THE TOWER OF HANOI—AND CANNONBALLS
IS THE Tower of Hanoi a kid’s game? A mathematical endeavor connected to cannonballs? Or a calendar to the end of the universe? Yes, yes and yes. Start with a … Continue reading
MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS TURBO
ALL THE teams are using new engines in Formula 1 this season, turbocharged direct-injected 1.6-liter V-6s. But innovative packaging of familiar technology is putting the Mercedes AMG Petronas team at … Continue reading
CIVILIZATION, IN A FEW WORDS
AN OP-ED piece in The New York Times, March 30, 2014, “Civilization’s Starter Kit” by astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell discussed an interesting question. It was first posed by physicist Richard Feynman: … Continue reading
LIVING DAGUERREOTYPES
THE FEBRUARY 21, 2014, issue of Science magazine, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, contained a news item titled “Portraits and Their Parasites.” How could I pass … Continue reading
WILL THE REAL REALITY PLEASE STAND OUT
A HEADLINE in The New York Times, February 16, 2014, read “Is the Universe a Simulation?” (See http://goo.gl/E9FZgw.) This provocative question aroused my interest all the more because it was … Continue reading
MECHA-MAN, DOKTOR DARKNESS—AND YOU!
HERE’S YOUR chance to choose between Good and Evil—and to promote science along the way. Scientists at Britain’s University of Central Lancashire and a pair of professional comic book artists … Continue reading
BIG CATS, DOGS—AND A SEA OTTER?
BEING AT the top of the food web carries real ecological responsibilities. And I’m not talking about you or me. I’m talking about certain members of the order Carnivra, the … Continue reading
SOLID-STATE BATTERY UPDATE
TOYOTA HAS recently released data on its battery research, both for solid-state batteries expected during a 2020s’ timeframe as well as a next-generation lithium-air concept perhaps a decade beyond that. … Continue reading
WE ARE WEIRD
A PROVOCATIVE recent book offers the view that we have a lot to learn from primitive societies—from what we might call uncivilized sorts. What with savage rites and all, I’m … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 