BagOfNothing.com

• Man, I’ve been busy lately and just haven’t had time to commit to blogging. Work-related stuff is taking up a lot of bandwidth, especially outside of normal working hours. Today, I’m just going to throw some stuff at the wall and see what sticks.
• I was expecting President Biden to go back on his word and pardon his son, Hunter. However, I didn’t expect it to happen last night. If anything, I would have thought he would have released the news on Black Friday when nobody pays attention to the news or his last days in office. I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it, but offhand, I think it’s a smart political move. If Republicans are in an uproar about the abuse of presidential pardons, they are about to take over the White House and Congress next month and do something about it. But they won’t, and it’s not all that different than Trump pardoning his son-in-law’s father in 2020, who will become our ambassador to France in the new administration.
• Punching a player with a helmet really isn’t that effective.
  

  The Notre Dame way pic.twitter.com/K7NcX7q7fc

  — Footballism (@FootbaIIism) November 30, 2024

• Stanford brings ex-star QB Andrew Luck ‘home’ as new GM

Luck, 35, has accepted a newly created role at Stanford, which will place him above the entire program and is a distinct evolution from the traditional college general manager role. The hire could loom as a harbinger for structural changes in college football front offices across the sport.

Luck’s role involves everything Stanford football touches, football-wise and business-wise. The football-specific duties will include managing the coaching staff, the player personnel staff, recruiting, roster management and the student-athlete experience.

This will be interesting to watch since college football has changed so much recently with NIL and conference changes. One thing the article failed to mention was how much his father’s background as an executive for pro and college football teams and conferences may have played. I’m still ticked he was robbed of the Heisman Trophy twice.

• The aftermath of divorce continues to make holidays challenging. With me, it’s not the relationship aspect; it’s the entire loss of family and seeing what my kids have to settle for.
• DaughterGeeding is a Stars fan, so I took her to a game. Since we don’t get to spend as much time together as I’d like, I splurged on tickets and took advantage of a Black Friday sale. Here are some pics. A lot of time I like to bring in my DSLR, but this time I only used my phone to snap pics.
   
• One thing I like to do during a game is track when a player gets on and off the ice. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, they spend just about a minute on the ice before they go back to the bench. They expel that much energy and the game is very fluid. It was something hard for me to track, but the new video board does an exceptional job, as you can see at the bottom of the screen. When a player gets on the ice, their time is in white. After 30 seconds, it turns yellow and then red after 45 seconds. The longest I saw a play stay in was around a minute and 37 seconds. 
• Thirteen years in the SEC, and Texas A&M has yet to compete for an SEC championship. Texas punches its ticket in year one with a victory against the Aggies.
• Just a reminder that as much as aTm likes to tout that Kyle Field is an intimidating place to play and is some massive home-field advantage, the ESPN analysts beg to differ.
• As much as this state likes to brag about how great and storied this rivalry is, that is one crappy trophy to play for.
  
• There isn’t another school in the country as obsessed with someone else as A&M is with Texas. It’s such a little brother mentality. The last time the Aggies played the Horns, they lost by a last-second field goal on their home turf. They waited 13 years to get revenge and then got run over again on their home field. If you don’t think they got run over, look at the game stats. The Aggies didn’t even score on offense. Let’s not forget that the Aggies made it all the way to the baseball championship against Tennessee and lost, and then their baseball coach immediately left them for Austin. And three years ago, the A&M athletic director flew out to SEC Media Days to try to prevent Texas from joining the SEC.
• Arch Manning is doing things that hint he’s a legend in the making. On his first play as quarterback this season, he rushed for a touchdown, and on his first play against the Aggies, he rushed for a touchdown.
• An Aggie friend who has always been into high school and college bands, especially the Aggie band, sent me a text absolutely livid that the Longhorn band didn’t let the Aggie band finish playing their song when the Aggies marched onto the field, saying it was classless. I’m not sure what was behind it. It was a cruddy thing to do, but it sure did play into the whole rivalry/hatred thing. Of course, I could have followed up with this classless act by an Aggie at College Gameday. Here’s the backstory.It certainly pissed off the Texas players and provided extra motivation.
  

  A passionate Michael Taaffe speaks on the pregame sign.

  Longhorn Legend handling it the right way. pic.twitter.com/46LGykMcU6

  — CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) December 1, 2024

• Curious as to why Charles Schlutz named his comic Peanuts, because I always thought it was a horrible name, this was the best I could find:
  • A different name for the comic strip became necessary after legal advice confirmed that Little Folks was a registered trademark.[12] Meanwhile, the production manager of UFS noted the popularity of the children’s program Howdy Doody. The show featured an audience of children who were seated in the “Peanut Gallery”, and were referred to as “Peanuts”. This inspired the decided title that was forced upon Schulz, to his consternation. Schulz hated the title Peanuts, which remained a source of irritation to him throughout his life. He accused the production manager at UFS of not having even seen the comic strip before giving it a title, and he said that the title would only make sense if there was a character named “Peanuts”.
• Texas QB Quinn Ewers will have an MRI on his banged-up ankle today. There’s a chance Arch Manning may have to start against Little Brother A&M. That makes things interesting. But, from a coaching standpoint, I’m sure Sark, like any other coach, will keep it vague so that A&M has to spend time preparing for both quarterbacks. Not that they wouldn’t anyways, but not as much.
  

  Good luck vs. Texas! pic.twitter.com/FNgEw3Ufja

  — Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 24, 2024

  
  Little Brother’s head coach with the Freudian slip was pretty funny last week. And yes, they did lose to underdog Auburn because they are A&M.

• I try my best to ask my friends how their spouses are doing and to say hello to me. But I’m not too fond of it when they are married to someone whose name has various spellings, like Derrick and Sheryl. While I remember their spouse’s name, I can’t remember how it’s spelled for the life of me. A few times, I’ve been vehemently rebuffed.
• I saw the LA Rams last night honored the St. Louis Rams Superbowl winning team. I’m sure that was awkward for both the fans and the team being celebrated.
• Saquon Barkley is the best player in the NFL, even better than that QB in KC. The Giants didn’t utilize him to the best of his ability, but Kellen Moore sure does know what to do with him.
• I’m rooting and predicting a Detroit and Buffalo Super Bowl.
• I think I’m going to the Stars game this Sunday. The Cowboys won’t be playing and it’s in the middle of the afternoon. Best of all, my daughter wants to go.
• I had to look up if Bill Cosby was still in jail. He’s not. But, he has certainly kept a very low profile.
• After posting that new Star Trek video, I went into a Star Trek wormhole. I wasn’t aware there is something called the Star Trek Kelvin Timeline.
• Dirty play.
  

  Kansas with a big hit on Shedeur Sanders pic.twitter.com/5jXVaGb1Rh

  — FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024

• As much as I enjoyed watching the Steelers and Browns play in the snow, I miss the days when Cleveland’s playing surface was horrendous and the players were covered in mud. The first picture is from the first quarter, and the second is from the third.
  
  
  
• University of Texas to provide free tuition for students from families earning $100,000 or less
  • The University of Texas System approved the plan Thursday to provide tuition-free education at all nine institutions for undergraduate students from families earning $100,000 or less a year, beginning next fall.
  • A group of current and incoming Texas lawmakers sent a letter to the Board of Regents Thursday questioning the constitutionality of the free tuition plan for students whose families earn $100,000 or less annually.
• Saber-Toothed Kitten Found After 35,000 Years in Permafrost
  In 2020, scientists made a groundbreaking discovery along the Badyarikha River in Yakutia, Russia. They unearthed the world’s first mummified saber-toothed kitten, a find that has revolutionized our understanding of these ancient predators. This isn’t just any ordinary fossil – the kitten’s remains are exceptionally well-preserved, with fur, whiskers, and claws intact.
  
• I thought I knew a lot about human death and the macabre, but these two surprised and creeped me out.14 Chilling Facts About the End of Life
  • Death’s Instant Replay
    • In rare and often traumatic deaths, an immediate and intense form of muscle stiffening called cadaveric spasm can occur and continue into rigor mortis. This phenomenon may preserve the last action a person took before dying, such as clutching a weapon or an object related to their demise. This macabre “snapshot” can offer crucial evidence in investigations, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the death. Cadaveric spasm is a fascinating yet chilling example of how the body can sometimes retain a haunting echo of its final moments. It’s a reminder that death can be both a mystery and a source of crucial information.
  • The Coffin Birth
    • Also known as “postmortem fetal extrusion,” coffin birth is a rare phenomenon that occurs when gases build up inside the decomposing body of a pregnant woman, causing the fetus to be expelled. This gruesome event has been documented throughout history and often fueled superstitious beliefs. While the scientific explanation for coffin birth is straightforward, the historical accounts often include embellishments and folklore, reflecting the deep-seated fear and fascination surrounding death and the unknown.

• Even though I think this is pretty cool, the timing of these things often curses real life. In other words, I’m worried Shatner won’t make it through the end of the month.

  Via Trek Movie, we’ve learned that three decades after Star Trek: Generations hit theaters, the Roddenberry Archive, together with OTOY, has rectified this mistake with a short film called 765874 – Unification. Directed by Spanish filmmaker Carlos Baena, it was made with the involvement of Shatner himself, along with the Leonard Nimoy estate. This mostly silent short film will bring tears to the eyes of any longtime Star Trek fan. Especially those who wished Kirk and Spock could have had that one, final reunion. You can watch it in full above.Nerdist

• That photo was taken last week in North Texas.
• In some parallel universe, Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock are married and living in Texas, and their world is pleased. In some other parallel universe, I’m married to Sandra Bullock, and no one is pleased.
• The monthly special at the pub where we play trivia is the NYC bodega chopped cheese sandwich. I had never heard of it, but a little research has told me that it was invented in the Nineties. I gave it a big thumbs up. Basically, it’s made on a grill with ground beef (typically pre-formed ground beef patties), onions, adobo or other seasonings, and cheese, all of which are chopped together on the grill as the meat and onions cook and the cheese melts and put on a grilled hoagie with mayo and ketchup.
• Watching the news last night, it was reported that the judge in the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley only needed 30 minutes. That got me wondering if the judge was convinced and already firmly made up his mind, if it’s a requirement for him to step away, or if he can just save everyone time and make the verdict right then?
• This would totally upend my world as if it hasn’t changed enough over the past four years:
  Federal employees could be faced with a return-to-office mandate

  President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, a nongovernmental entity helmed by billionaire Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, is expected to make a push for an end to remote work across federal agencies as a way to help reduce the federal workforce through attrition.

  Here’s the one thing that you never hear in these stories, and it directly impacts me. Does this include federal contractors? You’ll often hear politicians talk about shrinking the government and reducing the number of federal workers. But, the amount of work stays the same and needs to get done. To get around this, the government will hire contractors to do the exact same work. So, politicians will claim they were able to reduce the size of government because the federal workforce has decreased, but they don’t mention that private contractors were hired to fill those spots. The money intended to pay government workers is now sent to the private sector, government contracting companies, who actually pay their employees more than what the government workers were making. Here’s the part I never really understood. The federal employee who was let go is often hired by the contracting company because he or she meets all the qualifications for the job but for more money and better benefits. It seems like it would be cheaper to eliminate the middleman, the contracting company, and pay the worker directly for a lower wage. I guess it has something to do with pensions and retirement accounts, but that’s one aspect I never fully understood.

• Meet your own personal AI Jesus in this Swiss church’s confessional
  A Swiss church is trying a new way of connecting with Jesus in the confessional. It uses AI to simulate the personality of the 1st-century Galileleean for visitors as part of a religiously themed art project called Deus in Machina (God in a Machine). The digital simulacrum of Jesus Christ engages with visitors and offers spiritual guidance based on what people say. The cybernetic savior is also fluent in 100 different languages, enabling it to converse with worshippers from all over the world.If you enter the confessional, you’ll see the AI Jesus displayed on a screen. The decidedly Swiss-looking man from the Roman-run Middle East of two millennia ago listens to people voice their questions or concerns. The AI model underlying the simulation was built by a team from the church working with the Immersive Realities Research Lab at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts using the New Testament as the basis for how Jesus thinks and speaks. So far, it’s performed well.

  Here’s a video segment of it that other articles mentioned went viral.