Currently, in the Southern Hemisphere, we have entered into that delightful season that is well known for being full of hope, warmth, and light: winter.
By putting on your detective hats, you would have already figured out what my special announcement, which I hinted at last week, was going to be. Yes, I’m taking a break—a Mid-Winter break, to be precise.
My most recent break was over Christmas when I had a two-week holiday from managing New Zealand’s 5th least popular website. After discussing this with the HR department, we agreed that I would take breaks every six months, at the end of June and the end of December, essentially during the start of winter and the Christmas holiday season.
I plan to catch up on sleep, eat some pizza, get more exercise, and try to make a dent in my to-read piles. It’s cold, dark, and damp here, and I have a few health issues I need to work on, so this is the best time to take a break. I bet The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society, along with Beetroot Awareness Aotearoa will appreciate it!
Credit: Newshub/Getty Images
Anyway, just to clarify some things:
1.) I’ll be publishing another blog post next Monday, but just like this one, it will be greatly reduced in size and nonsense.
2.) I’ll still be posting daily stuff about stuff on Twitter and Mastodon, so that won’t change.
So that’s it. This project, born out of vanity and hubris, began in December 2020. Despite feeling tired, I find myself working on Some Geek Told Me content almost every day. Because of this, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who reads, follows, and subscribes to my ludicrous content.
Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep watching the Copa América and Euro Football Championships, and I’ll see you next week.
It’s the moment you have all been waiting for! No, the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has already started. No, the 2024 UEFA Championship just started over the weekend. No, sorry, the 2024 Copa América begins later this week. Alright, I’ll tell you, Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System is back, baby!
Settle down, I know it’s exciting, but let’s look back on the past entries on the world’s worst tour.
As usual, not everybody is excited about the tour. After reading my post about Titan, The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society felt the need to comment on it:
“For a blog about Titan, written by a person whose intelligence is in the negatives, he talked more about space probes than Titan. Nobody cares about his pro-Salt and Vinegar agenda, or the differences between rotational and orbital periods. He is an embarrassment, not only to his family and community but also to New Zealand. Utterly shameful and disrespectful.”
Wow, I wonder if the New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society will ever tell us how they really feel. Moving on from those haters, let’s discuss the Moons of Saturn. Yes, we’ve already talked about Titan, but that’s just the beginning of the fun.
This composite image, taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on 6 June 2018, shows the ringed planet Saturn with six of its 62 known moons. With a diameter of 1,123 kilometres, Dione is the fourth-largest of Saturn’s moons and the largest of the siblings in this family portrait. The smallest satellite in this picture is the irregularly shaped Epimetheus, with a size of 143 x 108 x 98 kilometres. The image is a composite because the moons move during the Saturn exposures, and individual frames must be realigned to make a colour portrait. Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC) and the OPAL Team, and J. DePasquale (STScI)
Saturn is a glorious overachiever. Not only does it have a beautiful ring system, it has more moons than any other planet in the Solar System. To the best of my understanding, Saturn has at least 146 confirmed moons, and just like Pokémon, each one is different and unique.
I’m not going to talk about all of them, mainly because I need to eat and sleep. However, these are some of the coolest and most noteworthy of them.
Rhea:
Rhea has a diameter of 1,528 km, making it the second-largest moon of Saturn, after Titan. It was discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1672, and you might remember Cassini and the Cassini space probe from the Titan blog. Due to its craters, it’s easy to mistake Rhea for our Moon, although it has a low density since it is 75% ice and only 25% rock.
The Cassini spacecraft looks toward the cratered plains of the trailing hemisphere of Rhea. NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Iapetus:
Iapetus was another moon discovered by Cassini, this time in 1671. Iapetus has a diameter of 1,469 km, making it the third-largest moon of Saturn. This moon is famous for two main reasons: the first is the equatorial ridge, a mountain feature that is 20 km high and runs along the equator for 75% of the way around the moon.
The second feature is its distinctive colours, which make it look like someone spilt green paint across it or it’s being attacked by some killer space fungi. Cool stuff!
These two global images of Iapetus show the extreme brightness dichotomy on the surface of this peculiar Saturnian moon. The left-hand panel shows the moon’s leading hemisphere and the right-hand panel shows the moon’s trailing side. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Enceladus:
Enceladus may not look like much at first glance, but you would like to swipe right. It’s the sixth-largest moon of Saturn, with a diameter of 500 km. It was discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1789; so remember Herschel’s name, because we’re going to talk about him on the next tour stop.
Enceladus is one of the most reflective objects in the Solar System, mainly because the surface is covered in ice. In addition to this, Enceladus also has cryovolcanoes, where instead of erupting lava, they eject things like ice particles, water vapour, and molecular hydrogen at high speeds and altitudes.
Using computer modelling and data from Cassini, scientists believe Enceladus has a gigantic subsurface ocean. This has led them to believe that the moon may harbour microorganisms in the ocean, just like Jupiter’s moons of Ganymede and Europa.
Saturn’s tiny, frozen moon Enceladus is slashed by four straight, parallel fissures or “tiger stripes” from which water erupts. These features are unlike anything else in the solar system. Researchers now have an explanation for them. (NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute image)
Mimas:
Mimas has a diameter of 396.4 km, but there’s something very familiar about it. The moon is the seventh-largest of Saturn, and it was discovered by Herschel in 1789, just a few weeks after discovering Enceladus.
The most amazing thing about Mimas is that it looks like the Death Star from Star Wars. For all we know, Mimas is a planet-killing space station, and Saturn’s rings were made from the corpses of Mimas’ victims. Maybe. Also, scientists believe Mimas has a subsurface ocean as well.
Shadows cast across Mimas’ defining feature, Herschel Crater, provide an indication of the size of the crater’s towering walls and central peak.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
Hyperion:
The eighth-largest moon of Saturn is Hyperion, with a diameter of 121.57 km. Hyperion’s discovery is unique, because William Lassell observed Hyperion in 1848, two days after the team of William Cranch Bond and his son, George Phillips Bond. The interesting thing is that Lassell had already come up with the moon’s name, along with beating the Bonds to publication.
I find Hyperion fascinating for a few reasons. First, its name is pretty awesome. Second, its shape is irregular and does not have hydrostatic equilibrium. The massive 10.2 km deep crater on Hyperion is particularly noteworthy. While many people have described its appearance, I’ll let you use your imagination for that.
Saturn’s moon, Hyperion, resembles a large sponge traveling through space. Its porous appearance raises questions about its composition. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, JPL, SSI and Cassini Imaging Team)
Prometheus:
Prometheus is on the list since it’s similar to Hyperion. It has a diameter of 86.2 km, and it was discovered in 1980, from photos taken by the Voyager 1 probe. Prometheus is such a wicked name for a moon, but it has something else going for it.
Although it is the 12th-largest moon of Saturn, Prometheus is an irregularly shaped elongated rock, that has ridges and valleys. To put it bluntly, it looks like a giant space potato. I love it.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft spied details on the pockmarked surface of Saturn’s moon Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across) during a moderately close flyby on Dec. 6, 2015. NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.
There are hundreds of Saturn’s moons to discuss, but I need a lot more beauty sleep. What’s your favourite moon of Saturn? As always, please let me know.
Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I can also be found hanging out on Twitter and Mastodon, trying to sound cool. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the UEFA Championship, and I’ll see you next week for a special announcement. It’s not that special though.
Even here in the South Pacific, there seems to be no escaping from Donald Trump. He’s here, he’s there, he’s in every courtroom, Donald Trump, Donald Trump!
Over the years, I’ve developed two vices that I’m ashamed to admit. I enjoy watching Panda Fail videos; basically, pandas failing at being pandas, but also watching billionaires complain. I can’t get enough of both of them. This awful transition brings us to Donald Trump’s recent trial.
It’s difficult to believe that the star of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the founder of Trump University, and the winner of the 2024 Trump International Golf Club Most Improved Player award, was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to make hush money payments to a porn star, in an effort to make it appear as legitimate business expenses.
I was as shocked as you were. I mean, someone at the centre of over 4,000 legal cases, involving sexual harassment, sexual assault, personal defamation lawsuits, tax disputes, real estate lawsuits, and many more, couldn’t possibly be involved with lawlessness. The whole concept is very sad.
However, a jury of 12 of Trump’s peers, found him guilty of 34 felony counts, with sentencing to happen on 11th July 2024.
Former U.S President Donald Trump listens as defence lawyer Todd Blanche presents closing arguments during Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City. 28th May 2024 in this courtroom sketch. Credit: Jane Rosenburg/Reuters.
I’m not here to discuss in detail the trial because I’m not a legal expert. I have enough trouble remembering what I said to my children last night, let alone explaining a court case. No, what I’m here to comment on is the reaction to Trump’s conviction, mainly through entertainment.
As I’m getting older, I’m finding that I prefer to experience satirical news a lot more than I did before, thanks to Trump. So because of this, may I present the best reactions to Trump’s conviction, whether it’s monologues or songs. Oh, I forgot, the last video isn’t a response to his conviction, but it ties it in quite nicely.
I love listening to billionaires complaining that life is unfair, and watching Trump’s reaction to his conviction has been hilarious. Like I said before, I do feel ashamed about this.
What’s been the best reaction or response to Trump’s conviction? As always, please let me know. I’m feeling better again, so I’m ready to be infected with a child’s new illness. Good times.
Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the T20 World Cricket Cup, and I’ll see you next week because the Tour of the Solar System is painfully marching forward again. Awesome.
When it comes to making terrible ideas, this blog has had some crackers over the last few years. However, the concept of talking about the historical references from a song that came out in 1989; after multiple people have already done it, ranks quite high on that list.
My previous entries in this terrible endeavour include:
Beetroot Awareness Aotearoa seem to have a bee in the bonnet about this, because their press release about my We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1950 blog is downright mean.
“This human skid mark has done another We Didn’t Start the Fire, now there’s four of them! One was too many. We wonder what idiotic new idea, he’ll think of next. Listing how many people have puked on his $5 shoes, maybe? How about listing the number of times the All Blacks have won the World Cup? No, we have it; he will name the colours of the rainbow because nobody has done that before! This moron should be kept away from spoons because he’ll cut himself. What a joke.”
Is it my imagination, or do you think a Springboks supporter may have helped in drafting this release?
Haters are going to hate, I suppose. And with that, let’s check out the We Didn’t Start the Fire’s historic references for 1951.
Credit: Pinterest
1951
Rosenbergs:
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were a married couple, who were both born in Manhattan, New York. Being married or born in Manhattan does not automatically qualify you for this list, though. At this time, the Cold War had been established, and the Rosenbergs were part of that drama.
In 1950, Julius and Ethel were arrested and convicted in 1951 for espionage. They were spying for the Soviet Union by providing top-secret information about American technology, especially nuclear secrets. In 1953, both Julius and Ethel were executed by electrocution, at Sing Sing Prison.
The Rosenbergs are also infamous for being the first American civilians executed for espionage. Even though they’re not a 2024 equivalent for the Rosenbergs, I feel Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen would be the closest.
Credit: AP Images
H-bomb:
This is an odd one to discuss because it isn’t about a person, place, or event, but rather an object; a very destructive object. No, I’m not talking about Hellboy’s right hand, but rather the H-bomb.
This weapon has been given various monikers over the last 70 years, such as H-bomb, thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon, or the most well-known, the hydrogen bomb.
In 1951, during the Cold War, the United States focused on developing the next generation of nuclear weapons. The goal was to combine atomic fission and nuclear fusion to create a more powerful nuclear explosion that could release more energy than a primary nuclear weapon. The first hydrogen bomb test took place in the Marshall Islands in 1952.
As a result, the design of the hydrogen bomb has had a lasting impact, with most of the world’s nuclear warheads being based on its design.
National Nuclear Security Administration/Nevada Site Office Photo Librar. The first hydrogen bomb tested by the United States vaporized the islet of Elugelab in the Marshall Islands in the North Pacific on Nov. 1, 1952.
Sugar Ray:
Born Walker Smith Jr., Sugar Ray Robinson was a professional boxer, who fought across the Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, and Light heavyweight divisions, becoming world champion six times (1 x welterweight and 5 x middleweight).
Robinson is in the song for his fight against Jake LaMotta, for the World Middleweight title in 1951. This was the sixth time the two men had fought, and the fight has been named the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” over Robinson’s combinations that beat the world champion, LaMotta to a bloody pulp.
In modern times, this is quite awkward. It could go either two ways; the first could be rematches between the same two boxers like Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera, Pongsaklek Wonjongkam vs. Daisuke Naito, or Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez.
As for the second way, it could be because a particular boxer went on to become an icon and legend in their weight division. For that answer, the choice is yours.
Panmunjom:
Do you remember how I mentioned that I’ll be discussing the Korean War again, from last’s month 1950 blog? Well, here we are. Panmunjom is a former village that’s near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), along the North Korean and South Korean border. The Joint Security Area (JSA) is also referred to as Panmunjom, and vice versa.
Panmunjom makes this list because, during the Korean War in 1951, North Korean and Chinese officials first met United Nations forces at Panmunjom for truce talks.
In 2005, I was lucky enough to visit Panmunjom, and I made a badly written blog about it. The legacy of Panmunjom is that it still provides a point of contact and meetings for the leaders of North Korea, South Korea, and others.
North Korean and U.S. militaries attempt to iron out an armistice at Panmunjom in the Korean Demilitarized Zone, October 1951. (National Archives photograph)
Brando:
Brando refers to the Godfather himself, Marlon Brando, the great actor and activist. Brando starred in the 1951 film, A Streetcar Named Desire, as the lead male role, Stanley Kowalski. In certain circles, people say that Brando’s performance of Stanley was the best of his long career, which resulted in him being nominated for Best Actor at the 1952 Oscars.
The problem was that Brando didn’t win the award, instead, it went to Humphrey Bogart’s role as Charlie Allnut in The African Queen. This snub, as it’s been referred to, has been recorded as one of the biggest in the history of the Academy Awards.
A modern equivalent for a person being snubbed for acting at the Oscars can be somewhat subjective. However, in the spirit of the blog, maybe Margot Robbie (Barbie), Glenn Close (The Wife), Jim Carrey (The Truman Show), Amy Adams (Arrival), or Pam Grier (Jackie Brown).
Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
The King and I:
We’re back with another Rodgers and Hammerstein production, in the form of The King and I. The musical was based on Margaret Landon’s 1944 novel, Anna and the King of Siam, and also inspired the 1956 film.
The King and I first opened on Broadway in 1951, and it was a commercial and critical success, playing 1,246 performances. It also won five Tony Awards in 1952, including Best Musical. From there, the musical has been revived over the years, with the latest in 2015 (Broadway) and 2018 (West End). It remains a beloved story around the world.
Original poster for The King and I. Credit: St. James Theatre
The Catcher in the Rye:
For the first time in We Didn’t Start the Fire, a book has been mentioned. As you would expect, The Catcher in the Rye, was released in 1951, and it was written by J. D. Salinger. If you haven’t heard of the novel, then you may have heard of its protagonist, the teenager Holden Caulfield.
The novel makes the list because of the various themes it contains, like belonging, connection, sex, identity, loss, depression, innocence, and a whole lot of angst; which were unexplored topics for teenagers in early 1950s literature. The character of Holden Caulfield has become a symbol of rebellion and, you guessed it, teenage angst. Like I said before, this book has a whole lot of angst.
TheCatcher in the Rye has sold more than 65 million copies, and remains a solid-selling book, even in 2024. This controversial novel has also been banned several times in various places around the world in the 20th century, which is sadly becoming a growing trend in the 21st century.
An unwanted caveat for the novel is that in 1980, a 25-year-old Mark David Chapman, shot and killed John Lennon, outside his apartment in New York. Chapman had developed an obsession with The Catcher in the Rye; among other things, and especially with Holden Caulfield, and tried to emulate his misadventures.
First-edition cover of The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by author J. D. Salinger. Credit: Wikipedia.
So for 1951, we covered two spies, the hydrogen bomb, a boxer, a Korean village, an actor, a musical, and a novel. A useless piece of information is that 1951 holds a special connection to me, because it’s the year my father was born.
Next month, I’ll look at 1952, and if I feel motivated enough, 1953 as well, but I don’t like the odds of that. I think it’s 34-1. Did I mention that I suddenly like the number 34?
Anyway, that’s it for another week. If you’re enjoying my We Didn’t Start the Fire project, or maybe you think I’m wasting my time, please let me know.
Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the T20 World Cricket Cup, and I’ll see you next week, where I’m going to be petty and mean. You’ll love it.
Being a parent means that if a child in your house starts coughing and sneezing, the odds of you starting to cough and sneeze are the equivalent of The Thing winning a fight against the Yancy St Gang; it’s always going to happen.
The doctor said I have a mild dose of man flu, if a mild dose of the virus even exists. Suffice it to say, this is a strange rant today, folks, so I’m sorry about that.
In the time allotted today, I want to talk to you about the 4th July 2024. My subscribers in the United States might think I’m discussing their Independence Day, which celebrates their Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom. This declaration was ratified on 4th July 1776, and it became well-known around the world, even in little old New Zealand.
But, it’s the 4th July 2024 that I want to discuss, although the United Kingdom is still involved. On 22nd May 2024, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak announced that the next UK General Election would be held on 4th July 2024, which is about six weeks away.
Some keen followers of Some Geek Told Me, may have noticed that some of the news or information that I write about, involves the UK. The obvious reason is no, I’m not an agent of SPECTRE, so I’m not trying to take down the country. I think they are doing that all by themselves.
The truth is that I lived in the United Kingdom for three years, so I have a soft place in my cold heart for the British people. Which brings me back to Rishi Sunak. Now, before I go on, let’s establish something:
I’m not going to discuss the motivations for Sunak and the Conservative Party for bringing forth this general election early.
I’m not going to talk about how after 14 years in power, the Tories have brought the NHS and the country to its knees.
I’m certainly not going to mention the greatest political version of self-harm, which is the apocalypse known as Brexit.
I’m not going to mention the recent UK local government elections, where the Tories were the victims of a humiliating defeat, on par with the Battle of Isandlwana or Newcastle losing 8-0 to the A-League Men All-Stars.
And I promise you, I am not going to discuss the Tories’ opening policies on the campaign trail, by bringing back national service for 18-year-olds.
I would never bring up or mention any of these things, I’m not that type of person.
CREDIT: James Veysey/Shutterstock
However, what I am going to discuss is Rishi Sunak’s announcement of the general election, because it was like a broken-down AI had written a movie script, where chimpanzees were the actors. No, that’s wrong of me, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dragged chimpanzees into this, because chimpanzees would have done a better job.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, oh, you’re in for a treat. Picture this, the Prime Minister of the sixth largest economy in the world, and the second largest economy in Europe, walked outside his residence at 10 Downing Street, and discussed the general election. It sounds like a standard boring press briefing, am I right?
Now hold that image, because we have to add some beautiful details. The first point is that Sunak was talking at a single wooden podium. No other person is there supporting him, by standing next to or behind him. It’s just the Prime Minister, standing outside his house, at a podium. That’s it.
The second point was that it was raining. Seriously, it was raining. Sunak was standing at the podium talking while wearing a very nice suit and getting drenched. To make it clear, Sunak wasn’t wearing a coat or jacket; he was wearing a suit.
This also means nobody is standing next to Sunak, holding an umbrella to protect him. Sunak is one of, if not the wealthiest Prime Minister the United Kingdom has ever had. With the combined wealth of his wife, Sunak is estimated to be worth about £651 million, which I now understand, means he’s richer than King Charles III.
But despite being worth about £651 million, Rishi Sunak could not afford an umbrella or a jacket. I didn’t realise that British inflation was that bad, that even multi-millionaires couldn’t afford those items. Damn, and here I thought the inflation in New Zealand was dire.
To make this scene even more bizarre and farcical, only about three years ago, the UK government had spent around £2.6m refurbishing 9 Downing Street as a media centre, to equal White House briefings.
The implications of this mean, that even though the Tories had a £2.6m refurbished media centre next door; where it’s spacious, warm, and dry, they still held the general election announcement outside 10 Downing Street. In the rain. It’s like nobody had the original idea, that maybe, just maybe, someone should check the weather forecast, because a general election announcement is sort of a big deal, and you don’t want to stuff it up.
And to bring the Westminister Amateur Acting Guild production to a close, let’s talk about the background music. As Sunak was talking about the Tories’ small victories and discussing the general election; and please remember, he’s getting soaked by the rain, some background music was being played. And it didn’t stop.
The song “Things Can Only Get Better” was released by the band, D:Ream in 1993. It gained attention when it was used by the Labour Party in their successful general election campaign in 1997. The song was being played by Steve Bray, a political activist.
Apparently, within 24 hours of the general election announcement, the song entered the top 10 on the iTunes Charts. Being the great supporter of Tory policies that he is, physicist Brian Cox would have loved that.
For someone living on the other side of the planet, this was amazing and comical to witness. For the British public, this was an unmitigated disaster, showcasing the level of Tory efficiency.
A British Prime Minister standing alone, outside his house in the rain, without any protection, asking the public to vote for his party; because they know what they’re doing and the public should trust them. And all to the soundtrack of a rival political party’s successful ex-campaign song.
It would be a hilarious movie scene if it wasn’t so tragically real.
My father has said some pearls of wisdom over the years, but currently, no other statement can top this when talking about a group of disorganised people:
They couldn’t organise a piss-up at a brewery.
I can’t help but think, that the Tories are one of the greatest living examples of this. Though to be fair, the Coalition of Chaos is not that far behind them.
Here’s the video from the BBC.
And with that positive and uplifting note, I need to go to bed. Thank you for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me, because this project helps me to navigate this crazy world.
Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, go and slam a revolving door, and I’ll see you next week for the return of We Didn’t Start the Fire! Can’t wait.
I’m a sports fan, but even I find it difficult to follow every sport. I mean, it’s impossible. Well, maybe not for Chuck Norris, but for mere mortals like us, it is. Because of this obvious fact, I’m not an expert on North American sports, so a lot of NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL information can easily slip by me.
It could be that some team has a new manager, another team has won 13 games in a row, another team has a new stadium, or a player has a new $200 million contract, and I wouldn’t know. My interests in these sports annually peak around the Superbowl, the World Series, the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the NBA finals, then they die down.
I do know enough, however, to understand that the New York Mets and New York Jets are terrible. At least, according to late-night hosts.
As a New Zealander, I’m just pleased I can roughly match the name of an American team to its sport. If it’s not rugby union, rugby league, cricket or football, I shamefully filter things out. However, despite all of this, I had never heard of Harrison Butker, until last week.
I was on my lunch break, resting my weary feet and enjoying my Vegemite sandwiches when I read an article about Harrison Butker. This led me to discover that I didn’t know who he was, but I knew about the Kansas City Chiefs because they won Super Bowl LVIII. That news even reached New Zealand.
I’m getting off-topic as usual, but after reading the short article regarding Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College; which I thought was a prank, I discovered videos about him from various news sources.
It was about that time when I realised that this news story was about a real event, it wasn’t a prank. After discovering the real existence of this speech, I made the decision not to mention it to my wife. The reason was I knew it would piss her off, so I wanted to avoid mentioning it to her. The joke was on me, though.
When I got home from work, my wife asked if I had heard about some guy in America who gave a speech. With a deep and regretful sigh, I said I had. I’m not going to repeat what my wife said, but she used a lot of adjectives about Butker’s speech.
In his speech, Butker seemed to throw a lot of shade at various things, including, men, women, Joe Biden, COVID lockdowns, IVF, abortion, LGBTQ+ and others, which have brought praise and criticism across the United States, but also around the world.
Am I going to add my opinion on this topic?
No, I’m not.
Why not? Everybody has an opinion, what’s yours?
My answer is in two parts. Firstly, any person who reads, follows, and subscribes to my daily/weekly posts, will already realise my views and opinions on these topics. If not, please read three years’ worth of nonsense.
Secondly, why would I want to add my voice to the thousands of comments about the speech, when other people have already done so, with far more articulated and wittier results?
So, sit back, relax and enjoy social media and its amazing responses to Butker’s speech. I’ve removed people’s names on the posts because I hope that’s the correct thing to do.
From X
From Mastodon
From Facebook
Free speech is a double-edged sword; no one can physically stop you from speaking your mind and giving your opinion. However, it doesn’t mean you are free from consequences or repercussions, because of your words.
I’m a not smart man, but I’m wondering how long those consequences and repercussions will catch up to Harrison Butker. Maybe it won’t, I mean, we do live in reality and things don’t always go the way we want or need them to go.
Anyway, thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me.
Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, go and divide by zero, and I’ll see you next week.
You know the feeling when you receive your monthly electricity bill, or when you discover a speeding fine you didn’t know about? When reading this blog, you will experience the opposite of those feelings, because it’s back again! Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System returns for another month, and a collective sigh of relief can be heard across neighbourhoods around the world!
There are 13 previous stops on our magical Tour of the Solar System, which are:
As much as possible, I try to fact-check all the information I write here, as well as on X and Mastodon; especially about pizzas and ice cream. The problem is that there’s a community that doesn’t believe me; or dare I say, even like me for some strange reason.
The Hastings chapter of The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society was recently quoted in The New Zealand Herald about New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website by saying:
“Do you see last month’s blog from that Geek Told Me Twit’s Solar System Tour? That man is making stuff up, he’s a fraud! He claims that Saturn has 146 moons and as any reality-based person would know, that’s a lie. Saturn can’t have 146 moons, because Saturn isn’t real! That guy is a disgrace to this beautiful country, and we fully recommend the Serious Fraud Office investigate him.”
I have three official responses for them:
1.) Firstly, I make no money from my accounts. It costs me to run them, so the Serious Fraud Office would be wasting their time, like Sun Tzu writing a book on marriage counselling.
2.) I’m not sure if this is a general trend with The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society, but I feel some Flat Earthers, or at least Space Deniers are filling their ranks.
3.) Just because The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society mentioned Saturn’s moons, I’m going to talk about them. In all honestly, I was going to mention a few of them, but since they have annoyed me, I’m just going to discuss one of them; arguably the most famous of them, Titan.
A composite image of Saturn’s moon Titan taken by the Cassini spacecraft. Credit: NASA
So, why have I selected Titan to discuss? Apart from being the homeworld of Thanos, Spock would agree that Titan is a fascinating place. To start our tour off, you’re probably thinking, “Damn, Salt and Vinegar chips are the best!” And you would be correct!
You’re also thinking, “But Scott, there are no planets in our Solar System named Titan.” And once again, I have to agree with you. Yes, it’s the name of Matt Damon’s spaceship, but it’s also not a planet, because Titan is a moon.
Titan is the second moon to feature on our Tour of the Solar System, after, you know, the Moon. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and was discovered by Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch astronomer on 25th March 1655.
Because Titan is one of Saturn’s moons, it won’t come as a surprise to you that it orbits Saturn. Imagine that. Titan is 5,149.46 km in diameter, which makes it larger than Mercury, and the Moon; but also the ninth-largest object in the solar system, after the Sun of course.
Titan is about 1.2 million km from Saturn, which if you remember from last month, is about 1.4 billion km from the Sun. Because of this distance, it takes 80 minutes for light from the Sun to reach Titan. By comparison, it only takes eight minutes for the Sun’s light to reach Earth. Sunlight is about 100 times fainter on Titan than on Earth.
Two more awkward points about Titan’s rotation and orbit, are that Titan’s seasons last more than seven Earth years and a Titan year lasts 29 Earth years.
Titan orbits Saturn around every 15 days and 22 hours. And similar to how Titan has a kick-arse name, just like the Moon, Titan is also tidally locked. This means that its rotational period (the time it takes to turn on its axis) is the same as its orbital period (the time it takes to orbit Saturn), so one side of Titan is permanently facing Saturn since it is in a synchronous rotation with Saturn.
These facts about Titan are cool, don’t get me wrong, but the real things to talk about Titan are its atmosphere and surface. There are only two known places in the Solar System where liquid forms on the surface. One is Earth, the birthplace of rugby and dogs, with the other being Titan.
On Earth, the liquid on the surface is David Dunn’s and Elphaba Thropp’s weakness; water. While on Titan, the liquid is not water because of Titan’s vast distance from the Sun, which creates temperatures around −179 °C. It’s not a retreat for a Summer holiday.
The liquid on the surface is methane and ethane, which have carved out river channels and filled lakes. Because of the low temperatures, which create the process of condensation, these natural gases have changed their state of matter from gas to liquids.
Titan’s atmosphere consists of about 95% nitrogen and 5% methane, which makes it quite thick. Titan’s atmospheric pressure is about 60% greater than Earth’s, which is like the equivalent of swimming below the surface of a lake or ocean at a depth of 15 m.
Since Titan is smaller and less massive than Earth, its atmosphere extends to an altitude 10 times higher than Earth’s, nearly 600 km because of the weaker gravity. This is why Titan looks like it’s covered in smog or haze. Cool.
Another rad thing about Titan is the possibility of life. On 15th October 1997, a space probe was launched by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency. Its mission was to study Saturn, its rings and moons. The space probe was called Cassini–Huygens, named after Giovanni Domenico Cassini, an Italian astronomer who made some discoveries about Saturn’s rings and moons; as well as our old friend, Christiaan Huygens.
The probe reached the Saturn System in 2004, with Cassini being part of the probe that did mapping and research. Cassini spent 13 years working and orbiting Saturn and was decommissioned in 2017, where it was de-orbited so it could burn up in Saturn’s upper atmosphere.
Huygens on the other hand had a different mission, because it was designed to detach from Cassini, and land on Titan to conduct measurements. On 14th January 2005, Huygens landed on Titan and recorded measurements of the wind and temperature, but also took images of the landscape. 90 minutes after Huygens landed, the probe stopped transmitting.
Data from Cassini and Huygens revealed that Titan has an underground ocean of liquid water, which could harbour life. Years later, researchers conducted many experiments to test the viability of life on Titan, because of complex molecules being found. Whether life exists on Titan or not, let’s hope it’s not in the form of Thanos.
And with that, another chapter of the worst Tour in the Solar System is brought to a close. What is your favourite fact about Titan? As always, please let me know. Thanks for supporting this tour, even though the tour guide is a bit dodgy.
Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on Twitter/X and Mastodon, where I usually fail at sounding humorous.
Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep pushing for a ceasefire in Palestine, and watch the Mighty Wellington Phoenix in the second leg of the A-League semi-final. Look after yourself and I’ll see you next week.
I hope everybody enjoyed Star Wars Day and Free Comic Book Day over the weekend! We did and we also enjoyed something else too. The main person to blame about anything concerning New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website just celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary. And for those of you not keeping up, that’s me, by the way.
I’ll be honest with you about something. Celebrating 10 years of married life wasn’t something I ever thought I was capable of doing, let alone getting married in the first place! Seriously.
So what is it like being married for 10 years? Is it good, bad or somewhere in between? Before I begin, I’m talking about this from a male’s perspective, but some of these observations can easily be transferred to females as well.
You listen to the same stories your spouse tells new people and pretend you’ve never heard them before. And vice versa.
You can’t remember what you gave to your spouse for their birthday and anniversary, for the last four years.
Your spouse has an instant recall of a conversation you had with them five years ago, but you can’t remember what you had for dinner last night.
You can trust your spouse to order takeaways on your behalf and get the order 95% correct.
Your house is littered with half-finished projects that you or your spouse have started and then abandoned for different reasons.
Your spouse knows your sleeping habits better than you.
Because you’re a one-income family, you save money by having your spouse give you and your children the same haircut.
You and your spouse have an unofficial rule of swapping the “good parent, bad parent” routine around when dealing with your children.
When you or your spouse mention an ex’s name that has not been discussed before, the mood in the room changes.
Any form of competition between you and your spouse must be handled with respect and fairly. No Monopoly!
Your spouse seems to know where everything is in the house, except their belongings.
You and your spouse have different chores that you do around your home, so when your spouse does one of yours, your brain wants to shut down because it can’t compute what’s just happened.
When you’ve made your signature dinner meal, and your spouse politely mentions that it’s the 18th time that month, that you have made that exact meal.
The amazing music you played at your wedding, is now mall/supermarket background music.
You both have different ways to fold the washing; which you argue over, but you never want to fold the washing alone.
If someone other than your spouse flirts with you, you don’t even register it.
Gaslighting your spouse is either extremely funny, brave or dangerous.
Looking back at photos of your wedding, makes you rage because you and your spouse look so refreshed and young.
You still make rookie mistakes with your children, after your spouse has pointed it out.
You and your spouse can be each other’s translators in new social situations.
If you or your spouse have taken the wedding ring off for whatever reason, you’re reminded in a semi-friendly way to put it back on.
Occasionally my wife reads these posts, so I need to tread carefully. So in case she does read this, I think being married for 10 years is wonderful!
Have you been married for 10 years or more? Have I missed any observations? As always, please let me know.
That’s another post for another week. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, go Phoenix FC, and I’ll see you next week because the Tour of the Solar System is crawling back again!
As you can tell, today is not a Monday; so why is there a short blog post from me? That’s a simple answer, because not only is today Star Wars Day, but it’s also Free Comic Book Day!
Star Wars Day is always held on the 4th of May, regardless of what day it is, just so people can say, May The 4th Be With You. Free Comic Book Day (FCBD), however, is traditionally held on the first Saturday in May.
I feel they are two of the largest pop culture dates on the geek calendar, so it’s not often that Star Wars Day coincides with FCBD, but I think it just gives people twice the reason to celebrate the day.
I have mentioned it before, but Star Wars has a special place in my family. We enjoy it through movies, books, toys, board games, TV shows1 and cosplay. This also includes comics. Throughout the years, I have gathered a collection of Star Wars comics, so FCBD holds significant importance for me.
Credit: Disney/Lucasfilm & DC/Marvel/FCBD
So, what’s the point of this post? Easy, if you’re a fan of the adventures of characters from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, then today is your day to watch the movies or TV shows, read that book, play that computer game, or simply wear that Darth Vader t-shirt to the supermarket. Own this day, own it!
If you’re a fan of comic books, you need to get yourself down to your local comic book store; if possible, so you can support them by picking up some free comic books, cosplaying as your favourite characters, and buying some items. These stores are the lifeblood of the industry, so please support them.
And if you’re a fan of both Star Wars and Comics, well…today’s the day you can live your best life! My family recently made their own fantastic Stormtrooper helmets, which UMC1 and UMC2 will be wearing somewhere today.
How are you celebrating Star Wars Day and Free Comic Book Day? Please let me know. Ok, that’s it for me. Enjoy this amazing day and I’ll see you on Monday.
1.) One day I’m going to get Disney +. It’s not today, but one day.
This is where I’m attempting to talk about the historical references in the song and try to relate them to our contemporary society. I know this sounds like a terrible idea, but apparently, the group known as Beetroot Awareness Aotearoa sort of agrees. After publishing my blog post concerning 1948-1949, this New Zealand-based group released their own harsh review:
“Does this idiot know that the song came out in 1989, and since then, numerous people have already talked about the historical references? Can he not think of anything original or does he just steal other people’s ideas? What a buffoon!”
And with that positive and uplifting feedback, let’s check out the We Didn’t Start the Fire’s historic references for 1950.
Image from the We Didn’t Start the Fire music video
1950
Joseph McCarthy:
We briefly discussed Joseph McCarthy last time with 1949’s Walter Winchell, but we’ll expand it like a dog taking over your bed. McCarthy was a US senator for Wisconsin, who had a few issues that he liked to talk about. Early on in the Cold War, and during his Lincoln Day speech, McCarthy launched an anti-communist crusade.
He promoted the concept that Soviet Union and communist spies and sympathizers had infiltrated American society, through the federal and local governments, as well as in academic and entertainment circles. This led to the persecution and political repression of many people, based on being un-American and their opinions. It was during this period that the terms “The Second Red Scare” and “McCarthyism” were born.
For a modern equivalent to McCarthy, just think of everybody’s favourite twice impeached, four times criminally indicted, ex-US President, Donald Trump.
Credit: Biography.com
Richard Nixon:
Richard Nixon makes the list because in 1950, the future President of the United States of America was first elected to represent California, in the US Senate. If you’re a student of history, you’ll realise this will not be the last time Nixon makes the list. He will return.
For a modern version, I’m a bit stumped over this. I can’t compare Richard Nixon of 1950 to Richard Nixon of 1972, because they are two people with different life experiences. However, when comparing Nixon of 1950 to modern times, it would be any young politician moving up the ladder, to become a long-term politician. I’m sure every country has some. I’m looking at you Winston Peters, I’m looking at you.
Studebaker was an automobile manufacturer, which was based in the United States. For about 50 years, Studebaker was one of the leaders in the car industry and had built up a great reputation for their vehicles.
That changed around 1950 when Studebaker started having some major financial problems. In 1954, they merged with Packard, another automobile company to ease their financial difficulties. It didn’t work the way they thought it would, so in 1967, Studebaker ceased production and the company shut down.
Some modern equivalents would be Oldsmobile and Pontiac, or even some non-automobile companies like Kenner and Toys “R” Us.
Studebaker’s “Lazy S” logo, designed by Raymond Loewy, was used from the 1950s until 1966/1950 Studebaker Champion. Credit: Андрей Перцев/Classic Auto Mall.
Television:
Is there a greater icon for the 20th century other than television? I think not. Television or TV had been developed, improved and marketed for years before 1950, but it was slowly becoming an important household product. In the context of US history, TV was becoming an attractive way to transmit information to the public.
Data on sales of TV sets in the United States for 1950 varies. An estimated 9%-20% of households in the United States had at least one television set, but by the end of the decade, that figure had grown to nearly 90%. The age of television was upon us, and it changed the way people from around the world, consumed news and entertainment forever.
In the 21st century, the easiest and best example of a different communication network would be the Internet. You can watch your favourite team play live while riding on the train, watch your favourite TV show on your lunch break, or stream the latest news via your phone or laptop. Outrageous.
This is the first time that I need to discuss two references together, because in 1950, North and South Korea dominated the news around the planet. At the time, North and South Korea were two separate countries, having been divided at the 38th parallel north, by the Soviet Union and the United States, after the end of the Second World War.
On 25th June 1950, the North Korean army crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. Given that the Cold War was the political climate at the time, this conflict slowly became a proxy war for democracy vs communism.
On one side, there was the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the People’s Republic of China (China), along with the unofficial support of the Soviet Union; against the Republic of Korea (South Korea), along with the United Nation Forces, which consisted of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Canada, France, New Zealand, Philippines, Turkey, Thailand, South Africa, Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ethiopia and Colombia; with many more countries supplying support through different means.
This conflict became known as the Korean War and was fought for three years, with the war ending in a stalemate in 1953, with the Korean Armistice Agreement. The war claimed an estimated 2.8 million military and civilian deaths. Much like the Chinese Civil War, the geo-political repercussions of the Korean War are still being felt in 2024.
Sadly, the Korean War will make another entry in the song.
Credit: Map Porn
Marilyn Monroe:
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Marilyn Monroe was a model and actress who became an international sex symbol, during the late 1940s-early 1960s. In 1950, Monroe landed some breakthrough roles in films and actually starred in five different films in that year. (A Ticket to Tomahawk, The Asphalt Jungle, All About Eve, The Fireball, and Right Cross). From there, Monroe’s career took off and she soon became a household name.
It’s hard to determine which contemporary model/actress would be like Marilyn Monroe of 1950, so I’ll let you decide on that one. Sorry.
Marilyn Monroe in All About Eve (1950). Credit: 20th Century-Fox
So for 1950, we have covered two US Senators, a failed automobile company, the explosion of television sales, the Korean War, and a model/actress. Like I said last time, this project is going to take some time, so I’ll try and cover 1951-1952 next time. Cool.
That’s it for another week. Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, call for a ceasefire in Palestine, and I’ll see you next week because I’m going to be discussing a milestone. It could be interesting.
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