Frankly Speaking

Dad.
Enginerd.
Occasional smartass.
Free speech includes conflicting opinions.
Likes & Retweets don't necessarily mean agreement.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

I asked Grok to create congressional maps with these basic instructions: Using the latest available US census data, create a map of US congressional districts for each state with the following rules, in addition to those set in the U.S. Constitution for districting:
1. Each district is as close to a square as possible, given state borders and populations.
2. Within each state, each district's population is as equal as possible.
3. There must be no partisan considerations. (No bias toward any political party.)
4. There must be no racial considerations.
5. Rural areas must not be subsumed by urban interests.
- Ensure you include all 50 states, placing Alaska and Hawaii in the upper left and lower left borders, respectively.
- Produce 3 such possible maps. For example, while still following the rules, you may start creating districts in the NW corner vs NE corner or SE corner, or state center, etc., resulting in different district borders, but satisfying all rules. (NOTE: after some dialog, it was decided that the three would be one that prioritized rectangular/orthogonal grid-like districts, one that applied Polsby-Popper to create smooth, organic shaped districts, and one that balanced grid & organic.)
- Color-code each map indicating which districts would be dominated by Republicans (red) and which would be dominated by Democrats (blue), based upon voter registration roles for each party. Use or 3 shades of each color to indicate how strongly they're dominated, with the deeper colors indicting stronger dominance.
- Include a legend on each map that indicates the number of districts that would be dominated by each of the two parties, and if any, how many districts would be toss-ups in an election.

It took a few iterations to get Grok to colorize the maps properly with correct legends (it doesn't seem to be very good at drawing), but eventually got it right.

SEATS BY PARTY:
Map 1 (orthogonal / grid):
R=230-240
D=175-185
Toss-up=15-25
Map 2 (Polsby-Popper / organic):
R=210-220
D=195-205
Toss-up=15-25
Map 3: Balanced of 1 & 2:
R=220-230
D=185-195
Toss-up=15-25.

The conclusion: Drawing districts fairly, even with slightly varying prioritization on shapes, Republicans dominate the country, but the margin varies some between three non-partisan district shapes. Democrats have been winning thanks to gerrymandering.

If you doubt me, you can see the entire prompt with clarifications here:
https://t.co/9xPrB1Mc97

If you're curious, the term gerrymandering came from the Massachusetts governor, Elbridge Gerry, of the "Democratic-Republican" party (ironic, eh?) creating oddly shaped districts to win control over senate seats.

The Democratic-Republican Party split into two separate factions following the contentious 1824 presidential election -- The Democratic Party: Led by Andrew Jackson and organized by Martin Van Buren, this faction shortened its name to the Democrats by 1828. It exists today as the modern Democratic Party. The National Republican Party: Led by John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay, this faction opposed Jackson. In the 1830s, it merged with other anti-Jackson groups to form the Whig Party. (The modern Republican Party is not a direct descendant of the Democratic-Republicans; it was formed later, in 1854, by anti-slavery activists and former Whigs.)

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

Yep. You're clean. If you hang it up and have enough airflow to dry the towel reasonably soon, it's good for days. Thin towels are better for this. When towels get stinky, it's usually because they didn't dry quickly, just like if you forgot a load of clean laundry in the washer and it stinks.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@AntiWokeMemes No vacancy. Go home.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

Those dirty rings!
Ancient Chinese secret, eh?
It's not nice to fool mother nature!
Choo-choo Charlie was an engineer...
Aye, yi, yi-yi, I am the Frito Bandito.
Winston tastes good like a (tap tap) cigarette should.
Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
The bigger the burger the better the burger - the burgers are bigger at Burger King.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@Kinza1278 That's a tough one. There is just one thing that had I known then, I wonder if I'd have married her or not. On the other hand, I absolutely love my kids though, and she gave me them. Life is too short for such "what if" questions. Make the best of what you have and move forward.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@trumplicans2024 Bonanza, Ponderosa, Der Weinerschnitzel, Dog & Suds, Prince Castle, Wimpy, Howard Johnson's, Stuckey's (there are a few left, but there used to be tons) likewise for A&W.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@Oceanbreeze473 We need to replace all warning signs and stickers with "I dare you to" ones to help clean the gene pool.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@7why__ydm Well, lugging around a phone, not to mention how expensive and how entangled a several mile long cord would have been was simply impractical.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

PS - slight warning: both the first episode of Stargate SG-1 and the first episode of Mr. Maisel have brief nudity, so if you have young kids, maybe watch the first episodes without them. Some brief nudity in The Expanse now and then.

Personally I love Stargate. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Often injects humor. The first 3 seasons were actually filmed on 16mm film, so picture quality isn't great, but 4-7 were 35mm and 8-10 were HD. All of Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe were HD. (Universe is kind of dark, very unlike the other two.)

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

I'm currently loving Manhatten on Prime, but it has only 2 seasons so far.
How about Young Sheldon? Malcolm in the Middle?
Scrubs?
Moonlighting?
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?
House?
Friends?
Corner Gas?

If you like sci-fi, you can't go wrong with ~17 seasons of Stargate's three series or BSG or The Expanse.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@Kristinartz Do I count?
Hmmm...what else...One of my guitars is about that old. Oh, and possibly the bottle of Worcestershire sauce at the back of my fridge.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@itsCozyBella Silly me. I thought I could have both. Peace. Definitely peace...and laughter.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@NoDMsPerfavore Huggy 🧸

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@cynicallycute My handy Ace hardware is fantastic...but I still go to HD about half the time because it's a little cheaper...and then sometimes to Ace after because HD didn't have what I needed. Ace has never let me down.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@PlanetOfMemes Why is the black to white ratio so unbalanced?

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@miles_commodore Binge-watching was the only way to watch that show without a week of anxiety between episodes. I watched the first season in about 30 hours, so almost in real-time! 😬

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@fakeftedd

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@ALadyNamedKatie Hello pretty lady who is looking into her phone.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

😭 I introduced it to my kids years ago and have rewatched all 3 series with them several times. They would have LOVED a new one. In fact they were both very hopeful about this new one, bringing it to my attention before even I heard about it. The freaking @Amazon / @PrimeVideo execs really blew it. They would have had viewers for GENERATIONS to come if they did it and stayed true to the originals. Complete morons!

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@Notwokenow $400-500. Do you have a Walmart nearby? They can be much cheaper, even for produce.

[Frankly Speaking @ftdatl]

@ThrillaRilla369 Yes!