,000 2023-2027 Ford F-150 vehicles due to a fuel tank defect that could increase the risk of a crash or fire. GM recalls 2024 Silverados, and Sierras because brake faults may go unwarned. |
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| [25 Years of Mass Surveillance Is Enough] One of the many legacies of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 is the government-wide shift from targeted surveillance—such as individual wiretaps or pen register/trap and trace orders—to mass surveillance techniques—such as tapping into the internet backbone or mass collection of telephone or internet metadata. The legal and technical architecture of modern mass surveillance, initially framed as a necessary defense against terrorist threats, has grown far beyond that justification and national security in general. Mass surveillance is now a routine tool used by law enforcement. ICE uses it in immigration actions and against people exercising their First Amendment rights to protest. It’s also increasingly part of private security systems, such as facial recognition at venues such as Madison Square Garden and networked Flock license plate capture systems on roads and in parking lots. Link |
 [New Old Tomb] Archaeologists working at Saqqara have uncovered a roughly 4,400-year-old mastaba tomb belonging to a high-ranking Egyptian official and his father. Link |
| [Rail Sabotage] Parts of the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, have been hit by major rail disruption after suspected sabotage to the tracks. Pipes and cables were placed on the tracks in multiple locations, causing major disruption to rail traffic. Link |
 Why I can’t stop thinking about Papua New Guinea and what I think everyone should know about it. Link |
| [Architecture] The desecration of DC: from a giant arch to a nuke-proof bunker, Trump’s legacy-building blingfest is an architectural atrocity. Link |
 [Games] There are only twelve 4×4 sudokus – and a cool trick for finding minimal subsets. Link |
| Coilltean Caillte (Gaelic for ‘Forgotten Woodlands’) is a partnership project that has mapped over 15,000 Scottish place-names that suggest the presence of woodland. Many of the names appear in areas of ancient woodland, but others lie in open ground. Could these be the locations of long-forgotten woodlands? Link |
 Adversarial fashion confronts surveillance norms. Adversarial attire can’t stop AI cameras, but can disrupt them. Each pattern is a colorful geometric abstraction he has tested against 11 object detection models—four that search faces, two that recognize faces, and five that detect people—most of which are publicly available. Successful patterns thwart the object-detection systems, lowering their confidence scores, sometimes even to the point of no detection. Privacy is a human right, and the popularity of this just goes to show that people are interested in preserving their privacy. Link |
| [Energy Rebates] More than 8.2 million New York households will begin receiving energy rebate checks of up to $200 starting September 21 as part of a $1 billion state relief program. Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced that eligible residents will get the payments as the state attempts to help New Yorkers cope with rising utility bills and other household expenses. Link |
| [Game] Spaceships and asteroids. Link |
| The current Coconut Telegraph was published on 9/15/26 at 9:05 am. |
 [For Sale] Pellet Gun Gamo Swarm Maxxim 10X GEN 2 Multi-Shot Air Rifle. Two 10-round .177 clips. 3 x 9 variable scope. Box of pellets. $200 new. Half price used $100. b33043@outlook.com Video |
 [For Sale] Folding scaffold 30L x 12w x 20h. 4 scaffolds (not sold separately) New $200, Big Pine Key pick-up half-price: $100. Excellent condition.b33043@outlook.com Link |
 [For Sale] Crossman P1377 American Classic Variable-Pump .177-Caliber Pellet Air Pistol. New $70. For Sale $25. 800 feet per second. Pick up on Big Pine Key. b33043@outlook.com Video |
| Snapshots taken from Big Pine Key looking North between Annette Key and Mayo Key every Friday evening since 2023. You may hover to view a photo, see the date of the photo, or use the left or right arrows on the images. |
