NYC business owner erects 50-foot steel fence on his property — cutting off the sidewalk and 10 parking spots

#ThatsSoNY

This is so stupid it's comical. Why can't more stories be like *this* rather than always about the orange man and his cult and their stupidity. 

This guy is a nuisance, but it doesn't appear to be politically motivated. Just saying. 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nyc-business-owner-erects-50-110900263.html

ESPN's new streaming app could replace cable for some but may end up costing them more

There's some greed in here…

ESPN is launching a direct-to-consumer service of their networks, including all live sports they offer for the low, low price of $30 per month.

Which is quite the change from their original business model (still in effect, to this day, with cable) at about $4 per month, per subscriber. 

Now I know costs have gone up.  And I know that the promise of $4 from every cable tv consumer was a move to ensure they had operating capital, and they will have a smaller base….but wow $30 a month seems like a huuuuge increase. 

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/13/nx-s1-5396864/espn-streaming-app-cost

Walt Disney comes to life ... as an audio animatronic

Last year, the Walt Disney company announced at their fan expo that they were working on creating an animatronic version of the man, the myth, the legend, to give fans a first hand glimpse of what the man was actually like.

We didn't hear much for a while after, but now, we're getting additional details. "He" (is it right to use a pronoun here?) will be featured in a new show called "Walt Disney - a Magical Life" at Disneyland, beginning in July.

The LA Times article below pretty much covers the hype and reality of what this actually means.  I called him man, myth, legend in an earlier sentence.  He's achieved a larger than life "hero status." But... he was still a human and as I understand it, never wanted to be placed on a pedestal.  So striking the balance on a show will be quite the undertaking.

https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2025-05-02/disneyland-walt-disney-a-magical-life-animatronic 

Disney's new theme park

The official press release reads:

The Walt Disney Company and Miral, Abu Dhabi's leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences, announced an agreement to create a landmark Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The waterfront resort will be located on Yas Island, a world-class destination for entertainment and leisure, connecting travelers from the Middle East and Africa, India, Asia, Europe, and beyond. This seventh Disney theme park resort will combine Disney's iconic stories, characters and attractions with Abu Dhabi's vibrant culture, stunning shorelines, and breathtaking architecture.

Which is certainly intriguing.  I didn't have a new theme park in the middle east on my bingo card.  Still, I'm intrigued by their growth and think its a good thing in the long run.

But as several market analysts warn: don't get too excited about Disney stock just yet, as it will take several years for the park to be built.

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-announces-abu-dhabi-theme-park/

The wisdom of the crowd as it applies to space

NASA and the ESA are working with something called the Zooniverse (see what they did there?) to help identify galaxies and other objects that the JWST has seen through its optics and recorded.

They say anyone can contribute, and no experience is necessary.  That's pretty cool and you, too, can help contribute to better understanding our universe.

Link to site:

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/zookeeper/galaxy-zoo/

Short video overview:

https://youtu.be/F-B8gXJyMHc

On Walt Disney and Bob Iger

Recently, comedian Nate Bargatze was asked some questions about his idea to build a sort of a Disney-like themepark.

He said that "[Walt] Disney cared about his customers... Now Disney is run by a guy that's just a businessman. Well, that guy doesn't care about the audience."

That's an interesting perspective.

Zuckerberg on trial

Well, technically its his company, Meta.

The acquisitions to kill competition have drawn the attention of the feds, and there's an effort to dismantle his monopoly over parts of social media,

Stay tuned to see what happens in the coming months.  But as the article notes, its not about Facebook connecting people anymore

https://unionrayo.com/en/zuckerberg-facebook-meta-ftc/