Bitchin Dave Newsletter - September 5

   

September 5, 2023 Insights, news, ramblings, and other serious nonsense from Dave

Dave’s Musings

I was sick, and never got around to producing a newsletter last week. Feeling better now, so here we go.

During a football game between Kent State and UCF this weekend, the announcers mentioned the Kent State massacre, which happened in 1970. They were short on actual details but did remind us that the National Guard opened fire on students protesting Vietnam, killing 4. They also mentioned that the band Devo had also gone to Kent State. One of the announcers had no idea who Devo was, or that there was a deeper connection between the band and the shooting. You can read more about that here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-kent-state-massacre-music-20180504-story.html

But this lack of appreciation for history didn't quite stop there. UCF won the game (handily) and posted something to social media that read "SOMEONE CALL THE NATIONAL GUARD!" .... which was instantly a regrettable decision. They deleted the post and apologized.

Oops. I think its important we understand and embrace our own past, regardless of how painful it feels. We can't just be ignorant to things that happened.

  

We had an interstellar visitor recently. No really! A half-meter meteor was detected in 2014, and seen streaking through the sky by people on the ground. US Space Command determined its speed and suggested that to reach that speed, it likely came from outside the galaxy. A group of scientists went off in search of fragments of the meteor, and found traces of Beryllium that would indicate the object had originated from outside of our galaxy. An amazing discovery. Cosmos Magazine Article

In my video (below), I talk about Tesla's secret sauce, which is their charging network. I don't talk about a specific detail: how they manage that network. In the past, they had a driver reporting system, coupled with some simplistic monitoring. But today, they use a fairly sophisticated monitoring system that allows for them to see the status and usage of charging stations, and to integrate it into your car so that they route you to less busy and/or working units. Its a very, very cool use of technology and a sort of AI. Charging

Here's a little something of interest. According to public filings, Disney will pay around $190 million in taxes to the state of Florida. That amount is about 85% of the total tax collected by Reedy Creek - now the Central Florida Oversight Board. Its unclear how that compares to other central Florida tourism businesses, but it is more than 50% of the total revenue generated. In the state of Florida, Disney provides between 3% - 5% of the overall tax collected. That is the largest individual contribution by any company. In summary, why did the governor pick a fight with his largest single tax contributor and employer?

During the pandemic, movie theaters naturally struggled. Some closed, some negotiated deals with distributors, some took on loans or other debt. More direct-to-streaming also contributed to a change, in spite of lawsuits related to royalties. And the writers strike isn't helping matters. What was clear to me was that the model that was in use pre-pandemic was not sustainable. Sure there's a "return to the box office" ongoing, but its nothing like it had been. Last week, I saw what could be the future. Taylor Swift announced a limited engagement movie-theater viewing for her successful world tour. Possibly, it violated some "rules" that were in place for movie distribution and pricing. But that really doesn't matter. The future may be more on-demand, event types of entertainment - and less traditional movie distribution.

One Little Spark …  … for your imagination

Sustainability and Climate Action are inseparable.  Or so says an article in Nature.  Essentially, they note that while there are agreements among various nations, there needs to be some specific action and trust among us.  We all live on this planet, and need to work toward a common goal and essentially build on the trust that we are in it for the right reasons, and al have a goal of reducing emissions and helping our environment.

Dave’s latest video

I talk about Tesla and their secret sauce. https://youtu.be/e0l32Rjxong?si=p_PHf6wr5ZdbHJNY

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This should be the dotards official portrait

I think we should start a petition to replace the current one with this, as it is so much appropriate as a representation of his "presidency"

Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - August 22

   

August 22, 2023 Insights, news, ramblings, and other serious nonsense from Dave

Dave’s Musings

I have been away for a few weeks, but I did keep up with the news - particularly as it relates to the weather. Hurricanes in California? Fire in Maui? Tornadoes, wildfires, extreme heat> They all showed up as very real threats.

I heard someone say this will be the coolest summer for the rest of our lives, and that hit home. We need to appreciate that climate change is happening around us, is a real and present danger.

And not to belabor the point, but its time for all of us to do more. As they say "think globally, act locally" - surely there are little things we can do to help.

  

During the Obama administration, he proposed sending humans to an asteroid to study it. The notion wasn't taken to seriously, and references to the movie "Armageddon." But now, it would seem that the Near Earth Asteroid project is getting renewed attention, and there is a possible plan to launch astronauts to an asteroid to conduct scientific research in order to better understand them and perhaps prevent a cataclysmic event in the future. NEA project

Here's a link to a cool article about Zenith's (remember them?) revolutionary space command remote control, which was a mechanical marvel. No batteries, no infra red, no wires! This device relied on a series of ultrasonic sounds that were created when the buttons were pressed. A receiver on the TV could receive the signal and act on it. Quite the cool - and simple - technology! The Verge - Zenith Space Command

While we've gotten used to (?) seeing Disney World close due to hurricanes over the years, it was weird this week when DisneyLand closed due to a storm. In fact, it was unusual to see DisneyLand close at all. It has only been closed three times in its history: after the death of JFK in November 1963, after an earthquake in January 1994, and after 9/11 back in 2001. By the way, hurricanes are a bit unusual in southern California. The last one was recorded over 80 years ago!

Here's an intriguing article about deeper study of enslaved individuals. They collected DNA from a group that was buried near an old iron works. The Smithsonian researchers learned where they came from, how they were related, and managed to track down their descendants. It starts a process of understanding our own history and owning up to the realities of our own past. Reuters Article

One Little Spark …  … for your imagination

There was an interesting case presented in Montana: a group of youths sued the state for not providing a clean environment, as required by the state constitution. 

The state didn't put up much of a defense, and said that no matter the outcome they had no plans to change anything.

But the youths won, with the court noting that the states environmental policy violated their right to a clean environment.  The state (naturally) said they will appeal.

Here's the key takeaway: after Parkland there was a notion that "the kids will win," and here we are.  The kids are seizing the day and winning.

Other than that, we can see how a small group can challenge the status quo and do something bigger and bolder. 

Read more here: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/montana-youths-win-climate-lawsuit-fossil-fuels/story?id=102260674

Dave’s latest video

I don't have a new video this week, but one popular video from the archive is all about the Ft. Wilderness Railroad. https://youtu.be/WDqr6MQWSeI

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Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Aug 15

  

August 15, 2023 Insights, news, ramblings, and other serious nonsense from Dave

Dave’s Musings

One of my lifetime bucket list items is to experience the aurora borealis; to see it overhead is a bit of a dream. 

I have been traveling for a few weeks through Vancouver, into whistler, and over to Vancouver island to visit Victoria. Any or all of which “could” provide viewing opportunities. 

But unfortunately, there was only one day where the northern lights were visible - and only through a camera lens, not with the naked eye. So my quest remains unfulfilled for now. 

But I did have some amazing star filled skies and the persied meteor shower was completely visible one night. So it wasn’t a total loss. 

There’s a Facebook enthusiast group I was following; someone posted a cool video from the night it was almost visible: 

https://m.facebook.com/groups/northernbcaurora/permalink/1619447131798122/?refsrc=deprecated&__hwl=1&_rdr

  

The helicopter that’s on Mars - Ingenuity - continues to have successful flights around the Martian landscape.  And last week, it captured a picture of the Perservance Rover, which is kind of a cool thing.

Theres some exciting research going on in the fields related to technological advancements.  A group of researchers in Spain has combined a variety of polymer and a graphene to create a something that is clear and electrically charged - but which can be folded and used as a screen.  It’s a cool leap forward and underscores how much research is being done to find the next “dig thing” (even if it’s little) phys.org article

I saw an article recently that calls out the contemporary resort at Walt Disney world as the ugliest hotel in Florida.  Where’s the love, man? “Disney World is usually spot on when it comes to designing things, but what in the world were they thinking when they created the iconic (and ugly) Contemporary Resort? It looks like a futuristic Aztec pyramid, which is not something you would normally associate with Mickey Mouse.  Although it's not much to look at, the Contemporary Resort is one of Disney's most beloved places to stay. It's been around since day one of Disney World, opening on October 1st, 1971. In addition to being one of the ugliest buildings, it's also one of the loudest, since a monorail runs right through the middle of it.” Unsightly buildings in all states

Here’s a fun blog from a couple who made a trip to central California in the Tesla.  What makes this compelling is that there are no superchargers / fast chargers nearby. And not many level 2 (240v outlet types) to be found.  So they did a lot of “trickle charging” connected to typical wall outlets.  Its a fun read  Acterra blog

One Little Spark …  … for your imagination

Take a moment to consider what happened in Ohio last week. Like many states, Ohio grants citizens the rights to propose a constitutional amendment, if they can get enough signatures on a petition. Then, the amendment goes on a ballot and needs a simple majority to be an amendment to the states constitution. 

The state GOP wanted to pass legislation to ban abortion. But the citizens got the required signatures to keep abortion legal, as a constitutional amendment. The GOP saw that as a threat and proposed a change to the law and change the rules on constitutional amendments to require a 60% threshold (rather than simple majority), and a few other punitive things. 

They held a special election (which may have violated the law as it’s written, that’s still being determined) and cost the taxpayers money. Holding it on a random day in August, they thought maybe voter turnout would be low…

And the voters were motivated and turned out in force to vote down the changes. Voters who normally didn’t vote in such things. Voters who live in rural areas who may or may not vote for the abortion issue turned out. 

It reminds us all that the power of democracy is still strong. And we can do a lot with that power. 

Dave’s latest video

This week I'm talking about hiking up in whistler.   https://youtu.be/6eDE-Fu6GrU

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Bitchin' Dave's Newsletter - Aug 8

  

August 8, 2023 Insights, news, ramblings, and other serious nonsense from Dave

Dave’s Musings

I am a bit of a soccer fan. Some may find it “boring” and can’t accept that games can end in a tie. But me, I enjoy the subtle strategy and the nuances of the game. These are true athletes, having to play twice a week, running somewhere close to 10 miles in a game while showing agility and a skill with the ball. 

Recently Lionel Messi - who may very well be the greatest all time to play football - joined InterMiami. He’s older, and I admit I wasn’t sure how he’d fare …but he had been nothing short of outstanding. And is absolutely worth watching if you get the chance. He is on another level. 

And he’s raised the specter of the MLS from an okay league to something enjoyable to watch. 

  

An overdue tip of the cap in memory of Evelyn Granville, one of the original computers at NASA, who passed away recently. Although she wasn’t specifically mentioned in Hidden Figures, she was another brilliant mathematician who helped America get into space.  You can read her obituary here: Evelyn Granville obituary	Recently, 60 Minutes had a segment about a cold fusion breakthrough. The actual event happened back in December, when lasers created an ignition that lasted a fraction of a second. Reading about it is a bit droll, this segment encapsulates it well. YouTube 60 minutes segment

There are some quirky and odd things that happen at Disney parks. Like the Soarin’ game and being able to continue it after you leave Epcot. I blogged about that here: Soarin challenge But there’s also the first pickle of the day at Disneyland which is also fun and amusing. You can read about an adventure to try and get it here:  First Pickle Award

There is this odd story about top researchers being asked to join virtual conferences during Covid-19 to share what they knew .... and now they are receiving large bills for having gotten involved. And they have court orders requiring the payment. In short, a group of people made up an organization, then proceeded to take advantage of these scientists for their own gain, and the videos they made wound up behind paywalls, meaning they were all pointless in a way. Scientists hit with massive bills

One Little Spark …  … for your imagination

The state of Florida has a huge insurance issue.  The Washington Post did a piece recently hilighting the general issue and focusing in one particular company, UPC, and their insolvency, the states’ utter incompetence in handling the situation, and how the company used parent companies to absolve themselves of liability yet still remain enormously profitable.

All the while, real people got screwed and have damaged homes and lives. And the rest of us who live in the state have to make up for the company’s insolvency by paying an additional fee to help the people who got screwed. 

As a reminder to those of you who aren’t paying attention, this all happened under the watchful eye of current governor (and can’t-be-bothered with citizens problems because he simply doesn’t care) desantis. The cautionary tale is that when you elect someone who is only in it for themself, you get someone who is only it for themself. 

And the secondary takeaway is that there need to be some guard rails to regulate these companies - because companies can’t be trusted to act in the best interest of anything or anyone other than the people with the largest financial stakes in the company. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/08/04/how-florida-let-top-insurer-abandon-homeowners-their-time-greatest-need/

Dave’s latest video

I take a look at the Omnimover, the ride vehicle used in the haunted mansion, and build it in legos. https://youtu.be/qbfAi_NZTIc

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