Monday, April 14, 2025
Insider trading?
Sunday, April 13, 2025
Snowball the giant cat
"My daughter wanted to send an electronic photo of her cat to her friend. I got a little carried away.
A redux of something I posted in 2016
Here is my mantra, the five things I will be doing to make myself better. I admit that some of these are affirmations of things I already do, but I wanted to share them and clarify my position.
1. First up: TV. I will not watch reality shows, or any network news. On the former, it's dullness offends the senses and encourages one not to think. And likewise, I won't be following the lives of any celebrity and their absurd behavior. It serves no purpose. Regarding the latter, it is clear that 24 hour news outlets are motivated by profit and are not in the "news" business; they are businesses that are in it for money - and ratings are directly tied to that revenue. It's as pointless as reality tv.
There are still things to watch: educational programming, some sports, and the occasional movie or tv series are reasonable choices that educate and entertain.
2. Before repeating anything, I will seek to learn if it is true. I will not regurgitate any talking points, or mis-represent facts. In short, I will not accept lies, half-truths, or spout any nonsense. It's counter-productive and shows a lack of intelligence to do otherwise. I won't speculate wildly about anything, either, because the truth matters. If you say something to me, I will ask for your sources and will reject what you are saying if you give me the "inflammatory headline" that isn't supported.
3. I pledge to read more. My goal is a minimum of 6 novels, or "good books" a year. There can be fiction and non-fiction among the works I'll read, and I will get to the actual library regularly because it's a tremendous resource we have available. I won't, however, let any one book (however good I think it is) dictate how I think or live; the most it can be is a component of enriching myself.
I will also read more science journals and articles, and will post a link to at least one interesting article a week. On this point, science is the one thing we can look to for meaningful, observable behavior. It has no agenda, it is the absolute truth and it doesn't care if you believe in it or not.
4. Stop the insanity! Social media is out of control. It's a part of the bigger problem. I will use it to let you know about things that are going on at Disney, and to occasionally pass on interesting facts. But I won't be using social media to engage in meaningless banter, or to simply pass judgement. I also can not accept memes as a way of exchanging information. It dumbs us all down, and you won't see them from me. And where it's appropriate I'll reject what you are saying here too.
5. And finally, I will continue to exercise my mind through various activities. Personally, I will look at new entrepreneurial ideas, app development on a more regular basis, and explore my roots as an engineer to remind myself why I got this education. You may have some other things that you are good at and passionate about - I encourage you to pursue them.
Doing these things will make me a better person, and helps me stay sharp and smart. I hope some of you will take a similar view and help to do your part.
Do what you can to use your mind. Make yourself smart, continue your education if that's on your list, and share what you learn. Only then, can we Make America Smart Again.
Plant based waterproof materials
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2475826-plant-based-waterproof-material-could-replace-single-use-plastics/
Coca Cola and disinformation
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/coca-cola-disinformation-soda-drink-company/
From plastic to electricity?
What I love about science
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a64383417/saharan-mummies-dna/
Another example of how climate change is impacting us
https://www.thecooldown.com/sustainable-food/florida-citrus-industry-orange-juice-cost/
This is just sad
Saturday, April 12, 2025
A reminder about "fake news"
Thursday, April 10, 2025
North Korea infiltrates Fortune 500 companies...
"He now screens candidates with an unusual test that few North Koreans will pass—he asks them to criticise Kim Jong Un during the interview. A move that has caused applicants to panic or disappear."
Cuba's immigration crisis
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Olympic champion banned for failing a gender test
Talk about out of touch
It's absurdly self serving, talks a lot about trumps agenda, how bad the Dems are, the fentanyl crisis, and on and on.
And she even has a section in the recent newsletter about transgender athletes!
Glad she's focused on important stuff.
She makes a good point…
Abigail Disney says any billionaire who can't manage to share their wealth is 'kind of a sociopath'
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/disney-heiress-says-billionaire-t-173348468.html
Another downside to these ill-conceived tariffs
The Big Secret About Medicaid: It’s a Middle-Class Benefit
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/your-money/medicaid-trump-long-term-care.html
On tariffs.
A sphincter says what?
Is this really what Jesus would do?
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Help this make sense
5 or so years ago we were talking about the orange menace and his fitness to serve. There was some (mostly idle) talk about removing him using the 25th amendment because there was a sense that maybe he didn't have the mental acumen to be president.
And here we are today .. and it's all this talk about how crazy his policies are and how much harm he's doing.
But where did we lose the focus on his mental abilities? He's 5 years older. It's not like there's some magical cure. And that he somehow "got better" and whatever mental issues he had went away.
It's just weird how the conversation changed from HIM not being fit, to HIS POLICIES being ridiculous.
Saturday, April 5, 2025
SuperSonic flight
This is cool.
Chinese researchers have unveiled a supersonic aircraft so quiet that it can zip passengers at 1.6 times the speed of sound and still be as quiet as a hairdryer

https://luxurylaunches.com/travel/china-whisper-quiet-supersonic-airliner-04012025.php
Senators: uphold and defend the constitution
To our senators on tariffs and the economy
Friday, April 4, 2025
A lesson in why it’s hard for companies to adapt quickly
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/recycled-plastic-mandate-india-beverage-giants/
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Another Japanese breakthrough.
https://www.ecoticias.com/en/japan-super-solar-panel/12474/
Retrieving lithium from used batteries
https://tech.yahoo.com/articles/scientists-revolutionary-breakthrough-cooking-oil-111535092.html
Transparent solar cells
https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/transparent-solar-cells-generate-power-1000x-more-efficiently-than-traditional-panels-2/
American culture and return to office
https://www.yahoo.com/news/workplace-incivility-spiraling-companies-rile-161658844.html
Rocket radar?
https://gizmodo.com/darpa-unintentionally-invents-new-rocket-radar-thanks-to-spacex-2000584008
Watch "Propellantless Propulsion Device | Charles Buhler" on YouTube
"Essentially, what we've discovered is that systems that contain an asymmetry in either electrostatic pressure or some kind of electrostatic divergent field can give a system of a center of mass a non-zero force component.
"So, what that basically means is that there's some underlying physics that can essentially place force on an object should those two constraints be met."
Innovative new design in wind energy production
Spanish company, Vortex Bladeless Ltd., has designed turbines that are entirely without blades. They generate electricity by jiggling.
The structure of these bladeless turbines works by attracting whirlwinds. Depending on the speed and direction of the wind, these whirlwinds develop at certain frequencies. At the base of the bladeless turbine are two rings of repelling magnets. When the wind pulls the turbine in one direction, the magnets pull it in another, causing the tube to wiggle.
Energy reaches a peak when the frequency of the vortex or whirlwind coincides with the frequency of the turbine. This peak is established due to the aeroelastic coupling that arises at this point. It is at this moment that the energy is absorbed and converted from kinetic energy into electrical energy.
To simplify, the whirlwinds produced by the wind cause the turbine to vibrate. This kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy and used to power our homes.
https://www.ecoticias.com/en/say-goodbye-wind-power-unlimited-energy/12905/
Simple question
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/university-mississippi-student-speaks-about-viral-rumor-rcna199330
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Rice and food scarcity
https://www.yahoo.com/news/officials-sound-alarm-major-staple-111500167.html
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Elon 🖕🏼
April Fools
Sunday, March 30, 2025
On tariffs
Saturday, March 29, 2025
A shell game
Greenland, Panama, and the assumed agenda
Friday, March 28, 2025
Anyone else notice this?
Education is under fire
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Stupidity? Ineptitude? Or part of a (seemingly ridiculous) strategy?
How then shall we perform it?--At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it?-- Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow?
Never!--All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.
Watch "West Ada washes off chalk messages amid 'everyone is welcome here' movement" on YouTube
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Megyn (who has a stupid spelling of her name) Kelly 🖕🏼
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/megyn-kelly-mocks-george-clooney-225634202.html
Sunday, March 23, 2025
The deportation of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing violence and dictatorships
Friday, March 21, 2025
The library on the border of Canada and the US: Visiting the Haskell library
https://youtu.be/xH_KsB4CHHo
Thursday, March 20, 2025
The underwater turbine
Another company doing the wrong thing
https://www.fastcompany.com/91301964/ben-jerrys-ceo-fired-unilever-social-policy-liberal-views
NASA astronauts get a $5 per diem each day
"While in space, NASA astronauts are on official travel orders as federal employees."
This means that in addition to their annual salary — about $152,258, according to NASA — Mr. Wilmore and Ms. Williams received around $1,430 for their 286 days in space.
A look inside imagineering
Disneys Cotino community
https://people.com/disney-cotino-planned-community-reportedly-set-to-welcome-first-residents-this-spring-11699853
Hope for paralysis
Which is a hopeful finding.
Intriguing idea for the future of power sources
https://jasondeegan.com/bill-gates-argues-that-the-future-of-energy-isnt-in-renewables-or-fusion-but-in-natrium/
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Another leap forward in science
This is who we are?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marco-rubio-mahmoud-khalil-arrest-face-the-nation/