INNOVATION: The $255 Beach Shade Dividing America’s Coastal Towns – WSJ

Saturday, June 13, 2026

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/shibumi-beach-sun-shade-04770fba?st=iSp81z

The $255 Beach Shade Dividing America’s Coastal Towns

  • Some beachgoers love Shibumis for their simplicity and safety. Others consider them a nuisance, and some places have banned them.

By Fred A. Bernstein
Updated May 25, 2026 5:36 pm ET

*** begin quote ***

Invented by a trio of recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduates, Shibumis are practically an obsession in the Carolinas. Owners say they are easy to carry and set up and are safer than umbrellas, which can cause injuries or death when the wind uproots them. The company says it has sold about 500,000 Shibumis, many of them in the Carolinas.

*** end quote ***

​Ahhh, American inventiveness and stogy Gooferment bureaucrats can’t deal with it.

I wonder how the family of that lady who was killed by flying umbrella feels.

I guess no one has thought about the wheel chair accessible ramp at Island Beach State Park in Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerzee that provide an easy to walk “avenue” down to the water.

Would seem possible to create a “checkerboard” of “Avenues” and “Cross Streets” with what3words “addresses” that would begin order out of haphazard deployment.

Life Guards could align their “lanes” for speedy rescues without being delayed by random squatters.

In a truly little L libertarian world, an entrepreneur would own a beach and “rent” out spots. And competition would ensure that all options were available.

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INNOVATION: Use WAZE to avoid traffic jams.

Saturday, April 18, 2026
https://justthenews.com/government/local/spring-snows-colorado-related-75-vehicle-pileup-eight-people-sent-hospital
 
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​One has to expect the “unexpected”.  Even for short drives I fire up WAZE to see “what’s going on where I’m going”.  Takes a minute or two but has often keep me from driving into a traffic jam.  Give the price of gas, whe wants to burning off in traffic.
 
# – # – # – # – #
 
Not everything has to be “gigantic”.  Simple changes to your routing makes you more “adaptable”.
 
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INNOVATION: Might cure road rage?

Saturday, April 12, 2025

https://www.boredpanda.com/city-gadgets-convenient-traffic-urban-equipment-msn/

#26 This Hourglass Shaped Traffic Light

Traffic light gadget with hourglass timer in urban setting.

# – # – # – # – # 

I like this.  Why can’t we have them here in the USA.  Might cure road rage?

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INNOVATION: What stands in humanity’s way to live on Mars or elsewhere

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

https://radiofarside.substack.com/p/the-gingers

The Gingers   —   “Martians” sounds so retro
Radio Far Side
Mar 09, 2025

*** begin quote ***

Donald Trump’s recent address to the joint session of Congress (emphasis on “joint” and “con”), while entertaining at times, offered no real updates on anything of substance. He’s a showman, and it was a show, which the Democrats unwittingly participated in. However, like no-alcohol beer, it was all bubbles and no buzz.

Trump made one quick reference to his administration’s ambitions in space that got the old brain juice flowing. His exact statement was, “We are going to lead humanity into space and plant the American flag on the planet Mars, and even far beyond.”

*** and ***

Here’s just some of them:

  •     Spacecraft Reliability & Transport
  •     Radiation Protection
  •     Life Support Systems
  •     Habitat Construction
  •     Energy Generation Storage
  •     Communications Delay
  •     Autonomous Operations
  •     Resource Utilization
  •     Medical Capabilities
  •     Extreme Cold
  •     Thin Atmosphere
  •     Low Gravity
  •     Toxic Soil & Dust
  •     Global Dust Storms
  •     Lack of Liquid Water
  •     Planetary Protection

*** and ***

Here’s just some of the changes they would undergo:

  •     Lower Bone Density & Muscle Mass
  •     Taller, Leaner Bodies
  •     Altered Cardiovascular System
  •     Radiation Resistance
  •     Oxygen Adaptations 
  •     Increased Isolation Resilience
  •     Cognitive Divergence from Earth
  •     Different Circadian Rhythms 
  •     Martian Identity & Independence
  •     New Social Structures
  •     Technology-Driven Lifestyle
  •     New Ethical & Legal Systems 
  •     Speciation Possibility
  •     Reduced Immune Function
  •     Vision Changes

*** end quote ***

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” George Bernard Shaw

That’s the first time I’ve see a comprehensive list of the “technical” and “human” problems that need to be overcome.

May not happen in my lifetime, but it will in someone’s.

As an afficiando of Sci Fi, especially Heinlein, I believe it can be done.

I remember JFK promising a man on the moon.  Impossible some said.  

“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.” — Robert A. Heinlein

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INNOVATION: Always dress kids in bright and contrasting colors to make them safe

Saturday, June 15, 2024

https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/07/health/swimsuit-color-pool-safety-wellness/index.html?utm_placement=newsletter

The color of your child’s swimsuit can play a role in their safety at the pool, experts say
By Jacqueline Howard, CNN
Updated 9:49 AM EDT, Sun June 9, 2024

*** begin quote ***

 “People should avoid swimsuits in light blue, gray, or green as they can blend with the water and pool surroundings, making it difficult to spot a child. We recommend bright and contrasting colors such as neon yellow, orange, pink, and bright red,” Fisher added. “These colors are highly visible both underwater and on the surface.

Swimsuit colors are not talked about enough in public safety, said Wyatt Werneth, a coastal lifeguard in Florida and spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association.

“The bright clothes are something that we’ve identified as being a game-changer. If you have the same colors of the water or the environment, you’re going to blend in,” Werneth said while patrolling Cocoa Beach. 

*** end quote ***

The article makes the point that it is NOT just the beach but for “camping” and all activities.

I like the idea of taking a picture first thing as a safety measure.

Hope it’s never needed.

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INNOVATION: Writing negative reactions on paper … …

Friday, April 19, 2024

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/09/write-down-your-thoughts-and-shred-them-to-relieve-anger-researchers-say

Psychology

Write down your thoughts and shred them to relieve anger, researchers say

  • Writing negative reactions on paper and shredding it or scrunching and throwing in the bin eliminates angry feelings, study finds

Caroline Davies  — Tue 9 Apr 2024 09.40 EDT

*** begin quote ***

Since time immemorial humans have tried to devise anger management techniques.

In ancient Rome, the Stoic philosopher Seneca believed “my anger is likely to do me more harm than your wrong” and offered avoidance tips in his AD45 work De Ira (On Anger).

More modern methods include a workout on the gym punchbag or exercise bike. But the humble paper shredder may be a more effective – and accessible – way to decompress, according to research.

A study in Japan has found that writing down your reaction to a negative incident on a piece of paper and then shredding it, or scrunching it into a ball and throwing it in the bin, gets rid of anger.

“We expected that our method would suppress anger to some extent,” said Nobuyuki Kawai, lead researcher of the study at Nagoya University. “However, we were amazed that anger was eliminated almost entirely.”

*** end quote ***

Have to try this and see if it helps.

“Income tax”.

Printed and shredded!

Didn’t help!!!

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INNOVATION: Reporting potholes using what3wprods

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wsvWj6OPQg

Report your local ***hole with what3words
what3words  —  Mar 27, 2024

*** begin quote ***

Potholes are such a menace, we think they should be considered a rude word! They cause damage to cars, agony for drivers and a lot of frustration for communities and local councils. They can’t be fixed if they can’t be found, so many councils and highways authorities are asking people to use a what3words address when they report a pothole.

Next time you spot a pothole, find the what3words address and share it online, helping your council or highways authority to find and fix potholes easily.

*** end quote ***

Hopefully we can get this working in the Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerzee.

I’ll try and report back results of lack there of.

Sigh!

—30—

Put in ///forgot.golf.scan on the NJDOT webform. 2024-Mar-28 1240 

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INNOVATION: Preventing dead birds is too easy for Bank of America; shame on them

Thursday, November 23, 2023

https://www.biographic.com/city-of-glass/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email

Solutions
10.31.2023
City of Glass

  • Meet the dedicated cadre of experts and volunteers working to protect birds from glass in the window-strike capital of the United States.

Story by Ben Goldfarb

*** begin quote ***

The film seemed to be working: Collisions at the Kellogg Hub had declined by half, and for 20 minutes I watched red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) alight easily on its railings and roof. Even better, at the nearby Frances Searle Building, whose windows the university had covered with faint horizontal stripes, bird deaths had virtually ceased. Yet the projects had been neither cheap nor perfect. The Searle Building alone had cost the university $250,000 to retrofit, and large swaths of the Kellogg Center remained unprotected. Retrofitting existing buildings is crucial, no doubt; Chicago isn’t about to dismantle its existing skyline for the sake of birds. Still, “the best solutions are the ones that are designed into the building from the beginning,” Claire Halpin, a landscape architect who sat on the board of the Chicago Ornithological Society until her recent death, told me later.

*** and ***

Not everyone was so receptive. During our rounds, Prince and I passed the Bank of America Tower, where three trees beckoned to birds from behind glass so clear it was surprising more humans didn’t hit it face-first. Prince had begged the building’s sustainability officer to put up a patterned film, or move the trees, or even hang a temporary banner during migration season — to do literally anything. “The answer,” she told me, “was ‘no, no, and no.’”

*** end quote ***

Maybe we all can put some political pressure on BOA to address the problem?

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INNOVATION: Promising experimental pig heart transplant

Saturday, November 4, 2023

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/20/health/pig-heart-transplant-maryland-update/index.html?utm_source=tldrnewsletter

One month after experimental pig heart transplant, doctors say they see no signs of rejection or infection (4 minute read)

The patient who received a pig heart in an experimental heart transplant last month appears to have excellent heart function with no signs of infection or rejection. The pig heart had been genetically modified to make it more compatible with humans. Doctors have withdrawn all drugs that were initially supporting the heart, so it is performing well on its own. The patient was the second ever to undergo the treatment – the first patient died from a complex array of factors two months following their transplant. 

# – # – # – # – # 

Fantastic news.

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INNOVATION: Time to revise my 5±2 rule if thumb

Monday, July 10, 2023

https://betterhumans.pub/10-mental-models-for-learning-anything-318446320c1e

10 Mental Models for Learning Anything
Scott H. Young
Better Humans
Sep 21, 2022

*** begin quote ***

6. Mental bandwidth is extremely limited.

We can only keep a few things in mind at any one time. George Miller initially pegged the number at seven, plus or minus two items. But more recent work has suggested the number is closer to four things.

*** end quote ***

My range used to be “5±2” but maybe I need to tolerate 4±2?

Sigh!

Now I find out  — a little late in my life.

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