to hear more about Betty and Bub’s project. Yesterday was Sunday, so this is what they posted:
Betty
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But Drabble had a good one about spring.
Drabble
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Do you suffer from allergies? Andy and I have been lucky and haven’t have that problem.
April 13, 2026
Betty
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April 12, 2026
If at all?
We will have to see.
Also, Kaitlin told me about this pup, Barney.
He failed the police exam, but he was transferred to a therapy unit and spends his day comforting nursing home residents and children in hospitals.
He’s my kind of hero.
April 11, 2025
First the update on Betty and Bub: They may do the project?
Betty
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On to Spanish:
Garfield en Español
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Garfield
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Calvin and Hobbes en Español
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Calvin and Hobbes
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Calvin and Hobbes en Español
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Calvin and Hobbes
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This is why I love Hobbes so much.
Calvin and Hobbes en Español
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Calvin and Hobbes
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April 10, 2026
Betty
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So, should they go ahead with the project or not? Some of you yesterday voted for Betty, some for Bud. I think they’re both right. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If they don’t have the money to pay for someone with a lot of experience and good recommendations, why not try to figure out how to break the project into manageable steps? That relieves a lot of pressure — especially if something goes wrong — and it means a lot of successes to celebrate when things go right.
Anyway, that’s what works for me, what about you?
April 9, 2026
Betty
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Do you agree with
I have to admit, right now with so much uncertainty in the world, I would at least wait for a bit to see what happens.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a story by Herodotus, so I asked Claude:
What is the story of Croesus and the Persian Empire?
It answered:
Croesus was the last king of Lydia (reigned c. 560–547 BC), a wealthy kingdom in western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). His story is one of the most dramatic cautionary tales of the ancient world.
The Richest Man in the World
Croesus was proverbially wealthy — the phrase “rich as Croesus” still exists today. Lydia was blessed with natural gold deposits, particularly in the river Pactolus, and Croesus is often credited with minting some of the world’s first true coins. His wealth attracted admiration from across the Greek world, and he made lavish dedications to the oracle at Delphi.
The Warning from Solon
According to Herodotus, the Athenian statesman Solon visited Croesus’s court. Croesus, proud of his fortune, asked Solon who the happiest man in the world was — expecting to be named. Solon instead cited obscure, ordinary Greeks who had lived virtuously and died well. He warned Croesus: “Call no man happy until you see the end of his life,” meaning fortune can reverse at any moment. Croesus dismissed this as foolishness.
The Oracle and the Fatal Mistake
When Cyrus the Great of Persia began rapidly expanding his empire, Croesus grew alarmed. He consulted the Oracle at Delphi, asking whether he should attack Persia. The oracle replied that if he crossed the river Halys (the border), “a great empire would be destroyed.” Croesus took this as a green light and invaded.
It was a catastrophic misreading. The empire destroyed was his own.
The Fall of Lydia (547 BC)
Cyrus met Croesus in battle at Thymbra. After an initial inconclusive engagement, Cyrus used a famous tactic — placing camels at the front of his lines, whose smell terrified and scattered the Lydian cavalry. Croesus retreated to his capital, Sardis, which Cyrus besieged and captured within two weeks. The Lydian empire fell, and Croesus was taken prisoner.
Croesus on the Pyre
Herodotus tells perhaps the most memorable part: Cyrus ordered Croesus to be burned alive on a funeral pyre. As the flames rose, Croesus cried out the name of Solon three times. Curious, Cyrus had him pulled from the fire and asked why. Croesus explained Solon’s warning about the fickleness of fortune — a lesson now bitterly understood.
The story goes that Cyrus was so moved by this wisdom (perhaps reflecting on his own mortality and the impermanence of power) that he spared Croesus’s life. Some accounts say Apollo intervened and sent rain to quench the flames. Either way, Croesus survived and reportedly became an advisor to the Persian court.
Legacy
The tale resonated deeply in the ancient world because it illustrated several timeless ideas:
For Herodotus, Croesus served as a kind of opening act for his whole Histories — a symbol of the clash between East and West, and a meditation on why great powers fall.
I wonder why I keep thinking of that story now?
April 8, 2026
Betty
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It doesn’t look promising, does it?
We’ll have to see. In the meantime here’s a 2010 post.
Betty, April 22, 2010
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Good for her! She’s my kind of gal — just trucking along, doing the best we can with what we have.
April 7, 2026
I still don’t know what will happen with Betty’s project — this was the strip for yesterday.
Betty
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Signs of the times. But her son is right — we need to understand how to write good prompts in search engines and AI apps to get the information we need.
And schools need to adapt — they need to teach kids how to use AI intelligently. I use AI a lot to question some of the articles and videos that compete for my attention. A good AI program is based on reputable sources and tries to tell me which part of an article or video is based on fact, which is plausible conjecture, and which (if it happens) is fantasy. And it reminds me not to believe its conclusions — it makes mistakes. Check things for myself.
AI can deepen thinking rather than replace it, so I think AI shouldn’t be banned at school. It needs to be integrated into learning.
March 6, 2026
Betty
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I figured Betty was expecting her husband, Bub, to do the work. I never thought it would be her father-in-law. (I asked Perplexity for the husband’s name.)
The story continues.
Anyway, Happy Easter, Everyone!
I hope you all have a wonderful day.
April 5, 2026
Betty
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The project is getting more complex and expensive — but he seems relaxed about it. How do you think she will answer his question? Why am I starting to feel nervous about it?
March 4, 2025
