Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - August 25th

Once again, it feels like the world around us is out of control, and I have to say that I get irrationally angry at some of it.  New stories appear every day about malfeasance, greed, corruption, subverting religion, social issues, and a total lack of concern for our future, or that of the planet.  There are lies and obfuscation that just make everything harder.

And of course, the people that support the unfettered administration behind most of the nonsense are just blindly clapping, even when it directly adversely affects them.  It's a form of insanity, and cultish in the way it plays out. FAFO, indeed.

But I remain hopeful about it all.  At some point, the pendulum will swing back.  How long that takes is anyone's guess, but with a bit of luck, it will start during the next election cycle.

Sure, voter turnout for the midterm primaries were abysmal.  In Florida, they were well below 20%, which pundits will tell you doesn't bode well.

But are they right?  Only time will tell if there's a general apathy - or if there's anything more to this.  

...As always, read the breathless headlines with a grain of salt... 

Here are a couple of things that I might suggest to counter their argument (while wearing my rose colored glasses, of course!):
  • A good size block of voters switched to independent from either party; and there wasn't much to vote on in a primary for them.  So I wouldn't have expected them to show up at the polls.
  • One might argue that many voters will simply vote to protect the administration - or vote against it.  To some, it simply doesn't matter what the name is on the ballot to accomplish that.  It’s always possible more people turn out to vote when it “actually matters.”
  • There will be other things on the ballot in November that voters DO care about, like the property tax issue in Florida which likely will drive voter turnout.
So we'll see.  But the one thing you can do is to remind everyone that their vote is, in fact, important and they need to turn out in November! 

And if you want to go further, volunteer for a voter drive.  Make phone calls.  Canvas, if that's your thing.  That's how we can help.


====

Giant U.S. company cancels major employment perk for new staff - TheStreet

This is an interesting turn of events. While we may simply sluff it off as corporate greed, and kind of what we expect today, there’s a little more to this. 

Many of the large companies have events, retreats, and otherwise use Disney World as a kind of a fun perk for employees. 

Taking these perks away and “cost cutting” has a bottom line impact to Disney. 

While Disney doesn’t provide exact figures, it’s estimated that there are around 1,000 corporate events held each year.  And that’s not even considering events with under 250 people. They book rooms, use meeting space, dine, take advantage of the amenities, and often will rent a park for a signature event one evening. 

That’s a lot of potential lost revenue. 



Most people can hold their breath underwater for a minute or two, but a people called the Bajau can spend up to five hours a day underwater, diving to depths that would unnerve a scuba diver — and scientists have traced the ability to a change written into their very DNA

If you don’t believe in any kind of human evolution, I present to you this story about Bajau people who have adapted because they live near the sea, and spend a lot of time under the water … their bodies can maintain their oxygen supply for much longer than most humans, go deeper than you and I, and they have a unique ability to recover quickly once they return to the surface; they can dive again almost immediately. 




In 1961 President Kennedy picked Ed Dwight to become America's first Black astronaut candidate, but NASA never selected him, so he spent decades sculpting bronze instead — and finally flew to space at 90

I’ve mentioned Ed Dwight in previous newsletters, but it’s worth revisiting.  Dwight nearly was the first black man in space - if he had been selected among the first group of astronauts in the 1960s.


But sadly, while Kennedy had wanted Dwight to be part of the story, when Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, that dream died along with him, and Dwight was excluded. And it would be another two decades before a black man would go into space.



Brazilian teen Lucas Tadao makes eco trays from cassava peels to fight

As global concern mounts over plastic pollution and the environmental damage caused by non-biodegradable materials, innovative solutions are emerging from unexpected quarters. In Brazil, 14-year-old student Lucas Tadao Sugahara Wernick is drawing national attention with his development of a biodegradable alternative to conventional Styrofoam food trays, using agricultural waste sourced from the country’s own backyard. The project, developed as a school science initiative in Curitiba, the capital of Paraná state, seeks to address the environmental impact of single-use plastics by using cassava peels and araucaria tree residues that would otherwise be discarded.

Lucas began exploring sustainable packaging materials after confronting the grim reality that Styrofoam, widely used for packaging fruits, vegetables, and meats, can persist in the environment for centuries. According to project documentation, Styrofoam can take up to 700 years to decompose, contributing significantly to long-term plastic pollution. Seeking environmentally responsible alternatives, Lucas turned to cassava peels, a by-product of Brazil’s well-established food industry, and to araucaria tree residues, which naturally fall from Paraná pine trees and are typically treated as waste.

The trays are produced by combining dried, ground cassava peels and processed araucaria residues with water and cassava starch. After cleaning and grinding the raw materials into fine particles, the mixture is heated and pressed into molds before undergoing a drying process. The use of cassava starch, a natural binding agent derived from the abundant local crop, eliminates the need for petroleum-based plastics or synthetic additives. The resulting trays are intended to replace traditional Styrofoam containers for packaging fresh produce.

Experimental results suggest the biodegradable trays offer a dramatic improvement in environmental performance compared to Styrofoam. Lucas reported that under suitable conditions, the trays decompose in roughly 30 days - a stark contrast to the centuries-long persistence of conventional alternatives. To confirm the packaging’s real-world viability, the project included tests for compression strength, pressure resistance, torsion, water absorption, and biodegradability. The trays demonstrated sufficient mechanical strength for use in food packaging while successfully breaking down in moist soil.

Cassava peels are a particularly promising resource for such innovations, given that Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers of cassava. The peels contain valuable natural starch that can serve as an adhesive, supporting the formation of lightweight composites when combined with fibrous tree residues. This approach reduces reliance on new raw materials, aligning with the principles of a circular economy by giving new life to materials that would otherwise be wasted.

Lucas’s invention has brought recognition at Brazilian science fairs, including the PUCPR Science Fair, and has been published in the proceedings of a scientific initiation symposium. The success of the project underlines the broader potential of agricultural waste as a raw material for biodegradable packaging, a solution that is gaining prominence as countries worldwide seek to curb their reliance on petroleum-based plastics. While additional development is needed to enable large-scale manufacturing and deployment, the project demonstrates how grassroots innovation, using local resources and waste streams, could play a key role in reducing plastic pollution and shaping a more sustainable future.


Uploaded Image





Costa Rica’s Wild Capuchin Monkeys Are Using AI Touchscreens

CaupchinAI  (great name, by the way) is a good use case for a form of artificial intelligence. 

Researchers put touch screens in the forests in Costa Rica to try and test the intelligence of the capuchin monkeys. The screen activates when a monkey comes near it and gives a task; if the monkey completes it they get a treat. 

And the results were interesting in that monkeys did interact and get rewards. And there’s some evidence that they learned from the interaction too.  




Gladys West, GPS pioneer and mathematician, dies at 95 : NPR

Earlier this year, Dr West passed away at the age of 95. Her mathematics in calculating the surface of the earth, led to the development of GPS. 

There’s a short history of her life in the attached NPR story, but I just started reading her memoir. It’s fascinating stuff. She grew up in the Jim Crow South, but managed to be very successful and her legacy lives on. 

Uploaded Image



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

Popular posts from this blog

Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - May 6th

Image
With all that's happening in the world, it sure feels like we are being destroyed from within.  Which calls to mind an address  Abraham Lincoln made to the  Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois in 1838. He w arned us against the dangers of mob violence and the erosion of respect for law and government.     How then shall we perform it?--At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it?-- Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow?   Never!--All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destructi...
Read more

Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - May 27th

Image
The sitting president of the United States held a "private event" - which we know because it was made clear that he was acting as a private citizen and not in an official capacity, so that he would not have to reveal who was in attendance.  First of all, that's an absurd thing to say. Everything he does is somewhat public. And because there were people from other countries in attendance then this should be classified as a state function.  Second, the event itself is problematic. It was all about his own crypto currency. The invitees were his "biggest investors."  This raises many questions about them exchanging money for access to him. This violates the emoluments clause, which I remind you says "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, ...
Read more

Bitchin Dave's Newsletter - August 26th

Image
Companies (large and small) tend to outsource their HR front end, relying on third parties to handle the voluminous applications that come into a job (in some cases it could literally be tens of thousands of applicants for a single job).  But these third parties may not be playing fair.  I read an  article about a lawsuit against the "Workday company," who offer this service.  The suit alleges that workday use some kind of automation (they refer to as AI, but I'm skeptical) to immediately (like within seconds) weed out candidates who the system determines are over 40 (based on years worked or degree dates or whatever). The company defends itself by saying that it's legitimate automation and it's looking at skills and experience for a job, and the kicker is that since there's no human involved it can't be age discrimination!  And in today's world, who knows? They may be "correct" in that assessment.  But the bigger picture is that the companie...
Read more