Stupid is as stupid does

The orange menace opts to attack another sovereign nation for reasons that make no sense. Iran didn't do anything to incite the US, but he attacked purportedly to make a regime change.  That's a war crime, something he should be held accountable for. Innocent people are dying at his hands. 

But what makes this so much worse is that there really is no plan here.  The objective and end game are unknown.  Heck, apparently many allies were caught off guard, too. That's a contributing factor to why Kuwait shot down some US planes; they had no idea what was happening. 

And there is this oddity too.  The US is making statements about how the Iranian military needs to surrender.  Except that this message is not getting through.  The internet was suppressed in Iran by their government. And the US made no effort to turn it back on or provide another means to get online.  Also, in all his cost cutting, T-rump cut funding for Air America and other propaganda tools.  Meaning that no one is relaying information to Iranians on our behalf.

Telling people to surrender has no effect if they can't hear you.

There's also the matter of people traveling anywhere in that region and getting stuck.  They are paying for an "extended vacation" with no end in sight,  missing work and their families, with no means to get home. Heck, there's not even a plan.  Often, the US government would alert people to leave or not travel, and / or have an evacuation plan for citizens (which the citizen must reimburse the government for).  

And because of this surprise war, the markets don't know how to react, and thus go down. And because it's a Middle East conflict, gas prices go up… which affects our economy.

It's all just nuts. 

Kryptos - the sculpture at CIA headquarters.

Back in 1990, artist Jim Sanborn created a sculpture for the CIA that was appropriate in that it had 4 parts which had a code embedded on them. The codes were all different and he challenged anyone to decipher them all. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kryptos

3 were deciphered fairly quickly by cryptographers at the CIA, though the results were kept secret for a few more years. 

But the 4th one remained unbroken. Until a couple of reporters figured out a way to break the code via a side door - at the national archives. 

They're not saying what the answer is, and the code itself remains undeciphered still. 

And the person who owns the key to all of it tells us that there is a 5th cypher that hasn't revealed itself yet. 

This is kind of amazing and the article breaks it down for us. 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-cias-kryptos-sculpture-gave-up-its-final-secret/

The original Epstein whistleblower, 90s supermodel Karen Mulder. Why didn’t they believe her?

Here's a short synopsis of her life and involvement with Epstein - and what happened when she came forward. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZWfvChb-i0w?si=bp8eFU11G3BakFDv

The president has run amok. To our senators and congresspeople.

Mr Trump has engaged in a military action - again - against a sovereign nation (Iran) that has not otherwise provided a credible threat to the United States.

This is inexcusable and he must be held to account.

Do your job! Impeach and remove.

Colorado 12-year-old nationally awarded for invention | FOX31

This is the story about a boy named 

Anirudh Rao who has several amazing inventions. But the one that stands out is an early detection system for tornadoes. 

He deploys a series of drones that can detect changing weather patterns and can indicate a tornado brewing as much as 40 minutes in advance. Current systems allow for about 13 minutes; this invention could save lives. 

It's amazing what someone can do when they put their mind to it. 

 

https://kdvr.com/news/local/colorado-12-year-old-nationally-awarded-for-invention/

A continent-long “brown ribbon” has appeared in the Atlantic off Africa — and scientists say it’s not a good sign - Futura-Sciences

There's a brown streak that has appeared across most of the Atlantic. And this mass is … sargassum! 

The scourge is back and essentially worse than ever. But of course, we merely shrug. 

https://www.futura-sciences.com/en/a-continent-long-brown-ribbon-has-appeared-in-the-atlantic-off-africa-and-scientists-say-its-not-a-good-sign_26008/

China's water battery hits 120,000+ cycles, can beat lithium by decades

Tofu for the win! These scientists have found a way to use a tofu brine as the means to allow batteries to conduct electricity - in place of lithium. 

It's less costly, lasts longer, and in-all safer. 

See? Even cars are going vegetarian. lol. 

 

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/chinas-water-battery-outlast-lithium

The Couple Who Wed During Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Performance Share Their Story - The New York Times

Such a good story. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/style/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-wedding-couple.html

Ford Has a Patent for a Shifter That Could Give the Manual New Purpose | Gear Patrol

With all the talk about moving away from computers, or even that ford is somehow abandoning advanced tech or EVs, this is an interesting twist.

https://www.gearpatrol.com/cars/ford-ev-manual-shifter-patent/

Olympian Eileen Gu

As we bid goodbye to another Olympics, we can marvel at the (mostly) young athletes who got to do something amazing as a representative of their country - while the IOC makes a ton of money and leaves the host city holding the bag from a financial perspective.

But this item is about one of these youngsters - Eileen Gu, who is an American, but represents China at the Olympics.  She's a remarkable person and I thought it was worth commenting on her.

You see, Gu is a smart woman, and she figured out how to make the most of her opportunity and love of skiing early on.  She created a social media presence and got noticed.  And because she's of Chinese ancestry, she was invited to participate on behalf of that country.  They pay for her training and related expenses.  And yet they allow for her to continue to use her presence to maintain sponsorships, and continue modelling.  And she is able to remain in the United States and pursue a degree at Stanford. She's studying International Relations, but that hasn't stopped her from taking courses in Quantum Physics! (and as a few physicists have noted, that may help her perform better because she understands what it takes to make her successful at her sport.

She went on to win 6 medals across two olympics.  And yet, she is mostly humble and understands her place as a kind of leader - and took the high road when several knuckleheads tried to chastise her for not representing the United States.

Heck, she cried after her last event, while giving an interview, because she was informed her grandmother - an inspiration - had just died. 

I have so much respect for her and her intelligent approach.  Consider this quote:

"I'm an introspective young woman. I spend a lot of time in my head. It's not a bad place to be. I journal a lot. I break down all of my thought processes. I'm 22, so with neuroplasticity on my side I can literally become exactly who I want to be. How cool is that? How empowering is that, right?

"I get to become every day the kind of person that me, at age eight, would revere. I would be obsessed with me today. Are you kidding? I would love me and I think that's the biggest flex of all time."

We need so many more people like her in the world!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/22/eileen-gu-freestyle-skiing-halfpipe-gold-zoe-atkin-bronze-great-britain-winter-olympics

Albert Einstein predicted it and Mars has now confirmed it: time flows differently on the Red Planet, forcing future missions to adapt

This feels crazy!

Essentially time is a construct that we came up with, and while it mostly works, consider that we have to add in time periodically (hence the leap year), and because of the constraints on it, "time travel" as we think of it is impossible.  It's a linear function within the construct.

But Einstein used the theory of relativity to help us think about the construct and how it might not apply in every situation, because of orbits around the sun, gravity, and other factors. 

And we're seeing that this is the case on mars. Time is not absolute, and what we think of in that sense does not apply on mars (or really anywhere else).

So that means when you're "late for work ," you really aren't because time itself doesn't make sense. (Ha) 

And in science fiction when they talk about traveling through time by somehow warping space-time, they're actually applying science.

It kind of blows my mind. 

https://beaconwales.org/23-164048-albert-einstein-has-flows-adapt/

China invention turns desert sand into fertile soil in just 10 months - Earth.com

Well, this is interesting. A group of scientists are using bacteria to mix in with the sand, and then providing nutrient in order to stabilize the soil.  From there, they can plant other types of living things that can take root and grow.

Essentially reclaiming deserts.  

https://www.earth.com/news/process-microbes-turn-desert-sand-into-fertile-soil-in-just-10-months/

To the orange menace…

Birthright Citizenship at SCOTUS: Your Voice Matters | American Civil Liberties Union

https://action.aclu.org/petition/birthright-citizenship-scotus-your-voice-matters

A Spacecraft Flew Closer to the Sun Than Ever – and Is Rewriting a Century-Old Mystery

This spacecraft is collecting new information about the sun, its composition, and the atmosphere around the sun.

The objective is to help us better understand more about the sun, and how it affects the other.  We're learning more about solar wind and how it is heated on its journey to earth. 

But on that last one, shhh! Don't tell anyone that it will help us understand how earths climate is affected by the sun, because that might be considered climate science. And that's not allowable in this day and age.

https://scitechdaily.com/a-spacecraft-flew-closer-to-the-sun-than-ever-and-is-rewriting-a-century-old-mystery/

Automakers are getting rid of Apple CarPlay to try and take advantage of $625,000,000,000 opportunity

Recently, lawmakers have been discussing cars. Among the topics are a change to gas mileage requirements, a removal of any sort of emissions standards, and a notion that computers need to be removed from cars.

There's reasoning on this last one - according to them - is that the cars could be more like older models, with simple engines that are powerful, sometimes loud, and which allow the drive to control the car (certainly something we've strayed from, since cars in control these days. Heck even stick shifts on most current cars don't engage the engine to change how it physically operates; the shifting tells the computer to adjust the engine). There was also some nonsense about needing to be able to touch physical buttons rather than touching a screen (which felt very generational). 

 But here's the bigger picture: these computers collect billions of dollars worth of data about you and your driving habits.  Do you think the car manufactures will simply give that up? 

Just take a look at this article and the power play move with apple here.  This is about collecting, controlling, and selling information about you. It's about money.

https://supercarblondie.com/tech/why-automakers-are-getting-rid-of-apple-carplay/

What are JWST’s Little Red Dots? Astronomers may finally have an answer | Scientific American

As it continues to explore the cosmos, the James Webb space telescope has observed something that we have never seen before- and could not see -from earth. 

These are "Little Red Dots" scattered about… and to this point, no one can explain what they are.  There are plenty of theories, but it looks like we have stumbled onto a new cosmological object!

…or maybe (Star Trek reference incoming) it's just Michael Burnham in her angel suit, giving us clues to follow.  

 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-are-jwsts-little-red-dots-astronomers-may-finally-have-an-answer/

Engineering at its finest!

Back in 1929, Bell telephone purchased an 8 story building to use as its headquarters in Indianapolis.  But, they wanted to make a central part of a planned campus and needed to move the building about 50 feet over and rotate it on the property. 

And they did just that over the course of several months, with jacks and hoists - while the building was occupied by employees of the phone company. 

This article from 1931 gets into the …. Nuts and bolts? Of it all.

https://archive.org/details/sim_enr_1931-07-02_107_1

Nixon and his speech

I *am* a crook

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been hearing more about the grifting by the orange menace. He has certainly profited from his time in office. 

And yet 50 years(ish) ago, Richard Nixon stood in front of a group of reporters (at Disney world’s contemporary hotel by the way) and exclaimed that he was not a crook.  My how times have changed. How quaint that was…

https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/nov-17-1973-nixon-declares-i-am-not-a-crook/

The Muppets

There's a bit of a long story about how the Walt Disney company wanted the talents of Jim Henson, and were willing to buy the Muppets just to get him.  Unfortunately, he died before the deal was ever finalized, and the company lost interest in the property, and it was sold to a German company.

But Disney had a license to use the muppets in some situations, including as a part of Muppet Vision 3D at the studios.  So that remained open, but couldn't be expanded beyond that.

Then, the German company went bankrupt, and Disney wound up acquiring them - at a fraction of the original price.  But they had no idea what to do with them, and the Muppets mostly just sat idle.

And with park expansion, Muppet Vision finally closed.  The Muppets will appear as a replacement for Rock'N'Rollercoaster, but that really doesn't do them justice.

In the meantime, the Disney company has been considering other ideas. One of them was a resurrection of the Muppet Show.  They produced one episode and released it in January.  It followed the  formula of the original 70s era show - and I have to say that I enjoyed it.

There is some discussion of producing more episodes, and I sure hope that they do.... and don't just continue to let them languish and ultimately be forgotten.

Trump donor who criticized offshoring to close Ohio plant and move work to China | Business | The Guardian

America first!

Good paying jobs are coming!

Manufacturing will return to murica!

Except when it doesn't of course. 

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/feb/16/john-paulson-conn-selmer-ohio-factory-china-trump

This is another case where the simpsons got it right…

https://youtu.be/cyJfOPSS2Uc?si=l1q6N-O3C-x5ab7k

Monty Burns is any/every billionaire.

Watch "The Never-Ending Exploitation of Olympians" on YouTube

This is a pretty well done piece about Olympic athletes and what they make against the backdrop of the Olympics and its huge revenue stream (which athletes get none of!)

 

https://youtu.be/Q4kZTfHuM-I?si=GquU2x18ldYlc8XM

Kunal Nayyar Anonymously Pays Families’ Medical Bills via GoFundMe

There is good in the world, and I have so much respect for these actions. And the comments they include are pretty spot-on.

https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/alex-ocho/kunal-nayyar-gofundme-medical-bills-anonymous

You can read the whole interview here:

https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/big-bang-theory-kunal-nayyar-pay-families-medical-bills-4067786

"Right now people are not happy, because we are all expecting someone else to be kind. We are expecting a president or a politician, some leader, to come and bring us world peace. But there is no world peace if your neighbour comes to your door wanting some sugar for their tea, and you lock it against them and say 'get away'….. no one is going to come and change the world for you. You have to do it for yourself."

The Walt Disney Company Hit with Record Fine by California DOJ - WDW News Today

This news item caught my attention at least in part because the state of California is doing what the federal government is derelict in doing: holding large companies responsible for acting as they should. 

Disney said that consumers could opt out of marketing, but then proceeded to sell information anyway. 

So Disney must pay a fine and change that practice. 

I'll take any small wins. 

And Disney -maybe- will do more to treat customers "right" and -again maybe- be a leader in the industry. 

https://wdwnt.com/2026/02/the-walt-disney-company-hit-with-record-fine-by-california-doj/

Why Scientists Are Rethinking 60 Years of Arctic Snow Data

Science is kind of awesome in that we keep updating what we know and adjusting theories accordingly. 

And while this might be hard to fit in to what (we think) we know, it's interesting to see that we probably need to look at the data we collected a little differently. 

Remember that the method for data collection was suspect until fairly recently. 

And I remain confident that at some point, we'll understand just what the data is telling us. I mean, really telling us. 

https://scitechdaily.com/why-scientists-are-rethinking-60-years-of-arctic-snow-data/

EPA revokes a key legal underpinning in fighting climate change | AP News

I am extremely bothered by this outcome. Years ago, under Obama, they EPA made clear that there was climate change and that we needed to protect against that. 

Now some of the same members who voted that way are playing some stupid political game that is - and will be more so in the future - harmful. 

Just ignore the science and side with whatever nonsense T-rump says. Great. Just great. 

And it goes on from there. Our water is in danger. Our air in in danger. Our environment overall is in danger. 

And there's an underlying thought that cars don't need to have emissions standards, or to have higher gas mileage. We want to go back to the polluting days of 50+ years ago. Because Murica!

While the rest of the world is looking at efficiency and standards. 

We have lost our way. 

 

https://apnews.com/article/trump-climate-change-epa-clean-air-act-c149d5ea6ec71c862e6c4b578adf92cd

Soarin (again)

Things changed and the guy in 2nd started playing and got a nice lead on me. Since I couldn't overtake that guy after he moved to 1st, I decided to create a new player (the MIA below) and have him move into 3rd. 

So I now have spots #2 & #3. Which is a different amount of fun. 

Super Bowl predictions

Seattle won, which was expected. 

As the playoffs progressed, I went back and looked at the model I developed. I streamlined it a lot, and went back to 2015 to see if it was true then, too.   It was!

Here's what I did:

• In week 10, I looked at the 4 teams from each conference who had the highest point differential at that point in the season. 
• in all but one year, one of those 8 teams won the Super Bowl. The exception was in 2018, when New England won; they were the fifth best team in the AFC. (I should note that the 5th best did make the superbowl a few times, but this was the only win). 
• Taking the 5 best in each conference solves this problem

• At season's end, I took those teams and looked at the average points per game that were allowed on defense (for the entire year)
• some of the teams didn't make the playoffs.  That's okay, any of the remaining teams are all we need to consider 
• other teams made the playoffs, but because they weren't in the first 10, they weren't considered - None of them have ever won the Super Bowl. 

• Last, I sorted them by PPG allowed, and the team with the lowest PPG allowed is the expected winner. 
• The playoffs are a little weird, and its hard to call a winner.  In the 11 years I considered:
• 2 times, the superbowl champion was the best team (so we knew at the start of the playoffs)
• 3 times, the next best after the wildcard weekend won
• 3 times, the next best after the divisional playoffs won
• 3 times, it went to the conference championship
• There was only one year where the best team didn't win; the second best did.  That was in 2022 when Kansas City beat Philadelphia on the last drive. Everything else seemed right to that point.

So, essentially, we always know that the superbowl winner will come from that group, and we can assess the likelihood of a team winning as the playoffs progress...

 

Nikola Tesla

Tesla was an inventor very much ahead of his time. His scientific endeavors went further than anyone - before or since - had gone. 

But his prolific works often were stolen. Amazingly (even for his time) he took it in stride. At some point he said:

"I Don't Care That They Stole My Idea… I Care That They Don't Have Any Of Their Own."

The Seattle Seahawks

On the surface, its kind of bizarre that just after they won the SuperBowl, the Seahawks will be sold.

But there's way more to this story.  Paul Allen bought the team (along with some other sports franchises) many years ago.  More recently, he moved those assets (along with others) into a trust.  His explicit directions via his will and that trust were that his sister, Jody, would serve as the trustee, and these teams would be sold, and all proceeds would be directed to charity.

The NFL has a rule that there must be a single, majority owner.  Trusts, and other ownership arrangements are not allowed.  So it makes sense ... sort of ...

 

Except that Paul Allen died in 2018, you know, like 8 years ago, and the sale still hasn't happened.  And you might ask why?  And the answer is in the team's relationship to the city and state.

When funding was approved for the new stadium for the Seahawks, a clause was written in, that if he sold or moved the team within 25 years, he would owe 10% of the value of the team as a penalty.  That agreement was signed in 1999, which means that it literally just expired.

So now that there is no more penalty hanging over the team, the NFL is "encouraging" the sale. 

And in case you wondered, he bought the team in 1997 for just under $200 million.  Its current value is at its peak, after a SuperBowl win, and is estimated to be around $8 billion.  That's around a 400% increase in value in 30 years.

Mind blown.  Dang.  It must be good to be wealthy.  (I'm half kidding)

More importantly, that money is going to charity, where hopefully it will do some tremendous good.  Hats off to him for thinking about making the world a little better through his investment.  And I'm glad the Seahawks won, in that case, to maximize that benefit.

Watch "The NFL’s Secret Weapon in London Is This Hidden Stadium Tech | WSJ Tech Behind" on YouTube

This is so cool!  And the engineering behind it is amazing. 

https://youtu.be/cnV4JkTGUjo?si=0ea97SjDN1rW18bO

Watch "We Uncovered the Scheme Keeping Grocery Prices High" on YouTube

This is so whacked. It's one way large corporations manage to keep food prices high, and churning out big profits.  

https://youtu.be/odhVF_xLIQA?si=5_fAMgtU_pP7t52Z

What we’re up against…

A few days ago, my wife got a random text from a (now former) friend. 

This friend joined the maga (and maha) cult and at one point, she made it her mission to "convert" my wife. My wife finally had to tell her to stop. And she did. That is, until this text….

She was on some weird tirade about how "Islamists" (code for a form of racism) are taking over parts of the world and it's dangerous, and these were former allies. It had no specific reason, and nothing in the current news cycle suggested anything about the rationale for why she sent it. 

I was giving it some thought, and it feels like this is classic cult behavior. You have to validate why you are there to the people outside, and periodically try and "recruit" people you know to join you through any one of a number of things that might catch their attention. 

In this specific case, it felt like proselytizing. "I must save you (from yourself)."  

And one other thing, she could have replaced the word "Islamist" with the word "black" and turned the clock back 100 years and it would have sense in that context, too.

This is what those of us who are rational are up against. 

Waymo Exec Admits Remote Operators in Philippines Help Guide US Robotaxis | EV

What I take away from this is:

1.  Waymo's automation is mostly smoke and mirrors and is not ready for the real world. 

2. These "autonomous vehicles" are being driven remotely by people who are not in the US and who do not possess a valid drivers license. 

3.  These company rightly should be shut down as committing fraud to the government and its investors - and for essentially endangering their passengers. 

I stand by that, amidst the wishy-washy comments from the company. 

https://eletric-vehicles.com/waymo/waymo-exec-admits-remote-operators-in-philippines-help-guide-us-robotaxis/

Study finds Miami has the worst drivers in the United States

This was a recent article about Miami drivers. 

And I reminded about a Dave Barry quote about Miami drivers from years ago …

"People are saying Miami drivers don't follow the rules. They're all following the rules of driving…. From the country they came from"

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/study-finds-miami-has-the-worst-drivers-in-the-united-states/3761877/

I’m going to Disney world!

If you'd like to learn more about the backstory, I invite you to listen to a show I did about the history of that phrase!

https://youtu.be/5y4drNZXCCM?si=_Xg16IDELHO4Vs7k

NASA had 3 years to fix fuel leaks on its Artemis moon rocket. Why are they still happening? | Space

The question is a good one.  But I have a better one: why is NASA still using the same model for its development?

Yes, the partnerships with aerospace companies got us to the moon 50 years ago. And it helped spur a lot of innovation.  But the shuttle program was mostly poorly managed, with extensive costs, some issues with safety, and a lot of bureaucracy. 

It's no surprise that Artemis is being managed the same way.

Maybe they get everything together, and we get back to the moon.  But it sure feels like we're still stuck in the mindset of the 1960s. 

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-had-3-years-to-fix-fuel-leaks-on-its-artemis-moon-rocket-why-are-they-still-happening

Watch "The 49ers Injuries and EMF ‘Conspiracy’- Doctor Explains" on YouTube

Be careful what you read… this junk science type of headline is dangerous. 

https://youtu.be/1ayqcPgt-RM?si=x_oCgthNwORPjNAV

Super Bowl halftime

there's some consternation about Bad Bunny being the Super Bowl half time entertainment. Conservatives hate him because he sometimes wears a dress (the horror!), and some of his lyrics are in Spanish (how terrible!). But most of all, they seem to think he's an immigrant, which he is not as he hails from Puerto Rico and is a US citizen by birth. 

So a conservative group is offering an "alternative halftime show" and is making quite the stink about it. Because it will be more 'Murican. 

I find this kind of amusing. At least in part because about 35 years ago, the halftimes kind of stank. I couldn't even tell you who was performing, but it was boring stuff. 

So one year, in about 1990, the troupe "in living color" headed by the wayans brothers, and featuring a young Jim Carrey, staged an alternate halftime show that was funny and edgy. Kind of the antithesis of what the conservative group has in mind for this weeks game. 

And in the earlier case, the numbers didn't lie. Enough people tuned away from the NFL offering that the NFL upgraded their offerings in the future. 

American CEO on Flight Attendants Sleeping on Airport Floors — “It Comes With the Business” After 9,000 Cancellations - View from the Wing

CEO Robert Isom had an investor call this week. He acknowledged the operational challenges the airline had been through, and went on to say that "I know throughout the rest of our system, some of our crewmembers didn't have a place to stay last night." And called it unacceptable  

But then added this when discussing stranded flight attendants - who had to sleep at airports - which caused more operational delays. 

"I also know it comes with the kind of business we run. This isn't the only storm that we've ever had. It's not going to be the last storm we've had."

Before proceeding to talk about profits, the government shut down (and its effect on profits), revenue sharing, and how his employees are in better shape than some competitors. 

This is how we are as a nation. Lack of empathy and focus on money have effects on people, and are consequential. 

We could be so much better. 

https://viewfromthewing.com/american-ceo-on-flight-attendants-sleeping-on-airport-floors-it-comes-with-the-business-after-9000-cancellations/

50 times faster than trees: Live algae system reduces internal heat, resulting in more energy-efficient buildings. - CPG Click Oil and Gas

Researchers in Western Australia are using a live algae as a carbon capture method - with the added benefit that it can be used a building to help with keeping the building from heating up. That, in turn, reduces the need for air conditioning. 

This article goes into some detail by a Brazilian journalist, which appears to have been translated into English. 

It's readable, but I'm looking for additional stories about the subject, because I'd like to learn more. 

https://en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br/50-times-faster-than-trees--a-system-of-living-algae-reduces-internal-heat--resulting-in-more-energy-efficient-buildings.-flpc96/

It's a photovoltaic milestone since 1839 — Canada develops bioluminescent "living" cells that work even on cloudy days

In the advancement of solar cells, here's a novel approach that takes its cues from 19th century research. 

Essentially, scientists have created a photovoltaic that uses organic matter to increase the throughput and which can be used to collect energy even when full sun isn't available. 

It's a pretty remarkable feat that could further increase the efficiency, and availability, of solar power. 

https://www.ecoportal.net/en/canada-bioluminscent-living-cell/16083/

Russian Scientists Build Plasma Engine That Could Reach Mars in 30 Days, Leaving Spacex's Starship Looking Obsolete

Here's a bit of an innovation in space travel. A new type of engine that could propel us faster in the vacuum of space. 

The system, which uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate hydrogen particles, represents a departure from conventional chemical propulsion. If it performs as projected, it may significantly shift interplanetary mission planning across both civil and defense sectors.

https://indiandefencereview.com/russia-plasma-engine-mars-mission-in-30-days-vs-spacex-starship/

Explosion of a SpaceX satellite in orbit what we know about the incident worrying experts - Futura-Sciences

This article underscores the larger problem of having so many satellites in orbit. Any one could have an incident, a malfunction, or a collision that could have catastrophic consequences. 

https://www.futura-sciences.com/en/explosion-of-a-spacex-satellite-in-orbit-what-we-know-about-the-incident-worrying-experts_23546/

Canadian inventor built an umbrella that flies and follows him everywhere automatically: No hands required | - The Times of India

This is pretty cool. Curiosity and a littler perspiration for the win. 

Is it practical? No, not in this form. 

Is it worthwhile? Absolutely. 

I highly recommend watching the 17 minute video to see what went into this effort. 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/canadian-inventor-built-an-umbrella-that-flies-and-follows-him-everywhere-automatically-no-hands-required/articleshow/127781027.cms

How Disneyland got built in just one year - Boing Boing

There's a movie about how Disneyland got built in a year (you can watch it on the YouTube link). 

But there is also a review of the film and some additional thoughts in what went into making it. 

https://boingboing.net/?p=1104011

https://youtu.be/YtrVcOxVDls

Supernova whose light will 'reappear' in 60 years could solve the biggest problem in cosmology | Live Science

This is pretty cool.  Two supernovas (or is it super novae?) were detected by the James Webb telescope.  One remained visible, but the other disappeared. The reason for this has to do with the theory of cosmic lensing, essentially one is refracted by nearby objects and we can see it, while the other is hidden behind objects, and will remain invisible to us for a period of time.

The idea of this cosmic distortion was included in Einsteins theory of relativity, and has been observed at times.  But the fact that there are two objects helps us to solidify the theory because we can detect the differences and see some of the objects that distort theory light.

It's cool!

https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/astronomers-spot-2-warped-supernovas-whose-light-both-has-and-hasnt-reached-earth

Thousands of dams in the US are old, damaged and unable to cope with extreme weather. How bad is it? | Live Science

Of course can spend billions on the military under the guise of "protecting ourselves," but are willing to leave ourselves unprotected against a real enemy that is a changing climate. 

Boy, is we stupid.

https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/thousands-of-dams-in-the-us-are-old-damaged-and-unable-to-cope-with-extreme-weather-how-bad-is-it

The US is losing qualified scientists at a fast pace

Here's an article about how PhDs are leaving government jobs - mostly because he is cutting jobs, and undercutting science research.

I remain hopeful that either the government reverses course, or that private business takes up some of the slack.  Or else, we'll be turning to Canada for more scientific answers.

https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-government-has-lost-more-10-000-stem-ph-d-s-trump-took-office

What have we become?

Back in 2000, Elian Gonzalez garnered *a lot* of attention. 

Quick recap, he was a young boy who was brought by his mother from Cuba to the US. They stayed with relatives in Miami and his father - still in Cuba - waged a legal battle to have him returned to him. 

People around the country took sides in the issue. It was a flashpoint. I’d invite you to Google the details if you don’t remember them. 

After some time, attorney general Janet Reno sent in a group of heavily armed agents to remove him from the home he was living in, and this picture summed up the experience (and won a Pulitzer).

People were outraged at the action.  While surely there were a few people who defended this course of action, sending armed soldiers to take a boy by force, in what amounted to an international custody dispute, caused quite the uproar. Over reach! Over reaction! Why were they armed? And since he was likely to be taken back to Cuba (funny, the word "deported" wasn't associated with this activity), that's outrageous!

Before she died, Janet Reno said that decision affected her deeply.

Ultimately, Elian was returned to his father in Cuba, and he now holds an office in the country. 

Compare and contrast. 

This week, we heard about a five year old boy being taken by armed ICE agents at school.  While we don't have the luxury of a picture of the moment (at least as far as I know), I have to imagine that he had a similar look of fear. 

In a way, what's the difference? Armed agents forcibly removed the boy - Liam (Ramos) Ornasser - in order to lure his parents out.  And surely he will be deported along with this parents. 

And in this case, our government is simply defending this. But what’s strange is that the outrage is muted.  And that’s because… the AG, the director of homeland security, and the criminal in the Oval Office are gaslighting us, talking about how it was necessary to make us safer. 

And I have no doubt that all of them have no trouble sleeping at night - and it is unlikely to affect them in any way at all. 

Damn.  A quarter century really has changed us. 

Kindness Looks Small but Changes the World / Bright Side

• Growing up, I was so poor I went to school without lunch. 
  My biology teacher, Mrs. Eva, noticed. Without a word, she started bringing me food every day. Sometimes she'd sit with me during recess, telling me I had a brilliant future ahead. She even encouraged me to pursue med school.
  I once asked why she was so kind to me. She just smiled and said, "One day, you'll pay me back." I never understood what she meant.
  Later, I graduated, got a scholarship, and left town. I became a doctor. 
  8 years later, a frail woman was a patient at my hospital. When she saw me, she whispered, "It's me, Eva. We finally meet again... I always knew you'd succeed."
  First, I didn't recognize her. But then I froze. She was a shadow of herself. Fragile and pale. 
  I learned she was alone, couldn't afford treatment, and had been skipping her medication. Without hesitation, I paid for everything. I gave her the best care andbecame her family during those long hospital days.
  One evening, I asked her, "How did you know we'd meet again?" She smiled softly. "I didn't. But I believe life places guardian angels on our path for a reason. When I met you, I just knew."
  Eva recovered. I visited her until her final days. She taught me a life lesson I'll never forget: kindness always comes back. Not because we expect it to—but because that's how the world heals.

https://brightside.me/articles/15-moments-that-prove-kindness-looks-small-but-changes-the-world-842807/

Dutch students unveil an electric car you can diagnose and repair yourself | Euronews

This is cool. The students found a simple way to interface with an electric car via USB, in order to get diagnostic information about what's going on, and provide a visual for how to repair what might be wrong. 

Car companies are unlikely to implement something like this. But I like the idea, and surely there will be some after market solutions in the future. 

https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/01/20/dutch-students-unveil-an-electric-car-you-can-diagnose-and-repair-yourself

A New York startup says it can already make gasoline from air on a rooftop, and it demonstrated the process in Manhattan with a machine about the size of a refrigerator

Hmmm. Is this idea BS, or is there something to it?

The idea is that a startup who has created a machine which captures carbon from the air, and then they cause a chemical reaction with water to produce a carbon-hydrogen bond. The result is a liquid, which they are saying is gasoline that can be used in a typical engine. 

Gasoline is, in fact, a carbon-hydrogen bond, which averages around C₈H_18. So it's not complete hokum. 

It just doesn't feel quite right to be able to create gasoline from the air in such a simple way, on a rooftop in Manhattan. 

But who knows? Maybe there's something to this.  

https://www.ecoticias.com/en/a-new-york-startup-says-it-can-already-make-gasoline-from-air-on-a-rooftop-and-it-demonstrated-the-process-in-manhattan-with-a-machine-about-the-size-of-a-refrigerator/25755/

Original Star Wars Trilogy Coming to Galaxy's Edge

At the end of last year, Disney announced that "The Rise of The Resistance" attraction at Disneyland would be closing January for a significant refurbishment. It's a fairly new ride, so this was surprising. But it's fairly technical, so maybe not. 

And then, early in the year, they announced a sort of re-theming of the Star Wars themed land in Disneyland (only). 

A little context: Disney created an immersive themed land called Batuu (as a planet in the Star Wars universe, which includes a storyline as to how it fits into the lore). It has shops, and things going on, and a couple of rides. 

The original intent was create different lands, that fit into different time periods, in Disneyland and Disney world. But they ultimately decided to make them pretty much exact duplicates…

One of the key problems was that Disney was confusing the lore and timeline and it became messy. The land was supposed to fit in somewhere in the timeline near episode 7, but they include elements from the original trilogy, and even some from the prequel. And they mix up what things might happen in these timelines. 

So the change they announced was that they're going to try and break up the area in Disneyland into different time periods, as a means to rectify this. They have said the storyline of the "Rise" attraction will remain the same, but I have heard some rumors that it may change when it re-opens.but, we'll have to wait and see. 

Disney world will remain the mish-mash it is for now. I suppose while they figure out whether this works or not. 

https://disneyparksblog.com/dlr/star-wars-galaxys-edge-timeline-expands-at-disneyland/

Inside's Disney's search for a CEO to replace Bob Iger - Los Angeles Times

The search for a CEO successor at the Walt disney company is ongoing. 

Bob Igers contract runs through the end of 2026, so the clock is definitely ticking. And the goal, from the company's standpoint, is to get it right this time (and avoid the cluster that was the 2020 appointment of Bob Chapek).

So the company now has hired some outside help to run the search, and has a committee to oversee the process. 

Which all sounds nice, and it reportedly down to four candidates, but time is definitely an issue if you want to make it a smooth transition. 

We'll see how it goes….

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-01-20/disney-ceo-succession-who-will-replace-bob-iger-what-to-know

News of a team of NFL replay officials was a surprise to NFL teams - NBC Sports

Well this is kind of crazy. 

It changes the way we see officiating in the league…

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/news-of-team-of-nfl-replay-officials-was-a-surprise-to-nfl-teams

Barry Manilow Wrote A Jingle In 1971 That Everyone Still Sings Today

I admit that I had no idea Barry Manilow wrote jungles before he hit the big time. State Farm, McDonald's, and the iconic band aid songs are all his doing. 

https://www.grunge.com/2073608/barry-manilow-wrote-state-farm-jingle-1971/

The Story Of The Rogue Burger King In Pittsburgh | Cracked.com

This is such a fun story. And be sure and check out the embedded news report. 

https://www.cracked.com/article_28014_the-crazy-story-fake-burger-king-in-pittsburgh.html

Headlines are often misleading

Here's an example of a headline that seems to suggest that eating meat helps people to live to 100. 

The commenter at the bottom makes an astute observation that causation and correlation are being confused in the headline. Does eating meat cause one to live to 100? Or is it a correlated factor?

Never stop being a critical thinker!  

And anyway, that's not really the point of the article itself. 

To our gormless senators

Just a reminder that, during her confirmation hearings, Pam Bondi swore up and down that she wouldn't go after political rivals. 

And here she is doing just that. 

She LIED TO YOU. 

That's bad enough. But letting that lie go without saying anything is much worse. 

Several of your colleagues raised concerns about this, but you accepted her words. That have now turned into action. 

Your job is to hold her accountable. She should be removed from office.  

Super Bowl prediction

The prediction proved correct again! 

One of the teams with the highest point differential in week 10 will win the Super Bowl.

The last four standing all come from this group.

Seattle should still win it all based on the lowest points allowed per game through the regular season. 

2025

>> Entering playoffs

Seattle +103

Denver +62

New England +73

Kansas City +76 (did not make playoffs)

LA Rams +98

Green Bay +37

Indianapolis +115 (did not make playoffs)

Detroit +83 (did not make playoffs)

Likely winner: Seattle

>> After Wildcard

Seattle +103

Denver +62

New England +73

Kansas City +76 (did not make playoffs)

LA Rams +98

Green Bay +37 (lost in wildcard)

Indianapolis +115 (did not make playoffs)

Detroit +83 (did not make playoffs)

Likely winner: Seattle

>> After Divisional Round

Seattle +103

Denver +62

New England +73

Kansas City +76 (did not make playoffs)

LA Rams +98

Green Bay +37 (lost in wildcard)

Indianapolis +115 (did not make playoffs)

Detroit +83 (did not make playoffs)

Likely winner: Seattle

Google Earth amusement

Gotta love when people have some fun!

New evidence humans evolved from an African ape-like ancestor - Earth.com

Here's another scientific bit of research that examines an ancestor who was ape-like that may have been a direct ancestor. 

It's not quite the proverbial "missing link" but it does provide some clues as to our own evolution.  

https://www.earth.com/news/evidence-humans-evolved-from-african-ape-like-ancestor-ardipithecus-ankle-bones/

Suitcase stored in a bank vault for over a century reveals lost Habsburg jewels

The story about the suitcase full of presumed lost Habsburg jewels turning up in Quebec of all places is quite the intriguing story. 

But the story of Zita, who was the last leader of the Austria-Hungary empire, and how she lost it all, but made it to Quebec with the jewels is equally fascinating. A short summary is in the second link. 

https://www.earth.com/news/century-old-suitcase-reveals-lost-hapsburg-jewels-diamond-pr25/

https://www.factinate.com/people/zita-bourbon-parma/amp/

Unknown humans lived in the Americas for millennia, then vanished - Earth.com

This story about human lineage worth a read. 

Several times in human history, we've noted that a humanoid lived near (or even with) our ancestors, but they disappeared in history. Though they often left traces of their DNA with our ancestors. 

Here's another case where archeologists have uncovered a mystery group of humanoids that don't fit neatly into what we understand about human history. 

But again, the cool part is that science allows for this, and the theory of our evolution gets updated as we learn more. 

https://www.earth.com/news/unknown-human-lineage-lived-argentina-for-millennia-disappeared-remain-mystery/

When V Sagittae Explodes You’ll Be Able to See It During the Day

Here's a story about V Sagittae, a relative nearby star that scientists have been  studying for some time now. 

The way it's behaving, they believe it will go supernova soon (in cosmic terms, it could be 100 years, or maybe in our lifetime). 

But the resulting explosion will be visible from earth, even with the naked eye. 

I hope it happens in my lifetime. I think that would be cool to witness (even if technically it already happened). 

https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/when-v-sagittae-explodes-youll-be-able-to-see-it-during-the-day

Toyota Is Being Sued After a Driver Discovered His Car Was Tracking Him - Autoblog

I've been railing about this for some time now. By simply agreeing to purchase the car, the manufacturer can and does collect all manner of information about you - from your driving habits to anything that is said in your car. 

Passengers are automatically opted in by simply entering the vehicle. 

And you have no recourse, other than to drive a car that was manufactured in the late 20th century, finding a way to disable the information gathering in your car, or simply not driving. 

While it's a nice story that he's outraged and suing, I have no doubt that Toyota will win. He signed a contract when purchasing the car. And that's in there. 

https://www.autoblog.com/news/toyota-is-being-sued-after-a-driver-discovered-his-car-was-tracking-him

Superbowl Winner will be...

Defense wins championships!  So I looked at the average points allowed per game across the NFL, but focusing only on the 8 teams that had the best turnover margins.

Seattle is the favorite to win it all this year, but we're likely to be sure of it after this weekends games.

Why?

I ordered the entries based on that (lowest points allowed at the top), and predicted a winner for each round of the playoffs:

In 2019, the winner (KC) appeared after the divisional round

In 2020, the winner (Tampa) appeared after the divisional round

In 2021, the winner (LA Rams) appeared after the divisional round

In 2022, the prediction was Philadelphia (it was actually KC), and that wasn't clear until after the Conference Championship (but see my note about how close their points were, and the final in the contest was 38-35)

In 2023, the winner (KC) appeared after the conference championship

And in 2024, the winner (Philadelphia) appeared after wild card weekend.

And that means in 5/6 of the most recent years, we could pick a winner correctly based on points allowed per game.  And in 4/6 we knew when the divisional round was over who it would be.

(OF COURSE this is all speculation and a bit of fun. It means nothing, and with humans involved in the playcalling, plays, and officiating literally ANYTHING is possible),

Details:

Using Defensive Pts allowed / game

2019

>> Entering Playoffs

New England +172 (lost in wild card round)

Baltimore +111 (lost in divisional round)

Minnesota +80 (lost in divisional round)

Kansas City +45 (won superbowl) 

San Francisco +130 (lost superbowl)

Green Bay +45 (lost in conference championship)

Dallas +81  (did not make playoffs)

Houston +45 (lost in divisional round)

Likely winner: New England

Outcome: Wrong

>> After wild card

New England +172 (lost in wild card round)

Baltimore +111 (lost in divisional round)

Minnesota +80 (lost in divisional round)

Kansas City +45 (won superbowl) 

San Francisco +130 (lost superbowl)

Green Bay +45 (lost in conference championship)

Dallas +81  (did not make playoffs)

Houston +45 (lost in divisional round)

Likely winner: Baltimore

Outcome: Wrong

>> After divisional round

New England +172 (lost in wild card round)

Baltimore +111 (lost in divisional round)

Minnesota +80 (lost in divisional round)

Kansas City +45 (won superbowl) 

San Francisco +130 (lost superbowl)

Green Bay +45 (lost in conference championship)

Dallas +81  (did not make playoffs)

Houston +45 (lost in divisional round)

Likely winner:Kansas City

Outcome: Correct

>> After conference championship

New England +172 (lost in wild card round)

Baltimore +111 (lost in divisional round)

Minnesota +80 (lost in divisional round)

Kansas City +45 (won superbowl) 

San Francisco +130 (lost superbowl)

Green Bay +45 (lost in conference championship)

Dallas +81  (did not make playoffs)

Houston +45 (lost in divisional round)

Likely winner: Kansas City

Outcome: Correct

----

2020 

>> Entering Playoffs

Baltimore +79 (lost in divisional round)

Pittsburgh +100 (lost in wildcard)

New Orleans +58 (lost in divisional round)

Miami +69 (did not make playoffs)

Tampa Bay +70 (won superbowl)

Kansas City +103 (lost superbowl) 

Arizona +56  (did not make playoffs)

Green Bay +53  (lost in conference championship)

Likely winner: Baltimore

Outcome: Wrong

>>After Wildcard

Baltimore +79 (lost in divisional round)

Pittsburgh +100 (lost in wildcard)

New Orleans +58 (lost in divisional round)

Miami +69 (did not make playoffs)

Tampa Bay +70 (won superbowl)

Kansas City +103 (lost superbowl) 

Arizona +56  (did not make playoffs)

Green Bay +53  (lost in conference championship)

Likely winner: Baltimore

Outcome: Wrong

>>After Divisional round

Baltimore +79 (lost in divisional round)

Pittsburgh +100 (lost in wildcard)

New Orleans +58 (lost in divisional round)

Miami +69 (did not make playoffs)

Tampa Bay +70 (won superbowl)

Kansas City +103 (lost superbowl) 

Arizona +56  (did not make playoffs)

Green Bay +53  (lost in conference championship)

Likely winner: Tampa Bay

Outcome: Correct

>>After Conference championship

Baltimore +79 (lost in divisional round)

Pittsburgh +100 (lost in wildcard)

New Orleans +58 (lost in divisional round)

Miami +69 (did not make playoffs)

Tampa Bay +70 (won superbowl)

Kansas City +103 (lost superbowl) 

Arizona +56  (did not make playoffs)

Green Bay +53  (lost in conference championship)

Likely winner: Tampa Bay

Outcome: Correct

----

2021 

>> Entering Playoffs

Buffalo +145 (lost in divisional round)

New England +98 (lost in wildcard)

Tennessee +46 (lost in divisional round)

Tampa Bay +67 (lost in divisional round)

Dallas +89 (lost in wildcard)

Indianapolis +38 (did not make playoffs)

Arizona +98 (lost in wildcard)

Los Angeles Rams +44 (won superbowl)

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

Likely winner: Buffalo

Outcome: Wrong

>> After wild card

Buffalo +145 (lost in divisional round)

New England +98 (lost in wildcard)

Tennessee +46 (lost in divisional round)

Tampa Bay +67 (lost in divisional round)

Dallas +89 (lost in wildcard)

Indianapolis +38 (did not make playoffs)

Arizona +98 (lost in wildcard)

Los Angeles Rams +44 (won superbowl)

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

Likely winner: Buffalo

Outcome: Wrong

>> After divisional round

Buffalo +145 (lost in divisional round)

New England +98 (lost in wildcard)

Tennessee +46 (lost in divisional round)

Tampa Bay +67 (lost in divisional round)

Dallas +89 (lost in wildcard)

Indianapolis +38 (did not make playoffs)

Arizona +98 (lost in wildcard)

Los Angeles Rams +44 (won superbowl)

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

Likely winner: LA Rams

Outcome: Correct

>> After conference championship

Buffalo +145 (lost in divisional round)

New England +98 (lost in wildcard)

Tennessee +46 (lost in divisional round)

Tampa Bay +67 (lost in divisional round)

Dallas +89 (lost in wildcard

Indianapolis +38 (did not make playoffs)

Arizona +98 (lost in wildcard)

Los Angeles Rams +44 (won superbowl)

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

Likely winner: LA Rams

Outcome: Correct

----

2022 

>> Entering playoffs

San Francisco +35 (lost in conference championship)

Buffalo +99  (lost in divisional round)

Baltimore +39 (lost in wildcard)

Dallas +47 (lost in divisional round)

Cincinnati  +43 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +79 (lost superbowl) 

Kansas City +64 (won superbowl) 

Minnesota +35 (lost in wildcard)

Likely winner: San Francisco

Outcome: Wrong

>> After wild card

San Francisco +35 (lost in conference championship)

Buffalo +99  (lost in divisional round)

Baltimore +39 (lost in wildcard)

Dallas +47 (lost in divisional round)

Cincinnati  +43 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +79 (lost superbowl) 

Kansas City +64 (won superbowl) 

Minnesota +35 (lost in wildcard)

Likely winner: San Francisco

Outcome: Wrong

>> After divisional round

San Francisco +35 (lost in conference championship)

Buffalo +99  (lost in divisional round)

Baltimore +39 (lost in wildcard)

Dallas +47 (lost in divisional round)

Cincinnati  +43 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +79 (lost superbowl) 

Kansas City +64 (won superbowl) 

Minnesota +35 (lost in wildcard)

Likely winner: San Francisco

Outcome: Wrong

>> After conference championship

San Francisco +35 (lost in conference championship)

Buffalo +99  (lost in divisional round)

Baltimore +39 (lost in wildcard)

Dallas +47 (lost in divisional round)

Cincinnati  +43 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +79 (lost superbowl) 

Kansas City +64 (won superbowl) 

Minnesota +35 (lost in wildcard)

Likely winner: Philadelphia

Outcome: Wrong

Kansas City finished second, 20.2 vs 21.7 PPG allowed

----

2023

>> Entering playoffs

Baltimore +113 (lost in conference championship)

Kansas City +65 (won superbowl)

San Francisco +109 (lost superbowl)

Buffalo +78 (lost in divisional round)

Dallas +104  (lost in wildcard)

Miami +60  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +38 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +57  (lost in wildcard)

Likely winner: Baltimore

Outcome: Wrong

>> After wildcard

Baltimore +113 (lost in conference championship)

Kansas City +65 (won superbowl)

San Francisco +109 (lost superbowl)

Buffalo +78 (lost in divisional round)

Dallas +104  (lost in wildcard)

Miami +60  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +38 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +57  (lost in wildcard)

Likely winner: Baltimore

Outcome: Wrong

>> After Divisional round

Baltimore +113 (lost in conference championship)

Kansas City +65 (won superbowl)

San Francisco +109 (lost superbowl)

Buffalo +78 (lost in divisional round)

Dallas +104  (lost in wildcard)

Miami +60  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +38 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +57  (lost in wildcard)

Likely winner: Baltimore

Outcome: Wrong

>> After Conference championship

Baltimore +113 (lost in conference championship)

Kansas City +65 (won superbowl)

San Francisco +109 (lost superbowl)

Buffalo +78 (lost in divisional round)

Dallas +104  (lost in wildcard)

Miami +60  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +38 (lost in conference championship)

Philadelphia +57  (lost in wildcard)

Likely winner: Kansas City

Outcome: Correct

----

2024

>> Entering playoffs

LA Chargers +68  (lost in wildcard)

Philadelphia +72  (won superbowl)

>> 5th best  Kansas City +58 (lost superbowl) 

Minnesota +64  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +113 (lost in divisional round)

Pittsburgh +69  (lost in wildcard)

Baltimore +65 (lost in divisional round)

Buffalo +97 (lost in conference championship)

Washington +73 (lost in conference championship)

Likely winner: LA Chargers

Outcome: Correct

>> After Wildcard

LA Chargers +68  (lost in wildcard)

Philadelphia +72  (won superbowl)

>> 5th best  Kansas City +58 (lost superbowl) 

Minnesota +64  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +113 (lost in divisional round)

Pittsburgh +69  (lost in wildcard)

Baltimore +65 (lost in divisional round)

Buffalo +97 (lost in conference championship)

Washington +73 (lost in conference championship)

Likely winner: Philadelphia

Outcome: Correct

>> After Divisional round

LA Chargers +68  (lost in wildcard)

Philadelphia +72  (won superbowl)

>> 5th best  Kansas City +58 (lost superbowl) 

Minnesota +64  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +113 (lost in divisional round)

Pittsburgh +69  (lost in wildcard)

Baltimore +65 (lost in divisional round)

Buffalo +97 (lost in conference championship)

Washington +73 (lost in conference championship)

Likely winner: Philadelphia

Outcome: Correct

>> After Conference Championship

LA Chargers +68  (lost in wildcard)

Philadelphia +72  (won superbowl)

>> 5th best  Kansas City +58 (lost superbowl) 

Minnesota +64  (lost in wildcard)

Detroit +113 (lost in divisional round)

Pittsburgh +69  (lost in wildcard)

Baltimore +65 (lost in divisional round)

Buffalo +97 (lost in conference championship)

Washington +73 (lost in conference championship)

Likely winner: Philadelphia

Outcome: Correct

---

2025

>> Entering playoffs

Seattle +103

Denver +62

New England +73

Kansas City +76 (did not make playoffs)

LA Rams +98

Green Bay +37

Indianapolis +115 (did not make playoffs)

Detroit +83 (did not make playoffs)

Likely winner: Seattle

>> After Wildcard

Seattle +103

Denver +62

New England +73

Kansas City +76 (did not make playoffs)

LA Rams +98

Green Bay +37 (lost in wildcard)

Indianapolis +115 (did not make playoffs)

Detroit +83 (did not make playoffs)

Likely winner: Seattle