Super Bowl predictions

Seattle won, which was expected. 

As the playoffs progressed, I went back and looked at the model I developed. I streamlined it a lot, and went back to 2015 to see if it was true then, too.   It was!

Here's what I did:

• In week 10, I looked at the 4 teams from each conference who had the highest point differential at that point in the season. 
• in all but one year, one of those 8 teams won the Super Bowl. The exception was in 2018, when New England won; they were the fifth best team in the AFC. (I should note that the 5th best did make the superbowl a few times, but this was the only win). 
• Taking the 5 best in each conference solves this problem

• At season's end, I took those teams and looked at the average points per game that were allowed on defense (for the entire year)
• some of the teams didn't make the playoffs.  That's okay, any of the remaining teams are all we need to consider 
• other teams made the playoffs, but because they weren't in the first 10, they weren't considered - None of them have ever won the Super Bowl. 

• Last, I sorted them by PPG allowed, and the team with the lowest PPG allowed is the expected winner. 
• The playoffs are a little weird, and its hard to call a winner.  In the 11 years I considered:
• 2 times, the superbowl champion was the best team (so we knew at the start of the playoffs)
• 3 times, the next best after the wildcard weekend won
• 3 times, the next best after the divisional playoffs won
• 3 times, it went to the conference championship
• There was only one year where the best team didn't win; the second best did.  That was in 2022 when Kansas City beat Philadelphia on the last drive. Everything else seemed right to that point.

So, essentially, we always know that the superbowl winner will come from that group, and we can assess the likelihood of a team winning as the playoffs progress...

 

Nikola Tesla

Tesla was an inventor very much ahead of his time. His scientific endeavors went further than anyone - before or since - had gone. 

But his prolific works often were stolen. Amazingly (even for his time) he took it in stride. At some point he said:

"I Don't Care That They Stole My Idea… I Care That They Don't Have Any Of Their Own."

The Seattle Seahawks

On the surface, its kind of bizarre that just after they won the SuperBowl, the Seahawks will be sold.

But there's way more to this story.  Paul Allen bought the team (along with some other sports franchises) many years ago.  More recently, he moved those assets (along with others) into a trust.  His explicit directions via his will and that trust were that his sister, Jody, would serve as the trustee, and these teams would be sold, and all proceeds would be directed to charity.

The NFL has a rule that there must be a single, majority owner.  Trusts, and other ownership arrangements are not allowed.  So it makes sense ... sort of ...

 

Except that Paul Allen died in 2018, you know, like 8 years ago, and the sale still hasn't happened.  And you might ask why?  And the answer is in the team's relationship to the city and state.

When funding was approved for the new stadium for the Seahawks, a clause was written in, that if he sold or moved the team within 25 years, he would owe 10% of the value of the team as a penalty.  That agreement was signed in 1999, which means that it literally just expired.

So now that there is no more penalty hanging over the team, the NFL is "encouraging" the sale. 

And in case you wondered, he bought the team in 1997 for just under $200 million.  Its current value is at its peak, after a SuperBowl win, and is estimated to be around $8 billion.  That's around a 400% increase in value in 30 years.

Mind blown.  Dang.  It must be good to be wealthy.  (I'm half kidding)

More importantly, that money is going to charity, where hopefully it will do some tremendous good.  Hats off to him for thinking about making the world a little better through his investment.  And I'm glad the Seahawks won, in that case, to maximize that benefit.

Watch "The NFL’s Secret Weapon in London Is This Hidden Stadium Tech | WSJ Tech Behind" on YouTube

This is so cool!  And the engineering behind it is amazing. 

https://youtu.be/cnV4JkTGUjo?si=0ea97SjDN1rW18bO

Watch "We Uncovered the Scheme Keeping Grocery Prices High" on YouTube

This is so whacked. It's one way large corporations manage to keep food prices high, and churning out big profits.  

https://youtu.be/odhVF_xLIQA?si=5_fAMgtU_pP7t52Z

What we’re up against…

A few days ago, my wife got a random text from a (now former) friend. 

This friend joined the maga (and maha) cult and at one point, she made it her mission to "convert" my wife. My wife finally had to tell her to stop. And she did. That is, until this text….

She was on some weird tirade about how "Islamists" (code for a form of racism) are taking over parts of the world and it's dangerous, and these were former allies. It had no specific reason, and nothing in the current news cycle suggested anything about the rationale for why she sent it. 

I was giving it some thought, and it feels like this is classic cult behavior. You have to validate why you are there to the people outside, and periodically try and "recruit" people you know to join you through any one of a number of things that might catch their attention. 

In this specific case, it felt like proselytizing. "I must save you (from yourself)."  

And one other thing, she could have replaced the word "Islamist" with the word "black" and turned the clock back 100 years and it would have sense in that context, too.

This is what those of us who are rational are up against. 

Waymo Exec Admits Remote Operators in Philippines Help Guide US Robotaxis | EV

What I take away from this is:

1.  Waymo's automation is mostly smoke and mirrors and is not ready for the real world. 

2. These "autonomous vehicles" are being driven remotely by people who are not in the US and who do not possess a valid drivers license. 

3.  These company rightly should be shut down as committing fraud to the government and its investors - and for essentially endangering their passengers. 

I stand by that, amidst the wishy-washy comments from the company. 

https://eletric-vehicles.com/waymo/waymo-exec-admits-remote-operators-in-philippines-help-guide-us-robotaxis/

Study finds Miami has the worst drivers in the United States

This was a recent article about Miami drivers. 

And I reminded about a Dave Barry quote about Miami drivers from years ago …

"People are saying Miami drivers don't follow the rules. They're all following the rules of driving…. From the country they came from"

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/study-finds-miami-has-the-worst-drivers-in-the-united-states/3761877/

I’m going to Disney world!

If you'd like to learn more about the backstory, I invite you to listen to a show I did about the history of that phrase!

https://youtu.be/5y4drNZXCCM?si=_Xg16IDELHO4Vs7k

NASA had 3 years to fix fuel leaks on its Artemis moon rocket. Why are they still happening? | Space

The question is a good one.  But I have a better one: why is NASA still using the same model for its development?

Yes, the partnerships with aerospace companies got us to the moon 50 years ago. And it helped spur a lot of innovation.  But the shuttle program was mostly poorly managed, with extensive costs, some issues with safety, and a lot of bureaucracy. 

It's no surprise that Artemis is being managed the same way.

Maybe they get everything together, and we get back to the moon.  But it sure feels like we're still stuck in the mindset of the 1960s. 

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-had-3-years-to-fix-fuel-leaks-on-its-artemis-moon-rocket-why-are-they-still-happening

Watch "The 49ers Injuries and EMF ‘Conspiracy’- Doctor Explains" on YouTube

Be careful what you read… this junk science type of headline is dangerous. 

https://youtu.be/1ayqcPgt-RM?si=x_oCgthNwORPjNAV

Super Bowl halftime

there's some consternation about Bad Bunny being the Super Bowl half time entertainment. Conservatives hate him because he sometimes wears a dress (the horror!), and some of his lyrics are in Spanish (how terrible!). But most of all, they seem to think he's an immigrant, which he is not as he hails from Puerto Rico and is a US citizen by birth. 

So a conservative group is offering an "alternative halftime show" and is making quite the stink about it. Because it will be more 'Murican. 

I find this kind of amusing. At least in part because about 35 years ago, the halftimes kind of stank. I couldn't even tell you who was performing, but it was boring stuff. 

So one year, in about 1990, the troupe "in living color" headed by the wayans brothers, and featuring a young Jim Carrey, staged an alternate halftime show that was funny and edgy. Kind of the antithesis of what the conservative group has in mind for this weeks game. 

And in the earlier case, the numbers didn't lie. Enough people tuned away from the NFL offering that the NFL upgraded their offerings in the future. 

American CEO on Flight Attendants Sleeping on Airport Floors — “It Comes With the Business” After 9,000 Cancellations - View from the Wing

CEO Robert Isom had an investor call this week. He acknowledged the operational challenges the airline had been through, and went on to say that "I know throughout the rest of our system, some of our crewmembers didn't have a place to stay last night." And called it unacceptable  

But then added this when discussing stranded flight attendants - who had to sleep at airports - which caused more operational delays. 

"I also know it comes with the kind of business we run. This isn't the only storm that we've ever had. It's not going to be the last storm we've had."

Before proceeding to talk about profits, the government shut down (and its effect on profits), revenue sharing, and how his employees are in better shape than some competitors. 

This is how we are as a nation. Lack of empathy and focus on money have effects on people, and are consequential. 

We could be so much better. 

https://viewfromthewing.com/american-ceo-on-flight-attendants-sleeping-on-airport-floors-it-comes-with-the-business-after-9000-cancellations/

50 times faster than trees: Live algae system reduces internal heat, resulting in more energy-efficient buildings. - CPG Click Oil and Gas

Researchers in Western Australia are using a live algae as a carbon capture method - with the added benefit that it can be used a building to help with keeping the building from heating up. That, in turn, reduces the need for air conditioning. 

This article goes into some detail by a Brazilian journalist, which appears to have been translated into English. 

It's readable, but I'm looking for additional stories about the subject, because I'd like to learn more. 

https://en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br/50-times-faster-than-trees--a-system-of-living-algae-reduces-internal-heat--resulting-in-more-energy-efficient-buildings.-flpc96/

It's a photovoltaic milestone since 1839 — Canada develops bioluminescent "living" cells that work even on cloudy days

In the advancement of solar cells, here's a novel approach that takes its cues from 19th century research. 

Essentially, scientists have created a photovoltaic that uses organic matter to increase the throughput and which can be used to collect energy even when full sun isn't available. 

It's a pretty remarkable feat that could further increase the efficiency, and availability, of solar power. 

https://www.ecoportal.net/en/canada-bioluminscent-living-cell/16083/

Russian Scientists Build Plasma Engine That Could Reach Mars in 30 Days, Leaving Spacex's Starship Looking Obsolete

Here's a bit of an innovation in space travel. A new type of engine that could propel us faster in the vacuum of space. 

The system, which uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate hydrogen particles, represents a departure from conventional chemical propulsion. If it performs as projected, it may significantly shift interplanetary mission planning across both civil and defense sectors.

https://indiandefencereview.com/russia-plasma-engine-mars-mission-in-30-days-vs-spacex-starship/

Explosion of a SpaceX satellite in orbit what we know about the incident worrying experts - Futura-Sciences

This article underscores the larger problem of having so many satellites in orbit. Any one could have an incident, a malfunction, or a collision that could have catastrophic consequences. 

https://www.futura-sciences.com/en/explosion-of-a-spacex-satellite-in-orbit-what-we-know-about-the-incident-worrying-experts_23546/

Canadian inventor built an umbrella that flies and follows him everywhere automatically: No hands required | - The Times of India

This is pretty cool. Curiosity and a littler perspiration for the win. 

Is it practical? No, not in this form. 

Is it worthwhile? Absolutely. 

I highly recommend watching the 17 minute video to see what went into this effort. 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/canadian-inventor-built-an-umbrella-that-flies-and-follows-him-everywhere-automatically-no-hands-required/articleshow/127781027.cms

How Disneyland got built in just one year - Boing Boing

There's a movie about how Disneyland got built in a year (you can watch it on the YouTube link). 

But there is also a review of the film and some additional thoughts in what went into making it. 

https://boingboing.net/?p=1104011

https://youtu.be/YtrVcOxVDls

Supernova whose light will 'reappear' in 60 years could solve the biggest problem in cosmology | Live Science

This is pretty cool.  Two supernovas (or is it super novae?) were detected by the James Webb telescope.  One remained visible, but the other disappeared. The reason for this has to do with the theory of cosmic lensing, essentially one is refracted by nearby objects and we can see it, while the other is hidden behind objects, and will remain invisible to us for a period of time.

The idea of this cosmic distortion was included in Einsteins theory of relativity, and has been observed at times.  But the fact that there are two objects helps us to solidify the theory because we can detect the differences and see some of the objects that distort theory light.

It's cool!

https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/astronomers-spot-2-warped-supernovas-whose-light-both-has-and-hasnt-reached-earth