The Daily Dose/April 25, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
TO BOLDLY GO…WHERE WE’VE ALREADY GONE BEFORE: One noticeable difference between the Apollo and Artemis manned space programs is the length of time between missions.
Running The Numbers: From Apollo 7 testing the command service module until Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, a mere 282 days elapsed, a bit more than nine months. Artemis I – an unmanned mission – launched in November 2022, Artemis II launched earlier this month, with Artemis III scheduled to fly next year, though no date has been set.
A Change In Plans: Artemis III was originally scheduled to send humans to the Moon, but that was recently moved to Artemis IV, tentatively, and perhaps optimistically, scheduled for 2028. Artemis III is now scheduled to rendezvous in low-Earth orbit with either one of two lunar landers being developed.
Yay!: We’ve been critical of our space program in the past – we could’ve been on Mars 40 years ago if we wanted to – but we strongly approve of this change, because to have attempted a lunar landing without previously testing the docking systems in space was sheer folly…Idiocy, even, because the last thing you want is to have humans saying “Uh-oh” when something untested ends up not working. Testing the docking system first is prudent.
The Bottom Line: There are reasons for the long waits between Artemis flights. One, Artemis does not have the blank check Apollo had, which makes the inevitable technical challenges harder to overcome. Also, you do not have to be Neil Armstrong to sense the culture has changed at NASA. No one dies! Space travel in the 1960s wasn’t a suicide mission, but both Americans and Soviets died in the attempt, and there is little appetite for that now.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow and David, again, discuss Sparrow’s lack of interest in cooking. Today’s Diary.
David again insisted that cooking isn’t all that tuff, and that even a few ingredients any idiot has lying around their kitchen can provide a tasty meal…
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1792 – The first execution by guillotine is conducted outside the city hall in Paris. Highwayman Nicolas Pelletier had been convicted of robbery and sentenced to death in December. Contemporary accounts noted the large crowd was dissatisfied by the quick, efficient death, with some even calling for the return of the gallows. France’s last guillotine death was in 1977, with an estimated 19,000 people guillotined in France over the centuries.
In 1937 – Cliff Melton of the New York Giants establishes a new major league record for most strikeouts in a major league debut in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bees. Melton struck out 13 batters, research into whose record he broke was inconclusive, and the record is now 15, done twice, by Karl Spooner (1954) and J.R. Richard (1971). Melton finished with a 20-9 record and went 86-80 in eight seasons, all with the Giants.
In 1981 – Smokey Robinson is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Hot Soul Singles chart – for the fourth of five consecutive weeks with Being With You. It was the tenth of 15 Top 10 soul hits for Robinson as a solo act, and was his second and final #1. The song also peaked at #2 on the Hot 100, went #1 pop in both New Zealand and Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 13th-biggest pop hit of the year.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Something tangible appeared every day to show for my labor…
Capt. Joshua Slocum
Sailing Alone Around the World
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The NBA playoff record for most points by both teams in a quarter is 86, by the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs in 1991. The regular season record is 99, by the Spurs and Denver Nuggets in January 1984.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
When did Billboard’s soul chart debut? – Answer next time!
