Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - May 13th
Here's something submitted for your consideration. According to https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GFDEGDQ188S our current debt, as it relates to GDP is about 122%. Meaning that we are spending 22% more than we have. And that number is expected to grow to 166% by 2054 (source: Which means we have a full on debt crisis looming. At present, some of our debt is bought up by foreign governments, but it's real money that essentially we owe them (with interest). As T-rump continues to trample everything in his sights, we have to realize that this problem will become a MUCH bigger issue somewhere down the road, long after he (and those among us who were born 50+ years ago) are gone. Nobody will be willing to buy this debt, as T-rump wants to "stand alone." And a few weeks ago, it began. We heard that China is no longer investing in the US. Surely this is the beginning of an economic catastrophe. One that we can see coming and could (if we weren't so freaking stupid and short sighted) prevent. But like everything he's ever run, a version of bankruptcy is the only way through. |
===
Japanese advancements in solar cells
There were two stories recently about new ideas that are better solar collectors.
First, we have a group of researchers in Japan who have come up with a means to create small, lightweight, and clear(!) solar cells that can be adapted for most situations - including putting them on homes or cars, while not changing the aesthetic or the ability to see through a windshield. "Our approach improved the power conversion efficiency over 1,000 times compared to devices using standard ITO electrodes," https://www.thebrighterside.news/post/transparent-solar-cells-generate-power-1000x-more-efficiently-than-traditional-panels-2/
|
... in a most unexpected way. They have agents/spies creating fake profiles and submitting applications for jobs. And at least a few times (that we know of), a person has slipped through and gotten hired. Heck, even one of the leading IT security firms got duped - but according to them, they recognized their mistake before the person ever got access to any information. But one HR person came up with a very, very simple way to determine if the person is working for North Korea: "He now screens candidates with an unusual test that few North Koreans will pass—he asks them to criticise Kim Jong Un during the interview. A move that has caused applicants to panic or disappear." Genius! |
There's a theory of evolution. And some associated theories about who lived in various places, who they interacted with, when they migrated, and so on. And then, we learn something new. And each of these theories is tested and some get updated. (that's how theories work, even if some idiots think otherwise). Maybe this group migrated from a different place than expected and didn't interact with the other dwellers in the region. It's fascinating to learn more and start to understand how the populace lived. Plus, we also learn more about the earth itself, and how it has evolved and adapted. I'd also like to point out that while there has always been some amount of climate change in the millions of years the earth has existed, the current conversation is more focused on man-made climate change. And how these changing climates are impacting our lives - and what we can do to help mitigate it. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a64383417/saharan-mummies-dna/ And meanwhile in this weird dystopia we live in, we heard from some mouth breathing U.S. Attorney who demanded that a scientific journal explain how it ensures "viewpoint diversity" ... because as everyone knows science is nothing more than an opinion, right? You can not make up this nonsense. |
The headline is a little misleading. The story is that this high schooler did some summer work at cal tech. He saw a database full of information and wrote some fairly simple code to parse through it based on what we know. He used the notion that many objects will have a heat signature that would have been captured along the way and be in that database. The code picked out those objects and found literally millions of objects that would have been otherwise missed in that data. It's very, very cool. And yes there is an element of "machine learning" because the code adapted a bit as it found objects and information that would be valuable. https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/04/i-mapped-the-invisible-an-american-high-school-student-turns-astronomy-on-its-head-with-his-ai-that-reveals-1-5-million-forgotten-space-object/ |
Disney is in an interesting position. They historically were always the innovators and leaders in everything related to theme parks. But today, they find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Universal poached many creatives. Universal offers an arguably better value. Universal doesn't get involved in political battles (which Disney had managed to shy away from until Bob Chapek decided to make it a thing). And Universal decided that it was better to be in the hotel business, rather than the timeshare business. So Disney has to play some catchup, while relying on people's nostalgia to a large degree. And regarding those timeshares, well, Disney has to always offer something more to the people who own them, so it has some value (and guard against people who have bought in but simply use it as a hotel while visiting the competitors park). And that's where the grift comes in. There's this need to create exclusive clubs and memberships. And special places in the themeparks that are for the vacation club owners (and those willing to shell out some bucks for an experience). And that takes away experiences from the everyday guest, which makes this more complicated. |
Bonus: Clemson University President Jim Clements witnessed the graduation of a lifetime when his youngest daughter gleefully (and accidentally) knocked him down while accepting her diploma.
On Thursday, May 8, the school saw students enrolled in the ClemsonLIFE program — a program for students with intellectual disabilities — walk the stage. "It was pure joy" was what he said
Video here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJag7t4ubdu/
Bitchin' Dave's newsletter is published weekly. Please feel free to forward it around. If you want to subscribe or unsubscribe, send an email to geezergamer92@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment