The Warehousing of America -- Michelle Obama's Million Dollar Book Tour -- Deepfakes Don't Blink

Amazon and its competitors are often blamed for the death of bricks-and-mortar retail, but the irony is that these online retailers generally achieve fast shipping by investing in real estate—in the form of warehouses rather than stores.   WSJ

Instead of malls and boutique store

a warehouse sprouts up right next door;

These depots of consumer lust

deliver fast (for more gold dust.)

This haste will be the major cause

of the death of Santa Claus;

for Amazon goes in high gear

while Santa comes but once a year.

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Tickets to hear Michelle Obama and as-yet-unnamed moderators discuss her upcoming memoir “Becoming” ranged from $29.50 for perches in the nosebleeds to $3,000 for front-row seats and a package that includes a “pre-show photo opportunity,” meet-and-greet reception with Obama, a signed book and other perks, including an “exclusive VIP gift item.”   WaPo

A book tour with prices like these

is really employing the squeeze.

Michelle won't go broke

if she can so soak

such lettered diehards with her fees.

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SALT LAKE CITY — After weeks of studying “deepfakes” — computer-generated videos that depict real people saying and doing things they never did — computer science professor Siwei Lyu noticed something eerie. Finally, he figured it out: while the characters looked and sounded like real people, they didn’t blink.  Deseret News

Trusting your own eyes no more,

finding the truth is a chore.

Ubiquitous fakes

are internet snakes

that slither right in the front door.