Happy Friday, dudes. Did you know that in 1971, astronauts on Apollo 14 played the first-ever game of golf on the moon? Alan Shepard took a few swings with a makeshift 6-iron, proving that even in space, dudes will find a way to sneak in a round.

Anyway, no zero-gravity golf here—just top-tier Dude Stuff to launch you into the weekend. Let’s get into it.

Geography Stuff

Why Isn’t There a Bridge at the Strait of Gibraltar?

Imagine standing in Spain, looking across the Strait of Gibraltar, and seeing Africa just eight miles away. That’s the distance between San Francisco and Oakland. It’s shorter than some bridges that already exist—so why hasn’t anyone built one here? It seems like an obvious way to connect two continents, boost trade, and make life easier for travelers. And yet, there’s no bridge. No tunnel either. Just a whole lot of boats. So what’s the holdup?

The World's Most Important Bottleneck

The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the busiest shipping lanes on the planet. It’s the only natural link between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, meaning every major vessel traveling to or from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East passes through it. Over 100,000 ships cross this waterway every year, dwarfing the traffic of the Panama and Suez Canals. That includes oil tankers carrying an estimated 2.4 billion gallons of oil per day—about three times the daily oil consumption of the U.S.

So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. But wouldn’t a bridge make things even easier?

The Challenges: Politics, Plates, and Profit

Turns out, there are a few small obstacles to building a bridge over the Strait of Gibraltar:

1. It’s a Political Mess

Spain and Morocco have never been besties. Gibraltar itself is a British Overseas Territory, which Spain has been trying to reclaim for centuries. Meanwhile, Spain owns two cities inside Morocco (Ceuta and Melilla), which Morocco wants back. These tensions make it tough for the two governments to agree on anything, let alone a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project that would require serious cooperation.

2. Earthquakes & Unstable Ground

The Strait of Gibraltar sits right on the boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. This means earthquakes are a regular occurrence. Any bridge would have to survive massive seismic events, like the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which wiped out coastal cities across Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.

Then there’s the seafloor itself, which is made of unstable Quaternary clay—basically, shifting mud that doesn’t provide a solid foundation for something as massive as a bridge.

3. It’s a Shipping Superhighway

A bridge needs to be tall enough for massive cargo ships to pass underneath. But building one that high, over 8-12 miles, is a logistical nightmare. A drawbridge isn’t an option because the strait is way too busy—waiting hours for a bridge to lower isn’t exactly practical for global shipping companies.

4. There’s No Real Economic Benefit

Bridges like the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France were built because they make money—20 million passengers use it every year. A Gibraltar bridge? Not so much. Ferries already carry about 5 million passengers across the strait annually, and cargo ships handle freight at a fraction of the cost of trucking it across a bridge. Governments aren't keen to invest $20 billion+ in something that wouldn’t generate much return.

What About a Tunnel?

A tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar has been discussed since the 1930s. The most recent proposal was a high-speed rail tunnel spanning 21 miles, connecting Spain’s rail network to Tangier. It sounds great, except…

• The rock under the strait is insanely hard—drilling through it is nearly impossible.

• The project has been stuck in the planning phase for decades.

• The UK threw a wrench in things by proposing their own Gibraltar-to-Tangier tunnel, bypassing Spain altogether.

Construction might start in 2030, but given the history of this idea, don't hold your breath.

The Wildest Bridge Idea Yet

Some engineers refuse to give up on a bridge. Professor T.Y. Lin once proposed a staggeringly long suspension bridge with record-breaking 3.1-mile spans between pylons. Another architect, Eugene Tssui, came up with a floating underwater bridge connected by a massive artificial island that would generate enough energy to power southern Spain and Morocco. Cool idea, but with a price tag of $10 billion+, don’t expect to see it built anytime soon.

So, Will a Bridge Ever Be Built?

Probably not. Spain and Morocco aren’t exactly eager to split the cost. Earthquakes and unstable ground make construction risky. And trade through the strait is already booming without a bridge, so there’s no urgent financial incentive.

For now, the best way across the Strait of Gibraltar remains the same as it has been for thousands of years: hop on a boat.

Check This Out

The most badass dude in… darts?

The UK Open Darts Tournament starts this weekend, so let’s celebrate with this masterpiece. He calls every shot with absolute confidence… then misses every single one. A true lesson in unwavering self-belief.

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Learn Something

Balls to the Wall: Not What You Think

Ever used the phrase “balls to the wall” and had someone give you a weird look? Like you just said something wildly inappropriate? Relax, you’re not out here corrupting the youth—you’re just unknowingly referencing steam engines.

Yeah, really. The phrase actually comes from the world of engineering, not...whatever you were picturing.

Back in the age of steam power, machines used a centrifugal governor to control their speed. This contraption had two weighted metal balls attached to spinning arms. The faster the engine ran, the more the balls were flung outward due to centrifugal force—until they were fully extended, or, as the saying goes, “balls to the wall.” In other words, max power, full speed ahead.

But wait, there’s more! Some say the phrase also comes from early aircraft throttles, which had a ball-shaped grip on top. To go full throttle, pilots would push it all the way forward—to the firewall—hence, “balls to the wall.” Either way, it’s all about going full send.

So next time someone raises an eyebrow at your perfectly innocent use of “balls to the wall,” hit them with a history lesson.

Not to mention, it’s the title for one of the most badass songs of all time.