bigpinekey.com’s
The only non-profit un-social media.60,000 followers.
Published on Tuesdays and Fridays.
(Big Pine Key’s garbage pick-up days)
                                              |
| Submit a post Contact Us |
 The Hula Burger was a short-lived 1960s McDonald’s sandwich featuring a grilled pineapple slice and cheese on a bun, created by Ray Kroc as a meatless option for Catholics during Lent to compete with the emerging Filet-O-Fish, but it was a massive flop, selling poorly against the fish sandwich and quickly discontinued.Useless information that you didn’t even know that you needed. |
| Venezuelans in Florida rejoice at news of Maduro’s abduction but be wary of what comes next. Link |
 [Bear Hunt] Members of the FWC agreed earlier this year to allow hunters to kill 172 black bears within four “bear hunting zones” — 68 in the East Panhandle; 31 in the North; 18 in Central Florida; and 55 in a South hunting area.Bear Warriors United tried unsuccessfully to shut down the 23-day hunt, arguing that the FWC relied on outdated data and that the hunt was politically motivated; agency staff had not initially recommended a hunt during a December 2024 presentation about its Florida Black Bear Management Plan. But Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey denied the organization’s request for an injunction. |
| [“Rude people”] I’ve noticed people who ignore you when passing are usually locals and grumpy. Tourists are usually happy. |
 The anti-vaxxers went so far right, they looped around and invented vaccinations!“What if instead of a vaccine we just were able to get exposed to a weak version of the virus that enabled us to build the antibodies we need to fight the real thing.” |
| Eliminating property taxes would make Florida’s ‘worst in the U.S.’ regressive system even worse. Florida’s state and local tax structure makes Florida an excellent place to be an affluent retiree or a wealthy investor, but not so great for working families or young couples starting out. The Sunshine State has the most “regressive” tax structure of all 50 states, according to a recent study by a national tax analysis organization. That means the wealthy pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes while the poor and middle class pay more. Link |
 [Big Pine Book Club] The book for discussion on January 17th at 10:00 am is The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni. Full Menu > Book Club |
| Coast Guard found three divers who lost sight of their boat while scuba diving off Palm Beach. Link |
 The moon really can affect your sleep, but probably not as much as your cell phone. Around the full moon, participants experienced a 30 percent drop in deep-sleep brain activity, took five minutes longer to fall asleep, and slept 20 minutes less overall. They also reported worse sleep quality and had lower levels of melatonin, the hormone that your body releases naturally at night to calm your body down and prepare you for sleep. Link |
| [Different Kind of Warfare] General John D. Caine stated: “As they approached Venezuelan shores the United States began layering different effects provided by SPACECOM, CYBERCOM, and other members of the inter-agency to create a pathway”. Cyber operations preceding traditional military actions have become a common pattern so I started digging into the reported internet outages. Link |
 [Cremation or casket?] Here’s the most eco-friendly burial option. The greenest choice turns out to be the simplest one. Link |
| Strange website. Link |
 [FEMA Buyout] The maps were created using individual data, down to the address level, from 2007 to 2017, across more than 550 counties where FEMA’s buyout program operated nationally. Zoomed out, they show just how many places the program has helped across the U.S., from coastal cities to inland towns. And, when zoomed in, they reveal the buyout locations and destinations of more than 70,000 residents who moved following FEMA-funded buyouts in their area, including more than 5,000 in the Houston area. Link |
| Researchers discovered a spongy spider web they said spanned about 1,140 square feet in a narrow passage between Albania and Greece. The web housed around 111,000 spiders, including two species of spiders that had previously been thought to be hostile to each. Video |
 [Cold Ship Repair] How to repair the underside of a ship’s hull, still in the river, in -50˚C Yakutsk, Russia, up there in the NE. |
| [Lessons From 14 Years at Google] When I joined Google 14 years ago, I thought the job was about writing great code. I was partly right. But the longer I’ve stayed, the more I’ve realized that the engineers who thrive aren’t necessarily the best programmers – they’re the ones who’ve figured out how to navigate everything around the code: the people, the politics, the alignment, the ambiguity. Link |
 [Very Rare Fish] Marine biologist would later identify it as a juvenile king-of-the-salmon, a rare ribbon fish that spends most of its time at around 3,000 feet. Very few humans have seen the unusual and mesmerizing fish alive. But when someone does, it tends to stir up both a lot of excitement and — due to a Japanese legend about ribbon fish sightings portending earthquakes and tsunamis — some amount of trepidation. Link |
| Submit a post Contact Us What are you afraid of? |
 [Slavery] The Great Resistance, an expansive new book by author and historian Carrie Gibson, brings together often unheard narratives to tell the bigger picture of a difficult time. I’ve spent a lot of time in Cuba, so I write about the Spanish-speaking world and the Spanish empire, and then there’s slavery in Brazil, which is a whole other thing. And when you’re in the scholarship, it’s linguistically divided. I wanted to bring it all together. I wanted to see what it looked like. Link |
| [Phone Camera vs Real Camera] You’ve probably carried both phones and proper cameras through countless streets, events, and gatherings, and the difference in people’s reactions is stark enough to make you question everything we think we know about privacy and consent in photography. Pull out a phone and no one notices. But pull out a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a good lens, and suddenly you’re transformed from casual observer into potential threat. Link |
[ Rain Power] Researchers have developed a technology that generates electricity from raindrops falling on rooftops, enabling the operation of drainage systems or alarm systems during heavy rainfall. Link |
| The current Coconut Telegraph was published on 1/6/25 at 8:10 am. |
  [Two Bedroom Duplex on Canal For Rent] Big Pine Key. 2 bedrooms. One bath. Unfurnished ½ Duplex on clean boating canal going to Pine Channel and coral reef. Beautiful, vaulted ceilings. Tiled floors throughout. 1500 square feet. Stainless steel stove & refrigerator, laundry room. Central A/C. Ground level. Back Porch. Port Pine Heights subdivision. Quiet neighborhood. No smokers or dogs. $2000 a month. Available now. First $2000, last $2000 and $1000 security deposit. $5000 total to move in. Utilities not included. b33043@outlook.com |
  [House For Sale] Big Pine Key. 3 bedrooms. 2 full bathrooms. House on stilts over full concrete slab. Bay window in Kitchen plus a pantry. Stainless steel appliances. Plenty of kitchen cabinets and granite counter tops. Dining area/living room. Big front porch. Large, locked storage room downstairs. Covered parking for two vehicles. Central air conditioning plus heat. Back two bedrooms have additional mini-split A/Cs. Very bright and clean and in a quite neighborhood. Laundry area in hallway. Electric bill is about $165 a month. 1125 square feet. $600,000.See it on Craigslist: Link |