Good week/bad week

Good week for:

Data recovery, after a Taiwanese man accidentally swallowed one of his Apple AirPod earbuds and heard it playing music in his belly. He recovered the device after it passed through his digestive tract, and found the AirPod still working and with its battery at 41 percent.

Low-tech solutions, after fire officials announced a plan to release hundreds of goats into the forest and scrubland north of Los Angeles. The goats eat brush, thus diminishing the risk of devastating fires. “They’re very effective,” said Capt. Kenneth Van Wig.

Finishing second, after Country House was declared the winner of the Kentucky Derby by stewards, who ruled that first-place finisher Maximum Security veered in front of other horses and impeded their progress—the first such disqualification in the 145-year history of the race.

Bad week for:

Running 26.2 miles, with an admission by the organizers of Ireland’s Belfast City Marathon that due to “human error,” the course for this year’s race was 0.293 miles too long.

Spelling, after President Trump retweeted a call for him to extend his term in office, explaining in a follow-up tweet that “they have stollen two years of my (our) Presidency (Collusion Delusion).” Stollen is a festive German bread containing fruit and nuts.

Continuity, after sharp-eyed fans of Game of Thrones, HBO’s fantasy epic, spotted a modern paper coffee cup, complete with plastic lid and corrugated cardboard heat sheath, sitting on one of the show’s medieval banquet tables.

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