Bitchin' Dave Newsletter - Nov 7

 Dave’s Musings

Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina has issued Executive Order No. 292, which reestablishes the Secretary of Environmental Quality’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board as the Governor’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council. This order aims to address environmental justice concerns and opportunities throughout state government and the Governor’s cabinet, with a focus on communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. The Council will provide guidance and recommendations to advance environmental justice, while state agencies are directed to develop environmental justice goals and measurable outcomes.

It really isn't enough, but I accept that it is something. As I say, sometimes it takes baby steps to get us along the path.  Hopefully, other states will follow. 

The International Space Station (ISS) was designed between the late 1980s into the early 1990s. I remember seeing some of the prototypes while working at the space center in the early 90s and standing in them. It was amazing to think about what the future might look like. The space station was initially launched in 1998, and has been modified and had add-on modules placed on it in the years since. And now they're starting to plan for its end of useful life and deorbiting it, and so on. But in the meantime, you can see it with the naked eye as it makes its orbit around the Earth. Visit the site for details of how to see it in your area - and download the app for more interactivity. https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

One of the challenges to measuring sea temperatures and sea level rise is the limited amount of historical data, and how that data was collected. Beginning at some point in the 1800s, naval vessels would essentially drop a thermometer in the ocean to measure sea level temperatures, and record that in a log book. That gives some baseline, but probably can't be considered "accurate" by today's standards. Its gotten better in the last few decades, and now at least we have some better values to use. But we really need to build better information. Enter a group that is deploying sensor buoys at locations near shorelines on multiple coasts. We might get something meaningful from that and be able to use it to understand climate change impacts. Its ambitious but pretty cool. https://www.science.org/content/article/atlantic-ringed-tiny-sensors-ambitious-effort-track-climate-change

Disney regularly files patents for new and creative ideas. About a month ago, I missed that they filed a patent for a new ride system. While many of them are extensions of technology and patents they already are using, this one is a little different, and as the poster in the link says "wild" ... essentially it allows for a ride vehicle to be moved from one track to another automatically - or with input from the rider. Color my intrigued! Theme Park Insider

I found an interesting article about the ice cream brand Ample Hills. In short, this man loved making ice cream, started a brand, got investors, made a load of money, and grew...possibly too quickly. He went bankrupt and sold the name to another company. A while later, he started another ice cream company - but learned from his mistakes. And when the company he sold the first brand to went bankrupt, he bought back the Ample Hills name. And he's having success again. https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/09/30/ample-hills-couple-lost-40m-ice-cream-company-how-theyre-rebuilding.html

Latest video

Here's a video where I detail the rich history of Disney's expansion into Florida https://youtu.be/UirSV0__3bo

One Little Spark …

While the US continually looks to insert itself into everyone's business - all the while stating they are about small government - other countries are allowing for expansion of rights by its citizens. Just last week, Emmanuel Macron announced that France will amend its constitution to enshrine a woman's right to choose. While abortion has been legal since 1975, this will go further in ensuring that does not change. He is expecting this to become the norm in 2024. “A universal message of solidarity to all women who today see this right violated: France will engrave in its Constitution the freedom of women to have recourse to abortion.” Said the minister on Gender Equality (and how progressive is that?): “This is a victory for all women and a strong symbol sent to other countries of the world where our rights are losing ground.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/29/emmanuel-macron-to-enshrine-womens-right-to-abortion-in-france

Soarin update

I’m in Epcot today, so I thought I’d stop by and see how my player was performing  

It is at #2. The guy above just keeps his distance; I catch him once in a while but then he'll just separate further. 

I'm running the program from home, so I also showed up on the lists for most points today, last hour, etc. 

Hilarious.

Target is confusing

I used to like shopping at target. They were better than the competition and felt customer friendly. 

These days, shelves seem bare at times. Products aren't of the same quality. There aren't many people working in the store. And the self checkout is a pain. 

Then there was an issue of some gift cards whose balance got zeroed out for reasons no one could explain. Customer service confirmed that they weren't used and weren't transferred. They just got taken away. Many calls were needed to recover a fairly small (but still important) amount of money that, well, target stole from me. 

I've had a few occasions recently where I looked up something online, then went into a store to purchase that item; but the price was higher in store than online. 

So the only option was to purchase it, and then go to the customer service area and have them do a price adjustment. 

But how stupid is it that their online price is different? And you have to look it up to see what the price is. How consumer UNfriendly. 

To buy an item for which they can see the price and I can see the price, I have to jump through hoops. 

Then tonight, the day after Halloween, I saw the opposite. For some reason, this product was marked down 70% in store (and truth be told $15 is probably too much to pay for it, but whatever). But online it's only 15% off.

Whaaaa?

How does that work?

Target kind of sucks right now.  

Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - October 31

Dave’s Musings

Happy Halloween! Here's to hoping you get lots of treats, and have relatively few tricks (unless that's your thing of course).

In honor of the holiday, here are 25 fun facts, including the fact that Halloween was brought to us by Irish immigrants in the 1800s, and how trick or treating became a staple as a way to curb some of the pranksterism that grew out of the early traditions.

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/a35150/halloween-facts/

Nuclear fusion may still seem like a dream, yet a British team is investigating the feasibility of creating a fusion rocket that would allow us to travel large distances more quickly without the need for large amounts of traditional fuel. Their research could culminate in some tests within a few years. Read more

Among the hurdles to overcome in our ever increasing world of interconnectivity is how to cool data centers, or server farms, that house multiple computers powering the world. While placing these data centers in cooler climates helps, there are some innovative ideas for how to circulate air, improve on the AC systems, how to use the heat differently, and of course redesigning the computers themselves. All of these things can reduce the electric need, and help with emissions too. Its promising that researchers and even some big companies are meeting this need head on. Link to article

Reuters had a fun story about Disney's past, and where that might lead them in the future. The tag line is "Will Disney pull off another magic trick?" To which I say - don't count them out! And there's another article which is tangentially related. It looks at Disney's streaming problems https://www.thestreet.com/travel/forget-ron-desantis-walt-disney-has-a-much-bigger-problem

There was a bit of a mystery on a Google image that appeared online. In short, there was an image of two Boeing 717s with Lufthansa logos on them sitting at the Detroit Airport. The problem starts with Lufthansa not owning or operating any 717 aircraft. And as people looked at it, they discovered other anomalies. A little research reveals that Google's algorithm did some digital manipulation without human intervention. It overlapped several images and duplicated a single aircraft and then added the Lufthansa logo because the aircraft was near their terminal. And by the way, that aircraft apparently belongs to Delta airlines. Even though this is trivial, we should always be onguard for things that feel off in a way. Don't be afraid to question what's shown to you; be a natural skeptic. https://onemileatatime.com/news/lufthansa-boeing-717-detroit-airport/

Latest video

I've got some new learnings on my hydroponic journey. I share them with you. https://youtu.be/luUJ4fjMZZ4?si=y112Mr02eTEdNHfq

One Little Spark …

Here's an article that reminds us that humans existed in the Americas more than 20,000 years ago (!!). We are all temporary visitors to this planet. Understanding the planet, and ensuring our survival for another 20,000 years is a choice. Here's to hoping the "collective we" make the right one. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-evidence-footprints-mexico-oldest-humans.amp

Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - October 24

Dave’s Musings

What's happening around the world is frankly astonishing. Its the 21st century, and yet we (a year in) still have Russia trying to conquer the Ukraine. And then you have the more recent war between Israel and Hamas.

The latter is fairly hard to understand, and the media can't condense it into something short. And some people try to put a spin on it for their own reasons. Its messy. Its complicated. You often are provided erroneous information. The thing to bear in mind is that there isn't a simple root cause, nor a simple solution. Like anyone, I feel strongly about some aspects, and could surely give my opinion about what's happening. But that would be doing a disservice and feeding into the "frenzy"

Instead, I'd like to point out that this type of aggression has consequences to other humans we share this earth with, and at the heart of it, there is a humanitarian crisis and innocent people are suffering. In my humble opinion, if we can put that in perspective, maybe we can help in some small way - either by donating to a worthy cause or voicing that to people who can possibly do something. Perhaps we can make a difference in terms of the human cost in the short term.

There are so many new images being returned, courtesy of the James Webb Space Telescope, that its sometimes hard to keep track. Recently one image seemed to show two galaxies on top of each other. But further analysis suggested that this was somehow a galaxy that was duplicated in the image. The software and cameras were checked, and this doesn't appear to be caused by some technical issue. The only other explanation is something that has been hypothesized but never seen: a crease in the universe, caused by a cosmic string. Whether this is accurate remains to be seen, but the finding is interesting and worth reading more about. https://www.sciencealert.com/we-may-have-just-found-evidence-of-a-cosmic-string-a-crease-in-the-universe

A company out of Vienna is looking at turbulence in aircraft. They found that some minor adjustments in flight controls and altitude can reduce the stresses on the plane. This would make the flight more comfortable for passengers, and also cause fewer mechanical issues. Their plan is to make a smart computer system that can use real time data and forecast from ahead to make the adjustments needed automatically. You have to admire the thought and applying some simple tech to make flying more comfortable - as the climate change continues to make flying less comfortable. https://interestingengineering.com/transportation/this-technology-aims-to-reduce-mid-air-turbulence-in-aeroplanes

Disney announced recently a desire to sell off streaming services in some of the markets they entered (India being a big one). They have flirted with the idea of selling off ESPN. And they are looking to revisit some of the movie distribution deals. Then they decided to "experiment" by simulcasting Monday Night Football on ABC (over the air) along with ESPN. Cable providers have cried foul, but so far they persist in doing that. And then there's Hulu, which was started by all of the networks and media providers as equal partners. It was a great idea and gave viewers some competitive pricing for content. Then through purchases and acquisitions, Disney wound up owning most of Hulu. It would not be incorrect to say they manage Hulu as part of their streaming, along with Disney+, potentially in violation of anti-turst laws. Or so says a judge who allowed a suit in that space to go forward. What happens in that space is anyones guess. But you can see how these types of things are dragging the company down. https://apnews.com/article/bauer-mlb-dodgers-sexual-assault-lawsuit-allegations-dc338d09c6fc3631080205b437c6f660

Elon Musk is planning to charge for use of "The platform formerly known as Twitter." But its weird, because he only wants to charge $1 per year. Its an amount that is unlikely to raise too many hackles, and the millions he could make wouldn't offset his losses. So what gives? Musk has already indicated he wants to disrupt the payments industry. And charging for use of the platform would give him access to credit card info, banking info, and so on. As far as I know, he never created a new privacy policy after throwing out the one he inherited with Twitter. In theory, then, he could use this info however he wants - including selling it or otherwise using it to his advantage. And you wouldn't know, or have recourse. And doing so may give him the upper hand in disrupting the payments industry. Its crazy, but could be right up his alley. IMHO, moving away from Twitter is a good option for those of us who see the potential problems here. Me? I have moved to Mastodon. I invite you to join me. https://techhub.social/@davey_k

Latest video

I have info about 3 world showcase pavilions at EPCOT: Germany, Italy, and Norway https://youtu.be/HXnk0VJKe5k?si=EbbekPsIPRVyF_T5

One Little Spark …

We saw a shift in society happen over the last few years, where in a broad sense we started listening to women who say they were raped, and taking the allegations seriously (or perhaps more seriously), rather than simply dismissing them. But with that comes a potential dark side. There's the case of Trevor Bauer the baseball player who had consensual sex with a woman he met. She claimed to have been raped, and he was suspended from baseball for more than 2 seasons in reaction to the allegations. Only it turns out it was much more complicated, and Bauers attorneys found that she had texted a friend about his net worth and her desire to get some of the money. I don't claim to know the details of what went on, but there was a settlement and he has been reinstated to baseball. Because it wasn't what she claimed it was. Personally, I think we need to take the allegations seriously, but we need to find a way to withhold judgement until the facts are known. https://apnews.com/article/bauer-mlb-dodgers-sexual-assault-lawsuit-allegations-dc338d09c6fc3631080205b437c6f660

Some thoughts about American football

As I've stated in the past, for many, many years I was a fan of the Miami dolphins nfl team. I followed them and knew a lot about the players and became "the student of the game"… I started the first text-based regular discussion (later this type of thing would be known as a blog) about any nfl team. And later I started the first podcast about any nfl team. 

I enjoyed it a lot, but somewhere along the way, my interest in the team and the league on the whole waned. I think a lot of it had to do with seeing behind the curtain. I saw the ridiculousness of the business, understood how much money was involved in the league, and the players were merely commodities to the wealthy owners. Or perhaps they were more like chattel to be traded around. And injuries? Those are just part of the game. Who cares about the human toll if they're well paid?

To wit, it's a giant money suck that gives the fans something to cheer for. "WE are winners!" But does nothing to return that blind loyalty. It's very one way. 

And then you notice that everything is sponsored. Every owner asks their communities to pitch in and help make him more money through stadium improvements and the like. 

Heck, even the person performing the half time entertainment at the super duper big game has to pay for the privilege of performing. And meanwhile most of the work done before, during, and after the game is done by an army of volunteers who are lucky to get a tshirt and a sandwich - but they can say they helped. 

In spite of my thoughts to the contrary, I persisted in my work because I enjoyed doing it, and had built a name for myself. 

That is, until the current owner of the team - Stephen Ross, a wealthy real estate guy from NY - who listed Trump as an associate (dare I say friend?) - bought the team. He had no interest in the community. He didn't live here. He never gave back but kept asking for more. Prices went up (and to be fair they went up around the league) and the team became a plaything. The previous owner saw us web guys as "ambassadors" and let us be a small part of the team. This guy viewed us a nuisance and kept us at arms length but was pleasant in a way; it was free publicity for him. 

Anyway, that's when I stopped doing anything related to the team. I may have enjoyed the sport for a while, but I was giving away publicity for a guy I really, really didn't like and who stands so opposite from what I believe in. 

It's not just him. ALL the owners are like that because that's how the league is setup. 

And that's when I decided to just view it as pure entertainment. To not spend a single dime on anything related to the nfl. To not watch a game from beginning to end because it's too long and typically boring. 

The thing is, though, it's hard to let go of watching/rooting for a team you've been following for years. My only option was to stop paying attention. To sort of hate on them. To revel in their lack of success. To laugh when things went inevitably wrong. And boy did they. 

But this year…man oh man… I am reminded distinctly of what I hate about society in general and this league and team specifically. 

I stopped spending my money it. I don't pay attention. I encouraged others to do so as well.  But it's hard to pull yourself away when people around you are still fans and you're still the "football guy" - a moniker I can't shake. 

The team apparently is good this year. And that bothers me. For the simple reason that the owner - an admiral (see 

https://bitchindave.blogspot.com/2023/04/aye-aye-admiral.html) - always wins. Always has success. It doesn't matter what any of us do, think, or say. He controls everything and comes out on top. 

That's depressing and part of a larger issue in society, whether it's this, or a return to office, or anything else. 

He doesn't deserve credit or success. But he gets it. And fans pour more money into it. And it becomes a cycle all over again. 

That was weird

I recently got an email from the lady who "really wanted to hire me" back when I was let go. 

What she told me was that she had a new position but it was 50% different than what I had applied to and I had to go through the application process and there were no guarantees. 

I was curious, so I read through the posting. And yeah, it was different. In a way I wasn't comfortable with. There were aspects of the job that aren't in my skill set, and some that are things I really don't want to do. 

So I politely told her thanks, and I appreciated her reaching out, but it's not for me. 

I might have expected this, but I got no reply after that. I was ghosted in a way. 

…and that's when it hit me that she was excited to have me on her team before. She went out of her way to reach out on WhatsApp and was being friendly and a little frank with me about what was going on. 

But this time, she sent me the email from her work address. It was a little more formal and didn't "feel" like she was being as personable. That felt off in a way. 

Then I realized she sent me the email about midway through the week the job was posted. She obviously had planned to post it and was alerted when it went live. Yet, she let me know a little later.  I wonder if she just suddenly remembered me along the way. Or if she didn't have enough applicants and reached out to fill a quota or something. 

Again. A little odd. 

And then I had a realization. If this job had been offered before I left, I would have had to take it (or lose severance). Supposing they then decided to modify the job. The policy is that if a job changes by more than 50% - which this role did - I would have been displaced (again) and forced to reapply for it. 

And that would have totally pissed me off.