Today we were going to go on a Valentine’s story walk, but due to the danger of falling limbs, from our ice storm, the walk is canceled. So we will have to do whatever we can to salvage our trip. We are catered by Olamaie in Austin. Our entertainment is Chris Isaak.
Menu
So let’s go.
Our first stop is a house filled with love.
This one shows better at night. There are red up lights which you can see a little.
A wise dog with a heart headband.
Warning signs regarding falling limbs.
Yes we have deer and everyone is warned to drive carefully.
Lots of downed limbs to clean up this week.
Someone definately loves Valentines Day.
Here is the best display ever. What’s not to like about Snoopy and Minnie Mouse.
I hope you liked the brief tour and now it is time for food and music. I hope you have a great week and a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Ah, Saturday. The day that requires no intelligence or energy. The day when the mind and body take some time to themselves. The day where the agenda is free style and time a seemingly squanderable resource. It is also the day when the AI in charge of coffee has an iron grip on my heart. Begging and pleading only slows the process of turning roasted South American bush fruit into the hot, frothy, aromatic liquid that quells my addition.
It is usually a test of wills on who will crack first. The machine or me. Returning the cursed thing to the store is an idle threat. The machine knows giving up the soothing mainline caffeine delivery system would be harder than losing a limb. Pounding and cursing have little effect. There was a time when the machine shut down entirely and accused me of being technically insensitive after such an episode. Three days of shlepping to Starbucks cured me of any future violent overtures.
So how long will the wait be? There is a stirring, and low rumble followed by three sputters indicating the life-restoring fuel is about to be dispensed into my cup. Be still my beating heart; here it comes. Ten ounces of glory are delivered. Trembling hands caress and move the cup to the lips. One sip and, like Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein, seeing the monster rise from the table, scream, “It’s alive.”
Linda Hill’s message hits my computer screen at my moment of ecstasy. It says Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “heart.” Use it any way you like. Have fun!
If you would like to have fun, visit Linda’s blog and read how. Here’s the link.
Our Good news comes from the Goodnews Network. I have reported on this ocean cleanup system before, and now there is more good news. Here’s the story in its entirety, with major typos corrected.
Boyan Slat, Founder of The Ocean Cleanup, and Joe Gebbia, Co-Founder of Airbnb – Released
Ocean Cleanup Nonprofit Gets $25Mil From Airbnb Co-Founder to Launch Massive Plastic Pollution Cleanup.
The co-founder of Airbnb.org has just donated $25 million to support the Dutch nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup as they prepare to assemble and deploy the largest plastic capture system ever developed for use in the ocean.
The Ocean Cleanup’s pilot-scale ocean cleaning system, System 002, has been deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) located between Hawai’i and California since late 2021. It has so far removed close to 200,000 kilograms, or roughly 440,000 pounds, of plastic that otherwise would have remained trapped for decades or more.
This pilot system is now in the process of being scaled up to the largest, most cost-effective ocean cleaning system ever developed. It will feature a capture area of 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) across and a three-vessel team that will allow it to operate 24-7.
“I’m proud to partner with The Ocean Cleanup in their crucial work to remove harmful plastics from our oceans,” said Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb and Samara. “The Ocean Cleanup has created systems and technology that actually work at scale. In order for them to deploy across our oceans and rivers, they now need to scale their funding. It is my hope that this donation can inspire others to act.”
As the only group currently cleaning the trillions of plastic pieces in the GPGP, The Ocean Cleanup has streamlined its cleaning systems to be as cost-effective as possible, allowing their entirely not-for-profit income generation and any potential donations to go far.
Dutch wiz kid and Ocean Cleanup founder Boyan Slat has been developing the capture system for a decade and has gradually enlarged and improved it based on fieldwork harvesting plastic from the GPGP. System 03 cleans ten times faster than the previous system and could clean all the plastic patches of the world’s oceans with about 10-50 systems.
“Joe’s continued support of The Ocean Cleanup’s mission has a direct impact on our operations all over the world,” said Slat. “Thanks, in part, to his generous assistance, we are able to scale up our work in oceans and rivers, helping us reach our goal of ridding the world’s oceans of plastic. On behalf of the world’s largest ecosystem, we are immensely grateful for the support.”
Slat’s work in the GPGP will go down as one of the greatest accomplishments in the 21st century. In front of him was a true leviathan of a problem—a patch of plastic trash twice the size of Texas swirling in International Waters where even the loudest climate-hollering nation-state had no desire to even crack an idea about how to clean it.
Relying only on his team and his vision of basic scientific deduction and elegant engineering solutions, Slat proved that the most absurd problem was nevertheless solvable.
His vision attracted millions in private contributions from philanthropists like Gebbia, even while government scientists sneered at his use of fossil-fuel vessels to pull the nets to capture the plastic.
Here is a photo of the system.
Photo courtesy of The Ocean Cleanup
The good news here is that with additional funding, the oceans become closer to being cleaned. Today’s Johnku talks about this important project.
Today we will motor around and check out the ice damage from the storm that passed through Texas. No need to leave the bus since we will be catered to by Paperboy of Austin. Our entertainment is who else but Vanilla Ice.
BRUNCH
classic breakfast – two eggs, maple sausage, potato wedges, buttered toast, apple butter
Today we are going on the heritage tour of Lakeway. There are 22 stops, and we will be chauffeured in a brand-new bus. Of course, we will have to take our bus to get there. We are catered by Odd Duck of Austin, and our entertainment is The Who.
An aviation start-up just set a new world-first for the largest hydrogen-powered aircraft flight in history—a 19-seat aircraft called the Dornier 228.
Designed by ZeroAvia, the start-up is developing hydrogen-powered engines for regional flights and has taken off over the last 12 months.
This most recent flight was a 10-minute affair from the Cotswolds Airport in Gloucestershire, England, but was only the most recent manifestation of their success.
ZeroAvia counts American and United airlines as their investors, and by 2025, the firm has 1,500 pre-orders of their hydrogen-electric powertrains to fulfill. In addition, the prototype powertrains have received approval from the UK and US civil aviation authorities.
“This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight is only a few years away,” ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Miftakhov said in a statement Thursday.
The flight comes after news in August that the company signed a memorandum of understanding with American Airlines for 100 of the powertrains being developed for 90-seat aircraft.
“Having support from [one of the] world’s largest airline is a strong indication of the progress we’re making on the development of hydrogen-electric, zero-emission flight,” added ZeroAvia Founder and CEO Val Miftakhov. “We are focused on delivering sustainable travel and are delighted that American, a visionary leader in the industry, sees ZeroAvia as a part of the future of aviation.”
Hydrogen as a fuel source is currently one of two more sustainable alternatives to powering aviation. Accounting for 2.8% of all global emissions, passenger aircraft need high-octane, energy-dense fuel sources because of the weight limitations that batteries can’t account for.
The ZA2000-RJ powertrain from ZeroAvia is predicted to have a 500-mile range on a full tank, which United Airlines said would restore the economic viability of smaller regional flights.
“A lot of small cities have lost service because of the cost, and we think that these technologies will allow United to bring back more frequent service and service to airports that don’t have any service today,” Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures, told CBS.
For reference, 500-mile jumps could service distances such as Pittsburgh to Chicago, Amarillo to Austin, or Fort Myers to Savannah. In Europe, the benefits compound because of the size of the continent. ZeroAvia could easily service Milan to Naples, Munich to Hamburg, or Newcastle to Exeter.
The good news here is zero emissions are possible for air travel. Today’s JohnKu talks about innovation. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Well, we are back to finish the scavenger hunt. If you missed part I, you can go HERE and check it out. We will be doing the even numbers today. We are catered by Nixta of Austin. Our entertainment is Chicago.
So jump on, and let’s go.
So, right away, we have a problem. This should be number two, but it looks like someone took it. So, after we complete the puzzle, we will have to figure out which letter goes with the number 2.
Ah. At least we have number 4.
Number six, taking a nap.
Number 8 overlooks the drought-ravished Lake Travis.
A certain number, 10.
Number 12 in the mountain laurel.
High flying number 14.
Number 16 on the ground.
Looks like a ground pandemic. Number 18 is there as well.
Number 20 in the trees.
Number 22 has been benched.
Number 24 on a spindly oak.
Numer 26 marks the end of the hunt.
The missing letter was U. The puzzle is solved. I hope you had a good time. Now relax, have some food and listen to the music.
