Posts by Thomas Hill III

Recently, there was an estate sale down the street from my house. When my wife and I were still in college, we frequently shopped thrift stores, garage sales, and estate sales, but these days, we rarely even glance as we go by. This one was walking distance from our house, so we strolled down to…

I’m 60 (I actually turned 61 Saturday). Turns out, that is a magic number. Medical and scientific research shows that significant molecular and microbe changes occur around the age of 60. The biggest changes are related to cardiovascular disease, immune regulation, kidney function, carbohydrate and caffeine metabolism, and skin and muscle. Most of these changes look and…

Einstein once described taking flying lessons to a group of students. He explained that the instructor told him that if there was a crosswind, piloting directly toward the desired point would cause drifting, leading you to end up somewhere downwind. To land where you intended, you must pilot toward a point upwind from that spot.…

Off and on until as late 1971, US currency was convertible to gold on demand. This was the “gold standard,” meaning you could trade your paper money for actual gold, making it representative money. President Nixon officially ended international convertibility of the U.S. dollar to gold on August 15, 1971. Since then, US currency is…

I am not a fan of the beach. I’m not particularly fond of bright, hot sunshine. I really don’t enjoy swimming in (or even getting into) water that isn’t sanitized and contained in concrete and tile. I hate sand; it gets everywhere. However, the engineer in me does love a good sandcastle, and for that I…

Phobophobia is the fear of phobias or the fear of fear. While there is no exact number, and clinicians and researchers create new names as needed, there are over 400 recognized phobias. That’s a lot of things we are afraid of. Over 25 million people in the U.S. have Aerophobia, the fear of flying, and many are…

We went white water rafting once when the river flow was very high (read fast). It was exciting and exhausting at the same time. For our guide to steer, the boat had to be going faster than the water—which means we had to paddle like mad. Conversely, we have also rafted when the flow was low…

Would you rather have $1,000,000 dollars today or 1¢ with your total doubling every day for 30 days? Unless you are very young or haven’t been paying attention, you will choose the penny and end up with over $5,000,000 dollars. This is an example of exponential growth and is often used as an encouragement to…

The HMS Resolute set sail in 1852 to search (for a second time) for Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition. The Resolute had been part of an earlier expedition to look for Franklin’s group which had returned with evidence of Franklin’s first winter camp. Franklin, with 2 ships and 128 men, set out in 1845 to explore the Northwest Passage.…

It is a scene that will unfold in countless homes on Christmas Day. Presents will be pulled out from around the tree and passed to the intended recipients. Some will patiently take turns revealing the contents of each package as the others look on. Others will disgorge every package in a flurry of wrapping paper…