This is the height of self righteous absurdity. They all need a day of reckoning.
And it’s sad that Biden didn’t do something about this when he had the chance to. He could have ended this, and prosecuted as necessary.
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Thursday, June 11, 2026
The World Cup
The games kicked off this week, and there's rather a lot going on, beyond the pitch.
First off, let's talk about ticketing. When it was first announced that the World Cup would be making its way to the US for the first time in some years, I was intrigued. And when some games were announced for Miami, I was excited. Games in my backyard? Maybe I could catch one! Except that the price point was well beyond what it was 4 years ago (10x the amount!), and there was some weird lottery to get in. There have been investimagations into price gouging, and it appears as though not all tickets have actually been sold, contrary to what we're told.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino assured us that it's all simply okay, because the average price was only(!) $500 per ticket. Then went on to tell us "Let me say that we are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell 7 million tickets, we checked what we would do with the best lawyers or experts In California, we sold 800,000 tickets for the games in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Out of the 800,000 we had three customers who complained. The fourth one has come since. These cases were solved before the investigations started. We welcome any investigations. We'll present everything and make our case. But it's most important that every dollar that we generate goes back into football." (by the way, that's a funny way to say that FIFA takes all the profits and keeps them!)
Then, it was a lot of information about the sheer grift that was happening in host cities. Money was being spent to "upgrade" stadiums and to get fans to games. But at our expense as taxpayers, rather than by FIFA.
And then there was the absurdity of visas for fans travelling from other places. The state department was moving so slowly, and there was an (since rescinded, but not after having the intended effect) "entry bond" placed on some of what this administration thinks are undesirable countries. And many people just couldn't get visas to come and watch their country play.
Some fans managed to secure visas, only to have them later rescinded. Some players and referees had difficulty getting the visas. A few were turned away as they went through customs. Some were subjected to intense searches, and detainments that lasted for many hours.
Infantino addressed this too: "Believe me when I tell you, or don't believe me if you don't want, but we try always to find solutions, always. But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces and I don't know what. We are a sports organization, we try to do our best with the means that we have."
Referring to the referee who was stopped in Miami - who the US said has an "association with suspected members of terror organizations" - Infantino said "It is unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee from Somalia, but again we don't control everything. We try, we'll discuss, we'll see. Maybe sometimes it's good as well to chill, relax. We work on everything, we try to resolve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect in terms of finding a solution. We always try to find solutions, always. But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces."
Funny that he gave T-rump the first ever FIFA peace prize... and then when the guy in charge doesn't embody that, its met with a shrug and an urgence to "relax"... man is this all dumb.
Meanwhile, hotels, which had expected a surge of customers, have low bookings.
And did I mention the heat due to climate change? Yeah, its too hot in some cities to play soccer, according to the player rep organization. And FIFA says the cutoff to postpone if it hits 32C, which is about 90F. Several cities (Miami included) hit that daily. But you can imagine they won't postpone matches. Because there's money to be made. So instead, they disrupt the flow with hydration breaks (which they've done before, but its all weird)
Its a bit of a mess. Here's to hoping the games we see on TV are good!
Friday, June 5, 2026
Are we unable to survive as humans if we can’t adapt?
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.”
— Charles Darwin
This quote highlights a core idea from Darwin’s thinking about evolution and survival. The message is not that strength or intelligence has no value, but rather that neither guarantees long-term survival on its own. Conditions in nature are never fixed, and environments keep shifting in ways that cause living beings to respond or adjust.
This quote highlights a core idea from Darwin’s thinking about evolution and survival. The message is not that strength or intelligence has no value, but rather that neither guarantees long-term survival on its own. Conditions in nature are never fixed, and environments keep shifting in ways that cause living beings to respond or adjust.
But consider it in context to today’s world where many humans are unwilling to adapt to any sort of change.
Thursday, June 4, 2026
SpaceX IPO
This planned IPO for SpaceX is so bizarre. Wealthy investors and the investment banking firms are losing their minds about it. Its so valuable! Elon is letting us in on his world! Its all excitement (wrapped up in a silly amount of hype).
For the average investor, there's nothing to see here. We can't feed at this trough.
And there's the matter of "going public" via an IPO. It would seem that any rules the SEC has, and applicable laws are being bent or outright abused.
He's selling a small percentage of shares, and will keep the rest for himself.
As far as I can tell, Musk will still "own" the company, and there is no immediate plan to establish a board of directors. So in most ways this is a fundraiser and not making his company publicly traded.
And then there's this "plan" to merge SpaceX and Tesla as one company. He is the CEO of Tesla - not a single owner. He would have to get board and then shareholder approval for such a move (and he may follow that rule in the long run), but its weird that he just says its what he wants to do without proper filings and whatnot. And without a board or significant shareholders in SpaceX, how would this be done? It will be publicly traded and would have to go through some disclosure and due diligence process I would think.
And honestly, in a more normal world where he wasn't a "part of government," this would probably get flagged and not be allowed. Yet, here we are.
Oh and there's the small matter of the company valuation. He pegged a number, and what has come back since is less than half that value.
And it would seem that SpaceX is "probably" doing no better than breaking even on their space ventures (that's expensive!). Rideshares to space and starlink are income, but it seems just enough to keep the company afloat. Whether that has value to investors remains to be seen.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Trains in Switzerland Are Now Running Over Solar Panels in a First-of-Its-Kind Test
Using train tracks for solar collection is a novel idea, with some merit.
I mean, many tracks are in direct sunlight and they remain clear most of the time.
3 Teens Win Global Earth Prize for Inventing Tamarind Powder That Easily Removes Microplastics
Nicely done! These teens came up with a tamarind based product that can added to water; a little agitation and the powder combines with microplastics and clumps. This clump can be removed with a magnet.
That’s crazy. But is another example of how we can do better!
Watch "INSIDE Disney’s Groundbreaking Robotic Marble Sculpting | Grumpy's Gauntlet" on YouTube
This is an unexpected innovation that Disney has created. They have developed a robot that can take a 3D image and sculpt it from a stone block.
What once came from a chisel and perseverance from a sculptor, can now be accomplished fairly easily by nearly anyone with an artistic eye.
While the world fights over oil, China just flew a 7.5-ton unmanned cargo plane powered by a megawatt-class hydrogen turboprop, climbing to 984 feet, covering 22.4 miles at 137 mph, and landing 16 minutes later with the engine running smoothly the whole way
Hydrogen powered, very large, unmanned …. Wow, that’s a lot to take in. But it shows that there are opportunities to move away from our oil dependence.
Monday, June 1, 2026
The downside of "reducing taxes"
Most states that lean conservative, have these weird plans to cut taxes! Florida is no exception, with lots of moves designed to "help the average individual" - though we all know that these types of things disproportionately benefit the wealthy among us. And I just read about yet another push to eliminate property taxes in my fair state. Because #FreeDumb
So thanks Florida legislature for trying to make the tax less of a burden, while allowing for these silly loopholes that allow communities to make up their own rules for "taxation" - without the need to have anyone present (don't we have a constitutional right to know our accusers?!) and a complete inability to fight against this.
The obvious problem is that counties and cities have less in the way of capital that they can spend on infrastructure, services (including emergency type things), and even schools.
To combat that loss of revenue, there are many communities around Florida that are finding new ways to take in money from residents. Among them are automated cameras around school busses, in school zones, and now in construction sites. They use radar detection to measure speed, and read the tag on the car. They then issue a citation to the owner of that car for an amount. Its not a ticket, per se, and it comes off as a kind of a tax.
There are so many issues with this setup, but the biggest concern is about enforcement. Take school zones, for example. The system operates on school days for a period of time (I think its around 30 minutes) *before* the stated school zone time, and around 30 minutes *after* the stated school zone time, it will generate these citations if a driver is 10 miles an hour over the 15 MPH school zone. And during the rest of the time, it will generate a citation if you are 10 miles an hour over the regular pasted speed limit for non-school times.
School zones here all have a flashing warning light to let you know that you're in a school zone, but they go on during the hours posted - not in the 30 mins before and after. So they are utterly meaningless.
Oh, and don't miss the fact that some communities don't follow this rule, and simply issue citations if you're going over 25MPH during the school day. Full stop. Even though the signage indicates otherwise.
Its a mess, but has generated millions for these communities!
So thanks Florida legislature for trying to make the tax less of a burden, while allowing for these silly loopholes that allow communities to make up their own rules for "taxation" - without the need to have anyone present (don't we have a constitutional right to know our accusers?!) and a complete inability to fight against this.
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Scientists develop 'smart paint' that reflects 97% of sunlight and could reduce AC use during heatwaves | - The Times of India
A high tech or “smart” paint is a nice leap. They have nano particles embedded into the paint that help reflect the radiation away from the building.
The Voyager Golden Record carries a small sample of uranium on its cover, placed there so that whoever finds it can measure the decay and work out how long it has been drifting — a built-in clock for a message engineered to last around a billion years.
I love the ingenuity shown here. Scientists came up with a means to let any life form to have a simple means to understand intelligent life sent this craft, and included a means to understand how long it had been sent.
In April 1970, the crew of Apollo 13 navigated home by holding the spacecraft against the terminator of the Earth, the line where day met night on the planet they were trying to reach, timing a fourteen-second engine burn with a wristwatch because their guidance computer had been shut down to save battery power for reentry
I have to admit that I continue to remain a little surprised that the Apollo 13 astronauts made it home it all.
But then that’s the human spirit in a nutshell. They used their intuition, communication with the ground, and fought hard to keep “luck” on their side.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Disney World Announces New Decades for Carousel of Progress, as Sarah Takes Center Stage in Scene! - Disney Tourist Blog
Ack! They’re changing the whole attraction… Walt’s animatronic (as seen in Disneyland) will be added to the introduction scene, then the new eras will be the 1960s, 1980s, 2000s, and the future.
This was the last attraction that Walt personally touched, so I have very mixed feelings about this…
It will be closing on July 5, and will re-open sometime next year. Which means that I’ve had my last turn in the current incarnation, and missed it on my most recent trip…
Hard Rock Stadium to be renamed ‘Miami Stadium’ during World Cup matches
Actually this is true for all the stadia with corporate branded names. So they’ll be Dallas Stadium, Atlanta stadium, New York / New Jersey stadium during the World Cup.
Personally, I think we should eschew the corporate names, and keep calling the stadiums by city names, by a founding name (like in Miami calling it Joe Robbie stadium), or for the team that plays there (like cowboys stadium).
The corporations aren’t paying me, so I have no reason to refer to them by whatever name they put on it.
Monday, May 25, 2026
The Mars helicopter Ingenuity completed 72 flights in an atmosphere less than one percent as dense as Earth's before rotor blade damage grounded it in 2024, and JPL had originally designed it for just five test flights, and the lessons from its overperformance are shaping NASA's next generation of Mars aircraft
This is a pretty good summary of the Ingenuity helicopter that nasa placed on mars.
It was wildly successful and continues to guide future development that can be used far away from home.
Disney pulled back the curtain on Imagineering’s robotics lab during its Week of Wishes for a young fan — and showed how its next-gen characters come to life | TechRadar
It makes me happy to see Disney doing some good. In this case, they offered a tour of the robotics lab to a “make a wish kid”…
And the fact that Disney is creating and innovating on the cutting edge is great, and carries on the fine tradition started by Walt and his WED designers.
Saturday, May 23, 2026
About AI...
I've been thinking about the advent of AI, and how we really don't know *what* it is, how it will be used, or how it will affect us.
And yet, AI is the answer to everything! And it will cost all kinds of jobs! And it will make our lives better (or worse, I'm confused)!
The headlines promoted by companies tell a story that they want to tell (and ignore that they are taking an opportunity to "rightsize their workforce" while hailing innovation - lower payroll = more money to the wealthy investors).
So instead, I prefer to focus on the fact that each new innovation does change some aspects of our lives, but doesn't end the world as we know it. A relatively recent analogous example being the advent of the personal computer - which we were told would eliminate humans from most jobs.
AI is probably overstated in how it can be applied, though it definitely has use cases that can be helpful and improve on some things we as humans do. And industries will surely change. But it seems unlikely that it will "eliminate humans from most jobs." That's my take, anyway.
But I don't think I'm alone on that. I found this video, and it talks about the same general topic from a slightly different perspective, and is worth a watch.
Oh, and by the way, I did note that Lowe's is investing in training tradespeople. They, too, see the headlines, and realize that no matter what, trades can't be replaced by AI. Plus, being in construction broadly, they see a deficit on people who can do plumbing, electric, and carpentry. So they are looking to fill that need, and take a part of that business. Kudos to them.
Keep calm, and carry on
A few weeks ago, we heard about a few people getting sick on a cruise ship, from something most of us never heard of, the hantavirus. Then, a couple of people died, and some others got pretty sick and the news media started to do what they do best: breathlessly report on it. It's the next pandemic!
Scientists, particularly those with experience in diseases and epidemiology, were drowned out. The truth is that while this is "something," it's not quite what its been built up to be. It's treatable if caught early. Different strains spread differently, but generally you have to be in close quarters. It originates via rat droppings, and much of it originates in Argentina, as it turns out (hence why there was an outbreak on a ship that left from that country).
The media just focuses on it being awful, and will report on stories like the woman who is quarantined here in the states, but who wants to leave and is throwing a fit about her rights. (I would assume because it makes a great headline and gets clicks).
And they miss the story about another man in the same facility, who sees that this is the right thing to do, and talks about how the kindness of strangers touched him. People send care packages, and drop off coffees. He's had some unexpected and pleasant interactions with the staff - and he adds that he will not let what's happened deter him. He still plans to travel the world!
Oh, and of course the media also decides to add ebola into the story, for good measure. They conflate both diseases, even though they are vastly different in almost every way.
That's not to say there's no danger and we shouldn't pay attention. But, we should focus our attention in the right places.
My point is that once again, we should look behind the hype. Listen to those who know something about the topic. Don't doom scroll and immediately assume the worst because that's what you see popping up on social media.
Watch "You've Seen Her Face THOUSANDS of Times & Here's Why!" on YouTube
This is just a fun break from the everyday.
Friday, May 22, 2026
Watch "How Differential Gear Works | QUOTED" on YouTube
This is one of the most well articulated description of differentials that I’ve ever seen.
It’s well worth a few minutes of your time.
Monday, May 18, 2026
Climate scientist finds large errors in a global climate pollution database
The finding of large gaps in the climate data are maybe not so surprising. They do note that the way data is collected and the use of automation does affect the data that’s reported.
And of course there is observer bias. But they note:
“We will never estimate emissions with perfect accuracy, but we must ensure that the data shared with policymakers and the public is unbiased and meets best practices and the most rigorous scientific standards available. Without this, we mislead decision makers and potentially lose public trust in our ability to tackle climate change.”
And yes. That should be the fundamental basis for all scientific endeavor.
Beavers Turn Rivers Into Powerful Carbon Sinks, Study Finds
Let’s give it up for the beavers!
They turn out to be more important in a changing climate than anyone ever assumed.
A Chemical Breakthrough That Could Fix the Plastic Crisis
Denovia, a company based in Canada, has come up with a compound that more efficiently breaks down plastics and lower temperatures, meaning that plastic waste can be recycled at scale.
There’s more to be done, but it’s a step in a better direction.
Scientists build near-invisible solar cells thinner than human hair
Here’s another step forward in the development of solar cells. Thin, transparent cells that can cover a surface and still be clear enough to see through is an intriguing use case.
Nasa Beamed 484 Gigabytes From The Moon, And It Could Redefine How Humans Experience Deep Space Forever
I noted on a previous post that nasa was using a laser to send compressed data back to earth. It had less lag than a traditional radio broadcast (as we used in Apollo), and contained way more data in the stream. They were able to broadcast near HD video from the spacecraft.
Here some additional details on how this worked, and what they learned.
Scientists “bottle the sun” with a liquid battery that stores solar energy | ScienceDaily
The intent here is:
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara believe they may have found an answer that avoids the need for massive battery systems or reliance on the electrical grid. Writing in the journal Science, Associate Professor Grace Han and her research team describe a new material capable of absorbing sunlight, storing that energy in chemical bonds, and later releasing it as heat whenever needed. The material is based on a modified organic molecule called pyrimidone and represents a new step forward in Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) energy storage technology.
Now that’s an advancement in a clean energy storage system.
The DOJ Is Demanding Apple And Google Identify Over 100,000 Users Of This Car App
This can’t end well. The DOJ asking for a list of everyone who downloaded an app sets a dangerous precedent for surveillance. These people may not have done anything wrong, or perhaps downloaded it in error.
And yet their names will appear on a list that will surely lead to enforcement.
World’s largest operating tokamak restarts with 8-meter coils upgrade
Europe and Asia continue to lead in finding alternative fuel sources. Here’s a story about a tokamak that is being tested.
A tokamak is an experimental device that uses powerful magnetic fields to confine a superheated plasma in the shape of a donut (torus). It is the leading design for harnessing nuclear fusion—the process that powers the sun—to create clean, limitless, and on-demand energy on Earth.
California farmer prepares to rip up 9-year-old peach trees worth $12,500/acre after largest buyer collapsed
This is the story of fallout from sweeping changes by this administration. However it’s framed, Delmonte closed a packing plant, laid off workers, and now the effects are being felt by the growers who supplied produce.
And of course, we’ll feel it at the grocery stores when we are unable to get fresh produce.
FAFO indeed.
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Soarin over the USA
In case you missed the memo, the Soarin’ attraction at Epcot made a change this week to temporarily go from “Soarin around the world” to “Soarin over the USA” in honor of our nations 250th anniversary (or as Patrick refers to it: the Semiquincentennial; And yes, his opening bit is cute)
Some kind soul recorded it and put it online. And my honest opinion is that it sucks.
It’s a lot of CGI and things don’t look “right”… plus the things they chose to show aren’t really representative of America. What of our historical places, landmarks that really define the country, our great national parks (and the redwoods maybe?), or a sense of how vast our country is?
It’s just underwhelming. I am disappointed that Disney whiffed on this opportunity. Especially given how good they often are at such things.
You can watch it here:
To be fair, I opted to write some code which reads the question and gives the right answer most of the time, within milliseconds. But it was always fun to see my player on the leaderboard.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
A cautionary tale about spirit airlines
What happened a few weeks ago with Spirit airlines is maybe a little dispiriting (pun intended) for several specific reasons: we lost a low cost carrier that drove the competition to keep pricing down, there were many thousands of workers who were laid off, and we got a not-so-great lesson in economics.
Its that lesson that I wanted to talk about. Spirit was a Fort Lauderdale - based airline, and that made it an employer of note in my hometown. Did I love them? No. Had I ever flown them? Also no. But they drove some amount of economy here locally.
Sometime around 2016, Frontier looked to acquire them, but the price point was too low, and the shareholders rejected that. Then, in 2022, there was a much-hyped offer for JetBlue to acquire them. This one was complicated. It wasn't entirely clear what JetBlue would get out of it, other than adding planes and some routes to its portfolio. But it wasn't.a great fit and there was internal strife, and several rejections by shareholders and the board was also wwrking to reject it.
Ultimately, it was nixed by the Biden-era DOJ who said that allowing them to merge would raise prices and stifle competition. To be fair, if the DOJ had allowed it to proceed, its still possible (maybe even likely) that the board of JetBlue would have killed the deal anyway. But, sure, lets "blame it on Biden" ...
The thing that was clear 4 years ago was that without a change, Spirit would not be able to continue operation for very long. It was a well-known fact that they needed operating capital in an ever-changing landscape.
Enter private equity in around 2024, who bought stakes in the airline and helped manage it along, with an intent to have it sold somewhere.
But it still wasn't enough, and in early 2026, Spirit needed an influx of capital. The airline and the private equity ownership asked the government for a bailout.
The T-rump administration asked for a 90% stake in the company, which would make it government owned. The board of Spirit wasn't aligned with that. And that private equity firm said no thanks; there would be little return for them.
So they declared bankruptcy, and are selling their planes, and their routes to other airlines (notably: JetBlue). And in the end, they. went out of business and we lost a low-cost airline anyway. Based on the desire to have it be state run, its funny that almost no one is saying "blame it on T-rump" and point back to the failed merger as their reason for the bankruptcy.
But its as much the problem of private equity as anything.
Is sad that the media can't wrap their head around all that's happened here. The debt should get mostly paid off, but the private equity firm will also get a nice payout for their "help" ... and as always, we consumers get screwed.
We seem to have forgotten our humanity …
I was standing in line the other day with a friend while we were waiting to order an ice cream.
And as we waited, we each struck up conversations with the people in line around us. Just random talk. It was so unusual in this day and age that it caught my attention.
But WHY did it feel so unusual? Because we’ve lost that human connection with our noses buried in our phones (and no, the irony of me writing this online isn’t lost on me). We don’t often have that moment to talk, smile, and laugh with a complete stranger.
My grandfather was always one to talk with anyone about anything (he was pretty proud of his ability to yak with anyone and would say the most ridiculous lines to engage with people). I have that skill, too, but it doesn’t come out as often as I’d like anymore.
Our society is weird that way. So much technology. You can’t just pick up the phone and call a company or a store and talk with someone. These kids today mostly text and will only call when it necessary. It’s about not knowing your neighbors the same way. (Not that knowing them too well is a good thing sometimes)
I was remembering a story from years ago. They were installing the first automated toll booths on a few highways. And the Miami Herald interviewed some people who lamented the move to automation because it lacks that personal touch. And one couple talked about their “meet cute” moment. He drove through the same toll booth every day, and she was the toll collector. Their interactions were but a few moments every day, but they ultimately went on a date and they were at-that-time happily married.
While that didn’t happen often, it was a chance for a small amount of human interaction. I would chat with the toll workers, say something fun, and sometimes in a random act of kindness I’d hand them double the amount of the toll and say it was for me and the car behind me. The person in the car behind me, who I didn’t know, would now have to interact with the person and had a moment to tell their friends about.
We are missing out on that sort of thing all the time now.
I guess my message here is that we each have an opportunity to do something more personal. Talk to that person in line next to you. Talk to the worker in the store. If you do manage to get someone on the phone, ask how their day is, and where they are located. Tell a terrible dad joke randomly to a stranger. Be kind. Practice a random act of kindness.
We can be better. And it starts with each of as individuals.
The world is difficult sometimes
And when I’m “feeling it,” I think about this infamous diddy from Monty Python. It’s sung during the crucifixion scene in “Life of Brian.”
Whilst trying to come up with a way of ending the film Monty Python's Life of Brian, Eric Idle wrote an original version of the song on a Gibson J-50 guitar using only jazz chords he learnt from a course by Mickey Baker. Originally the song was sung in a more straight fashion, which the other Python members eventually agreed would be good enough for the end of the film. However, Michael Palin noted in his diary for 16 June 1978 that during a script meeting, "Eric's two songs—'Otto' and the 'Look on the Bright Side' crucifixion song—are rather coolly received before lunch." Despite being initially underwhelmed, the group warmed to Idle's efforts and the song was retained. While practising during a break in filming, Idle found that it worked better if sung in a more cheeky manner by a character of his called "Mr Cheeky", which in turn was based on the film's Cockney lighting crew. This new version was used in the film and became one of Monty Python's most famous compositions.
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Newton’s law of gravity passes its biggest test ever | Science | AAAS
The inverse square law proves to be true in large expanses. That’s pretty amazing.
I guess you could (but probably shouldn’t) say that Newton was a really smart cookie.
How a pot left on the stove overnight inspired a teen’s winning science fair project
Another young person for the win!
This young lady created a simple method for keeping someone from leaving the stove on.
Yay, science! Yay, critical thinking!
Deep-Earth map reveals a lost U.S. continent | Science | AAAS
This is kind of a cool story about how an array of sensors have been put to use, and once scientists reviewed the data, they have concluded that there is a piece of a continent jammed under the eastern seaboard of the US.
Their modeling suggests that this happens when Pangea was broken apart, and this is why we have some mountain ranges, in the Appalachian trail.
It’s pretty cool.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
New Chinese Iron Battery Lasts 16 Years, and Could Upend the $150B Lithium Market | OilPrice.com
I like the leap forward here. A Chinese team has developed an iron-based battery (rather than lithium), which is cheaper to produce, stores energy more efficiently, and lasts many cycles longer than a lithium battery.
And that’s all before we even mention the environmental impact.
Say Goodbye to the Panama Canal: A New Ocean-to-Ocean Route Just Shipped 900 Vehicles in Just 72 Hours
I have noted in the past that shipping is one of the biggest industries we have these days. Getting goods around the globe is something everyone wants a piece of. Who controls ports, shipping lanes, and the transit corridors will shape - or reahape - the world economy.
And the Panama Canal is a choke point from which many counties and shipping companies want to move away.
Entree Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which is an overland route to get goods from the pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. Essentially, the ship is unloaded at a port there, and put onto rail cars and then moved across the expanse in a few hours, and reloaded onto another ship.
So far, it’s seen some successes. But there are still a lot of concerns and things to consider.
But Mexico is making a power play.
Data centers are breaking the electric grid. Meet the $6 billion startup and its visionary CEO solving the problem - Fast Company
I’m not convinced this solves anything in its current state. However, the concept that the startup is using recycled car batteries (and other larger scale batteries) to supply power in an ever-power-thirsty world is a good step in the right direction.
And, I couldn’t help but think of Edison’s notion of having smaller power plants to produce DC power (as opposed to what we do today with large plants, power distribution, and AC power that was fleshed out from a Nikola Tesla idea) is sort of the answer as our power needs change.
NASA is making a powerful new ion engine to send astronauts to Mars — and it just passed its 1st test | Space
Flight readiness is still a ways off. But the theoretical ion engine that could propel humans into deep space just took a nice leap forward.
NASA successfully tested an ion engine (one that feeds off an electromagnetic reaction rather than a chemical one) that can produce 120 kw. This should be sufficient to propel a craft to mars.
I look forward to seeing how this goes.
Friday, May 1, 2026
I’ll take any good news I can get…
Hello MoveOn friend,
Thank you for signing the petition to stop Trump and RFK Jr. 's chosen U.S. Surgeon General nominee, Casey Means. She was a completely unqualified wellness influencer, did not complete her medical residency, and doesn't hold an active medical license. Like RFK Jr., Means pushed an anti-science agenda that threats America's public health.
There isn't a lot of good health care news to share these days, but I did want to make sure you knew that our messages to our Senators actually worked.
The Senate did not have enough support to confirm her nomination. So Trump announced on Truth Social today1 that her replacement would be Fox News contributor and radiologist Dr. Nicole Saphier. Saphier will be his third nominee for the job.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Affordable telescopes.
Technology has come quite a long way. There’s a low-cost telescope available that has some pretty cool optics, and appears to be much easier to control that the telescopes of the past.
I was kind of intrigued:
And then I saw this:
Putting them in series to do some mapping?! It sounds totally crazy but is so cool! And completely possible because of these technological advancements.
Disney’s $60 billion bet on the one thing AI can’t replace
This is a long form article about, essentially, Disney betting big on physical experiences such as theme parks and cruise lines.
It’s an interesting perspective to be sure. And they do point out that the other CEO that took over for Iger - chapek - was also investing in theme parks, but he was very big on the revenue and thus raised prices and cut amenities.
Something D’Amaro appears less likely to do. But we'll see…
An interplanetary shortcut can speed up trips to Mars
In a way, this harkens back to the original moon missions. Computers (ie, the people - mostly women - who did the computing by hand) figured out the most efficient way to get to the moon, orbit it, and come back to earth… and have a fairly precise landing spot (yes it was many 10s of miles, but it was a reasonable calculation in the 1960s).
Here, a scientist looked at the path that a meteor took in its path between mars and earth, and figured out that we could theoretically have a “fairly short” trip to mars because of the orbital mechanics and whatnot.
It’s a cool way to look at the way in which we can get to the red planet.
A New Big Database of DNA From Indigenous Americans Shakes Up Scientists' Theories About Human Settlement of South America
I’m always fascinated by the fact that new discoveries can lead to new scientific concepts and update a long-held theory.
Here’s another example of how indigenous people migrated between the Americas - and they did it in waves for various reasons is pretty remarkable.
Namid Desert: Lost since 1533: This Renaissance merchant ship has resurfaced in the Namib Desert after 500 years | World News - The Times of India
So much to unpack in this story. It shows how ships were built. Unlocks some stories about how trad worked. Tells us a little about the human spirit. And of course creates new mysteries around how the ship wound up inland; probably through changing oceans?
It’s always amazing what we can learn.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Disneyland is now scanning your face at nearly every gate, sparking privacy concerns - Los Angeles Times
Oh dear. Privacy is basically a thing of the past, a quaint notion.
Yeah, Disneyland is joining the fray of facial recognition. While they give the usual standby lines about need to protect itself and data being deleted in a short amount of time, it can be used in very many bad ways.
Walt Disney was an informant for the FBI. - History Facts
The attached is a very short summary of Walt's involvement with the DOJ, and more specifically the FBI.
Remember that Walt was a patriot (as defined in the 20s-60s) and believed in what this country stood for. He was also a bit of an opportunist, so when it came time for WWII, he made propaganda cartoons and housed the military in his studios.
Walt was asked to join the House Unamerican Affairs Committee (which wanted to root out the evils of communism), and did so reluctantly and cautiously (by many accounts). But he did have a few names to share with the committee. One was a particular animator who "gave him trouble" and wanted to unionize, and apparently had maybe been engaged in some "subversive activity"
And because he was this sort of patriot and was beloved and well known, the house, the DOJ, and the FBI asked for any information he had going forward.
Was he an "informant?" Likely not. Was he doing his part and staying in the good graces of the feds? Almost certainly.
It was an interesting time, and Walt was savvy enough to know how to play the game (as it were)
Study links lung cancer to eating fruits and veg: What this means
Here’s a study that’s worth taking a look at. Of course the headline itself is a little misleading. The scientists break it down thoroughly in their study findings. They studied people with healthy, plant-based diets and did discover the incidence of lung cancer was higher.
However, what they also discovered is that the reason wasn't the fruits and vegetables themselves, but rather the pesticides and remaining residue that people consumed on the plant matter.
Does that mean one shouldn't eat plants? Of course not! It means that we need to find better ways to remove pesticides from them before ingestion (because we all know that the industry will not stop using pesticides; that is a losing battle!)
Archaeologists Found 115,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Where They Shouldn’t Be
This is an interesting look at an archaeological find. It shows a couple of things: (a) these appear to be homosaoiens, which tells us that these early humans wandered farther than we previously thought, (b) the reason for their wandering may have been related to the ice age, and (c) we really need to re-think what we think we know about our early ancestors.
And again, this underscores the beauty of science. We have a notion of what early ancestors did, and where they traveled. But, we can continue to learn and update those theories, because we gather more evidence,
Monday, April 27, 2026
The thousands of tons of banana pseudostems left rotting after each harvest are now being transformed into tissue paper and packaging materials, while a simple process using sodium hydroxide at 230°F is achieving pulp yields of up to 44 percent in April 2026 trials
Here’s an interesting concept: use banana stems and pulp, that otherwise goes to waste, to create tissue paper and other materials.
In early tests, it can be done fairly cheaply, so this definitely has some potential.
A bit of a role model, and an inventor!
I read this article about the 15 year old inventor who came up with an invention to (cheaply!) use ocean currents to generate electricity. For it, she took home the top prize at a 3M young inventors challenge.
But that was - decade ago, and this woman has been extremely busy since!
She has had numerous inventions and ideas. She won a shark tank college inventors forum called “croc tank”
And on and on. She’s quite determined, and prolific!
You can read more about her on her website.
Now this is someone that should serve as a role model for young people. Be inquisitive and always try to find new ways to do things!
Friday, April 24, 2026
For 74,000 years, one ancient killer quietly dictated where early humans could survive across Africa
This is an interesting look at human migration. Researchers examined where malaria was present through the history of Africa, and are suggesting that because malaria was deadly, it had a direct impact on human migration.
That’s some critical thinking, and is pretty interesting to consider.
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Disney's Lakeshore Lodge
Disney is on a never-ending quest to put their hand in your wallet in various ways. One of those ways is through their "Disney Vacation Club" properties (a/k/a Time Shares) that exits around Walt Disney World.
They just keep popping up, and in my humble opinion ruin the aesthetics of the property on which they are built. And as we saw during the pandemic, Disney has to make them available, regardless of extenuating circumstances, to comply with the contract language.
Anyway, pre-pandemic, Disney announced that they were removing the long-abandoned River Country water park, and were replacing it with another DVC property (between the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness). The project was halted during the pandemic, but about a week ago, Disney made an announcement that it was back under construction and it has a preview and opening date planned.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Researchers create fireproof building material from sawdust
Oooh. Ammonium magnesium phosphate, crushed watermelon seeds, and sawdust are combined to created a hard material that is fireproof.
The secret is in the phosphate acting as an enzyme that binds the sawdust and the seeds provide a coating.
A simple fireproof material that can be used in place of traditional particle board to protect buildings. Neat-o.
Meet the inventor dubbed 'Black Edison,' who beat Thomas Edison in court
Granville Woods is no household name. Yet, he was a prolific inventor who caught Edison’s attention … and in short, Edison used all manner of tactics to try and steal Woods’ inventions.
The thing is that Woods had the misfortune of being black in America at a time when we were still overcoming slavery…. So he was never afforded the same deference as Edison.
At least today, we can acknowledge the man and his accomplishments. Even if he died a poor man without much (if any!) recognition.
Friday, April 17, 2026
Disney is Ruining its own theme parks
I made a recent visit to the Disney theme parks, and was struck by how everyone was so focused on their phones, and the next thing they were going to do, that they missed out on living in the moment.
And with the price increases, and these "extras" you can add on for a fee (I'm looking at you Lighting Lane), you can see why people want to maximize their time in the parks.
Then, just to drive the point home, I got a survey from Disney that asked for my opinion about the technology they use and the relative cost of buying these extras. Its clear that they are sensitive to what they are doing, but they are letting market forces drive them.
By the way, I did notice on this visit that there were a fair number of guests who hired Disney's own tour guides, which I suppose makes some sense because there's more of a return on that investment; they can navigate you around the park. I had a chance to chat with one CastMember who was waiting for his guided family and he told me that particular family was pretty happy with how it was going and they got to see everything they wanted to that day.
But.... its more complicated than that of course. I happened to catch this video, where the host does a good job of laying it all out there, and wonders why Disney is ruining their theme parks.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Watch "Trump becomes a parody of himself as he runs out of answers and his base erodes" on YouTube
This is all so weird. And somehow we’ve normalized it. Or fail to see it for what it is. F Trump and all his supporters.
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Amanda Ungaro Arrived in the U.S. on Jeffrey Epstein's Plane at 17 — Now She's Going After Melania Trump From Brazil
This is such a bizarre story. And it includes the corruption that’s ever present…
Amanda Ungaro Arrived in the U.S. on Jeffrey Epstein's Plane at 17 — Now She's Going After Melania Trump From Brazil - Wealth of Geeks https://wealthofgeeks.com/amanda-ungaro-arrived-in-the-u-s-on-jeffrey-epsteins-plane-at-17-now-shes-going-after-melania-trump-from-brazil/
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Artemis returns
Wow. It was an amazing thing that happened! The Artemis crew went off into space, circled the moon, and returned safely. They were at a fairly high altitude from the lunar surface, so in completing their mission, they became the humans that went the farthest from Earth - ever. The Apollo 13 astronauts were much closer to the lunar surface, so Artemis now holds the distinction.
They had a bit of a side mission to catalog as much of the moon as they could see, documeting, and taking photos and videos. Many of the photos were beamed back to Earth in near-real time, so we could see them before the crew landed. They also took a now 50-year-old tradition, which was started with the first Apollo mission to the moon, and had the opportunity to name a crater. Commander Reid's wife had died somewhat recently. and the other three crew decided that the crater would be named after his late wife. Which was simply heartwarming.
We now have most of the moon captured in images, which is pretty cool. We also got some amazing views of Earth - and in somei, the sun was eclipsed by the Earth!
But the one thing that got me was how spoiled we've become. We had real time video and audio coming back from the crew (in actuality, its delayed by about 1.5 seconds each way, but that's less than the delay on terrestrial TV broadcasts which is about 7 seconds). We lost contact with the crew as they went behind the moon, because the transmission waves follow a straight line, and the moon was blocking those waves. That was totally expected.
What was more surprising was that the transmission cut out as the spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere. That's due to the plasma buildup on the vehicle. But, with SpaceX missions, we have a constant live view and can see the plasma buildup. And the reason for that is because SpaceX is using its starlink satellites to receive the transmission and beam that to Earth. NASA doesn't have that capability. And I admit I missed it.
In fact, the entirety of the return and recovery felt very much like the Apollo missions. You had grainy footage (with terrible white balance) from aircraft in the area. You had "visualizations" that showed us what was happening (rather than the real thing). You had a distant view from a ship when it splashed down. And when they recovered the crew, they sent helicopters to fish them off of what amounts to a life raft, and hoisted them up and took them to a waiting ship. Compare that with the SpaceX returns that have a recovery ship that quickly goes to retrieve the capsule and haul it onboard; astronauts then are helped onto the ship without the extra steps involved.
Anyway, it was totally amazing. And to the science deniers who say we've never left Earth, I say: suck it.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Earth's Population Has Surpassed The Planet's Capacity, Study Suggests : ScienceAlert
A couple of scientists “did the math” and figured out what the optimal earth population should be, given factors like natural resources, food & water supply, etc.
They note that while they have a number - and we have exceeded it - the other factor is that we have technology which allows us to extend beyond the resource limits.
That said… their optimal number for population is about 2.5 billion. Our current earth population is around 8.3 billion. Which is a significant difference. They note that this is one reason we’re seeing problems with our ability to feed everyone.
The World's Largest Wind Farm Built to Power 3.3 Million Homes Just Flipped a Major Switch
Clean energy for the win. Essentially, the large wind farm in the North Sea was connected and a cable was laid to the UK coastline.
Energy will now be provided to the grid, and that should be sufficient to power 3.3 million homes.
Monday, April 6, 2026
About the Iran military action
As I've noted many times in the past, it is nearly impossible to know what "truth" is, and the media is no help in finding it. Take the military action that is ongoing in Iran as an example.
T-rump gives updates, tells us how long he expects it to last (the ever changing goalpost), gives ultimatums, and the media just reports on that without probing further.
We have no idea about the rationale or the objective of the conflict, though some will give what amounts to their opinion, or repeat what T-rump says. It’s sad in a way. We should be better informed.
We're also told about relative successes, while negative news is underreported.
But, if you search outside of what we consider mainstream media, you get a different flavor of what's going on. A couple of things I thought I would share:
- There was some amount of persuasion, focused on T-rump by warmongers and other nations, to get the United States involved. He had said no in his first term, but this time agreed to an offensive action. It’s unknown why he changed his mind, but this sudden change at least partially explains the lack of a clear objective. But no matter: in the end, it was his decision. He - alone - owns it.
- One of the things he tells us is that he wants to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program. Which I find dubious. They have had the program for decades, and as they say, you can’t put a genie back in the bottle.
- Most of the middle east, and parts of Europe that are "nearby," have prohibited the US from using their airbases for any sort of offensive actions. That means that aircraft carriers are the primary launching points for sorties. However, the largest carrier (the Gerald Ford) had a fire, and had to exit the theater for major repairs (which may take a year to complete). How the fire started is the subject of some discussion. But reporting from outlets outside of the US, and even an offhand comment by T-rump, suggest that it may have been hit by an Iranian missile.
- Several tactical sites and planes used in general operations (which were at airbases in the Middle East or used in rescue operations), have been destroyed by what appear to be Iranian attacks.
- Russia is apparently helping Iran in some way. In spite of T-rumps crush on Putin.
- The strait of Hormuz is now fully controlled by Iran, and they want to keep it that way, in order to control the world's oil supply (that is to say that T-rump's actions have changed the dynamic in the gulf, and emboldened Iran to make a power move).
- Its very unclear when (or maybe if?) oil prices will go down, worldwide
- Finally, there have been some strikes that appear to violate international law, and he’s announced others that there are absolutely against the convention about targeting civilians. There is a strange report (from the person who received the call) that T-rump called a reporter and bragged about arming civilians in Iran. All of these would be considered war crimes, and should be investigated further.
And that’s just what’s top of mind. I have to say that it looks like there may be a “lasting legacy” if this keeps up.
One thing I will add is that there are those who think that we can simply use our might to obliterate Iran. I remind you that Russia had a similar plan in the Ukraine, and after years of attacks, it’s maybe not going so well.
Also, I've heard it suggested that the US will simply release its strategic oil reserves to help stabilize prices and supply. But that shows a lack of understanding about the oil reserve is. And you can’t overlook the subtext about US oil production, which is also misunderstood.
As always, we prove to be moderately uneducated and are fed misinformation along the way.
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Reps. Levin & Casten & SEEC Clean Energy Deployment Task Force Introduce the Energy Bills Relief Act | U.S. Congressman Mike Levin
Given rising gas prices, a supply issue, and the want to build more things that need to tap into electricity (like data centers), it's amazing to me there isn't more coverage of the topic.
Americans are getting squeezed at the pump and in their utility bills. And it barely registers.
So here's a bill that was introduced to help Americans. The energy bills relief act would address some of this and might actually help.
Is it perfect? No.
Does it address the broad problem and make some reasonable tradeoffs to help? Yes.
Does it get any attention whatsoever? No.
Is it likely to pass? As much as I'd hope so, I would assume the answer will be no.
A group of amateur astronomers has just “heard” a signal from 25 billion kilometers away, confirming that Voyager 1 is still transmitting from the outer reaches of the Solar System
Voyager 1 is still transmitting, and we are still receiving its signal. At 25 Billion kilometers away. Thats amazing.
It takes light 24 hours to travel that distance. Voyager is about 173 times as far away from us, as the sun is.
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