The last supper and the Olympics - an update

It would seem that my reaction was correct. This part of the show was NOT based on the last supper. Rather it was a look at Greek mythology. 

So people were seeing this through their own lens and applying some kind of offended religious aspect to it that didn't exist. 

Man. Are people stupid. 

https://deadline.com/2024/07/olympics-opening-ceremony-artistic-director-intention-mock-or-shock-1236024601/

Social media uses data in unusual ways

I find it interesting how one is under scrutiny by the justice department, while the other is simply being questioned by users and "looked into" by governments but here's how you can opt out. 

IMHO they are doing the same thing! Collecting your data and using it for their own purposes. 

And should be treated the same way as a result. 

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireStory/justice-dept-claims-tiktok-collected-us-user-views-112325263

https://www.techspot.com/news/104001-twitterx-feeding-data-grok-ai-default-ndash-here.html

Watch "Bernoulli’s Principle" on YouTube

Yeah. I love science, too! 

https://youtu.be/XP6oqIic4lo?si=zpYabHftAWKHdyQd

“The last supper” and the Olympic opening ceremony.

I watched the opening ceremony, and the last supper didn't even enter my mind when I saw the part with the red carpet. 

It was a fun drag moment (well, more than a moment) along with a red carpet sort of fashion show. 

Maybe it's me being mildly ignorant about religion these days, or not applying any sort of societal things. 

But unmasked,I guess I can see it now. And with the way the Olympic show looked at France's own history, this fits in. 

J'adore the entire spectacle that was the opening ceremony.

And overall, France>US in terms of social norms. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2024/07/27/olympics-drag-queen-last-supper-sparks-outrage-from-musk-catholic-leaders-gop-pundits/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/olympic-bosses-apologise-sleazy-drag-112805411.html

The Olympic flame

The engineering behind this is very cool. Read on to understand how it works. 

https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/07/27/whats-special-about-paris-2024s-flying-olympic-flame-and-how-does-it-work

Watch "Kamala did what?!" on YouTube

Here's an articulate view of what Kamala has done and continues to do….

https://youtu.be/DJeltMiTZXo?si=qowxG-0umY3WbU67

Stupid is as stupid does

The flori-duh commissioner of edumacation wanted to do something "prideful" to honor America. You know because June was pride month, but in the states twisted anti-woked-stupidness, they turned pride into a patriotic thing. 

And recommended a book to read: Pride and Prejudice so we can look back at our great nation, authored by the great American Jane Austen. 

Except that Austen was English. And it takes place entirely in England. 

So… yeah. Maybe he should take time to read the book he's suggesting?

And by the way, this book is constantly appearing on banned book lists, though I think it still might be available in Florida. 

https://lithub.com/floridas-commissioner-of-education-thinks-jane-austen-was-an-american/

Wireless charging

The oak ridge national laboratory has created a successful prototype for wireless charging that's at a higher rate than the current output of a supercharger. 

It's cool. And probably is the future of EV charging, though it may take a while to get there. 

https://www.thestreet.com/electric-vehicles/forget-tesla-superchargers-future-of-charging

A moment on the soapbox

It all started back when the orange menace was running the first time. 

Hillary got the nomination through an absurd process that was never a fair fight. And her odds of winning were questionable. But it was "likely" except that there was some malfeasance with el donaldo. 

Obama got the Steele dossier and was working to act on it and the reps said "then we'll just say you're playing politics" and that it would hurt Hillary. So he didn't pursue it. 

And that's when it started going downhill. 

The dems played by a set of rules. The reps decided to say forget the rules - we'll take what we want. And blocked a legit court appointee in an election year. Though the dems could have used a lame duck period to get it back - play by the rules! Talked another Justice into retiring. Then took the RBG seat and said "we don't care that it's an election year, we're taking it" And the new justices started legislating from the bench on their own. 

Taking what they want. With little opposition.   

A chance to impeach and remove Donald. Nah. A chance to remake the court? Nah. A chance to make some changes to take what the dems want using the same mindset? Nah. 

So things that matter get undone. Abortion. Some rights. The chevron doctrine (that may still turn out to be a big deal). And on and on.

One party is playing by their own set of rules. The other just watches somewhat helplessly. Though they certainly could do more.  

There are only a couple of things I give Donnie credit for. One is rolling the RNC under his brand. So he doles out money to whoever kisses the ring. It allows those that want to remake America to have the entire party fall in line.

Now we'll see if they're taking it seriously. Biden stepping aside is a step. Here's to hoping the party actually starts to make something happen. 

The pesky “law of unintended consequences”

Creating an “anti woke” law creates problems. 

… the letter from the Treasury points out the risk of "creating uncertainty" that could impede the fight against illicit activities such as money laundering and terrorism financing.

https://hoodline.com/2024/07/treasury-department-warns-florida-s-anti-woke-banking-law-could-threaten-national-security/

This is a really cool archaeological find

A house that was added onto during different time periods. 

https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/istanbul-layered-house/

Cooling stadia

There's a product called Hydrochill that says they can cool the ground on synthetic turf by a large amount. 

Color me a little skeptical since their use cases include the Florida marlins who…. Don't use synthetic turf and play in a dome. 

Still the concept is intriguing. 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

HydroChill is a pre-coated sand that is added to synthetic turf as an infill. It naturally holds moisture from rain or irrigation and during the hottest part of the day, the infill activates and releases that moisture in the form of evaporation, creating an evaporative cooling system that cools the turf up to 50 degrees. This is unheard of, making it the most effective infill of its kind.

If your project is for a poolside, children's' playgrounds, or a general lounge area, then this cooling infill is highly recommended.

Other than cooling, infill for artificial grass helps weigh down the turf and keeps the artificial grass from getting wrinkles or ripples caused by movement and climate change. It also helps the grass blades stand up and keep its real look in high traffic areas. Finally, it creates a layer that absorbs the traffic providing durability for the turf. Infill is absolutely necessary in order to complete the artificial grass project successfully.

NON-ANGULAR SHAPE:
Our silica sand is Guaranteed to be non-angular which essentially means that it is rounded and has no sharp edges. This is very important because Angular silica sand has shark edges and will act like sandpaper and will grind the turf to dust.

WASHED:
Our silica sand is washed so only the sand crystals stay while all of the finer dust particles get washed away. This is very important because if the sand is not washed then those fine dust particles eventually accumulate and clog the drain hole

100% DRY:
Silica Sand is washed with water so after it is washed it is soaking wet which is a problem because it will lump up and not slide into the turf blades easily. Wet sand prior to installation will NOT allow for a successful and professional finish. This is why our sand infill goes through an additional step and gets dried in an oven so we can guarantee that every single bag of sand is 100% dry!

FEATURES:

• Hydrochill is non-toxic and does not have negative environmental effects.

• Based on actual lab and outdoor lawn thermocouple testing, Hydrochill has achieved 30°F – 50°F lower surface temperatures compared to a standard synthetic turf system.
• Protects fibers from matting down
• Provides weight to avoid ripples

https://www.shawgrass.com/hydrochill/

I’m bothered by this.

I recently read a story about a middle class young family that was duped by a fraudster who then managed to gain access to their bank account, and drain it. 

It's horrible how bad actors continually just prey on people and take their money with relative ease. 

But the thing that really got me was the part about their "life savings" … the crooks took it all. But the amount was $9,000. 

And it turns out that most families have less than $20,000 in the bank (less for younger people of course. Source: 

https://www.moneygeek.com/financial-planning/analysis/average-american-savings-balance/)

The billionaires (and high net worth millionaires) so disproportionately have all the wealth. 

And that's just absurd. 

Using public funds to help people.

I know the original source is Faux News, but bear with me here. 

A judge has paused payments to families who were receiving $500 a month in a universal basic income program.  For reference we're talking about $10s of thousands of dollars. 

The reason for the pause is that the constitution in the state says that money may not be used for individuals or corporations. 

But yet, various sports teams get public funds ALL THE TIME. On the order of millions of dollars. 

Something is very, very wrong here…

https://www.yahoo.com/news/judge-puts-pause-st-louis-000020068.html

https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/05/if-voters-ok-taxes-for-a-ballpark-royals-will-ask-city-and-state-for-up-to-700m-more/#:~:text=The%20proposed%20renovation%20of%20that,go%20toward%20the%20new%20stadium.

Polluting our world

Here's a story that breaks down the problem with PFAs appearing in our food chain and drinking water. 

I'm glad someone isn't least studying it. But when will it be time to actually take action? And who will actually take that action?

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/pfas-pollution-drinking-water-food/

That says a lot doesn’t it?

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-much-do-different-countries-trust-institutions/

Chaos at “the rock”

Hard rock stadium was the site of the copa America final, matching Colombia against Argentina in soccer. 

The game sold out, so 66,000 fans were expected. 

Only, it would appear that the stadium itself was not ready for that crowd, or their general behavior. As you can see in the attached articles, people had plans to go to the game, whether or not they had tickets. 

There were many instances of people trying to get in - from just rushing security, to climbing over a ticket booth to jump onto a ramp, to breaking an AC duct and climbing in that way - they were determined. 

By some estimates, more than 7,000 people made it into the stadium through those breaches. 

But the police and stadium security didn't know how to respond. So they simply shut the gates, trapping fans in a potentially dangerous crowd at the entrances. Oh and that didn't stop the determined people - only those that were following the rules. 

When they did let people in again, the chaos resumed. A bunch of people never had their tickets scanned, and there are reports of people being pushed, though not trampled or crushed. 

At some point, the stadium management made a decision that they were "at capacity" and closed the gates again. But this time, you had people on the outside with valid tickets who weren't allowed in.  

The game itself was delayed for about an hour and a quarter, while they sorted this all out. 

Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt. And there wasn't anyone looking to cause other sorts of mayhem. But you can see how easily that kind of thing could have happened. 

This is a failure in the stadium. It reflects badly on soccer, and Miami. And there are future large scale events (including a World Cup in 2 years time) that now need special attention. 

While you can blame very many failures on many people and groups, at the end of the day the stadium is owned by Stephen Ross. He gets public money for events that are hosted at the stadium. The failures and any subsequent fallout should be directed at him. 

For whatever reason, plans were not made to host this event or provide adequate security and safety measures. And that should be all on him. 

Of course, to this point, he hasn't been mentioned and is keeping quiet. Shame on him. 

https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/copa-america-final-delayed-hard-rock-stadium-breached-by-ticketless-fans-before-argentina-vs-colombia/

https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/jul/15/fans-receive-medical-treatment-at-copa-america-final-after-issues-outside-ground

https://www.local10.com/sports/2024/07/14/copa-america-final-in-miami-colors-of-flags-from-argentina-and-colombia-take-over-stadium/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13634019/Colombian-fans-Copa-America-chaos-Argentina.html

Freedom is never really free

Setting aside the silliness of the agenda and the absurd rhetoric that comes out of Tallahassee (and one particular idiot specifically), I find this a little amusing. 

Recall that during antebellum period, there were "slave states" and "free states."  Florida was squarely in the "slave state" category (and proud of it!). 

And keep in mind that while the Florida state flag purports to evoke the Spanish imperial flag with the red lines crossing on a white background, the fact that the jagged parts are missing suggests that Florida also wanted to (however subtly) recall its own past as a "slave state" and being part of the south. 

So to put up signs that refer to Florida as a "free state" is, in fact, quite funny. 

http://www.northescambia.com/2024/07/florida-announces-free-state-of-florida-placed-on-all-welcome-signs

Props to TSwift

I admit, I'm not a huge fan of her music. But I am a fan of her giving back to communities that she visits while on tour. 

She donates to food charities in every city to help with food insecurity as she believes it's the right thing to do. There shouldn't be this many people going without food. 

Props to her. 

That's simply awesome. 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/13/business/taylor-swift-food-bank-donations/index.html

SpaceX Suffers Engine Failure

This was an interesting turn of events. As far as I can tell, there was a leak of some kind (perhaps liquid oxygen?) and it built up as ice and caused the engine to fail. 

The video says "catastrophic" and that's not 100% accurate. 

The mission still was counted as a success in a way, as the satellites were deployed into a lower orbit, and they will use the thrusters to try and push them into the correct orbit. 

But the bigger issue was the rocket itself, which couldn't be disposed of in the "typical way" and is now more space debris. 

So there is a mission review ongoing, to see what happened and how to prevent it. And SpaceX can't launch starlink satellites for now. 

https://youtu.be/I2klvDvmtFc?si=kL6YvIE277y9aLoP

Space junk

Here's another story about a Japanese company that is looking at space debris and plans to deal with it. 

https://petapixel.com/2024/07/12/space-junk-removal-company-snaps-beautiful-photo-of-discarded-rocket/

Seems weird to me

Burger King is a Miami original. The first store was on US1 near coral gables. Their corporate headquarters has always (I think anyway?) been in Miami.

And their corporate headquarters are in blue lagoon (across the 836 from the airport).

The marlins current home is where the orange bowl once stood. It's maybe 1 mile away from BKs headquarters.

And yet there has been virtually no connection between the two. You would think maybe they'd have some corporate connection. Maybe a BK in the ballpark? But no.

But…I went to a game this past weekend, and there was some advertising going  on. They had crowns. And let you sit in the kings throne.

And when the marlins won, you could get a free whopper junior at participating locations.

Still. Why not have a bigger partnership?

And of course, I wore that crown for several days.

I even attached it to my bike helmet.

This is all kinds of crazy

A haboob - or dust storm - covering much of the US

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/haboob-satellite-image-dust-storm-southwest/

And this is what Disney does well…

Maybe we could pay attention to what we’re seeing?

About 40% of the nation is under a heat alert. 

But "global warming isn't real!"

People am stupid

McDonald’s and plant based offerings

McDonald's saw the opportunity to sell a plant based burger, and partnered with beyond meat to create a patty that would meet the criteria they had. 

They sold some in Europe with success.

Then they decided to enter the US market with a test in Texas in just a couple of stores. The burgers didn't sell well, we have been told. It didn't sound like they put much into it - limited marketing and if we're being honest, that market may not have been the right one to test. 

They had already made a decision (very quietly) to not move forward with the sale of these burgers. But went ahead and ran another short trial in California without any fanfare. And it didn't do well either, we're told. 

But the company never said a word about it… for about a year. That left people wondering.

Then a week or so ago they announced that it was not a success (with absolutely nothing to give any insights) and they won't be rolling any plant based offerings out nationwide. 

And to add a little insult to all of it, some executive said something like "clearly people don't want any plant based offerings at McDonald's. And if they do then MAYBE we can offer salads again."

Alrighty then. 

Gaslighting and guns

The general argument we hear is that guns make us safer. You have to have the right to protect yourself. Someone's out to get you (the boogeyman presumably). And so on. 

But what I find interesting is that in most of the rest of the world, where gun nutiness doesn't exist, there is low(ish) crime, and most people aren't clamoring to "protect themselves"… and the boogeyman isn't out to get them. 

We've been gaslit for so long, "we" actually fall for this trope. 

I mean, even if you look at places in the US where guns are more restricted, you see a lower rate of crime, and people don't live in fear (at least generally) that someone is out to get them. 

Why do "we" cling to this and feel this need to have a gun? Because it's in the constitution? The same one that most people have never read?  The same one that gets trampled regularly to make some ridiculous point? 

Gaslighting is an amazing thing. And the gun manufacturers make TONS of money off of it. And they control the message. 

Wake up and pay attention. 

Fireworks, guns, and Disney world.

At one point in time, it looked like Walt Disney world might replace out some of the "traditional" fireworks shows for a drone show. 

And certainly, such a thing is entirely possible, would ultimately be less expensive and less dangerous. And could provide for a more immersive show. 

And though they've toyed with some drone additions, and have a whole show at Disney springs, the reality is that they will NEVER replace the fireworks at the magic kingdom with drones. 

And it has nothing to do with nostalgia or the guest desires to have a fireworks show. 

This has everything to do with guns. The state of Florida decided to allow for guns *everywhere* (because we're idiots) including theme parks and tourist destinations

But Disney has a special federal exemption based on the use of fireworks. And this can circumvent Florida law. 

Surely they don't want people to start bringing firearms into the happiest place on earth. So things will remain the same. 

* as I understand it, universal and sea world have different exemptions. And perhaps Disney could explore use one of those. B it for now at least, they don't want to upset the apple cart. 

https://www.disneysprings.com/entertainment/disney-dreams-that-soar/

Mickey=good. Actual mice=bad

My own anecdote: back when I worked there, I was picking up the days costume while the person working was standing on a chair and looking suspiciously. She told me she had just seen a mouse! 

I responded that she was lucky that Mickey had visited. She did not like that and told me what I could do with that comment. But I stand by it. 



There is a belief that Disney has been breeding an army of cats. Yes, and they're not just ordinary cats, they have a special set of skills. They're like Commando cats and they live in a barracks […] They live on the outskirts of the park [Disneyland] and at night, when they close the park, under the cover of darkness, these cats ascend into the park and they eat all the mice.

The thing that's so messed up about it all, why I hate them, is that the whole empire of Disney is built on the back of one mouse […] If you're a mouse and you go into Disneyland, you are not leaving alive

"I do not want to get sued by Disney": Ryan Gosling Started Hating Disney For Its Alleged Idea That Would Have Disrespected Iconic Mickey Mouse fandomwire.com

You think?

Stupid things you say can impact your business. Duh. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/business/elon-musk-politics-tesla-sales.html