iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 11h

Happy #Caturday blue sky people! Here's a cat from our neighbourhood, just stopped by the other day to look around the house and get some strokes.

Close up photo of a white cat with a grey face and an inquiring look, outside our door. I found it belongs to a neighbor. Cat looks to be either a Birman or Ragdoll. Rarely see the neighbors bit will ask next time I do.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 02/10/2026

Wishing all you lovely blue sky people a peaceful end to your day…

Evening sky over the suburban garden in England with clouds tinted by the setting sun and Loan bird flying home to roost

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 02/10/2026

The Graham Fulford Charitable Trust (GFCT) facilitates PSA testing all over the UK. See: tgfct.org.uk/Testing-and-... #ProstateCancer #PSATests #PSATesting #PCa

The Graham Fulford Charitable Trust (GFCT) faciliates PSA testing all over the UK. The trust was set up by Graham Fulford to promote awareness of prostate cancer following the diagnosis of a close friend who died at the age of 58 and a close family member who died in 2007 from prostate cancer after a valiant fight. The trust started providing PSA testing in 2004. Together with partners, GFCT has been involved in testing thousands of men for prostate awareness. Consequently, there have been many cancers identified that otherwise may not have been discovered.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 02/10/2026

Happy weekend, lovely Blue sky people! Don’t forget to take a moment to stop and smell the roses or be one with the cosmos.

A close up photo of a Cosmos flower. Cosmos are herbaceous perennial plants or annual plants growing 0.3–2 metres (1–6+1⁄2 ft) tall. The leaves are simple, pinnate, or bipinnate, and arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are produced in a capitulum with a ring of broad ray florets and a center of disc florets; flower color varies noticeably between the different species. The genus includes several ornamental plants popular in gardens. Numerous hybrids and cultivars have been selected and named. — Wikipedia

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 29/09/2026

Old folks looking after old folks: in England, 82% of carers who care for someone aged 75 or older are themselves 75 or older. (Examples: my cousin (79) looking after her mum (102), or me in less than two years.) For more on the burden of care, see my latest: www.cobbsblog.com/2026/09/unpa...

A bar chart from the Survey of adult carers in England 2025 to 2026 published by the UK Government. The bars indicate the age of people caring for someone, grouped by the age of the person cared for. For example, 82% of carers who care for someone aged 75 or older are themselves 75 or older.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/survey-of-adult-carers-in-england-2025-to-2026-report/survey-of-adult-carers-in-england-2025-to-2026-commentary

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 25/09/2026

My wife was diagnosed with hemochromatosis in 2008. Her health has been something of a nightmare ever since. Helping ourselves and others understand this pernicious genetic condition has been part of our coping strategy. In 2009, I started the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Hemochromato...

Screenshot of the haemochromatosis page on Facebook, as in facebook.com/Haemochromatosis

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 16/09/2026

Attention art lovers, content creators, and meme makers: the MET just dropped a whole bunch of royalty-free hi-res images on @unsplash.com. unsplash.com/@metropolita...

Image is detail from Pygmalion and Galatea, Artist: Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, Vesoul 1824–1904 Paris), Date: ca. 1890, Medium: Oil on canvas. Uploaded by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 14/09/2026

Good morning lovely blue sky people! Greetings from the middle of England, 100 miles from the sea. The Coventry and Warwick University Hospital campus is bordered by several mediaeval streams, one of which is lurking in the greenery in the foreground of this photo. Hence the life belt on a pole.

Photo of a road in England bordered by sick green foliage, with an electricity pylon in the background. In the foreground is a life belt on a pole. That’s because there is a small stream flowing through the foliage. That stream has been there for thousands of years. Only in recent years did somebody decide it would be prudent to place a life belt nearby, possibly for fear of lawsuits?

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 13/09/2026

Squirrel! That’s it, that’s the post! That and: Have a great day lovely blue sky people!

Close-up photo of a squirrel standing on some bricks in an English garden.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 13/09/2026

Are you in Coventry in September? There's loads to see and do during Heritage Open Days, including taking the stairs up the 3rd highest cathedral spire in the UK. It survived heavy bombing in WW2 and offers a breath-taking 360˚ view (I've seen it myself). www.heritageopendays.org.uk/whats-on/pri...

Coventry's medieval cathedral spire offers a breath-taking 360˚ view (I can personally attest to that). Third highest cathedral in the UK - soaring over 100 metres high.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 11/09/2026

Good night lovely blue sky people! May you wake to sunshine and roses.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 10/09/2026

We've been told: "The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." To which I say: not unless we allow it or enable it.

A meme with the words "AI won't kill us all by itself" against a background of bombed out buildings and dark skies

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 10/09/2026

Thanks to Jade Koroliuk for sharing this striking image of war damage in Kyiv on Unsplash unsplash.com/photos/a-ver...

Image of war damage in Kyiv with shattered buildings against dark clouds, from Unspalsh by Jade Koroliuk.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 10/09/2026

Thanks to @mrjelveh for making this excellent photo available on @unsplash 🎁 unsplash.com/photos/a-lon...

Lone tree on a rocky landscape amid fog. Masouleh, Gilan Province, Iran

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 09/09/2026

Have a good evening lovely blue sky people! May your seas be calm and soothing.

Late afternoon on the Pacific coast of Baja California. Sun sparkles on the ocean as gentle waves break on dark rocks.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 04/09/2026

According to US Secretary of the Interior Secretary Burgum, work has started on, checks quote, "the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck. Military Observation Deck? To observe Soviet style parades? Invading forces? Incoming drone attacks?

Artist rendering of another great big monstrosity that Trump is illegally building in America's capital. This one is "the Great Triumphal Arch and Military Observation Deck."

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 03/09/2026

Hope you have had or are having a lovely evening blue sky people. The clouds today put on a cool pre-sunset show.

Photo of pre-sunset clouds over an English garden

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 02/09/2026

Speaking of Cobbs, here's a big, strong, and quite famous one: the Cobb at Lyme Regis. First mentioned in writing in 1328, it's been rebuilt and repaired many times. Featured in Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion and John Fowles' novel The French Lieutenant's Woman (and film thereof feat. Meryl Streep).

Photo of waves breaking over The Cobb at Lyme Regis. Posted on https://lovelymeregis.co.uk/blog/storms. First mentioned in writing in 1328, this Cobb has been rebuilt and repaired many times due to severe storm damage. The landmark features in Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion and John Fowles' novel The French Lieutenant's Woman, as well as its award-winning film adaptation starring Meryl Streep.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 02/09/2026

Rose Noir When you stop to smell the roses, but your thoughts are still dark. I think it happens to us all at times. Time to take a deep breath, get centred, and embrace hope. Yes, there still is Hope.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 31/08/2026

Google and the tech billionaires are now officially just as mad and twisted as the american dictator Trump. Evidence: if you are using the Internet outside America, Google Maps shows you Lake Ontario, but if you are inside America, or VPN into the US, it shows you the Trump dictated Lake America.

This is a diagram composed of three screenshots. The background is a screenshot of Google Maps mislabelling Lake Ontario as Lake America. In the top left we see that Google correctly names Lake Ontario when viewed by people connecting from Europe. In the lower right we see that using a VPN to view Google Maps from an American Internet connection reveals the Lake America debacle.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 31/08/2026

Thanks for this. I'm sure you're right about the emails. This morning, I found that if you VPN to the US from the UK then Google Maps says Lake Ontario is Lake America. Google now officially as insane as the president of the United States.

Screenshot of Google Maps showing Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America if you VPN from the UK to the US. Google now officially as insane as the president of the United States.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 30/08/2026

This screenshot showing that 37 minutes after being posted, this video was viewed over 3,700 times and garnered over 3,000 comments. The video is 10 minutes and 10 seconds of empty silence, signifying "I rather watch silence than AI generated music videos."

A screenshot showing that 37 minutes after being posted, this video was viewed over 3,700 times and garnered over 3,000 comments. The video is 10 minutes and 10 seconds of empty silence, signifying "I rather watch silence than AI generated music videos"

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 30/08/2026

Just a reminder: I am @chuffed on @unsplash.com and I have shared 50 of my best photos for folks to use. They've been viewed over 1 million times in the last six years. With over 15,000 downloads, I am one of the top 10% of Unsplash contributors. Will be sharing more next month. #StreetPhotography

A collage of eight photos from the Stephen Cobb collection on @Unsplash, shared as @chuffed. With just 50 photos posted since 2020 he achieved over 1 million views and 15,000 downloads, putting him in the top 10% of contributors. Clockwise from top left: a canal basin in Coventry, England, Jacaranda trees in San Diego, a government building in Slovakia, a beach in Mexico, buildings in San Diego, a canal junction and winding pool, and another shot of construction of the latest federal courthouse in San Diego.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 29/08/2026

Today’s forecast for Coventry, bands of rain, like this one. Also chilly. Stay warm and dry lovely blue sky people!

Storm clouds over the west side of Coventry, England.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 28/08/2026

The very welcome recent reigns have perked up the Sherborne, seen here near the medieval monastery at Charterhouse, southeast of Coventry’s city centre.

Charterhouse is a medieval monastic house connected by acres of green space to Coventry's bustling urban community. The River Sherbourne is a river that flows through the city of Coventry in old Warwickshire in the middle of England. The name Sherbourne is said to derive from Scir Burna, "clear stream" in Old English.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 28/08/2026

Happy Friday lovely blue sky people. Safe travel and soft landings to all who are on the move.

San Diego's Little Italy is right under the flight path of planes coming into the city's airport, into which I used to fly as many as 20 times a year. In fact, pilots need special certification to land at SAN (IATA Code) KSAN (ICAO Code). I used to love flying and did not mind the jets overhead while out walking or having coffee. I now think the pollution was/is a serious health hazard.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 26/08/2026

Good evening, lovely blue sky people! Wishing you a peaceful end to your day

Sunset sky over houses in Middle England. The dying rays of the day illuminate the clouds in beautiful colours I can’t quite name (I’m somewhat colourblind).

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 26/08/2026

Fun fact about the hereditary hemochromatosis that RFK Jr. allegedly says he has: it can turn your skin bronze. A friend of mine whose brother died from HH: his skin looked like RFK Jr.'s. In ye olden days HH was called "bronze diabetes" (and yes, HH can give you diabetes). See www.celticcurse.org

Photo from the New York Times showing the face of RFK Jr., which could be discoloured by hereditary haemochromatosis.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 26/08/2026

Yesterday, August 25, was the 87th anniversary of the IED that killed 5 people in Coventry. The IRA bomb exploded in the carrier basket of a bike placed in the city's main shopping area. My aunt was on her lunch break from a store nearby. WW2 started a week later. www.coventry.gov.uk/local-histor...

Old newspaper photo showing site of the fatal 1939 terrorist bombing in Coventry. Planted in the carrier basket of a bike left outside a shop on one of the city's main shopping streets, the IRA bomb detonated at 2:30pm, leaving 5 dead and 70 injured.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 25/08/2026

This is for all the Cobbs out there — here's two more for you, and a handsome pair they are at that. I'm pretty sure they're distant cousins on my dad's side. (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cob)

Photo of two Cobs, as in "crusty bread roll shaped like a squashed ball, commonly used in the English Midlands" see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bread_rolls

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 24/08/2026

Good morning lovely blue sky people! Recent rain has perked up the back garden, just when we thought many of the plants were done for by the drought. #Gratitude

Wide angle photo of a small back garden in the middle of England against the blue sky with fluffy white clouds

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 23/08/2026

Here we see US President Trump surrounded by massive amounts of "gold embellishment" at his Mar-a-Lago facility in Palm Beach, Florida, January, 2026. We can expect the White House and adjacent ballroom to look a lot like this before he departs.

Photo of massive amounts of "gold accent" around US President Trump, speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, January, 2026 by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images. This was at the ceremony for changing the name of Southern Boulevard, the road from his house to Palm Beach Airport to Donald Trump Way or something equally ridiculous.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 22/08/2026

Happy #Caturday lovely blue sky people. Are we relaxed yet? I hope you're having the weekend you want.

Photo off English tabby cat curled up on a blanket with her head upside down, looking at the camera, but her right front paw is covering her right eye

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 20/08/2026

One of the many delightful nooks and crannies in the splendid book maze that is Astley Book Farm, near Nuneaton, in the middle of England (the land of William Shakespeare and George Elliott). Well worth a visit: astleybookfarm.com

A poster on a bookcase in a used bookstore. The poster reads at the top “it’s not hoarding“ above an illustration in the style of 1950s magazine showing a woman reading a book next to a pile of books, with bookshelves in the background. Below this it says “if it’s books“. Astley Book Farm.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 20/08/2026

Yes, 100% - I've been telling American friends that since the late seventies. germanculture.com.ua/german-facts...

This appears to be a historic hand-colored photograph features children playing on a cobblestone street in front of a traditional half-timbered (Fachwerk) house in Germany, with a sign reading "Kirche, Küche, Kinder" (Church, Kitchen, Children) mounted on the wall. Published in a German web page but with no attribution.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 17/08/2026

A prostate biopsy shows amount of cancer cells and their level of "aggression" (how abnormal the cancer cells look versus healthy prostate cells, indicating how quickly the cancer might grow/spread). In 2021, my first biopsy found tiny amount, non-aggressive. Technically Grade Group 1 (3+3=7) 🧵 4/7

Text diagram titled prostate cancer (PCA) diagnostic stages, below which we see four boxes and three lines of text: box 1 says PSA test, below it says if high relative to age; box 2 says MRI, below it says if signs of cancer; Box 3 says biopsy, below it says determines treatment, Box 4 is labelled treatment

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 14/08/2026

Purple Jacaranda trees on Ash Street in San Diego. Taken April 23 2016, when I was walking home from work two days after Prince died. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekFforFilms #ECK #PurpleFriday #FlowersOnFriday #FloralFriday #dailyflowers 🌱 #flowerreport #bloomscrolling

Photo of purple Jacaranda blossoms on Ash Street in Little Italy, San Diego. Taken two days after the much loved musician Prince died in 2016.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 13/08/2026

And here we are, an hour after reading that criminals are hijacking the look and feel the BBC to cheat and steal, and this crap appears in my browser #Scam #Fraud

Screenshot of a criminally fraudulent fake website posing as BBC News. Check the fine print in the URL and it's nothing to do with the BBC. The ethically challenged creators of this webpage have used the following headline to tempt people to click: "Bank of England governor walks out of BBC breakfast after clash with Emma Willis.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 11/08/2026

As true today for AI as it was at the advent of the PC era. A legendary criminological insight.

This is a quote from sociologists Felson and Cohen about crime: “the opportunity for predatory crime appears to be enmeshed in the opportunity structure for legitimate activities” from a 1979/80 paper: Human ecology and crime: a routine activity approach

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 10/08/2026

Now wondering why anyone thought both should be called badgers.

Photo shows an American "badger" next to an English/European badger. The latter is Meles meles, whereas the former in Taxidea taxus, so they are not even the same genus.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 10/08/2026

The English badger, seen here, is also known as the European badger (Meles meles) but is NOT closely related to the American badger (Taxidea taxus).

Photo of a European badger (Meles meles), also English badger, also known as the Eurasian badger, is a species of badger in the family Mustelidae native to Europe and West Asia and parts of Central Asia

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 09/08/2026

What's up lovely blue sky people? I have to confess I spend quite a lot of time looking at the sky. This looked like a rocket at first glance, but it's a commercial airliner, passing through a very diverse cloudscape over middle England. Without context, it could be a submarine missile launch.

Photo of comtrail from a passenger jet passing through clouds over middle England, with lower clouds looking like a pond and the upper clouds looking like ordinary clouds

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 08/08/2026

Happy #Caturday lovely blue sky people! May your cat stroking elicit purrs and not pain :-)

This is a Nathan Pyle comic about the dangers of stroking a cat, told in 4 panels

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 06/08/2026

Just for fun: Of the 54 photos I have on Unsplash, these are the top nine in terms of downloads.

We see a 3x3 grid of photos that are shared for royalty free download on unsplash.com by the user 'chuffed'. The number of views and downloads of each image are recorded. The top row of images is an English meadow, an example of a legal UK prescription for cannabis, and an intercontinental ballistic missile. The second row shows the same missile from a different angle, a lone palm tree on a beach, a steam train. The third row is a view of Manhattan, an image of a building reflected in another building, and the San Diego skyline viewed from San Diego Bay.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 06/08/2026

Greetings lovely blue sky people! Here are some recent additions to my royalty-free photo gallery on Unsplash. From San Diego to Baja California to Salvador Bahia. (Fun fact: I'm one of the top 10 @unsplash.com contributors, based on downloads.) #StreetPhotography #Photography unsplash.com/@chuffed

Four photos by Stephen Cobb (@chuffed on Unsplash). On the left are jacaranda trees in San Diego, California. On the right from top to bottom we see Cathedral Basilica in Salvador Bahia, Brazil; a rocky Pacific shore in Baja, California, Mexico; and a view of a federal courthouse being constructed in San Diego, USA.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 04/08/2026

Hope you’re having a fun day lovely blue blue sky people! Be sure to stay cool and hydrated if it’s hot where you are. #Birds #BirdBath #Photography

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 04/08/2026

Have now completed my makeover of the old Cobb's Blog (founded 2005). New version is more readable and easier to navigate across devices (laptops and phones). Check it out at cobbsblog.com

Screenshot of Cobb's Blog revised template, August, 2026

Screenshot of Cobb's Blog before makeover in July of 2026

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 02/08/2026

First Cosmos bloom of the year. So glad my partner planted these. When I think of "flowers" this is what comes to mind, an archetypal flower. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos_...

Photo of a Cosmos bloom. There plants are easy-to-grow in England and feature saucer-shaped blooms. They bloom from summer through autumn, thriving in poor to average well-drained soil.

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Stephen or Steve "EMV" Cobb @scobb.net · 02/08/2026

I know I'm not the first point this out, but Fox News is both ignorant and shameless. Walking into Ceuta from Morocco is like walking into Guantanamo from Cuba. It's not good, but it's not an invasion of America.

Image of the country of Spain has seen on Google Maps with three annotations. First, in the middle, a Fox News headline "migrants storm border of northern Spain". Above that we see the general location of Spain's Northern Border indicated on the map. At the bottom ot he image we see the loation border of Ceuta's border, which across the sea in Africa, south of Spain.

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