Skating Penguins

A few years ago, I worked on some skating penguins. You can read about my DIY approach here:

https://bitchindave.blogspot.com/2019/01/diy-penguin-decorations.html

I pulled them out for this holiday season and … well … they looked pretty ratty. 

My papier maiche had completely worn off. They looked terrible. 

I decided they needed an upgrade. I had a few ideas, and saw some videos that had some creative ideas. 

But, I pulled these guys out just after Halloween, and updating them with more sophistication was going to take time. 

So I came up with a very simple plan B. Something I could make work in a short amount of time and which would cost very little. 

I went to Walmart and bought 3 plastic table covers, one each of orange, white, and black. And I purchased some wood glue because it should work with the plastic. 

And I set about cleaning these guys and recovering them. 

I will also note that originally I had 4 penguins. There was another one that turned out bigger than I had planned and he looked like he was slipping on the ice. His arms stuck out far … and after a couple of uses, he started to really deteriorate and I had no good place to store him. 

So I sadly dismantled that one and moved on having just 3. I potentially could re-make him later. But for now, I’m happy with these. 

Ford CEO says he has 5,000 open mechanic jobs with 6-figure salaries from the shortage of manually skilled workers: ‘We are in trouble in our country’

Quite the perspective. Very many skilled manual labor jobs remain unfilled.  

As Farley notes "we are in trouble in our country."  

The idea of bringing manufacturing back requires that people step in to various jobs in  the industry. 

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-ceo-says-5-000-164653112.html

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now home to dozens of species - Earth.com

The "great pacific garbage patch" has become part of the ecosystem, with its own unique attributes and its now home to several species of marine life. 

That's just wild…

https://www.earth.com/news/great-pacific-garbage-patch-so-large-that-dozens-of-species-call-it-home/

Walt Disney Imagineering Brings ‘Frozen’ Olaf Robotic Character to Life | The Walt Disney Company

Imagineers have developed a fully autonomous robot that has a shell that looks like Olaf from frozen. 

You can read more about the technology involved in the attached article. But man, what a cool technology leap forward. 

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/olaf-robotic-character/

On March 29, 2026, World of Frozen – Along with Many New Experiences – Will Open within Disney Adventure World, the Reimagined Second Park at Disneyland Paris - The Walt Disney Company

Disneyland Paris is undergoing a transformation of sorts. They opened with just a Disneyland park, and a shopping area like downtown Disney. 

Later, they opened a second park as the Paris studios, which was kind of a themepark and kind of a movie studio. 

But it lacked the punch Disney wanted, and so they announced in November that they would be updating the park and re-theming it as Disneys Adventure World. It will be something much more and allow it to have a cohesive theme. 

 

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disneyland-paris-disney-adventure-world/

The James Webb Space Telescope may have finally found the 1st stars in the universe | Space

This is amazing…. The James Webb space telescope has been hunting for hints to the origin of the universe. 

And scientists think they have found a cluster of stars that might be among the first created after the Big Bang. 

It took a fair amount of study, but based on certain markers (like elements detected and red shift placement), it seems they are on to something.  

And now, we may be one step closer to understanding the universe and its origins. 

Cool!

https://www.space.com/astronomy/the-james-webb-space-telescope-may-have-finally-found-the-1st-stars-in-the-universe

A new set of eight spacecraft images reveals the interstellar comet 3I ATLAS in astonishing clarity

Here's a more detailed look at what the 3I/Atlas turned out to be, and how scientists came to these conclusions, based on what they saw. 

It's amazing how little we know about our universe, and how not everything fits neatly into what we have learned to this point. 

And for what it's worth, I enjoy reading fact-based articles that show how we apply science and keep an open mind. 

https://www.nunneryplumbingandheating.co.uk/01-163998-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-in-astonishing-clarity/