Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Josh D’Amaro officially takes the reigns as the CEO of Disney

Attached are two articles with slightly different points of view on the succession that's happening. 

I'm hopeful that the company manages to get it right this time and that Josh is ready to step in as the leader of one of the most recognized brands with a long and illustrious history. 

But one thing that I can't quite understand: why him? What makes him more qualified than anyone with experience with the company? (And if I wanted to sound petty, why wouldn't someone like me even get consideration). 

A brief summary of his bona fides: he graduated with a degree in business in 1993 from Georgetown. He went to work at Gillette for a couple of years.

Then, he moved to Disney as vice president of sales and travel trade marketing. 

And it's been a rise ever since.

It's not like he's a wunderkind, exactly. 

But as I said, I hope it works out. 


Other nations danced for joy at the World Baseball Classic. Team USA played toy soldiers | World Baseball Classic | The Guardian

Good story.

And for what it's worth, the outcome of the world baseball classic was somewhat satisfying. Not that I rooted for the US to lose or anything. Just was happy to see a Latino team play well and win. 
 

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

All 5 fundamental units of life’s genetic code were just discovered in an asteroid sample

Wow. Scientists have looking for what defines life. They came up with 5 "fundamental units of life" that are genetic markers that establish the baseline. 

And they have found all 5 of the returned sample from the asteroid Ryugu. Which suggests that life could exist beyond the earth. It doesn't mean it does, of course, it just shows that the things that make life do exist elsewhere. 



Monday, March 16, 2026

Torsional flexibility of the thoracic spine is superior to that of the lumbar spine in cats: Implications for the falling cat problem - Higurashi - The Anatomical Record - Wiley Online Library

This may seem a little silly and perhaps trivial. But, a group of scientists decided to figure out WHY cats always land on their feet when they fall or jump. 

The rigor they put into their experiment is enviable. It's quite well thought out. 

In the end, what the discovered was that cats have two spinal regions which can twist independently, so a cat can start turning part of its body and then can turn the rest. 

Studying the world around us is the essence of science. 
 

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Messi can suck it.

I was a fan of his. I mean he's the GOAT of soccer. 

But not only did he go to the White House (that's forgivable IMHO because his team won), he also played it up for the orange menace. That's a bridge too far. 

Monday, March 9, 2026

New iron nanomaterial wipes out cancer cells without harming healthy tissue | ScienceDaily

This is a leap forward in dealing with cancer cells; they attack cells with an iron based particle that gets into the cells and destroys them from inside. 

So far, tests have proven to have a positive outcome. What happens next is more trials that hopefully will lead to human testing at some point. 
 

DNA Test Proves "Chimera" Incidence in Washington Woman - Global Genes

Genetics can be a little crazy…