Three Score and Two Years
Recently I had the pleasure of visiting my grand-daughter’s fifth grade class. Knowing that I work in the STEM field and was once a college professor, the teacher had the students recite the entire periodic table – all 118 elements – in unison. They also understood that these were the basic building blocks of our […]
The Time-Delay Life
I love watching football. It is by far my favorite game on TV. The display of athleticism and skill, the sophistication of the plays, and the strategic battle between opposing coaches all captivate me. Thanks to modern technology, my wristwatch will even prompt me with scoring updates from my favorite teams when I am unable […]
It Doesn’t Take a Brain Surgeon
For many of us, college is that season of life when we are compelled to choose a career path, long before we have any idea of who we are or what we want. Back in my college days, many of my fellow students were the progeny of doctors, lawyers and engineers who saw no other […]
Sweet Dreams
It hit me one afternoon as I walked into our local CVS drugstore to buy mouthwash. While the automatic doors were opening before me, my phone buzzed with a text message. It was from CVS, with a link to all their current sales and coupons. As I looked around the store, my epiphany struck. My […]
Our Curious Habits
As an engineer, I’m often accused by my non-engineer brethren of being overly analytical. I confess that I can’t help scrutinizing some things (well…most things) to try and figure out how they work. This can lead to satisfaction and a boost in self-assurance when things work as expected, and a compulsive drive for further analysis […]
The Science of Pretty Much Anything
In the late sixties, I spent several summers working in a gas station. I learned how to rebuild brakes, mount and balance tires, and perform basic maintenance and repair tasks. I also pumped gas. For those too young to remember, these were the days when you would pull into a gas station and someone would […]
Sentient Stuff
Those of us who have worked in the data storage industry often wonder how our computers match up to the processor we carry around in our own heads. Comparisons are difficult to come by – we can estimate the average number of neurons in a human brain (~ 86 billion), but they are quite different […]
The Rise of Artificial Stupidity
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” – George Carlin Judging from the number of times we use the word “stupid” in our daily discourse, you might conclude that it’s on our minds a lot. It should come as no surprise that Merriam-Webster has numerous definitions for stupid. We have all vilified […]
Metathesiophobes Beware
I was born and raised in Southern California and by the time my wife and I had settled our young family in Santa Barbara (aka Paradise), I swore we would never leave. Nine years later we moved to Niwot, Colorado (aka God’s Country). The scripted answer to “Why?” centered on a job offer that was […]
The End of Eleven
One of the funniest movies ever made, “This is Spinal Tap”, is a mockumentary about a failing heavy metal band. At one point in the film, guitarist Nigel is explaining his amplifier to a filmmaker who is doing a piece on the band. “It’s very special, because, as you can see–the numbers all go […]
