When Mariner 4 sent back the first close-up of Mars in 1965, the printer was too slow for the engineers waiting on it, so they pinned the raw numbers to a wall and coloured them in with pastels bought from an art shop down the road

The thing I love about this story is how the engineers came up with a solution to a seemingly trivial problem: how do you keep up with data being sent back from space in a low tech way?

The answer was to simply write down things and pin them onto the wall and color them. 

Sometimes a simple problem requires a simple solution. 

https://spacedaily.com/b-when-mariner-4-sent-back-the-first-close-up-of-mars-in-1965-the-printer-was-too-slow-for-the-engineers-waiting-on-it-so-they-pinned-the-raw-numbers-to-a-wall-and-coloured-them-in-with-pastels-bought/

Amerigo Vespucci: Biography, Explorer, New World

Here is the biography of the man for whom the United States of America is named. 

But … there’s just a little more to the story. He Vespucci is credited with having found Brazil on his travels, and the land was named America in his honor. 

But when it came to making a map some years later, in the later part of the 1500s, the Mercator map (you know, the one that distorts some areas in favor of others for various reasons), called both the South American continent *and* the North American continent (which had been “discovered” by Columbus a few decades before) “America”

https://www.biography.com/history-culture/amerigo-vespucci

And more about the Mercator map:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection

Wake Shield Facilty Project

Back in the early1990s, scientists looked at the possibility of creating high quality semiconductors in space. They did this by creating a wake behind a satellite and using the vacuum to do so. 

You can read more about the program here

 

https://www.uh.edu/svec/wsfp-desc.html

Or check out this pretty good overview

https://youtu.be/LenEdfclil8?si=2Wi1S635ryIMlVPq

2026 Eco-Hero Arjun Jain | Action For Nature

Mad respect to this young man. He is a true eco hero, even if he only placed third in the competition this year. 

He started growing hydroponic fruits and vegetables, and selling them locally at low prices, to help with food insecurity.

He saw an opportunity and seized on it. Starting off as an individual who wanted to help, and growing that business while encourages others to do similar things. 

Excellent. 

 

https://actionfornature.org/eco-hero-winners/arjun-jain

The Florida Everglades Have a Python Problem. High-Tech Stuffies Are Helping Get Rid of Invasive Snakes

I was reading the attached article about how state officials are using toy rabbits to lure o it pythons, who can be captured and sent to the python afterlife. 

And among the first things I thought of was the Caerbannog rabbit. You know the “killer rabbit” from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 

Because it all kind of weirdly fits. 

https://people.com/florida-everglades-python-problem-bunny-stuffies-helping-rid-invasive-snakes-12136728

Animal Monitoring Patent

Keeping an eye on Disney's patents, here's another interesting one.  The idea stems from the fact that animals in the savannah area come and go as they please, so guests don't always get those "Kodak moments" where they see an animal - either at the hotel or while on the safari.

Disney has always looked for ways to enhance the experience, mostly by herding the animals out and providing food closer to the guests.

But here's a novel concept: to use various detectors including sensors and cameras to see the animals and report on their position.  And then, they can alert cast members, safari vehicles, and even guests directly through their connected devices.  

Its bringing some technology and a form of machine learning together to create something new that really does serve a simple (yet possibly important to the experience) purpose.

https://wdwnt.com/2026/09/ai-animal-monitoring-system-could-alert-disney-guests-cast-members-to-animal-activity/

George Washington and vaccines

We're taught a version of the Revolutionary War that is somewhat incomplete.  One aspect that is often overlooked is the time at Valley Forge.  

Washington set up a camp there at the end of 1777, and remained there through the summer of 1778.  The very high-level general purpose was to prepare for the future of the war, to train the troops while he waited for reinforcements, word on the French, etc.  The British knew full well they were there, and just let them be - but kept an eye on them.

Things were definitely rough for the Continental Army, but Washington did two very important things that ultimately led them to victory.  The first was that he brought on Prussian Inspector General Baron von Steuben to organize and train the troops.

The second thing was something that's still relevant today.  To this point, Washington might be considered "anti-vax" by today's standards.  His rationale was that exposing his men to the diseases took them out of commission for a few days to a few weeks while their bodies developed an immune response.  He wanted them to be ready to engage at any time.

But Washington saw the error of his ways as Small Pox was ravaging the Americas.  There was an inoculation available, and he decided to take advantage of it, thus protecting his troops from falling ill.  

Yes, he ordered vaccines be administered to  everyone in his army.  And that left his troops healthy as they fought the British.

You can read more about Washington's stance on vaccines in the attached links.  The second one - somewhat surprisingly because I would not expect such a thing from this admistration - is from the National Parks Service.    

https://historyofvaccines.org/blog/washingtons-war-against-smallpox-revolutionary-inoculation-campaign/

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/smallpox-inoculation-revolutionary-war.htm