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You may have heard about the big event this past weekend, Superbowl LX. As football games go, it was boring for a long stretch as it was a bit of a "defensive struggle." But it did get interesting late in the game, before the Seahawks put it away.

But this isn't about the game, this is about the halftime. I will be the first to admit that I don't really care for Bad Bunny's music, and I had trouble understanding him because of the microphone placement (or maybe its also because I'm old! LOL). The show itself was quite something, and really made an impression. It was beautiful, and his underlying message of hope and unity was fantastic. I did hear someone call it "joyous" as it took a broad look at life, and love. It included a number of cameos from other Latin actors and musicians and that was pretty slick, too.

I also saw that T-rump commented on it (negatively of course)... because *he watched it*. He had a choice to watch it, not watch it, or watch something else. He watched it, which is a kind of win for the NFL; they wanted the hype, and they got it.

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And speaking of the SuperBowl...

Did you ever wonder about the origin of "I'm going to Disney World" as a phrase uttered by the MVP?

Quite a while ago, I did a podcast about that which is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y4drNZXCCM

It's cool if you choose not to listen, but here's the cliff notes version: Dick Ruttan circumnavigated the Earth in his plane. A short time after this feat, he was having dinner with Michael Eisner and his wife, Judy. Judy asked what he was going to do next, and Dick looked at her and said "I'm going to go to Disney World" which elicited a laugh - but sparked a more serious conversation about accomplishing something remarkable, and then going to visit the parks. And the next year, Phil Simms (MVP for the NY Giants that year) started a new trend.

Dams and Extreme Weather

There's a story about aging and damaged dams throughout the Unites States that aren't getting nearly enough attention.

Of course we can spend billions on the military under the guise of "protecting ourselves," but are willing to leave ourselves unprotected against a real enemy that is a changing climate.

Boy, is we stupid.

https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/thousands-of-dams-in-the-us-are-old-damaged-and-unable-to-cope-with-extreme-weather-how-bad-is-it

Unknown humans lived in the Americas for millennia, then vanished - Earth.com

This story about human lineage is worth a read.

Several times in human history, we've noted that a humanoid lived near (or even with) our ancestors, but they disappeared in history. Though they often left traces of their DNA with our ancestors.

Here's another case where archeologists have uncovered a mystery group of humanoids that don't fit neatly into what we understand about human history.

But again, the cool part is that science allows for this, and the theory of our evolution gets updated as we learn more.

https://www.earth.com/news/unknown-human-lineage-lived-argentina-for-millennia-disappeared-remain-mystery/

Be careful what you read

There are very many examples, every day, of stories that fail the sniff test, and the headlines just make it worse.

I've got three to share with you:

This headline would seem to suggest that eating meat helps people to live to 100. But in this case, there's the problem of correlation being confused with causation in the headline. Does eating meat cause one to live to 100? Or is it a correlated factor? And in any case, that's not the point of the article.
There was a weird theory about how an electric substation near the 49ers practice facility was somehow causing injuries. The story got picked up and repeated. There was no science behind it - and there was no rational thought either (because injuries were not higher for the 49ers). Yet, the team and the league had to react to the story.
A guy posted to the social interwebs that his passport was cancelled without his knowledge. This story got repeated many times, and became a cautionary tale that it 'has happened to many people.' As far as I can trace it back, it seems to be the one person, and it's actually unclear what happened in his case.

Never stop being a critical thinker!

A New York startup says it can already make gasoline from air on a rooftop, and it demonstrated the process in Manhattan with a machine about the size of a refrigerator

Hmmm. Is this idea BS, or is there something to it?

A startup has created a machine which captures carbon from the air, and then they cause a chemical reaction with water to produce a carbon-hydrogen bond. The result is a liquid, which they are saying is gasoline that can be used in a typical engine.

Gasoline is, in fact, a carbon-hydrogen bond, which averages around C₈H_18.So it's not complete hokum.

It just doesn't feel quite right to be able to create gasoline from the air in such a simple way, on a rooftop in Manhattan.

But who knows? Maybe there's something to this.

https://www.ecoticias.com/en/a-new-york-startup-says-it-can-already-make-gasoline-from-air-on-a-rooftop-and-it-demonstrated-the-process-in-manhattan-with-a-machine-about-the-size-of-a-refrigerator/25755/

NASA had 3 years to fix fuel leaks on its Artemis moon rocket. Why are they still happening? | Space

The question is a good one. But I have a better one: why is NASA still using the same model for space exploration that they've always used?

Yes, the partnerships with aerospace companies got us to the moon 50+ years ago. And it helped spur a lot of innovation. But the shuttle program was mostly poorly managed, with extensive costs, some issues with safety, and a lot of bureaucracy.

It's no surprise, then, that Artemis had a fuel leak that is holding up the next manned space flight to the moon.

Maybe they get everything together, and we get back to the moon. But for now, NASA's own space program remains maybe a little questionable.

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/artemis/nasa-had-3-years-to-fix-fuel-leaks-on-its-artemis-moon-rocket-why-are-they-still-happening

Bonus: We all need a little good news now and again. I sometimes head over to https://brightside.me/ for a little pick me up.

And here's an example of a story that I found uplifting.

Growing up, I was so poor I went to school without lunch.
My biology teacher, Mrs. Eva, noticed. Without a word, she started bringing me food every day. Sometimes she'd sit with me during recess, telling me I had a brilliant future ahead. She even encouraged me to pursue med school.
I once asked why she was so kind to me. She just smiled and said, "One day, you'll pay me back." I never understood what she meant.
Later, I graduated, got a scholarship, and left town. I became a doctor.
8 years later, a frail woman was a patient at my hospital. When she saw me, she whispered, "It's me, Eva. We finally meet again... I always knew you'd succeed."
First, I didn't recognize her. But then I froze. She was a shadow of herself. Fragile and pale.
I learned she was alone, couldn't afford treatment, and had been skipping her medication. Without hesitation, I paid for everything. I gave her the best care and became her family during those long hospital days.
One evening, I asked her, "How did you know we'd meet again?" She smiled softly. "I didn't. But I believe life places guardian angels on our path for a reason. When I met you, I just knew."
Eva recovered. I visited her until her final days. She taught me a life lesson I'll never forget: kindness always comes back. Not because we expect it to—but because that's how the world heals.

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