$1.2 MILLION, EVENTUALLY, FOR LOSING A DEBATE WITH EINSTEIN
THIS IS A WIN-WIN story in the annals of theoretical physics. In 1905, Albert Einstein published the equation E = mc2, thus positing that energy and mass are essentially two … Continue reading
CAN YOU FEEL IT WITH ME NOW?
CELLPHONES ARE so reliable now that we rarely ask, “Can you hear me now?” However, Science magazine, April 28, 2021, reports that “New Google Effort Uses Cellphones to Detect Earthquakes,” … Continue reading
BEVS AT A CRITICAL JUNCTION
BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLES have hitherto been few and far between. But environmental goals around the world are increasing BEV presence and impact. True, these are clean-air vehicles, even with mixed … Continue reading
RETHINKING NEANDERTHALS PART 2
JOHN LANCASTER’S ARTICLE, “Twenty Types of Humans,” London Review of Books, December 17, 2020, got me thinking about the status of Homo neanderthalensis. In particular, perhaps they weren’t knuckle-dragging stocky … Continue reading
RETHINKING NEANDERTHALS PART 1
“OF ALL OUR human relatives,” John Lancaster wrote in the London Review of Books, December 17, 2020, “the closest in both time and genetics, the most compelling, and the best … Continue reading
“CAN YOU READ ME A FLOPPY, GRANDPA?” PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, we found that scads of 1s and 0s weren’t amenable to human memory. Stacks of punched cards had critical ordering. And cassette loading of programs was … Continue reading
“CAN YOU READ ME A FLOPPY, GRANDPA?” PART 1
THE QUESTION ABOVE is grammatically correct: I intend “can,” not “will,” nor “may.” Those of a certain age may remember asking, “Mrs. Grimbly, can I open a window?” She’d say, … Continue reading
THUMBS UP! AND OVER
AN OPPOSABLE THUMB optimizes interaction with the other four digits of a hand (or foot—gorillas have opposable big toes too). Humans have opposable thumbs, as do most other primates. Cats, … Continue reading
CELEBRATING PASTA ENGINEERING
HERE’S A WIN-WIN for science, for the environment, and for cuisine: a pasta that changes shape from flat to fancy as it cooks. At first glance, this may seem like … Continue reading
SHIPPING TIDBITS
THE ARTICLE “Gargantuanisation,” by John Lancaster, in the London Review of Books, April 22, 2021, is a review of Laleh Khalili’s Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 