Two Slits, Many Questions

Let’s be honest: quantum mechanics is a bizarrely wonderful and beautiful creation of the human mind. Richard Feynman, the Nobel laureate, famously said that, while there were a few people who understood general relativity (another beautiful construct), no one understood quantum mechanics. Yet that doesn’t stop us from using it

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Latest Thoughts on the Origin of Covid-19

Science magazine, the primary journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, had a really interesting article on the latest work being done on trying to figure out where Covid-19 came from. While occasionally dense it’s worth reading.

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How the Coronavirus Infects

This post is based on a fascinating article from the July 29, 2021 issue of Nature. I like to say I studied molecular biology back in the Dark Ages, aka the 1970s. At the time what I was taught was cutting-edge, representing the beginning of insights into how the laws

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The Lab Leak Hypothesis

I found this article from the latest issue of Nature to be very helpful in cutting through the confusion boiling around the search for the origins of COVID-19.

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A Quick Take on mRNA Vaccines

This post was sparked by a question someone asked me about the new mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Don’t take this all to the bank but I think it’s pretty accurate :). Here’s the original question: I’m trying to grok mRNA technology. My current perspectives: It’s “brand new” technology. Maybe 10 years

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An Interesting Problem with Tankless Water Heaters

More specifically, condensing tankless water heaters. The non-condensing kinds don’t suffer from this problem…but they’re not commonly used because the condensing ones are much more energy efficient for not much more cost. A tankless water heater produces hot water on demand. When you turn on the hot tap it senses

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Read This Book! (Transcendence)

About once a decade I come across a book conveying so many fascinating insights that it stands out in my memory, forever, as a “boy I’m glad I found this before I died” experience. Two of those are The River that Flows Uphill by William Calvin and Guns, Germs and

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InReach Mini: It Could’ve Been a Contender

Because many of my motorcycle trips are solo, and take me beyond cell phone coverage (although not off road!), I’ve been interested in satellite-based text messaging devices. As a class, these basically give you the ability to send (and sometimes receive) SMS/text messages by way of orbital satellite networks. Which

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Earthrise

I had no idea that one of the most iconic images of the 20th Century was seen and captured on film by accident. Check out this link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/dE-vOscpiNc Borman’s quote about what he saw is famous. But when I see that image of the Earth coming over the dead lunar

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That’s One Way to Move In!

There’s a new apartment building going up on Walnut Street in San Carlos, just north of San Carlos Avenue. That in and of itself isn’t unusual…but the way it’s being built is, at least for San Carlos. That’s because it’s being assembled out of modules that are built off-site and

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