Dave’s Musings
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
The origins for Thanksgiving are much more complicated than the simple idea we're taught about the pilgrims and local tribes sharing in a communal meal. What I find interesting is that we're taught a version that is not that of imperialist conquerors, or "savages," but rather of peaceful coexistence. Of all people giving thanks for making it through the harvest season together. Of living in harmony in some way.
We should remember that fact, and give thanks for what we have, and give thought to how we can better our relationships with others.
Space can be very weird sometimes, and can confound many scientists of all disciplines. Recently, there was a flash of light billions of miles away. Often, this is the result of a cosmic event such as a supernova. While it was interesting and worth noting, it was (relatively) unremarkable. Until it flashed again. And again. Repeatedly. And it has the brightness of 100 billion of our suns, which makes it all the more interesting. For now physicists are perplexed, and have no idea what they are seeing / why its happening. They have named it the "Tasmanian Devil" and will continue to watch it and attempt to provide an explanation. https://www.sciencealert.com/strange-explosion-captured-in-a-nearby-galaxy-wasnt-a-one-off |
Last week, there was a remarkable sight to see here in Florida (though sadly not by me): A split sunset. I admit that my first reaction to this was that it was some sort of jiggery-pokery or a photo shop image. But believe it or not, this is a real phenomena with a scientific explanation. At just the right time of day (during a small window just before the sun disappears over the horizon) if there is a large storm cloud below the horizon, it may obstruct some of the light. The effect is a bit of an optical illusion, and can only happen for a few minutes. But it is very, very cool!  |
Disney World has had a long history of "3rd party tour guides" offering services to people coming to visit the theme parks. While Disney would naturally prefer that you use one of their official tours and hire a CastMember, they generally have let these individuals slide and maybe bend the rules a bit. But, pre-pandemic, you started to see these individuals taking advantage of the rules - abusing the disability services, and hacking the fast pass system to name a few. And now here we are a few years later, and they continue to do these things, and more. And worse, they post their hacks and bad behavior online so anyone could theoretically take advantage of the system. Disney felt it was time to act, and decided to "crack down" on 3rd party tour guides in order to protect their brand and make it enjoyable for all guests. Most of the individuals who were regular abusers of the system have now received lifetime bans from Walt Disney World. In the first few days after they got the bans, they were denied entrance at the gate after receiving money for their services. Which no doubt was awkward. But Disney re-iterated that the theme park is private property, and they can revoke admission to anyone who is not following the rules. While these folks complained, they are left without recourse. To which I say that's too bad. The rules are the rules and I know that you have differentiate yourself. But come on. Remember its their product you are promoting and basing a business on. |
Here's a story about an experiment that an ecologist suggested in Costa Rica. He asked an orange juice company to discard its pulp and peels into an area that was heavily deforested. They dumped 12,000 metric tons of oranges onto the land. And now its 20 years later....and the results showed how much the compost helped to replenish the soil and created a large amount of biodiversity. The hypothesis, then, is that produce scraps may help forests to regrow on a larger scale. And that regrowth may be one of the keys to helping climate change. |
Latest video | I'm talking about SpaceX's Starship launch attempt #2. https://youtu.be/cd79gXjl_Ww?si=zqxfxYGnDV6fyQ5I |
One Little Spark … | One of my favorite "feel good" stories happened 8 years ago when a woman texted who she thought was her grandson to invite him for Thanksgiving, only to find out that he had changed his number and she was texting a 17-year-old student. After they figured that out, the young man asked if the offer stood for him. "Of course you can. That's what grandmas do ... feed everyone." So he joined them for thanksgiving and became a part of the family in a way, and will join them again this year, for the 8th year. The thing that really gets me about this story is the warmth between them - even though it was a totally random start, they didn't know each other, and the fact that she is white, while he is black. It did not matter, and they became friends. We need so much more of this in life. https://abc7chicago.com/amp/thanksgiving-grandma-text-message-accident/13957705/ |
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