Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - May 12th
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I was standing in line the other day with a friend while we were waiting to order an ice cream.
And as we waited, we each struck up conversations with the people in line around us. Just random talk. It was so unusual in this day and age that it caught my attention.
But WHY did it feel so unusual? Because we’ve lost that human connection with our noses buried in our phones (and no, the irony of me writing this online isn’t lost on me). We don’t often have that moment to talk, smile, and laugh with a complete stranger.
My grandfather was always one to talk with anyone about anything (he was proud of his ability to yak with anyone and would say the most ridiculous lines to engage with people). I have that skill, too, but it doesn’t come out as often as I’d like anymore.
Our society is weird that way. So much technology. You can’t just pick up the phone and call a company or a store and talk with someone. These kids today mostly text and will only call when it's necessary. It’s about not knowing your neighbors the same way. (Not that knowing them too well is a good thing sometimes)
I was remembering a story from years ago. They were installing the first automated toll booths on a few highways. And the Miami Herald interviewed some people who lamented the move to automation because it lacks that personal touch. And one couple talked about their “meet cute” moment. He drove through the same toll booth every day, and she was the toll collector. Their interactions were but a few moments every day, but they ultimately went on a date and they were at-that-time happily married.
While that didn’t happen often, it was a chance for a small amount of human interaction. I would chat with the toll workers, say something fun, and sometimes in a random act of kindness I’d hand them double the amount of the toll and say it was for me and the car behind me. The person in the car behind me, who I didn’t know, would now have to interact with the person and had a moment to tell their friends about.
We are missing out on that sort of thing all the time now.
I guess my message here is that we each have an opportunity to do something more personal. Talk to that person in line next to you. Talk to the worker in the store. If you do manage to get someone on the phone, ask how their day is, and where they are located. Tell a terrible dad joke randomly to a stranger. Be kind. And, practice a random act of kindness.
We can be better. And it starts with each of us, as individuals.
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I read this article about the 15 year old inventor who came up with an invention to (cheaply!) use ocean currents to generate electricity. For it, she took home the top prize at a 3M young inventors challenge.
But that was - decade ago, and this woman has been extremely busy since!
She has had numerous inventions and ideas. She won a shark tank college inventors forum called “croc tank”
And on and on. She’s quite determined, and prolific!
You can read more about her on her website.
Now this is someone that should serve as a role model for young people. Be inquisitive and always try to find new ways to do things!
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Voyager 1 is still transmitting, and we are still receiving its signal. At 25 Billion kilometers away. Thats amazing.
It takes light 24 hours to travel that distance. Voyager is about 173 times as far away from us, as the sun is.
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Oh dear. Privacy is basically a thing of the past, a quaint notion.
Yeah, Disneyland is joining the fray of facial recognition. While they give the usual standby lines about need to protect itself and data being deleted in a short amount of time, it can be used in very many bad ways.
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Not to alarm you, but, a couple of scientists “did the math” and figured out what the optimal earth population should be, given factors like natural resources, food & water supply, etc.
They note that while they have a number - and we have exceeded it - the other factor is that we have technology which allows us to extend beyond the resource limits.
That said… their optimal number for population is about 2.5 billion. Our current earth population is around 8.3 billion. Which is a significant difference. They note that this is one reason we’re seeing problems with our ability to feed everyone.
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Oooh. Ammonium magnesium phosphate, crushed watermelon seeds, and sawdust are combined to create a hard material that is fireproof.
The secret is in the phosphate acting as an enzyme that binds the sawdust and the seeds provide a coating.
A simple fireproof material that can be used in place of traditional particle board to protect buildings. Neat-o.
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This is an interesting look at human migration. Researchers examined where malaria was present through the history of Africa, and are suggesting that because malaria was deadly, it had a direct impact on human migration.
That’s some critical thinking, and is pretty interesting to consider.
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Bonus: The world today is just crackers, and when I’m “feeling it,” I think about this infamous diddy from Monty Python. It’s especially amusing since it is sung during the crucifixion scene in “Life of Brian.”
Whilst trying to come up with a way of ending the film Monty Python's Life of Brian, Eric Idle wrote an original version of the song on a Gibson J-50 guitar using only jazz chords he learnt from a course by Mickey Baker. Originally the song was sung in a more straight fashion, which the other Python members eventually agreed would be good enough for the end of the film. However, Michael Palin noted in his diary for 16 June 1978 that during a script meeting, "Eric's two songs—'Otto' and the 'Look on the Bright Side' crucifixion song—are rather coolly received before lunch." Despite being initially underwhelmed, the group warmed to Idle's efforts and the song was retained. While practising during a break in filming, Idle found that it worked better if sung in a more cheeky manner by a character of his called "Mr Cheeky", which in turn was based on the film's Cockney lighting crew. This new version was used in the film and became one of Monty Python's most famous compositions.
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