Energy Demand
I drive a 2008 Prius, not because I am on a personal campaign to save the planet, but because gas is $4 a gallon and there are other things I would rather spend my money on. I am always a bit amused when my friends in their all-electric Nissan Leaves (nobody in my neighborhood can […]
Watch What You Eat
The year 1984 came and went with very little fanfare, and only scant reference to George Orwell’s dystopian novel and its predictions of pervasive government surveillance. It certainly isn’t lack of technology that keeps us from realizing George’s vision of the future. Not only do we not trust each other, but we apparently don’t […]
Brown Raises California Taxes
Definition of a politician: A man who can make his wife feel sorry for the girl who left her panties in his glove compartment. Of course politics involves a lot more than just eliciting empathy; success also means appearing mainstream regardless of what stream you happen to be in. Unless you are a […]
Accountability
It is said that your “character” is defined by what you do when you are certain no one is watching. Unfortunately, this only works for you. For everyone else, a company called Taser International now has the answer. Taser has recently announced a tiny camera that can be clipped to, for example, a […]
Green Railguns
Even the U.S. Navy is going green. With all the press that the Tesla is getting lately, it was easy to miss Uncle Sam’s latest foray into electric propulsion. In an effort to preserve the world’s dwindling resources of gunpowder, the Air Warfare and Weapons department of the Office of Naval Research recently demonstrated […]
Pink Slime Delicacy
Over the years, my family and I have hosted several Japanese exchange students during the summer months. Their first food request after they get off the plane is always the same – “American Hamburger”. Although McDonalds now spans the globe, a burger in Tokyo is just not as good as one in the […]
Grading the Candidates
I’ve spent years explaining to college students why grading is necessary. I have thoughtfully reviewed all the reasons why I can’t just give everyone an “A” and make them love me. Grades are merely a tool, I have said; they help you to adjust your learning modalities and achieve your life goals more […]
The Age of Anxiety
In an age where cave dwellers ate small animals and worried about being eaten by larger ones, anxiety was a good thing. “Fight or flight” has seen its day, and that occasional, sudden bolus of adrenaline has been replaced by a lower, 24/7 time-release dosage. “The Age of Anxiety” by W.H. Auden won […]
Thugs in the NBA
Is it just me, or is the NBA becoming a collection of thugs? I know you should never judge a book by its cover, and I certainly have tried my best to avoid stereotyping people based on their appearance. Nevertheless, I can’t help but wonder, as I watch an NBA game, what these […]
Remember “Tebow Time”?
There was a six week period where the excitement over Tim Tebow grew like a nuclear reaction, with “buzzer beater” wins leading to more and more attention. The Denver Broncos backed into the NFL playoffs, too embarrassed to wear the T-shirts and caps that celebrated their AFC West championship. Everyone picked the Pittsburgh […]
