A fun podcast

I recently listened to a podcast from Radio Lab called "the creation story" ... it was an interesting half hour or thereabouts.

Latif (the host) interviewed Ella al-Shamahi, who is described as a real-life Indiana Jones.  She is quite interesting and explores anthropology and history through her work, and several shows she hosts.  

But this podcast was about her story, and how she got here.  She was born Muslim (in England) and followed all the traditions and beliefs growing up.  When she went to school, she decided that she was going to prove Charles Darwin wrong because evolution couldn't be a thing.

And as you might guess, she couldn't.  Because evolution is demonstrably true and try as she might to poke holes, the evidence didn't support her point of view.

So....she changed directions and now tries to elucidate and educate others, but not in a confrontational way.  I found that most interesting, and wanted to share.

A few things are worth noting: it's okay to question the world around you, but you should keep an open mind.  Trust science and look at the body of evidence that's presented to you (rather than something "your crazy uncle" posted).  And realize that some people need time to get to a sort of enlightened thinking (and some may never get there), but you can take an approach where you share ideas and try and explain what you know while listening to why they believe in something that may not be reality.

https://radiolab.org/podcast/creation-story

How Blue Origin Plans to Beat SpaceX to the Moon

Blue origin - until very recently - was known for providing space tourism.  People with a bit of money to burn were taken aboard a flight that let them experience weightlessness. 

But the purpose of these missions was to slowly grow the company's ability to get into space.  To test out their rockets, and their reusability. 

And so they started launching satellites, and in early November had a rather remarkable moment where the booster returned and "missed" the drone ship it was to land on by a few yards or so.  The rockets fired and it hung in the air while the drone ship moved underneath it, then it landed successfully.

Next stop is a moon venture.  They are planning missions in 2026, because they feel they are ready.

The rockets they'll use are purpose built, and not as heavy as starship, and won't require the complexity of refueling. 

Okay, game on.  Let's see what Jeff Bezos can do. 

https://www.wsj.com/business/blue-origin-moon-mission-plan-spacex-9c6b9595?mod=RSSMSN

The cryptobros bought themselves a president (plus, we’re in The Guardian)

I received this earlier today. Thought it's worth sharing, if you want to understand one of the bigger things that's happening right now. 

---------- Forwarded message ---------

͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌    ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

David, The cryptocurrency industry spent $260 million in the 2024 election. Now they're cashing in. After helping elect Trump, the cryptobros got everything they paid for: Trump appointed a "crypto czar." The SEC dropped fraud cases against major exchanges. The DOJ disbanded its cryptocurrency crime enforcement unit.  And Trump pardoned the CEO of Binance — a platform that processed transactions for Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, and drug cartels — after he pleaded guilty to money laundering. They're building infrastructure for authoritarianism. Read our new deep dive on Substack… Cryptocurrency facilitates at least $40 billion in illicit transactions annually. North Korea has stolen $6 billion in crypto since 2017 — that's a lot of nukes!  Russia uses Tether (the stablecoin tied to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick) to evade sanctions when selling oil to China and India. Iran generates $1 billion annually from Bitcoin mining. The cryptobros designed this system to circumvent Western financial controls. And now they've captured the U.S. government to protect it. HELP US EXPOSE CRYPTOCORRUPTION Trump's family crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, epitomizes corruption.  Trump owns 60% and receives 75% of revenues. His business partner, Justin Sun, hosts 58% of all illicit crypto activity on his TRON blockchain. World Liberty sold tokens to entities with ties to sanctioned countries — including wallets that transacted with North Korean hackers. When the president's family profits from the same infrastructure that helps North Korea and Russia evade sanctions, America has a problem. The cryptobros make this deliberately complicated so people won't ask questions.  We're asking them anyway. And people are paying attention. The Guardian just published our research identifying overlooked sanctions targets that could cripple Russia's war machine — chemicals for military lubricants and tires that Russia can't produce domestically.  YOU help make our work possible — donate any amount now to keep us going! They also consulted us for their major investigation into how the Trumps are turning the presidency into billions in personal wealth — exposing the pay-to-play scheme that's made foreign influence on our government an open market for authoritarians. While Washington claims it's "run out of sanctions options," we're proving them wrong with detailed investigative work. This is what your donations make possible: rigorous research that gets recognized by major outlets and puts actionable intelligence in front of policymakers. HELP US FOLLOW THE MONEY We're also one of the few organizations systematically documenting Trump's crypto corruption — connecting the cryptobros' campaign spending to the regulatory rollbacks that now let authoritarians move money freely. Investigative journalism isn't free.  Every report we publish, every vulnerability we identify, every corruption scheme we expose — it only happens because grassroots donors believe this work matters. The cryptobros are making billions. We're running on your $25, $50, and $100 donations. Can you chip in right now? Any amount keeps us independent and free to follow the money. When The Guardian writes about our work, when policymakers use our research, when we expose corruption that no one else is tracking — that's your investment paying off. Thank you for making it all possible. Kristofer Harrison President, Dekleptocracy Alliance DONATE TODAY           Dekleptocracy Alliance is a Texas based 501(c)(4) following the authoritarians' money. We're on a mission to protect democracy and the rule of law by providing critical research, analysis, and solutions to governments, businesses, civil society, and the public. Support our work and keep us independent: DONATE >> Paid for by The Dekleptocracy Alliance, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. Copyright (C) 2025, Dekleptocracy Alliance. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Dekleptocracy Alliance PO Box 6580 2850 South Quincy Arlington VA, 22206-9998

Goodbye to solar energy ― Sweden starts mining "moon" energy over the seas with this underwater kite

As we know, the moon is what affects the seas, and causes the tides to shift. 

Here's a company in Sweden that is trying to harness that natural power by placing a sort of kit under the ocean, and capturing the power generated when the tides shifts. 

Neat idea! 

https://www.eldiario24.com/en/sweden-harness-underwater-moon-energy/25693/

Solar device converts salt water into drinking water at record speed - Earth.com

Hmmm. Convenient and cost effective way to get drinkable water from the seas?

Yeah this device can remove the salt. And it does it with solar power, so there's no net cost to run it. 

https://www.earth.com/news/solar-device-converts-salt-water-into-drinking-water-at-record-speed/

Europe goes green at desperate speed — France is creating WindTrees growing 36 artificial leaves

Now here's a clever and innovative idea for power production. Instead of a solar array or a wind turbine, a European group has invented a wind tree. It's a system that uses 36 mini turbines in branches of what look like a tree. 

That is a nice leap forward for economical and environmentally friendly means of creating energy that can be used on a local scale. 

https://www.ecoportal.net/en/europe-goes-green-windtree-home/14419/

NASA’s TESS Spacecraft Triples Size of Pleiades Star Cluster - NASA Science

Utterly fascinating.

One of the key things that I took away is that these were known as "3 stars" at some point. Then were known as 3 clusters of stars. And now they have been identified as over 1,000 stars making up this object!

And that's culled from the nearly 10,000 that are near enough by the clusters to have been possibly part of it. 

10,000 stars we can see in one location! That just boggles the mind.  

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/tess/nasas-tess-spacecraft-triples-size-of-pleiades-star-cluster/

November: AI and 5G unite bringing sports fans closer to the action than ever before | News and features | University of Bristol

The problem they identified was that at football matches, where many people converge, there is a strain on the cellular network and most fans experience latency. 

So they employed an AI solution - and for the record, this seems like an appropriate use of the technology - to best manage the network. 

In their testing, fans were able to get real time match data and stream video without buffering. And media outlets were able to communicate out information. 

It's actually pretty cool. 

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2025/november/new-technology-for-stadiums.html

Living cement: scientists turn bacteria-infused cement into energy-storing supercapacitors

In short, a group of Danish researchers found a way to infuse bacteria into cement, so that the bacteria can be "fed" electricity and that can be stored in the cement kind of like a battery. 

The applications would be that anything made of cement - your home, a roadway, whatever - could store energy at a low cost. And then that energy could be extracted and used. 

And all this without having to extract metals from the earth. 

https://bce.au.dk/en/currently/news/show/artikel/living-cement-scientists-turn-bacteria-infused-cement-into-energy-storing-supercapacitors

Disneyland's new plan to get everyone off their phones

This story mildly amused me. Disney wants people's heads out of their phones so they can interact with loved ones who are with them, and enjoy the moment. 

And of course the plan is to change nothing about how technology must be used. But rather to try and employ *more technology* 

Their aim is to make the use of whichever brand of connected glasses so you can look up. While watching something else and not paying any attention to those around you. 

But you can look like you are!

Such weird times we live in. 

https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/disneyland-new-plan-get-everyone-off-phones-21212611.php

Final Skating penguins

 Ultimately, after a few hours (or so) of cutting and gluing, I was done. And they look pretty good!

I fixed a few parts that broke, but otherwise it was just a matter of re-covering them.  

Sometime later, I may update them in a more detailed way. 

Stay tuned.

Skating Penguins

A few years ago, I worked on some skating penguins. You can read about my DIY approach here:

https://bitchindave.blogspot.com/2019/01/diy-penguin-decorations.html

I pulled them out for this holiday season and … well … they looked pretty ratty. 

My papier maiche had completely worn off. They looked terrible. 

I decided they needed an upgrade. I had a few ideas, and saw some videos that had some creative ideas. 

But, I pulled these guys out just after Halloween, and updating them with more sophistication was going to take time. 

So I came up with a very simple plan B. Something I could make work in a short amount of time and which would cost very little. 

I went to Walmart and bought 3 plastic table covers, one each of orange, white, and black. And I purchased some wood glue because it should work with the plastic. 

And I set about cleaning these guys and recovering them. 

I will also note that originally I had 4 penguins. There was another one that turned out bigger than I had planned and he looked like he was slipping on the ice. His arms stuck out far … and after a couple of uses, he started to really deteriorate and I had no good place to store him. 

So I sadly dismantled that one and moved on having just 3. I potentially could re-make him later. But for now, I’m happy with these. 

Ford CEO says he has 5,000 open mechanic jobs with 6-figure salaries from the shortage of manually skilled workers: ‘We are in trouble in our country’

Quite the perspective. Very many skilled manual labor jobs remain unfilled.  

As Farley notes "we are in trouble in our country."  

The idea of bringing manufacturing back requires that people step in to various jobs in  the industry. 

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-ceo-says-5-000-164653112.html

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now home to dozens of species - Earth.com

The "great pacific garbage patch" has become part of the ecosystem, with its own unique attributes and its now home to several species of marine life. 

That's just wild…

https://www.earth.com/news/great-pacific-garbage-patch-so-large-that-dozens-of-species-call-it-home/

Walt Disney Imagineering Brings ‘Frozen’ Olaf Robotic Character to Life | The Walt Disney Company

Imagineers have developed a fully autonomous robot that has a shell that looks like Olaf from frozen. 

You can read more about the technology involved in the attached article. But man, what a cool technology leap forward. 

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/olaf-robotic-character/

On March 29, 2026, World of Frozen – Along with Many New Experiences – Will Open within Disney Adventure World, the Reimagined Second Park at Disneyland Paris - The Walt Disney Company

Disneyland Paris is undergoing a transformation of sorts. They opened with just a Disneyland park, and a shopping area like downtown Disney. 

Later, they opened a second park as the Paris studios, which was kind of a themepark and kind of a movie studio. 

But it lacked the punch Disney wanted, and so they announced in November that they would be updating the park and re-theming it as Disneys Adventure World. It will be something much more and allow it to have a cohesive theme. 

 

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disneyland-paris-disney-adventure-world/

The James Webb Space Telescope may have finally found the 1st stars in the universe | Space

This is amazing…. The James Webb space telescope has been hunting for hints to the origin of the universe. 

And scientists think they have found a cluster of stars that might be among the first created after the Big Bang. 

It took a fair amount of study, but based on certain markers (like elements detected and red shift placement), it seems they are on to something.  

And now, we may be one step closer to understanding the universe and its origins. 

Cool!

https://www.space.com/astronomy/the-james-webb-space-telescope-may-have-finally-found-the-1st-stars-in-the-universe

A new set of eight spacecraft images reveals the interstellar comet 3I ATLAS in astonishing clarity

Here's a more detailed look at what the 3I/Atlas turned out to be, and how scientists came to these conclusions, based on what they saw. 

It's amazing how little we know about our universe, and how not everything fits neatly into what we have learned to this point. 

And for what it's worth, I enjoy reading fact-based articles that show how we apply science and keep an open mind. 

https://www.nunneryplumbingandheating.co.uk/01-163998-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-in-astonishing-clarity/

'Like a mermaid swimming through a sea of auroras': ISS astronauts photograph 2 comets dancing above the northern lights | Space

This is pretty cool. Astronauts caught comets dashing through the aurora. Space is kind of incredible. 

https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/like-a-mermaid-swimming-through-a-sea-of-auroras-iss-astronauts-photograph-2-comets-dancing-above-the-northern-lights

Saw this on that meta platform.

And had to share. Suck it Rodgers. 

The college football playoffs

"Back in the day," the college football championship method was to have every team that qualified play in a bowl game.  But the bowl games themselves had tie-ins to specific conferences.  So the #1 ranked team in polling could be playing in the Rose Bowl against some team that wasn't even in the top 5, while the #2 team might play in the Orange Bowl against a team that was maybe #3.  

A group of voters would decide who won the championship based on the eye test.  Which team "looked better" in their game.

Then, they moved to a 4-team playoff that was more equitable, because the top 4 teams would square off and you'd crown a champion.  But, in this case, the selection of the 4 teams was sometimes a little suspect. A 10-0 team might get left out. 

So, they agreed to move to a 12 team playoff. That should make it fair!  

Except that there are oddities here, too.  The deal is that all of the conference champions get in (that's 4), plus the best “other conference” champion, and 4 of the remaining teams should be the next best in those big conferences, and that leaves 3 at large teams - meaning teams with good records.

But if we look at the current top 15 teams, you may notice, that:

The SEC has 6 teams

Big 10 has 4

Big 12 has 3

The ACC has 1

And there's Notre dame. 

1. Ohio State: 11-0 (big 10)
2. Indiana: 11-0 (big 10)
3. Texas A&M: 11-0 (sec)
4. Georgia: 10-1 (sec)
5. Oregon: 10-1 (big 10)
6. Ole Miss: 10-1 (sec)
7. Texas Tech: 10-1 (big 12)
8. Oklahoma: 9-2 (sec)
9. Notre Dame: 9-2 x
10. Alabama: 9-2 (sec)
11. BYU: 10-1 (big 12)
12. Vanderbilt: 9-2 (sec)
13. Miami (Fla.): 9-2 (ACC)
14. Utah: 9-2 (big 12)
15. Michigan 9-2 (big 10)

Which is leaning very heavy toward the SEC and Big 10.  And there's the complicating factors that:

• #20 James Madison is 10-1 and should be in consideration, 
• #22 Tulane is 9-2 and likely will represent that "other conference"
• The ACC champion probably will not be Miami
• And Texas and Tennessee (both in the sec) are at least being considered.

So who winds up in the 12?  Several analysts have suggested this list (though the order may be different):

1. Ohio State

2. Georgia
3. Indiana
4. Texas A&M
5. Texas Tech
6. Oregon
7. Alabama
8. Ole Miss
9. Notre Dame
10. Oklahoma
11. SMU (ACC champion)
12. Tulane

Which is heavy on the SEC and Big 10 (still), and leaves out a 10-1 James Madison, and what will probably be a 10-2 Miami - who probably could beat anyone on a good day. And others who maybe could win some games.

My question is: what gives?

And the simplest answer is that while this is about competition and finding "the best team," its also about money.  The SEC and Big 10 are the biggest money makers.  Each of the teams in the tournament has a large fan base that is happy to spend top dollar to see their teams play!

You can make the same case for the next tier in the Big 12, and Notre Dame (which can be easily seen by the fact that they can be profitable as an independent).

James Madison and others have small fan bases and don't clamor for tickets the same way. 

Miami is similar in that its a small, private university, and doesn't have the huge, fervent fan base. Sure, they're wealthy, but they don't fill stadiums.

And in Miami's case, there's an additional factor.  During the 80s and 90s they were a team that had a serious swagger.  They were good and knew it.  And some might say they "embarrassed" their opponents quite frequently.  They became the most hated team. Full stop.

And then, the team descended into 20 years of mediocrity.  They haven't won jack.  They've been through many coaches. They joined the ACC at some point, and haven't won a conference championship (and only played in one once).  

But yet, that hate persists.  And so when it comes down to a choice between them and a random team with the same record and rabid fan base, guess who will get the nod?   

Presidential intimidation

Dear Friends,

I just signed the campaign: Protect the Oath: Reject Presidential Intimidation Now

It would mean the world to me if you could also add your name to this important issue. Every name that is added builds momentum around the campaign and makes it more likely for us to get the change we want to see.

Will you join me by taking action on this campaign?

https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/protect-the-oath-reject-presidential-intimidation-now?share=a07a203f-d0c4-4b34-b812-4291e6cf30f1&source=s.fwd&utm_medium=&utm_source=s.fwd

After you've signed the petition please also take a moment to share it with others. It's super easy – all you need to do is forward this email.

Thank you!

And here we go again

Senator,

Mr Trumps behavior this week was beyond the pale. Specifically, he took to social media and assailed his perceived enemies. 

Congresspeople dared to defy him, in reminding the military about its constitutional obligation and the legality of their actions. We are all aware that officers are sworn to uphold the constitution, and must not carry out unlawful orders.

But Mr Trump decided to use the word traitor and called for their execution. He then linked it back (somehow, and absurdly) to George Washington as though this is something he would have done. Which of course, Washington would not have, and never did. 

We all know that Mr Trump is ignorant to history, and to his own constitutional responsibilities. 

But to call others traitors, and want them executed, because they don't agree with him is a bridge that should never be crossed. 

This is not how any of this works. 

You must hold him accountable for violation of his own oath in calling for attacking "his enemies," these other elected people. 

And I moved into first place on soarin’

It didn't take too long for the program to start racking up points. 

I did notice that I had a mistake in my code that mishandled a certain "null value," but that was easily fixed and the percent of correct answers climbed to around 90%

I still have the issue of clicking on the map, and another issue with a bit of game play that's kind of a "rapid fire" bonus 5 questions. 

I developed it in a way that reads the question and clicks the correct answer. And it repeats, so the screen may get clicked 4-5 times when a question comes up. This was done because I have no way of knowing when the next question pops up. So I just keep reading and clicking.  

In the bonus round, there are a times when the previous answer gets clicked because the program hasn't recognized a new question came up. So I miss on some of those answers. 

I could come up with a better way of handling the next question. But it's not really worth the effort. 

Another letter to the senate

Senator,

Are you really okay with Mr Trump engaging the military to attack small boats, with no rationale, no provocation, and reportedly using intelligence from another country? How is that constitutional?

And now he's apparently amassing ships and troops for what is widely believed to be an attack on Venezuela. The last time I checked, Venezuela was a sovereign nation and there's no public evidence (or even suggestion) that they have done anything to provoke us, or otherwise have affected our interests in a way that warrants an unprovoked attack. And Mr Trump - in his typically incoherent state - can't articulate why this is necessary. 

It is quite literally unconstitutional, and may be considered by other countries as a war crime. 

You must hold him accountable and stop this unnecessary aggression. 

There is also the matter of Venezuelans who had been here under a TPS order that got extended, being told they must now self deport. Many of them live in our state. They have strengthened communities, often made families, and contributed in many ways, including paying taxes.  

And yet they are being told to deport to a country that seemingly will be attacked by the country that is deporting them. 

How does that make any sense? That really pushes the notion of "cruel and unusual" does it not? And is contrary to pretty much everything we've stood for over the last 250 years. 

I urge you to defend our constitution and don't let this escalate any further. 

SuperBowl prediciton

I'm calling it now. One of these 8 teams WILL win it all: Indianapolis, Kansas City, New England, Denver, Seattle, LA Rams, Detroit, or Green Bay. Full stop.

Seattle vs Indianapolis is the most likely, based on their point differential.

Why? 

I've summarized below the teams that had the highest point differential in week10 of the season, for each of the last 6 seasons, and how they fared in the end.  

I did look at seasons prior, and the trend is the same.  If you are in the top 4 in points differential, you are very likely to make the playoffs (92% over the last six seasons), and one of the 8 teams will win the superbowl.  

I am aware that twice the team with the 5th best point differential made the superbowl, but both times that team lost.

Oh and by the way, something else I noted is that the teams that have a better win loss record, and generally those that get that bye, are much more likely to win in the end.

Here's the point differential...

2019, week 10:

AFC

New England +172 (lost in wild card round)

Baltimore +111 (lost in divisional round)

Houston +45 (lost in divisional round)

Kansas City +45 (won superbowl) <- had the bye

NFC

San Francisco +130 (lost superbowl) <- had the bye

Dallas +81 (did not make playoffs)

Minnesota +80 (lost in divisional round)

Green Bay +45 (lost in conference championship)

----

2020 week 10:

AFC

Kansas City +103 (lost superbowl) <- had the bye

Pittsburgh +100 (lost in wildcard)

Baltimore +79 (lost in divisional round)

Miami +69 (did not make playoffs)

NFC

Tampa Bay +70 (won superbowl)

New Orleans +58 (lost in divisional round)

Arizona +56  (did not make playoffs)

Green Bay +53  (lost in conference championship)

----

2021 week 10:

AFC

Buffalo +145 (lost in divisional round)

New England +98 (lost in wildcard)

Tennessee +46 (lost in divisional round)

Indianapolis +38 (did not make playoffs)

>> 5th best Cincinnati +33 (lost superbowl) 

NFC

Arizona +98 (lost in wildcard)

Dallas +89 (lost in wildcard)

Tampa Bay +67 (lost in divisional round)

Los Angeles Rams +44 (won superbowl)

----

2022 week 10:

AFC

Buffalo +99  (lost in divisional round)

Kansas City +64 (won superbowl) <- had the bye

Cincinnati  +43 (lost in conference championship)

Baltimore +39 (lost in wildcard)

NFC

Philadelphia +79 (lost superbowl)  <- had the bye

Dallas +47 (lost in divisional round)

San Francisco +35 (lost in conference championship)

Minnesota +35 (lost in wildcard)

----

2023 week 10:

AFC

Baltimore +113 (lost in conference championship)

Buffalo +78 (lost in divisional round)

Kansas City +65 (won superbowl)

Miami +60  (lost in wildcard)

NFC

San Francisco +109 (lost superbowl) <- had the bye

Dallas +104  (lost in wildcard)

Philadelphia +57  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +38 (lost in conference championship)

----

2024 week 10:

AFC

Buffalo +97 (lost in conference championship)

Pittsburgh +69  (lost in wildcard)

LA Chargers +68  (lost in wildcard)

Baltimore +65 (lost in divisional round)

>> 5th best  Kansas City +58 (lost superbowl)  <- had the bye

NFC

Detroit +113 (lost in divisional round)

Washington +73 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +72  (won superbowl)

Minnesota +64  (lost in wildcard)

---

2025 week 10:

AFC

Indianapolis +115

Kansas City +76

New England +73

Denver +62

NFC

Seattle +103

LA Rams +98

Detroit +83

Green Bay +37