Satrship Update

Back at the end of August, Starship had a fairly successful launch, which achieved all of the objectives that were set forth by SpaceX.  

Its exciting to see a rocket of that scale lift off and return.  It may very well herald a new era for space exploration.

But can we talk for a minute about how the media simply said this is redemption for all Musk has done?  I mean...really?  After all the nonsense, having one successful flight absolves him?  He owns the company and invested heavily in the success and there's a lot to be said for essentially letting his smart rocket scientists do their thing. But its *their* accomplishment.  The guy is still a turd.

And even the shirt he was wearing during an interview should remind us of that.  

Can someone please tell me, other than ego, what the purpose of going to Mars actually is?  He has a whole timeline because he wants to.  And he's rich.  And it serves his ego.  But lets have a purpose.  Unless you want to send yourself and some of the other jackholes who are in power to the planet... then please have at it.

He Beached an Old Cruise Ship and Turned it into $18 Million Beachfront Hotel with Love

What a weird and oddly wonderful hotel he created … I recommend watching the video tour near the end of the page. 

 

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/he-beached-an-old-cruise-ship-and-turned-it-into-18-million-beachfront-hotel-with-love/

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds

Not to be an alarmist … but this ain't good. 

Anyone care to actually do something? Or should we just say our goodbyes now so some can have some obscene wealth, with a short time to use it. 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/28/collapse-critical-atlantic-current-amoc-no-longer-low-likelihood-study

Disney caters to the wealthy

The New York Times wrote a piece about how Disney has changed, and I thought it was worth sharing.  

As a frequent visitor, I 100% agree with this assessment. I've watched them go from being a park for any and every one, at an affordable price, to being an expensive playground for the wealthy.  I had noted along the way, that the company was doing everything in its power to "tip the scales" toward the affluent.

Everything is an upcharge, and you can get more if you pay more. That's not to say its not fun, its just more expensive, and you really have to temper your expectations going in.

For reference, I took my daughter back in March, and over three days, we managed to see almost every attraction we wanted, without any upcharges.  Yes, it was complicated.  We had to criss cross the parks, start early, and stay late, and make some changes on the fly.  And yes, it seemed like it wouldn't be possible at times. But we had a ball and managed to squeeze a lot in.  But in this case, I was the advantage because of my own experiences....not everyone has that. And there was definitely some amount of luck involved.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/opinion/disney-world-economy-middle-class-rich.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

We Call It Imagineering Episode 3: How Rides Come to Life

This is an intermittent series and it feels a little "edited for the masses" (so they eschew some technical details), but it's still a little fun to hear about the development process imagineers use in their craft. 

https://disneyparksblog.com/disney-experiences/stories-in-motion-we-call-it-imagineering-episode-3-debuts/

Another day of stupidity

I am amazed at the breathless coverage of the truck driver who (very unfortunately and sadly) killed three people. And it's hard to follow but maybe he didn't have the right license or wasn't a citizen or couldn't read English. Whatever any of that has to do with anything. 

So we simply must have more rules and tests because we can't allow an immigrant to kill people while driving a truck. We need more laws!

But yet the feds have decided they don't need to follow *existing* laws on gun ownership, licensing, and usage. Because that's a burden. 

Submitted for your consideration

In the US, we have the major sports (the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA at the top) and there are teams that play in those leagues.

But the wild part is that there's no threat of being demoted or being discharged from the league.  Some teams, then, are basically incentivized to not even bother trying to win (and just roll with it),  to keep payrolls low, or to  do what is known as "tanking" where they attempt to lose on purpose in order to get some return in the long-term

As fans, sometimes you get stuck wanting to root for the team you "love," but there's never going to be a championship, and you just accept it and maybe even remain hopeful that someday your team's fortunes will change.

For their part, the leagues also see an opportunity to generate revenue, by imposing hefty fees to relocate or to bring in a new franchise to that league (when they think it's the right time).  

But meanwhile, in many other leagues (the English Premier league of soccer being the most notable), there's a promotion and relegation system so the teams that are at the top have to play hard to stay at the top - and if they lose, they will get relegated down to a lower league.  And teams in that lower league can be promoted up to that higher league if they play well and win enough. 

So they're incentivized to put their best foot forward and always try and win because there's a threat that if they lose, they're going to get demoted and have a lower income level.

And why am I mentioning this?  Well, to put it bluntly, leagues that have promotion and relegation are a capitalist type of economy. You win to stay relevant. You win to keep making money.  You win to have the biggest TV contracts. You win to have the biggest fan bases. And there are no salary caps. So big money can (and must!) be spent to stay at the top.  Even a "small market" team can have success because that's capitalist way.

Whereas teams in the United States are essentially a socialist system. TV contracts are negotiated by the league, and every team benefits from them through revenue sharing.  There are salary caps, and salary floors to ensure a level playing field. Teams are guaranteed an equitable portion of all proceeds from the league in which they play, so some teams are able to just coast along.

And the reason this amuses me so much is that most Americans rail against socialism as really, really bad! The worst thing ever! And yet sports are essentially socialist constructs in this country and people love the leagues, their teams, and could never imagine their team having to play just to stay at the top. I don't want my team to be considered an also-ran (just like I don't want to see my team abandon my city!). And the capitalist owners just see the money and don't care, either. 

To me, it's so funny how people get so hung up on an ideal that they can't even see it happening in something they get passionate about.