Scientists unveil bioplastic that degrades at room temperature, and outperforms petroplastics

How clever of them! Using cellulose so it degrades easily at room temperature is a good answer. 

WashU's chemical engineers decided to introduce cellulose nanofibers to the design of bioplastics.

"We created this multilayer structure where cellulose is in the middle and the bioplastics are on two sides,"

And thus you have something that may help with some of our plastic problems. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/08/250803011823.htm

Almond production

Almonds are very particular plants.  They require a fair amount of attention, and very large amounts of water to grow.  One might argue that their overproduction in places like California is to the detriment of the environment.  

But I recently learned about tropical almonds, which grow throughout the Caribbean.  They are a different species of plant, but produce a nut that is very similar to an almond in size and taste.  They grow along the beaches, without much care, and need almost no water, other than natural rainfall.

Given that they taste similar, it certainly seems to me that this version of the almond could be grown and harvested for use in almond butter and almond milk - at a much lower cost to the environment.  Maybe these couldn't replace almonds that are sold whole, but maybe they could be introduced as an alternative product.

Just my thought on the matter.

Lets Do Nukes On The Moon (Update with Directive)

For some dumb reason, the unqualified shmoke who is the acting head of nasa has announced that America needs to claim the moon and build a nuclear reactor there. 

I don't even know what to say anymore. 

https://nasawatch.com/artemis/lets-do-nukes-on-the-moon/

Da Vinci Drone Project Realized: A Revolution in Technology

Da Vinci proposed a sort of screw as a propellor. And while theoretically it sounded interesting, no one was able to create one and test it. 

Until recently. Advancements in computers make it possible to build it in a simulated environment, and it can be created using more advanced printing techniques as a prototype. 

And so far the results are promising. Da Vinci may have been on to something. And was very much ahead of his time. 

https://holistic.news/en/da-vinci-drone-project-realized/

The bullshit known as alligator Alcatraz

The very notion of "Alligator Alcatraz" offends me on pretty much every level. 

And yet, some people love the name because it's cute in some way. 

It starts at the top with the idiocy of rounding people up for no real reason (other than hatred of non-white people) and incarcerating them for petty reasons with no due process. All carried out by masked men who have been granted broad authority to harass and intimidate. And all of it in violation of the law. Not that anyone cares. 

But "Florida gonna Florida" and the governor decided he could be a darling of the administration and open a detention center (in spite of already having a few around south Florida that are questionable and in use) in a part of the Everglades. 

And things get weird from there, with him invoking some sort of emergency declaration, then using eminent domain to take some land from Miami-dade and collier counties without telling them, and proceeding with construction the very next day with barbed wire fences, and armed security telling citizens and elected officials to steer clear of the area. A violation of Florida and federal law. 

Various companies were contracted to build and secure the area, with no bid contracts handed to political supporters and with no written contracts. Again in violation of the law. 

And it was all paid for by raiding various disaster relief and general funds, without authorization and with no supervision. Again. Laws were broken. The estimate on spend was $500 million dollars. Which was taken from taxpayers overnight with no accountability. 

The governor plans to have 5,000 beds in this facility (and it's already at least partially full, we can't and don't know just how full because no one can inspect the site), and has some kind of handshake agreement with the federal government on costs to operate.  

They are expecting that the feds will pay $245 per bed, per night. Which is insane. The Ritz Carlton on Miami Beach is only slightly more, at $279 as a nightly rate. Except that it's on the beach, has AC and of course isn't a detention center. 

At the rate of $245 per night, that should be $1.25 million per day that will be recouped. So it should only take 18 months to make back the money he stole. Except of course you have to pay for guards, maintenance and food. So it will surely take 10x as long. Oh by the way the administration has already suggested they won't be paying!  So yeah. 

Oh and about the inability to inspect this site in any way. There are accusations of human rights abuses happening regularly. But no one can get in to see what's really going on. So human rights organizations - which regularly report on third world countries - can't see what's happening in our supposed first world country. 

And crass politicians say that's all okay because these are illegals who have broken the law and should somehow be treated poorly as a result. Even though some have legal status, and at least a few are citizens. 

Fuck all of this. 

RFK Jr. cuts $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts, dealing major blow to promising area of research

Yet another way we get fucked. 

Who needs to research and provide cures for things that can - and will - happen in the future? Who cares if everyone gets sick and dies?

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/rfk-jr-cuts-500-million-mrna-vaccine-contracts-dealing-major-blow-prom-rcna223281

The EPA has bad news for all of us.

Now that the EPA has been ceded to people who don't care about the environment, and think protection is for suckers, we're about to see some significant changes coming. 

Among them are changes to any standards as it relates to car emissions. Who needs to regulate the gas mileage, having things like catalytic converters, or care about the toxicity of what's coming out of the tailpipe?

What matters is that car companies can choose what they want to sell and gas companies should be able to profit from lower gas mileage! Screw everyone. 

And there's a secondary problem that goes along with this. The EPA funds some efforts to reduce emissions, and as a result subsidizes the oil industry. 

When that funding source goes away, that means the subsidy goes away. And therefore, we as consumers will pay more at the pump. How much more? I saw an estimate that it likely would be about $.79 per gallon. Meaning that today we're paying $3.17 a gallon. But shortly we'll be paying 25% more - or about $3.96 a gallon. 

And gas mileage likely will go down on new cars, ensuring that you will have to fill up more often. 

But hey. You voted for "lower gas prices" and now you get to FAFO. 

Dillon vs. Goliath: Portland Pickles file lawsuit over logo similarities with Disney+ show

These are the kinds of stories that truly amuse me. 

There's a Disney+ show called "Win or Lose" that focuses on a fictitious baseball team called the pickles. 

But there's a real team in Portland called the pickles, and because Disney is selling merch with a pickles logo, the real baseball team sued for copyright infringement. 

They reached a settlement this week, and while we don't know the details, the outcome is dill-icious. 

https://katu.com/news/local/portland-pickles-disney-win-or-lose-pixar-lawsuit-copyright-trademark-infringement-money-legal-action-series-baseball-plus-animated-rose-city-walt

Disney Products Generated $63 Billion in Sales in 2024, as Mouse House Again Tops Global Licensing Leaderboard

$63,000,000,000 in sales of licensed merchandise - a little over 20% of all licensed products - is astounding. 

And it shows the power the mouse has over everything. 

https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/disney-licensed-products-sales-2024-global-licensor-report-1236473448/

Brilliant teenage students develop mind-blowing inventions to solve global crisis: 'I got goosebumps'

It's always great to see our youth tackling problems that face us all. Fun, human interest stories that offer hope and tackle challenges are always worthwhile. 

Over three weeks, students formed teams and tackled pressing issues like carbon emissions, microplastics, e-waste, and heatwaves. The teams then turned their ideas into working prototypes under the mentorship of scientists, professors, and entrepreneurs at the institute.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/brilliant-teenage-students-develop-mind-110046421.html

Hubble Space Telescope spots rogue planet with a little help from Einstein: 'It was a lucky break'

The Hubble Space Telescope detected an anomaly. But it was a scientist who figure it out; Einstein had correctly posited that a planet would create a sort of ripple in its wake. And that's what they saw that encouraged them to study the space further. 

A rogue planet! How very unusual. 

https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/hubble-space-telescope-spots-rogue-planet-with-a-little-help-from-einstein-it-was-a-lucky-break

Man awarded $12,500 after Google Street View camera captured him naked in his yard in Argentina

I know people who would have taken less. Still an amusing story. His nekkid butt was there for all to see...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-naked-google-street-view-camera-awarded-12500-argentina/

Disney doing some good in nature

Disney's Sea Turtle Conservation Inspires the Next Generation

This is a cool story about how Disney is using sea turtle nesting into a means to study these amazing creatures, and inspire the youth by seeing conservation in action.  And in a fun way, no less.

https://disneyparksblog.com/ase/disneys-sea-turtle-conservation-inspires-the-next-generation/

Daylight savings time

In the book I read about Benjamin Franklin, there was a snippet about how he became fascinated by a candle that didn't produce smoke. 

It stoked his imagination, and being a thinker and a scientist, he considered how important candles were to life. Once it got to be dark, you had to light one.  And of the course of an evening, a week, a month, or a year, he ran through many candles.

And so he wrote a short piece about how if there was more daylight, then the need for candles would be reduced.  He did a little math and determined that Parisians could save millions of French Livre every year if they had an hour of extra daylight, and didn't have to buy candles.

That was pure Franklin magic.  He was good at dissecting a topic and giving a point of view that was well reasoned and proffered an idea.  He was quite good at that. And that's why "Doctor Franklin" was si beloved.

The story itself went mostly unnoticed.

That is until 1916, when the Great War started, and Europe was looking for ways to focus attention and cut some costs.  And so they turned to Franklins work, and twisted a little.  It would be good for their war effort... and thus began a path of daylight savings time.  Savings more or less being about saving money on candles, and oil in the evenings.

Disney World to re-open the magic of Disney animation... sort of

When the Disney/MGM studios opened back in 1989, it was all about the behind the scenes magic of movie making.

Among the many interactive exhibits was a look into Disney's animation process.  There was a short film featuring Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite, and a gallery where you could watch people animating Disney cartoons in a very "old school" sort of way.  Artists sat at desks and hand drew the images, and then they were painted.  

Two things happened that led to the closure of this area: more artists were hired in far off lands, and technology started to creep into the animation process.  For a time, Disney kept this area open a memento to a bygone era, and they allowed young artists to try their hand at simple drawings.

Then, Disney bought out Star Wars, and decided to reimagine the space into the "launch bay" to introduce the franchise to what had become Disney's Hollywood Studios.  

And today, Disney announced that the launch bay would be going away and an old - new attraction would be brought back into the space.  Yep, they are bringing back some kind of animation studio experience to the space.  I have no doubt it will be cute, but given how the art of animation devolved, and how lackluster the launch bay was, and how animation is all created on computer this will probably be a bit of a nothing.

But we'll have to wait until 2026 to reach that pinnacle of disappointment.

https://www.flcourier.com/lifestyle/new-attraction-magic-of-disney-animation-opens-at-disney-s-hollywood-studios/article_83918167-a3ab-481a-bd69-ceff5b4c0841.html

Unprecedented sargassum surge threatens tourism in the Caribbean

More on the scourge that is sargassum 

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/07/23/caribbean-sargassum-surge-threatens-tourism-2025/9771753295062/

Using kids as pawns.

Venezuelan Little League team denied travel visas to U.S. for World Series

The Cacique Mara Little League team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, was "unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas," Little League International said in a statement, adding that the decision was "extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes."

Venezuela is one of several countries whose nationals are restricted or limited from travel into the U.S. under the presidential proclamation signed by President Donald Trump in June. Neither the White House nor the State Department immediately responded to an overnight request for comment.

Where there’s smoke…

There is something so bizarre about this Epstein situation.

We're being misdirected and gaslit. There's a reason that Teflon Don can't just make this one go away, like he has everything else. 

Why is this the one thing that maga seems to not want to let go?

To my totally untrained eye I see one of three options. 

1. there's something they're trying to pull behind the scenes so they leave this as the media focus.  Of course the problem here is that they don't usually try and hide things. Look at all the shnizzle that's going down and no one tries to misdirect on any of it. And besides, they keep tossing more garbage to try and bury *this* story for some reason.

2. this is a sort of coup. Donald was the means to the end to getting people into power and executing on the project 2025 scam. Remember that there is a story about the battle between Vance and his tech guys vs Trump and his nonsense? 

It's at least possible that Trump has outlived his usefulness to everyone, and maybe they'll use this as a means to unload Trump and then pin things on him … and get Vance, who they actually would prefer.

I have heard Europe is doing more reporting on how they always knew Trump was a pedophile and Russia is leaking new info on it … but the US media isn't biting.

And the undertone is that Trump is being setup.

I don't know if this is true, but I can read European articles and translate as needed. I leave this as a pending *possibility*

Of course 3. is that it's all just plain stupidity. And maybe pedophilia is a line too far for many people. And this is where we are at. 

Stay tuned. Eventually we'll know more. 

Well. That sucks. Media just became less “free”

A while ago, skydance media made a bid to buy paramount, which would include all of its holdings, movie library, CBS, and all other streaming. 

The FCC under Biden said "no thanks," because this would create a huge problem in terms of freedom of the press and create a sort of monopoly. 

But, David Ellison - ceo of skydance - is a huuuge supporter of Trumps, and shortly after Trump got elected, Ellison managed to convince CBS to apologize to Trump for whatever they said that aggrieved him, and got Colbert fired, essentially for insubordination. 

And then Trumps FCC approved the merger, making Ellison the biggest media mogul. And now he can control what paramount delivers. Which is bad for all of us. 

At least for now, we can take solace in the fact that over the air media, streaming "news" and such are less important to most people, as options pop up on the Internet all the time. 

*for now is noted because the Feds want very badly to restrict what we can access on the internet, and to track us if we're seeing things they don't approve of. And don't sleep on the fact that "oracle wants to buy TikTok" because David's father, Larry, was the ceo of oracle and still has a lot of pull there. So expect that platform to change somewhat quietly, too. 

https://slate.com/technology/2025/07/larry-ellison-donald-trump-paramount-skydance-merger.html

Trump is Wrecking our Travel Industry

Trump's impact on attendance at the men's World Cup in 2026 (cohosted with Mexico and Canada) and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles will likely be devastating. Earlier this month, 90 civil society groups implored FIFA to use its influence with Trump "to push the Trump administration to guarantee the rights of millions of football fans looking to attend the World Cup next summer." (Even if he does, why would anybody trust a Trump "guarantee"?)

If foreigners run the risk of being barred entry, hassled, detained, or deported (including to third countries where they have no attachment) hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of fans may stay away. Trump's travel bans (which by then may be expanded to more countries) could be used to prevent fans, players, team officials, and others from entering the games.

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/trump-is-wrecking-our-travel-industry?open=false

drinking water out of thin air

It may seem obvious, but there is a lot of water vapor in the air, and until this point it was only theoretically possible to collect it in a simple and cost effective way. 

But now, a group of engineers have developed a graphene-calcium composite that can absorb clean water from the atmosphere, which can be consumed. 

And the great part is that it is cheap and reusable. Meaning that many more people could have access to clean water. 

New nanomaterial pulls drinking water straight out of thin air


https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/water-from-air-graphene-calcium-aerogel

Meet the sargassum belt, a 5,000-mile-long snake of seaweed circling Florida

While visiting the island of St Kitts, I was talking with some locals about the sargassum that was collecting along the shore on the Atlantic side. There was quite a lot of it, and it smelled. 

The questions were: why is so much of it collecting? And does it have anything to do with pollution?

And the answer is that it is likely the result of human habits. Here's an article from 2023 that sums it up pretty well. 

What is sargassum? Here's why seaweed is piling up along Florida beaches : NPR


https://www.npr.org/2023/03/15/1163385168/sargassum-seaweed-florida-mexico-beaches

A possible replacement for plastic: Spinning bacteria create improved cellulose

Here's a look at bacterial cellulose - a sustainable material that breaks down easily - being used to shape containers. 

And these containers could replaces plastics. I do love scientific advances. 

https://phys.org/news/2025-07-plastic-bacteria-cellulose.html

Reducing pesticide

Engineers at MIT observed there has been a large increase in the amount of pesticide in use around the world. So they set out to try and see if they could reduce the impact. 

The developed a method of mixing water and soybean oil with the pesticide, so it would stick to the leaves of plants. 

The net result is better coverage, with less pesticide used. It's better for the environment. Better for farmers. Better for the plants (and planet). And the kicker is that it actually saves the agricultural industry billions of dollars because they have to buy lest pesticide. 

Technology developed by MIT engineers makes pesticides stick to plant leaves | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology


https://news.mit.edu/2025/mit-engineers-develop-pesticides-stick-on-plant-leaves-0325

Summer vacation

I recently visited St Kitts & Nevis. It was interesting on so many levels - beyond just enjoying beaches in the West Indies. 

First, and foremost, Nevis is where Alexander Hamilton was born.  We did a brief tour, and his life there was a little complicated. His father was a wealthy plantation owner, who was married, and Alexander was born to a woman who many believe was a prostitute. 

In any case, he was a bastard raised in Charlestown.  He couldn't attend school because of that fact, and was tutored by a Jewish woman (there was a decent sized Jewish community there!).  Of course, he saw slavery first hand, and that was pointed out as an influence on his life. After his mother died at age 9, he left for NY.  It's really interesting how connected these islands are to the Americas. 

Second is about this being Charlestown. As it happens, the first colonists who made it to the Americas in the 1600s landed on the island, reprovisioned their ship, and continued on their voyage, eventually settling in Massachusetts. But because they found the island, and its land was fertile, it became a stopping point for the explorers, and at some point, they founded Charlestown and of course the British "defended themselves" against the native population. By exterminating them. 

The slave trade was big business. Nearly all of the slaves that made it to the colonies came through the West Indies. They were auctioned off in public squares, and sometimes made to work on the islands for the cash crops (sugar cane most notably) that were grown on the island. The current inhabitants of St Kitts & Nevis (like most islands here) are descendants of the enslaved. They are well educated and know the history of their islands. Even if - because it was once a British colony - they are not specifically taught about slavery and the Christopher Columbus story is prominent. It's weirdly ironic. And of course, the West Indies abolished slavery by law, 30 years before the United States became disunited and engaged in the civil war. 

St Kitts & Nevis rely heavily on tourism. It's the main industry today. Even though the temperature remains fairly consistent during the year, tourism is very seasonal with more people visiting during the winter months. So it's a struggle during the summer months for a lot of people, with limited income during the offseason. And, interestingly, it's taken them a lot of time to recover from COVID as well. A year of lost business means some things that used to be available simply aren't any more. 

And finally, a note about climate change. They say that "the poor" are affected first. And while these islands are not poor, per se, they don't have the same affluence as we have in the United States. And they see things first. There's a huge problem of sea level rise. There are downstream impacts from pollution. The weather is less predictable in some ways. And there are few answers. 

You can learn an amazing amount by visiting a place and paying attention to the reality that's around you, rather than just ignoring it and sitting on the beach.

Tennessee woman denied prenatal care for being unmarried

What manner of nonsense is this? You can deny care for stupid - and questionable - moral reasons? 

And the congressman has no obligation to listen to his constituents? This really is dystopian. 


https://nashvillebanner.com/2025/07/20/doctor-denies-pregnant-woman-care/

So fucking dumb

In an effort to rile up the stupid people, and help move away from the Epstein case, the orange menace decided it was time to dictate how sports franchises name themselves. 

He went on some weird screed about how the time to worry about names that insult native Americans has passed, and the Cleveland guardians should revert to "Indians," while the Washington commanders should revert to "Redsk*ns" or else he'll personally veto any stadium money from the federal government. 

The Cleveland team said in a statement they're happy with the name as it is. And that pretty much was it for them. For now anyway. 

The football team would (I would say "never" in the past, but these days the world is truly upside down)  be unlikely to change the name back because (as I've noted before) the copyright restrictions on the name and likeness that they used have been lifted. Anyone could profit from it, undercutting a prime source of revenue for the team. 

Aside: take a look at the reveal of the throwback uniform. Do take note of the fact that there is no mention of the name and they did not use the logo for this very reason.

And here is the guy who is in the highest office telling literally everyone - from private citizens to private companies - how to conduct themselves.  

Smithsonian Fights Back Against $85 Million Space Shuttle Kipnapping To Texas

The stupidity of craven people elected to "represent us" is on full display here. 

TL;DR the space shuttle discovery isn't owned by the federal government. The appropriated funds are about 1/4 of what it would take to move it. And the specially outfitted 747s that can move the shuttle have been retired for about 15 years. 


https://www.jalopnik.com/1916183/smithsonian-fights-back-against-space-shuttle-kidnapping/

America's scary fire truck shortage

A while ago, I posted a video about why fire trucks are so expensive. Here's more context on the topic. 

https://media.hubspot.com/americas-scary-fire-truck-shortage

Musk will ask Tesla shareholders to vote on bailout for Twitter/xAI

Wait. A billionaire who spent ostensibly his own money to buy a platform that is used for hate - and which is bleeding money - wants to ask the company where he serves as the CEO (poorly) to bail him out for his privately held company?

And what does the company get in return? Nothing I assume. 

Why not just spend your own damn money? You have it for gosh sakes. 

If the shareholders and board vote for this, rather than voting no confidence in him … then we are as stupid as it seems. 

https://electrek.co/2025/07/13/musk-will-ask-tesla-shareholders-to-vote-on-bailout-for-twitter-xai/

Schroedingers executive.

I mean he was "unfit to serve" according to pretty much everyone FIVE YEARS AGO. 

It's not like he got better. 

The absurdity amazes me sometimes

The federal government wants to cut, cut, cut!  They have cut programs big and small, all in a seeming effort to inflict the most "pain" on citizens, while mostly protecting the oligarchs.

And this budget bill proved just how silly all of this is, on almost every level.  Rafael Edward Cruz (I shan't call him "Ted" because that's a nickname, and that is simply unacceptable in this day and age) added a line item to said budget that moves the Space Shuttle Discovery from its home at the Air and Space Museum to the Johnson Space Center.  For no reason other than he thought it belongs in Texas.  But included in this line item was $85,000,000 to facilitate its move and to create a structure to house it.

Its just the usual stupidity from the people who we "elect to serve us" but instead just act like a bunch of imbeciles in it for themselves.

That Epstein report

I have the Epstein report and I’ll release it right away!  

Don’t worry, it will be available soon!

There never was a report.

T-rump channeled his inner Frank Drebin in order to keep people close to him (and likely himself) from salacious headlines that ultimately wouldn’t matter (remember when Al Franken resigned from the senate because at some point he made an inappropriate comment about a female reporter? Such simpler times.  Now you can literally do anything and it gets a yawn) 

And meanwhile, Elon opened that can of worms further. https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanavalko/elon-musk-reacts-epstein-memo-memes

RFK jr makes no sense

Make America healthy. Or not. But rail against everyone and let the worm in the brain control you. 

So freaking dumb. 


https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-ultraprocessed-foods-diet-maha-trump-018a808efcf059eadfab2f8fc93fad4d

Two thoughts on the flood in Texas

1. Cutting weather-related services and research into weather patterns in a changing climate is a fools errand and will lead us to nowhere good. 

And 2. This is the kind of thing you might have heard about in time past happening in an underdeveloped country. Having something like this happen here in our "great nation" is inexcusable.  

That's on brand...

France unveiled a mural called "The Statue of Liberty's Silent Protest," designed to illustrate the "shame" surrounding the recent immigration policies of the Trump administration. 

Images went viral (including here) and have been viewed (according to some estimates) by at least 20 million people.  

But the MAGA crowd thinks its insulting and there were more than a few comments about how France should be "thanking us for bailing them out in the second world war" ... which is somewhat disingenuous and omits the fact that our independence would not have been won if the French hadn't intervened and provided support for the revolution.

And for reference, the statue was gifted to the United Stated by France on July 4, 1884 to celebrate our independence, democracy, and our willing acceptance of others on our shores.

Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw took six days to complete the mural, which was painted on a building in Roubaix, France. This location was intentional due to Roubaix's large migrant population who live in extremely difficult circumstances. "The values that the statue once stood for — freedom, hope, the right to be yourself — have been lost for many," she said.

Soccer fans stuck between a (hard) rock and a hard (trip home) place.

Early this year, you had people storming the gates. And now you have people unable to get out of the stadium and easily get home. 

But, I'm guessing Stephen Ross (who owns the stadium) made me money in both cases. So who cares? 

Soccer fans stuck between Hard Rock Stadium and a ride home: 'I'll never go to another game, especially not here' - The Athletic


https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6460496/2025/06/30/club-world-cup-hard-rock-stadium-fans-experience/

Man rebuilds a B-17 bomber

This is kind of a fun story about a guy that bought a B-17 fuselage, that had been sitting in a field in Maine, way back in 1984. 

He has since spent the last 4 decades restoring it. 

There's a charm and a warmth to the story, and the embedded tv coverage is kind of a nice summary of it all. 

"Illinois man has spent 40 years rebuilding a WWII-era B-17 bomber" | Popular Science


https://www.popsci.com/technology/b-17-bomber-restoration/

Mark Cuban said he was 'embarrassed' to find out some Dallas Mavericks staff needed government benefits

Interesting perspective on how companies can do more - on their own - to solve the problem of people having to go on Medicaid. 

Pay a fair wage out of the ginormous profits. I mean duh. 

Mark Cuban Was 'Embarrassed' to Find Staff Needed Government Benefits - Business Insider


https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-embarassed-staff-assistance-cut-medicaid-employees-taxpayers-companies-2025-6

3D printing in space

The European Space Agency sent along a 3D printer to the International Space Station, and recently, it was used to create a 3D metal object. As you might expect, in micro gravity, it took a while to calibrate the machines.

But the result is that they now can now print a part that they need for a repair on the station - and it naturally has implications beyond the ISS.  As we move further from Earth, we have to be prepared for many eventualities.  And a 3D printer allows for a wide range of possibilities.

Remember that in Apollo 13, they had to repurpose whatever things they could find on board to ensure that the astronauts could return home.  Imagine how that could have gone if they could have made literally anything out of an idea.

https://www.sustainability-times.com/research/theyre-sure-its-not-from-earth-scientists-analyze-mysterious-metal-object-with-properties-unknown-to-human-technology/

Another whitewashing of history?

This is an interesting long-form piece about how Harvard wanted to know about how the slave trade was handled at the university.  Its worth a read... 

...but for anyone who wants the cliffs notes version, essentially someone was hired to do the research and what he found was that there was a lot of overlooked elements of slavery that helped build the university, and even several prominent people involved with the founding were slave owners.  The researcher was asked to limit his findings because this was a source of shame.  And when he didn't, he was let go, and the university turned the research over to a company doing more genealogy and less shining a light on slavery.

Which is shameful in its own right.  The past happened.  Why can't we just own up to it and move on?

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/jun/21/harvard-slavery-decendants-of-the-enslaved

Relay 2 comes to life to emit a pulse of radio waves

In 1964, NASA launched Relay 2 as an early satellite.  The main objective was to determine the feasibility of launching a satellite that could remain in place and allow for data to be relayed from future manned missions (like the moon shots).  

Having fulfilled its purpose, the satellite was decommissioned in 1967, and just left to sit in a high orbit above the earth.  And then in mid-June of this year, it suddenly came to life and emitted a strong radio pulse - well beyond anything that could be easily explained.

Scientists are trying to understand what happened here, but its a really fun mystery for now.

The original article is behind a paywall: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2485157-dead-nasa-satellite-unexpectedly-emits-powerful-radio-pulse/

Another free source for a related article: https://www.sciencealert.com/mysterious-radio-signal-caught-bursting-from-long-dead-nasa-satellite

Wireless power transmission

I've talked in the past about the possibilities for wireless power transmissions.  DARPA has achieved this - by sending 800 watts of power over a distance of 5 miles!

The pulse was transmitted with an approximate 20% efficiency, and some of the power it transmitted was used to make popcorn. The researchers have bigger ambitions for the system's use in the field, however, suggesting that it could be used to power unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Popcorn.  Seems so innocent, given that this is an advanced research branch of the army.

https://www.livescience.com/technology/darpa-smashes-wireless-power-record-beaming-energy-more-than-5-miles-away-and-uses-it-to-make-popcorn

Removing microplastics from water

Researchers have found a plant-based substance that provides a way to to suck up microplastics.

... researchers found that extracts from okra and fenugreek can remove up to 90 percent of microplastics from ocean water, freshwater, and groundwater. These results were recently published in the journal ACS Omega.

 Its early, but the results are interesting!

https://scitechdaily.com/natural-plant-extract-removes-up-to-90-of-microplastics-from-water/

AI and Disney's sacred IP

Disney is - and always has been - very territorial about their intellectual property.  I mean look at Mickey Mouse, and how the Disney company sought to maintain the copyright over his likeness for as long as they did, going so far as to lobby congress so that they could maintain that copyright for longer than originally intended.

And now along comes AI.  And several companies are using it to generate content that (seemingly obviously) infringe on those copyrights.  Only the courts have been kind of letting a lot of it slide as these new technologies are "training."

But Disney is not taking that lying down and is suing to protect their IP from this type of infringement.  Its worth watching to see how this plays out, and whether the other players with significant works being re-created ultimately join the effort to stop AI companies from using and monetizing on the works of Disney (and others).

Here's an article from June that lays it all out.  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-06-22/inside-disney-s-campaign-to-protect-darth-vader-from-ai 

Possible Disney World expansion?

Disney submitted their 20 year plan for land usage to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (the state-run board that replaced the Reedy Creek Improvement District).

Most of it is the pro forma land usage plans.  But there were a couple of interesting items within it.  First was that they set aside property for two "minor theme parks."  These would be things like water parks or amusement park-type areas.   

But, more interestingly is that they left space for a 5th theme park.  Speculation is running wild on the internet on what that means, and when it could happen. But the reality is that there is (to this point) no concrete plan in place.  This is speculative, and leaves room for future growth, should Disney decide to expand like that. 

Still its important to note that Disney is planning for more growth.

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/fifth-theme-park-disney-world-approved-2045-plan/

Trump must be impeached

Senator,

Mr Trump continually ignores the constitution, but this weekend he went farther than he had previously. 

After days of saying "we'll see," he launched a military strike on a sovereign nation, seemingly based on nothing more than "his own gut."  While relations may be strained with Iran, there was no provocation and no reason to take this action. 

And the constitution requires that he get congressional approval to enter into any such conflicts. Which he simply did not do. 

It has been reported that he alerted England's prime minister and several "key Republican lawmakers" just before he launched the effort. But he skipped over people he doesn't like. 

That is not how any of this is done. 

Setting aside all the other transgressions, this one is the most severe and significant. He needs to be removed from office for this conduct. 

You need to support and defend the constitution and represent Americans in standing up to him. 

On maintaining friendships

This is a somewhat personal story...

Years ago, I met a guy through some work I was doing on the web and we became friends.  We found out we had a lot in common, and would hang out a few times a year (we lived in different parts of the country so it revolved around common activities).  He appeared on a Dolphins podcast that I had at one point, and on the Disney podcast, too.

He was a good human being. And I was glad to call him a friend.

The pandemic came, and we didn't see each other for a while, and we fell behind on communicating.  Hey.  It happens, that's life.

I saw something that I was pretty sure this friend would enjoy knowing about, so I dropped him an email.  I got a fairly unexpected reply, from his daughter: "sorry to tell you that he passed away after a brief illness, about two months ago"

I was stunned.  I reached out to a few other mutual friends to let them know.  Only to find out that during his illness, he had reached out to them to let them know he was not doing well.  And then a fairly close friend of his let this group know when he passed.

But I was left out of the conversation.  That stung a little more.

We obviously hadn't been that close in the last few years, and I hardly blame him.  But I was mildly surprised that the other folks hadn't mentioned anything to me. 

Again, that is life.  Still, it made me a little sad.  

But then I remembered an interview with former Dolphin player. and hall of famer, Larry Little from a few years back.  

He told a story about how a college teammate was in town, and had reached out and asked him to dinner. He said he was too tired and didn't go.  And the friend wound up having a heart attack and dying a few days later.  He felt great guilt and quietly reflected on that.  His advice to himself - and others - was to always try and see people that you care about when you have the chance.  Don't let being tired or busy be an excuse.  Cherish the people you like, and let them in.

And that's what I was trying to do in reaching out to my friend, and others who I've lost touch with over the years.   My aim is to cultivate better friendships, and try to not let this happen anymore to people I actually like and care about.  It's not so hard to send an email, or a quick text, or even make time to meetup if the person is nearby.

And that's the same advice I pass along to you.  The world is strange a lot of the time, but there are good people in it.  I'd like to encourage anyone reading this to make an effort to not let people just slip out of your life, only to find out that they died unexpectedly. 

Starship woes

SpaceX's large craft - starship - has experienced a series of problems recently. 

They have managed to launch several vehicles, and have returned the booster successfully; and even "caught it" a few times. 

But the upper stage hasn't found any success. The rockets mis-fire. The attitude can't be controlled. The payload doors won't open. 

And now they had a spectacular explosion on the pad while performing a static fire. 

I know that there is a lot of trial and error involved. And space is hard. But it just seems like maybe the spacecraft is too big and powerful and it just can't be harnessed properly. 

Anyway, you can watch the explosion on the attached link:

https://weather.com/science/space/video/spacex-starship-rocket-explodes-in-texas-testing

And one amusing thing. Afterwards, Elon channeled his inner Python fan and said "it's just a scratch" - which is amusing yet stupid (coming from him) 

To the senate: no war with Iran!

Senator, might I remind you that the ongoing discussion by Mr Trump to authorize military action against Iran seems to be entirely motivated by his own hubris rather than by good policy or some rational thought about the future of the Mideast and its stability. 

I also would point out that the majority of Americans - including those who identify as MAGA - are opposed to such action. 

And as you are likely well aware, there is no existing congressional authorization for the use of force against Iran. So there is yet another constitutional showdown looming, should he decide to act. 

You need to take a firm stand and support other options, other than military action. 

To the senate: Elimination of programs to feed people

Senator,

I often volunteer at feeding south Florida. I live here and want to help my community, and can honestly state there is a need. And a growing one at that. With the cost of living compared against the wages, and the rising cost of food, people don't have a lot of options. 

The food bank gives them an option. But through various actions of this administration, I am seeing less food being brought in, and Florida and federal donations are lower. 

Now with the budget that eliminates SNAP and other programs, there will be even less. And our neighbors - your constituents who are legally here - will need to rely on food banks more than ever. But their funding will also go away. 

So essentially in approving this budget, you would be creating more issues than you'd be solving. I would think the proposed tax savings for the ultra wealthy would be insignificant in the big picture. 

People work hard and still can't make ends meet. They need a little help. Don't cut their benefits!

To the senate: Emoluments clause

Mr Trump is promoting some ridiculously overpriced phone that I guess his family is selling (it's confusing but he's definitely involved). 

And that means he stands to profit (again) directly from the office he holds. 

That is a clear violation of the emoluments clause. You need to hold him accountable for (again) not acting constitutionally. 

POV Walkthroughs of Disney attractions

This is pretty cool.  While YouTube has a significant collection of user-created content related to Disney parks - including ride throughs of most attractions - Disney itself has decided to make a series of POV attraction ride throughs.

The major difference is that the Disney versions are flawless.  No ride breakdowns.  Shots that highlight things they want to be sure you see.  No other guests blocking the view. And they take some parts slowly.

You can find the collection on Disney+, beginning with the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland.

https://gizmodo.com/visit-disneyland-from-the-comfort-of-disney-with-more-pov-walkthroughs-2000617143

Hailing frequencies closed

Many years ago, I met Curt at an event hosted by the Miami Dolphins. We had a little fun back-and-forth about who was first with a dolphins website (though I always knew it was him; he beat me by maybe a month or so). 

We became friends and had a some fun bonding over being long-suffering fans, and discovered we also shared a love of Disney. There were other things, too, but those always worked. 

He appeared on both my dolphins and Disney podcasts a few times, and we did the scavenger hunt in 2011. It was an absolute blast. 

Unfortunately, we lost touch shortly before the pandemic, and the emails and calls became more sporadic. 

Then, today I saw something about the dolphins I thought he'd enjoy seeing, so I thought maybe we could pick up again. 

Only… I learned from his daughter that he passed away in March. That gave me pause. 

Goodbye my friend. May you feast among the dolphins greats, and get an audience with Walt himself. 😁

This is one of those fun human interest stories

TL;DR dad offers his son a chance to take on a challenge that you see on the socials. Kid succeeds. That video goes viral, and ultimately leads to the son getting a chance to go on the field with a baseball player he wanted to meet. 

It's worth a read, and reminds us that there is still good in the world. 

https://people.com/how-a-viral-prank-led-boy-to-meet-his-texas-rangers-idol-exclusive-11740602

When Don Shula almost went to work for Donald Trump

This is a summary of Trump buying the New Jersey Generals and pursing Don Shula. 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DI4gG_tzVpf/?igsh=eTM4cWZ2Z3ZzaXpy

A little more context: If I remember correctly, T-rump decided he wanted to win at all costs and made a run at Shula. 

Shula was flattered but not really interested. His situation in Miami was good but the money was tempting. And of course he and owner Joe Robbie had clashed a bunch by now.

I don't think they ever got far into negotiations, with Shulas representative doing the talking.

But it did give him more money from the notoriously cheap Robbie.

There are two rumors around this topic. First is that Larry Csonka (who played for Shula, and they remained friendly over the years) told reporters Shula "probably would have taken the money" if that other Donald hadn't gone public.

And the second is that the agent was trying to size up the real interest. Was this a publicity stunt? Would Shula have had control? Was it a legit offer without stupid clauses that would have made life difficult?

Part of how he negotiated was to ask for some ridiculous things, perhaps including the penthouse apartment.

It was to see what kind of a person that Donald was. And we all saw it.

Shula called it all a distraction and just moved on.

Religion meets politics

As I've noted many times before, the founding fathers weren't particularly religious. As the primary religion in the American colonies was Anglican, that meant that the predominant religion accepted the monarchy. Because the monarch is the head of the Anglican Church. 

That certainly didn't fit with the ideals of this fledgling nation, which was trying to free itself from the ties to England. 

And that's an important part of how our nation was founded. The Declaration of Independence speaks of "the creator" as a very ambiguous thing. And they do note that there is "divine providence" in the action, which suggests a higher power. But they don't otherwise mention god, and certainly not Christianity. 

The constitution makes no reference to god. At all. There is a notation in article vii that reads "in the year of our lord" 

done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independance of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names

But keep in mind that the British had imposed the gregorian calendar on all its territories. It has a "starting point" related to the assumed birthdate of Jesus. Any days before that are "BC," or "Before Christ." And anything after are "AD," or "Anno Domini" which is loosely translated to "after the coming of god."

The plucky americans kept the calendar and the nomenclature for convenience. So "year of our lord" is a holdover from that, specifically. 

And with no other mentions of god, it's a stretch to fit Christianity into that. Though certainly some people try and do so.  

Moreover, it was decided to make the semi-official motto of these new United States e pluribus unum which you may recognize as a Latin phrase (Latin being commonly used in documents pertaining to state, in many British territories). It means "out of many, one."

You may also realize that this is the basic tenet of the declaration that "we the people" are the nation. Not a king. Not a type of tyrant. We. All of us.   

Now a quick aside: The pledge of allegiance that we all know and recite, didn't get written until after the civil war. It was 1892 when we started pledging allegiance to the republic. And it did NOT contain the phrase "under god" in its original form. 

But along came the Cold War in the 1950s. The red scare. There were communists everywhere, according to some. And we couldn't let the Russians take over our nation. So there were a series of witch hunts. 

And a serious discussion about how we could differentiate ourselves from *them* got underway … one way was through religion. The communists didn't believe in god and therefore, if the United States made references to god, we could assure ourselves that the red menace wouldn't affect our way of life. Silly as that sounds. 

So in 1956, the pledge of allegiance was changed to add "under god" to it. It's a small, subtle change. But in context, really relevant. 

They also adopted an official motto that reads "in god we trust," and stopped using "e pluribus unum" in most official capacities. 

Until then, no one much cared about religion in the way we think of it today. Yes, people were religious. And yes there were debates about church and state. But the constitution typically won out because it didn't mention god. 

But, with legislation and the stroke of a pen, we started down a long path of religion infiltrating our system of government. People assume that "under god" refers to Christianity. But of course it does not specifically do that. 

And our founding fathers never intended for this to happen. 

Reference: the constitution 

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript#7

Reference: the Declaration of Independence 

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Seaweed packaging

A company called Notpla is working on a seaweed coating to put over a cardboard container.  The result is something that can biodegrade quicky and easily.

They're partnering with some European business, and with some big stadium operators to replace the packaging that's used when serving food at games and events.  

They also toyed wit han idea for seaweed-based cuops to replace single use plastic cups, but post-pandemic, opted to focus on these takeaway containers.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/06/07/we-dont-want-to-be-a-niche-brand-seaweed-is-taking-plastic-out-of-stadiums-and-sandwich-bo

Davinci drawings lead to newly discovered tunnels

Leonardo Davinci did some drawings of the Sforza Castle, and included were a series of underground tunnels.

Centuries passed, and the landscape changed.  The tunnels were lost to history.  Except that some archaeologists referred back to these drawings, and used ground penetrating radar.  And found the tunnels.

This is one of those fun stories that makes one marvel at the ability of Davinci to show us the real world.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a64864755/leonardo-da-vinci-castle-sketch/

Scientists in Japan develop plastic that dissolves in seawater within hours

It may seem a little far-fetched, but the scientists had in a group of scientists and reporters, and demonstrated the effect: plastic sitting in a salt water tank disintegrated in about an hour.  So if this is scalable, and if the plastic can stand up to regular handling, they may be on to something.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/scientists-japan-develop-plastic-that-dissolves-seawater-within-hours-2025-06-04/

Saturn's moon - Titan - has a tilt that scientists are trying to understand

To this point, scientists can't figure out why Titan is "wobbling."

"We think some event in the past may have knocked the atmosphere off its spin axis, causing it to wobble."

While studying it using telescopes and looking at the data from probes, they noticed that Saturn wasn't impacting the tilt, which made the result curiouser.

"That would've given us clues to the cause," Nick Teanby, co-author of the study and a planetary scientist at the University of Bristol, said in the statement. "Instead, we've got a new mystery on our hands."

Its amazing to me just how much we don't know.  But its also worth noting that this is what's great about scientific curiosity.  We continue to evaluate what we see, and update theories to adapt to that.  And we continue to learn new things.

https://www.space.com/astronomy/solar-system/weve-got-a-new-mystery-on-our-hands-titans-weird-wobble-just-got-even-stranger

Space is hard

Japan's Resilience Lunar Lander apparently crash landed on the moon.  Everything was looking good after its time in space, and the engineers were excited and confident about landing.

But as it was 20m above the surface, and about 2 minutes from landing, the thrusters fired to move it to a vertical position, but it didn't successfully complete the maneuver, and the craft didn't slow down.  

iSpace lost contact with it and later determined that it had crash landed.  And that means its iSpace's second failed attempt to land on the moon,

https://www.reuters.com/science/japans-ispace-tries-lunar-touchdown-again-with-resilience-lander-2025-06-05/

Disney announces Piston Peak

Disney hadn't said much about the Cars themed land slated for the magic kingdom, after their initial announcement. 

The reason for that is: Florida politics. 

Disney proposed filling in the Rivers of America and using that as additional space for their new land. But Disney no longer controls its own waterways. They are now under the purview of the state's water management district. So, when Disney proposed their changes, the state rejected it outright. It's hard to tell what their reasoning was, but presumably it's about their ongoing feud. 

Disney tried negotiating, but they met a lot of resistance. I personally assumed the project died quietly. 

But in the first week of June, they came up with this statement. 

"Since the early days of Magic Kingdom, adventurous guests have traveled across space and time as they pass from Liberty Square to Frontierland.

 

"At the heart of all these stories are heroic characters with a belief in themselves that helped forge a path to their dreams.

 

"To continue this journey in great American storytelling, Piston Peak National Park will be part of the largest expansion in the history of Magic Kingdom.

 

"Visitors will be able to see and explore the visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, trails and more all set within the Disney and Pixar Cars universe.

 

"To make sure these buildings fit naturally within the surrounding majestic landscapes, Imagineers are using a style of architecture called 'Parkitecture,' which was developed by the National Park Service to create structures that harmonize with the natural environment.

 

"From the outside, trees will provide a natural barrier between the off-road rally and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square. Rugged mountains with dramatic peaks will be nestled along a calming waterway across from Grizzly Hall, and soaring geysers from the famed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will stretch into the trails of our off-road rally."

Which means that they found a way to make it work. And if you look at the new rendering, you'll note that the waterway surrounds the land. So in effect, they reshaped the Rivers of America slightly, but left it intact. 

I'm not quite sure who won and lost here. But it seems a reasonable compromise. I think, anyway. 

But my one question is why did they put it there, and not over by the Tomorrowland speedway? That seemed to be a more natural tie-in. 

But what do I know?

Original artist rendering - no waterways shown:

Conceptualization shown in June with the announcement, with the waterway!: