Ryan Jacobs

Physics of the Impossible

Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel

Michio Kaku presents concepts familiar to both casual and hard-core sci-fi fans alike and discusses the possibility of them happening. Each concept fits into what he calls a Class I, Class II or Class III impossibility.

Class I = Impossible today, but do not violate laws of physics. These could become possible within a few centuries.

Class II= Impossible today and maybe not possible for thousands to millions of years.

Class III= These could only be possible by re-writing current laws of physics.

I don’t recall ever enjoying a book like this so much. His narrative includes explanations of how historical events shaped science and vice-versa.

I really appreciate how he never really closes the door on the possibility of anything, perhaps recognizing how so much has changed scientifically within the last century. Rather, he explains what it would mean for any of these things to be realized. As an example, on the discussion of perpetual motion machines one might ask if they are possible. He classifies these as Class III impossibilities meaning for them to be realized would mean a large change to current understanding of physics.

In short, the book sounds a bit geeky and probably is. Yet I think there is enough balance here to entertain the geek and non-geek alike.

Freshly Scooped On

I saw an odd thing in Starbucks. While waiting in line, I noticed a nice display promoting the Pike Place blend. The little paper bags had seals on them with a hand-written date. I was curious if perhaps they had fixed their freshness problem and were promoting the roast date. No such luck. Closer inspection revealed the verbiage ‘Freshly Scooped On: 5/14′. At least 5/14 happened to be that day, but it is odd to think that they are paying people to scoop stale beans into individual bags at the store to give an illusion of freshness.

Allow me to invoke the great Charlie Brown, ‘Good Grief’. This idea would not have done well in the INeedCoffee Roundtable of Starbucks Ideas.

Interesting side note: the phrase ‘freshly scooped on’ via google returns a link to a cat litter product as the highest link at the moment. That’s certain to change now

Loving Apple TV

The successes of iPod, iMac, MacBook and iPhone are well known. Yet quietly in the corner is Apple TV — not many talk about it. After just a few days use, I am surprised this device doesn’t get more love. Maybe it still needs to rebuild its reputation after the first expensive/not interesting version came out.

We bought one this weekend and let me tell you — this is an unbelievable value IMHO. We got the entry model (40GB) with a lower amount of storage space since we determined a lower need for persistent storage capacity.

In one device, I might possibly realize a la carte viewing.

Television

In many ways, a DVR such as Tivo helps the cable/satellite subscriber achieve more value by recording shows they wouldn’t otherwise watch. But it hurts in much the same way that eating that Super Size Meal does — you feel obligated to consume more than you wanted because you paid for it.

With Apple TV, I can purchase the overwhelming majority of shows I want to watch only when/if I want to watch them. This fills in the gaps of shows I am not getting for free in HD over the air. I can definitely see this as easing the cutting of the cable/satellite cord. If the device added DVR capability it would be game,set, match.

Video Podcasts/YouTube

The other really cool thing is that all of those video podcasts I subscribe to really make more sense now on a television. Viewing YouTube videos on demand is wonderful entertainment. Video quality varies(obviously), but this is probably good for me or I’d be back to gorging at the video trough.

Movies

iTunes movie rentals are straightforward. I think the rental price is fair. Supposedly the HD quality isn’t technically HD or as good as Blu-Ray, but I thought it looked really good.

Music

Yeah, it will play my music library too. That isn’t a small thing when pumped through your home stereo.

Photos

Being able to view my photos on the TV without needing to bring down a camera and plug it in is nice. And the interface is really slick. It adds Flickr support which doesn’t help me much as I am a SmugMug guy, but for a lot of folks this would be great.

Krema Nut Company

I recently stopped into the retail location of Krema Nut Company at 1000 West Goodale Boulevard.  Many times over the years, I have simply walked past the store. Why did I need to go in? After all, I usually purchased their peanut butter in the local groceries.

There are a few things in the retail store you can’t get at the grocery that makes it worth a separate trip.

• Hot & Spicy Peanut Butter - Sounds odd, but it works. I don’t know for certain, but I think this is the type of peanut butter used in Jeni’s Thai Lime Chili ice cream.
• You can arrange a tour of the factory by appointment.
• They have a small food area to make various peanut butter related items including milkshakes and sandwiches. The Peanut Butter and Nana is great, and one that intrigues me is the Kicker. The Kicker is  made with Hot & Spicy Peanut Butter and a Hot Raspberry(?) Jam from Rothschild Farms.

Graceland Cellars

Recently, I noticed some bottles of wine from Graceland Cellars at the grocery.  As an Elvis fan, I have rarely been surprised to see the King used to sell many things, but I must admit that the wine thing strikes me as odd. It seems neither campy enough for the King, nor sophisticated enough for the wine fans.

One thing is for sure, the label on the Jailhouse Red Merlot looks great.

Brutus on Parade

To raise money for the renovation of The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library, The Ohio State University is sponsoring ‘Brutus on Parade‘. If I had the talents to create one of these, I’d definitely do one. Brutus is, without question, the greatest college mascot of all time. Sorry Banana Slug fans.

What I will do is be sure to visit the different designs and take pics.

I ask, is the plural of Brutus, Bruti?

Mushrooms On Logs

I don’t claim to be a fungi expert. If this is a mushroom, toadstool or plain old spore, forgive me. Nevertheless, I found this while walking along the Olentangy Bike Trail. I have eaten many, many mushrooms over the years, but never harvested my own. I became especially fascinated by mushrooms in the wild after reading ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma‘. I think they make interesting photos.

Here are a few more, but in color — the markings I find interesting.

Whetstone Prairie Grass

Photo taken in the Whetstone Prairie, near the Park of Roses in Clintonville. As the season unfolds, we should see more wildflowers and even sunflowers.

Treehenge

This appears to be a non-random collection of similarly sized trees. It reminded me of Stonehenge for some reason. This is positioned along one of the entry points to the Olentangy Bike Trail in Clintonville.

Bridge

I like bridges. This is taken from the Olentangy Bike Trail side and crosses the Olentangy river and 315. Architecturally, this isn’t much to look at, but from this vantage point you aren’t quite sure where it leads. That in and of itself is interesting to me.