The Links, The Lists -- September 25, 2022

I wouldn't bother posting these if they weren't important.

1. Gasoline costs by state. Texas has bragging rights, beating out Oklahoma.

• California: maintains title as most expensive; $2 / gallon more than Texas

2. Covid-19 stats. Many sites have quit tracking. 

This blog has quit tracking. Fortunately Johns Hopkins continues to track and may have the best website of all. Since the outbreak / lock down back in March, 2020, the winter flu season, 2022 - 2023 may be most interesting / most important. Western countries: approximately 85% of citizens have had at least one Covid-19 vaccination. 

3. Amazon revenue by segment.

• I would combine "online stores" -- $66 billion and third-party seller services -- $30 billion, but I understand the distinction.
• web services: $18 billion
  
• all segments to show healthy increase year-over-year

**********************************
Meanwhile

1. In the big scheme of things, that was a minor weather event. I nuclear reactor would have easily withstood the wind and the rain. Solar panels? Not so much. Link here.

2. Sweden: shutting down public charging posts for EVs -- electricity is too expensive. Link here. Greta: no comment.

3. Killed by the iPhone. Link here.

Last December (2021), Canon announced that they would be shuttering development and production of the DSLR sometime in the next few years. 

As the largest producer of digital cameras, Canon’s announcement sent a shockwave through the industry—and this July (2022), rumors began to swirl that Nikon would soon be following Canon’s lead, and similarly discontinuing their DSLRs. While Nikon hasn’t expressly confirmed the rumors—in fact, they issued a press release this month calling the reports “speculation”—there’s been a downward trend in development and production of the DSLR camera. 

The DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera became popular around the start of the new millennium, with companies like Nikon, Canon, and Fujifilm all producing DSLRs for the consumer-level market. 

With big sensors and lightning fast shutter speeds, the DSLR quickly became favored by many professional photographers. 

Then came Instagram in 2010. Smartphones had been equipped with photographic capabilities for several years, but their capabilities had expanded with each iteration. 

By 2010, the iPhone had a camera with a 5 megapixel lens, capable of recording HD video. With the push of a new social media giant, clocking over 10 million registered users in its first year, smartphone imagery began to take over the internet.

************************
Recipe

The best way to fry an egg.

Link here.

Spanish fried eggs, called huevos fritos, are as decadent as fried eggs come. 

Instead of using just a little bit of olive oil or butter, they’re fried in a very generous amount of olive oil — and they’re basted in the oil while they cook. 

The result is a fried egg with seriously crispy, lacy edges and a just-set yolk that practically melts in your mouth. 

To prepare a Spanish fried egg, pour about 1/4-inch of olive oil into a small, heavy skillet. Heat it over medium-high heat until it’s extremely hot (but not smoking). Crack one egg into a ramekin or mug. When the oil is hot, carefully slip the egg in and reduce the heat to medium-low. Then spoon some of the oil over the egg as it cooks. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon after no more than 1 1/2 minutes (when the white puffs and becomes crispy and golden-brown around the edges, and when the yolk still jiggles). Serve sprinkled with a bit of flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper.