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❖ THE GRIPE ❖
A Personal Affront, Reported Faithfully
My airline is about to owe me less. Starting October 19, a new Department of Transportation rule takes 10 kinds of flight disruptions off the list where airlines must cover hotels and meal vouchers. The list includes unscheduled maintenance, overheated brakes, baggage system outages, cyberattacks, medical emergencies, unruly passengers and airports closed by volcanic ash or wind. Unscheduled maintenance is the one I have sat through most. The plane breaks, and under the new rule that counts as outside the control of the company that owns the plane and fixes it. Tom Spagnola of CheapOair expects some frustration with the customers. He is being polite on our behalf. Airlines can still choose to help, so the hotel voucher is now a favor I ask for at the gate at midnight. I have started packing a toothbrush and a clean shirt in my carry-on for every flight, including the short ones.
❖ THE DAMAGE REPORT ❖
Today's News, Ranked By How Much It Ruined My Mood
🔥 MOST ENRAGING
Micron's chief executive, Sanjay Mehrotra, says the company sees demand exceeding supply in 2027 and 2028, with “no line of sight to when supply and demand will return to balance.” AI data centers are buying up the memory, and Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have already raised console prices because of it. Micron is spending $25 billion on new factories that open in 2028, which is the year the shortage is still expected to be here.
😩 MOST EXHAUSTING
The money comes from the Medicare Improvement Fund, set up in 2008, and goes out in early October by direct deposit or paper check to most Part B enrollees. President Trump announced checks “of nearly $100.” The standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month, so the check covers less than half of one month. In an announcement, $90 rounds up to nearly $100. On a premium bill it rounds down to half.
😤 UNREASONABLY ANNOYING
Apple says a small number of the phones on AT&T can lose service and fail to make calls, some dropping into SOS mode while still showing signal bars. It released iOS 27.0.1 this week to help prevent the problem. Phones that already have it cannot be fixed with software and need a hardware replacement. Apple's most expensive iPhone is having trouble with the part where it is a phone.
🤷 SOMEHOW ALSO HAPPENING
The City Council passed the Workers Drive Minneapolis ordinance 7 to 6 on Thursday. It would require a special city license and a human driver in the vehicle on every trip. Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed it Friday and called it a “back door ban.” An override takes 9 votes. A licensed human driving a car for hire around Minneapolis already has a name, and it is a taxi.
I Almost Threw Out My Keurig. It Wasn't Broken.
Every cup from my Keurig started tasting weak, flat, stale — so I unplugged it and stuck it in a closet. Then I learned the dirty secret of grocery store K-Cups: by the time a pod reaches your kitchen, it's usually spent months going from factory to warehouse to truck to shelf. The flavor oils are long gone. Some brands even over-roast to hide it.
The fix wasn't a new machine. It was fresh pods from Angelino's, a family-owned L.A. roastery that roasts, packs, and ships within 3–5 days — straight to your door, from 39¢ a cup. Over 1,000,000 happy customers. 50+ flavors, no subscription required, and 15% off your first order, applied automatically at checkout.
❖ AND SOME OTHER STUFF ❖
Briefly, And With Limited Enthusiasm
▸ Idaho took back the world record for the largest serving of French fries, at 1,474 pounds. The old record of 1,452.85 pounds had been held by India since 2018. Thomas Watson of Spud Daddy said Idaho should have that record, and about 1,700 pounds of raw potatoes were cut to settle the matter.
▸ Erik Klehr of Henderson, Minnesota, set Iowa's pumpkin record with a 2,497.5-pound pumpkin named Chuck. It won $7,000 at Pumpkinfest in Anamosa. “We set out three years ago to grow a large porch pumpkin, and then I just took it too far,” he said.
▸ The Braves knocked the Phillies out of the playoffs, 6 to 2. Since the 2022 World Series, each Phillies postseason has ended at the same round or sooner: the NL Championship Series, two division series and now the wild card. At this rate next October is a short month in Philadelphia.
✦ THE ONE GOOD THING
Fine. Scientists from Nova Southeastern University put 20 small underwater umbrellas over corals in Newfound Harbor in the Florida Keys. The shades were PVC pipe and nylon fabric, set a foot above the coral, and they cut the light by 60 percent. Through the second-highest heat stress on record, the shaded corals bleached less and none of them died. Some got color back after the shades went in, says Dr. Karen Neely, who led the study. I am putting the patio umbrella back up, and Larry gets the shady side.
If your flight breaks down, ask for the hotel anyway. You have until the 19th.
THE GRUMP · (AND LARRY)