The Shopping Trip The kitchen table is filled with the bounty of a successful shopping trip: a light bulb, D cell batteries, a box of cereal, a pound of baby carrots, a package of chicken legs, and a toothbrush. They are all wrapped, sealed, encased, and/or otherwise entombed in plastic. Airtight, watertight, impervious,
During my first trip to a third-world country (Egypt in 2002), I was fascinated to see how they were modernizing. The best example was they were adopting cell phones, thus skipping land lines. In effect, they were leaping over an entire iteration of technology. I thought of this while reading an article about how an
There is so much talk these days about developing alternative forms of energy, especially solar. But there is one idea that’s so obvious that I’m surprised I didn’t see it coming. An artificial leaf. I first saw this idea on a LinkedIn post from Bill Gates, which led to “The Race to Invent the Artificial
One of the hallmarks of the Disney animated TV show “Darkwing Duck” was a cadre of eccentric villains, like Dr. Reginald Bushroot, a vengeful botanist who became part plant after a failed experiment (http://darkwingduck.wikia.com/wiki/Bushroot). I recalled this when I read about a German forester who is giving plants credit for some very human characteristics. Peter
Smokey Bear would be appalled. Australian Aborigines have always used fire as a hunting aid and to keep ecosystems healthy. They realized something long before we did — small fires burn away excess plant material and prevent catastrophes. But according to Aboriginal lore, there was another native species who saw the value of fire —
For the past twenty-plus years, I’ve met once a week with a group of friends to play “wargames.” Not running through the woods (I’m too old for that), but board games that are historical simulations. It can be tough to make a decision sometimes, especially if you know what really happened and you’re trying for
How do you know if a marriage will last? This is definitely out of my area of expertise, but I’ve run across someone who has developed some signs to watch for. One neutral observer who spends a lot of time with the couple. A wedding photographer. A group of professional wedding photographers have compiled a
If you’ve ever wanted to start a business, you have to pick a catchy name. But most of those have already been taken. In fact, most of the words you use every day are probably trademarked. The problem is outlined in an article entitled “Someone probably owns most of the things you say” by Janet Nguyen
My last post highlighted water shortages, using Cape Town, South Africa as an example, and one agricultural solution being tried in Oklahoma. As a follow-up, the BBC has published a list of the eleven other cities most likely to run out of drinking water. If you’re wondering if you live in a vulnerable area, the
Whenever I get a chance to teach social studies, I tell my students that sometime in their lifetimes there will be a war over water somewhere in the world. You’ve probably seen the stories about Cape Town, South Africa, and how their current water supply is measured in months. The latest projection is they will
