Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - November 18th
Housekeeping: there will be no newsletter next week. Happy Thanksgiving!
More housekeeping: I realized I edited out a Disney article last week. Oops. Please enjoy two Disney-related stories this week.
Sometimes it's interesting to see the world through other people's eyes. I recently watched a video about the "rise and fall of ESPN." It was interesting and covered all the broad points, talked about how they changed their model from a financial standpoint (moving from cable to streaming), how the studio shows and hosts changed with the times (more discussion panels, and more social-media focus), and how they've paid more to get rights to games.
Honestly, I thought it was pretty even in the way they laid it out.
As I was reading, I started thinking to myself that it's interesting that Dan Le Batard - who was at one point the most popular host on the network - talked about politics a lot. He was admonished for it, and was later removed by Disney in spite of his popularity. So I think you can simply ignore that line of reasoning.
However, there were a series of comments attached to the video that explained in MAGA-related terms why ESPN failed!
In summary:
- They are "woke" (yeah, this was a one-word comment left several times by different people)
- They went away from just focusing on the scores of games, and have too many "stories"
- They are actively engaged in politics
- "Disney" something something (several comments related to how Disney messed everything up because they are "woke")
- They cover non-mainstream sports
- They try to fan the flames of this, that, or the other
No doubt that Disney has its faults, but they're running ESPN like a sporting behemoth should, I think. Lots of content that appeals to very many people, and (as much as I hate it) they include information about betting because it's what people want.
To be fair, their price point for the streaming service is absurd, but they are giving viewers lots of sports, so maybe it works out.
And as to the other stuff? Well of course "woke" is just a word like "idiocy." But what became clear was that commetors didn't like the fact that there are women and african american hosts! (the horror!). They didn't like the fact that they talked about anything related to race or a general sort of equity *in the context of the story.* And they didn't like the fact that they're covering things like the WNBA. Racism and misogyny on full display!
Because, according to the context, their love of sport is about their team, and those gladiators. I would summarize the general thought as something we heard a few years ago: "athletes need to just shut up and dribble."
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This is a well thought out story about the CinemaScope lens - the same one that Walt Disney used while filming 20,000 leagues under the sea. Your host not only tells the story, he got his hands on a lens, and was able to test it out … and in short, it was amazing! This story covers cinematic history in a fun way. It's worth 15 minutes of your time. |
Well that's cool. Working with lab animals, a group of researchers have determined that a lack of fatty acids reduces eyesight. And by reintroducing them, the aging of eyes can be reversed. I wonder if there's a course of action we can take as humans to help maintain healthy eyes. Time will tell… |
As the article notes, Napoleons march to Moscow was one of the costliest war efforts, ever. The cold, the distance, and most notably, disease wiped out his army. Now, we are learning through DNA research that the biggest factor was disease. And not just a single strain of typhoid, but rather a host of diseases that ravaged his army. I find it kind of fascinating to think about how perhaps things could have gone differently if he had antibiotics or vaccines. And it should serve as a reminder to us about what could (and perhaps will) happen to the US population if we don't immunize against diseases. The attached pictograph is one of the most famous depictions of the effort, it shows the size of his army as it left France, in brown, and the returning army, in black. It also has a scale for time and relative temperature along the bottom.  |
Female-Led Arab Team Turn Coffee and Plastic Waste into Activated Carbon, Capturing CO2 in the Atmosphere |
The outcome - using coffee and plastic to create a carbon capture device to reduce CO2 - is pretty cool.
But more than that, this was brought about by a group of women who are Arabic. In some places, women are not allowed to work as researchers, so it's good to see something positive like this.
(also known as space is hard, but keep calm and carry on) The Chinese generally have had some good success on their Tiangong space station. The "standard procedure" for almost every trip to a space station is to launch astronauts aboard a craft that then docks with the space station and remains there until they are ready to return. They then board that same craft and head back to Earth. But about a week ago, something unusual happened. The spacecraft the Taikonauts used was struck by space debris, and damaged. It suffered enough damage that it is a risk to return the spacefarers home in it. And in this case, there were no other spacecraft docked to the station, so they were legitimately stranded on the space station without a means to get home. The international community started to offer assistance, and of course, right on cue, Elon said he'd rescue them! That sound bite made the rounds... but the Chinese weren't having it. They thanked the community (though as far as I can tell, never him specifically) for their assistance. And then announced they would be launching a new space craft for them soon. And that is that. No hyperbole. No mention from them about being stranded. No political games. Just a sincere interest in their well being, and a plan to bring them home. And then in one of the most amusing moments, they posted about the Taikonauts having the first barbecue in orbit as a somewhat momentous occasion. And by the way: they did launch the next group of Taikonauts this past week, and the group on the space station returned on that craft. The new group are now temporarily stranded. But again, there's no ridiculous outcry. And they brought along some things to maybe repair the older spacecraft. Not everything has to devolve into something else.... |
I find this story interesting. Ford had a fantastic idea when they announced an electric F150 pickup truck. They knew what their customers wanted, and leaned into that through their design and advertising. It had so much potential. But then the pandemic came and it caused some serious supply chain issues, especially with the computer chips they needed. Trucks sat in a parking lot, mostly finished. And then another whammy: dealers played all sorts of games. Some thought the idea of electric was stupid and actively denigrated the trucks. Others decided they could use the shortage to boost profits and charged outrageous premiums to those who wanted the electric truck. The third strike came when a design flaw was discovered. In some specific situations, the truck would just stop working. It could be while parked or while at a traffic light. And there was nothing the driver could do. It didn't take long for that to go viral. And though they have fixed it, the negative press lingers. So here we are. The ceo might kill the brand. It's understandable (I guess?) but kind of sad. As I said. So. Much. Potential. |
Bonus: I saw this placard at a rest stop on Florida's Turnpike. Maybe it's just me, but calling it the "free state of Florida" is funny. Florida was most definitely a slave state in the antebellum period.
And while it's nice that the gub-nor setup a commission (with our taxpayer dollars) to honor America's history, the results are kind of what you'd expect. A lot of "history" distilled down to a sentence or two, with no hint of context, or any details. And it's very whitewashed.
For example, they note that Chief Osceola was the Indian chief known for his tactics in the second Seminole war, as he tried to protect his land; he was captured by trickery. But they of course note the western name he was born with, and give no hint that the tribes were being brutally attacked and driven into reservations, so that settlers could move in ... And it's done that way intentionally,
How typical that we can't simply embrace actual history and move on.
Double Bonus: the last penny was minted this week. It is due to go out of circulation next year (and at that point, we will be rounding when paying cash).
It's a momentous thing, but the reality is that each penny cost a little over 3.5 cents to produce. So in a way, it's overdue.
We bid goodbye to our copper friends.
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
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
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