This link is to a write-up of a very funny science experiment. Back in 2014, someone wondered what would happen if a hamster wheel was placed in a forest. Would wild mice use it? And if they did, why? I only fast-scanned this. I’ll spare you the effort: If you place a hamster wheel in the forest, wild mice will...
These days lots of people are thinking about the future of ICEs (Internal Combustion Engines) vs ‘electrics’ and are trying to make realistic projections about various things related to the widely anticipated transition. One personal thought experiment involves today's excellent electric fireplace inserts, which provide both room heat and a highly realistic simulacrum of a traditional fire. Managing combustion is...
Based on over 140 years of record keeping, today, January 17th (2023), is supposed to be the coldest day of the year in Duluth. I think the average low temperature here on this day is something like minus two (ºf) and the average daily high is nineteen. Instead, what we actually got was a high of 37º under dark cloudy skies...
This morning (March 29, 2023) I watched this sort of tedious and longish educational video about traffic problems in the largest city in the Bahamas. Enjoyed it enough to think maybe you’ll find it interesting as well, if you have the time. A few of my takeaways: 1.) I saw this exact same thing during my honeymoon five years ago in Jamaica...
Technology is our creation and the resulting array of physical things that are useful. There are two types of technology: Physical and metaphysical. Physical technologies are things like making a fire, doing agriculture and husbandry, and making tools and buildings and machines. Metaphysical technologies are ideas and beliefs. Things like (for example) religions are useful for raising good children and...
Photo: Dene Halvorson. Click to enlarge. This is a photo of me at the local old biker guy gathering a week ago. Two tables at Sir Ben’s tavern pushed together + a dozen old guys. Mostly acquaintances, some friends. Once a month. I got there via e-bicycle. There are several reasons I’m sharing it here. One is because graininess-and-all, this...
The ancient Greeks had a useful story about a guy named Sisyphus, who forever strained pushing a large heavy ball up an inclined plane. In our time, the famous (but little-known in America) long-time (1960s-80s) president and CEO of the Toyota automobile company, Kiichiro Toyoda, lived, wrote, and spoke this Japanese aphorism: “To shoulder a heavy burden down a long...
Here’s a short-ish story about my old motard-modified Honda XR650L. I bought this bike new in 1994, intentionally planning to make it a motard. That year there was only one factory-made motard available, the very first generation KTM Duke. A friend of mine living in Minneapolis had purchased one and loved it, but within the first few hundred miles the...
Step one: Create a terrific product which answers a question almost nobody is asking. Something entirely new which meets a need few people are interested in meeting. It is important the product only appeals to a small number of consumers. Step two: Make the product so durable it wears out very slowly and rarely requires service. Step three: Make the...
When it comes to crappy spring weather, riders living here can sing “Don’t Cry for Me Minnesota” to the melody of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and really mean it. Below is a screenshot of what might be the worst-ever NWS (National Weather Service) seven-day forecast for April 16th in Duluth Minnesota. It was issued four days ago. Our typical...
This link is to a write-up of a very funny science experiment. Back in 2014, someone wondered what would happen if a hamster wheel was placed in a forest. Would wild mice use it? And if they did, why? I only fast-scanned this. I’ll spare you the effort: If you place a hamster wheel in the forest, wild mice will...
These days lots of people are thinking about the future of ICEs (Internal Combustion Engines) vs ‘electrics’ and are trying to make realistic projections about various things related to the widely anticipated transition. One personal thought experiment involves today's excellent electric fireplace inserts, which provide both room heat and a highly realistic simulacrum of a traditional fire. Managing combustion is...
Based on over 140 years of record keeping, today, January 17th (2023), is supposed to be the coldest day of the year in Duluth. I think the average low temperature here on this day is something like minus two (ºf) and the average daily high is nineteen. Instead, what we actually got was a high of 37º under dark cloudy skies...
Photo: Dene Halvorson. Click to enlarge. This is a photo of me at the local old biker guy gathering a week ago. Two tables at Sir Ben’s tavern pushed together + a dozen old guys. Mostly acquaintances, some friends. Once a month. I got there via e-bicycle. There are several reasons I’m sharing it here. One is because graininess-and-all, this...
The ancient Greeks had a useful story about a guy named Sisyphus, who forever strained pushing a large heavy ball up an inclined plane. In our time, the famous (but little-known in America) long-time (1960s-80s) president and CEO of the Toyota automobile company, Kiichiro Toyoda, lived, wrote, and spoke this Japanese aphorism: “To shoulder a heavy burden down a long...
Here’s a short-ish story about my old motard-modified Honda XR650L. I bought this bike new in 1994, intentionally planning to make it a motard. That year there was only one factory-made motard available, the very first generation KTM Duke. A friend of mine living in Minneapolis had purchased one and loved it, but within the first few hundred miles the...
Step one: Create a terrific product which answers a question almost nobody is asking. Something entirely new which meets a need few people are interested in meeting. It is important the product only appeals to a small number of consumers. Step two: Make the product so durable it wears out very slowly and rarely requires service. Step three: Make the...
When it comes to crappy spring weather, riders living here can sing “Don’t Cry for Me Minnesota” to the melody of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and really mean it. Below is a screenshot of what might be the worst-ever NWS (National Weather Service) seven-day forecast for April 16th in Duluth Minnesota. It was issued four days ago. Our typical...