Happy Fri-Yay! Reader,

Welcome to the 4x Friday, four of the coolest things I've found, learned, or experienced this past week.

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What I watched

Jonny Horsfield, Owner and Creative Director of H2 Yacht Design, says the first rule of The 5 Rules of Yacht Design (00:03:00) is that you must prepare a good brief. Next, "You don't want to go off at a hundred miles an hour with some crazy exterior trying to sell the client a pretty picture when you don't have a proper general arrangement." Third, establish the interior style the client wants, followed by the exterior beauty and elegance. Finally, you want to combine functionality with fun. A good example is an 18-meter pool in the main saloon with a hydraulic floor that turned the space into a nightclub.

What I experienced

The planning of the 2024 SkillsUSA national championships is underway. The tech committee chairpeople, of which I am one, gathered in Nashville in the auditorium at TCAT (Tennessee College of Applied Technology) Smyrna Campus and Nissan Training Facility. I was only able to take photos of a small part of the facility; Nissan forbade it in the most interesting areas, such as the robotics lab. In the body shop, I was amazed to see the students learning how to use Bondo. I thought local shops had all adopted a "Replace and Repaint" mindset. Anyway, the local SkillsUSA chapter is hosting its first annual Chili Cookoff on February 19 and 21. If you're around the Murfreesboro area of TN, there's probably nowhere else you'll be able to eat this well for $7 (entry, a drink, and Fritos).

What I learned

If the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, Travis Kelce (if you're a Swifty - Taylor's new BF) could earn an additional $157,000, while players on the losing team will earn $82,000. But the artist performing the halftime show doesn't get paid at all. It used to be local college bands that entertained. Not anymore. So why do big-named acts like Gloria Estefan, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross do it? Commercial airtime is worth $14 million per minute. The entertainers are the focus of the event for 13 minutes (Usher negotiated 15 minutes for this year's show). During last year's performance, a dancer handed Rihanna a sleek white makeup compact between songs. The pop star quickly blotted Invisimatte, setting powder from her Fenty beauty line across her cheeks. The moment didn’t last five seconds, but the internet went nuts. AdWeek reported the performance earned Fenty $5.6m in media value over the next 12 hours. I can't wait to see what Usher is selling that needs an additional $28 million in airtime.

What I'm pondering

A photographer took pictures from the inside of classical string instruments, and they are pretty cool.

Have a triumphant week!

PS - It's time to start thinking about this year's International Builder's Show in Las Vegas. If you're interested, I have free expo passes, and I'm throwing a Viva Las Pizza Party (February 27). Check them both out at AIBD.org/pizza-party.

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Generative AI assisted in writing and editing this email's content. If you find a mistake, don't blame the technology. Sometimes, I ignore its suggestions.