http://jim.medding.net/blog Gifted the ability to know higher truth Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:05:25 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en With the 2012 presidential campaign in full swing, I’m frequently reminded of the following scene in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It has always been one of my favorites, but now it seems to have taken on an additional meaning. Bedevere: Why do you think that she is ... http://jim.medding.net/blog/2012/01/12/being-a-newt/ Many small towns have a local newspaper and the one I live in is no exception. Once a week someone throws a paper onto the end of my driveway expecting that I’ll read it and patronize the local businesses who advertise in it. As you can imagine, there isn’t much ... http://jim.medding.net/blog/2011/04/04/children-should-be-seen-or-maybe-not/ Having cleaned up a few messes myself during my career, I can really identify with this quote. A lifetime in engineering gives you a very good antenna. It also cures people of any self belief they cannot be wrong. You clear up a lot of messes during a lifetime in engineering. ... http://jim.medding.net/blog/2011/03/28/clearing-up-engineering-messes/ There is no theorem that says the interesting things in the world are conserved, only the total of everything. Richard Feynman, Cornell University lecture “The Conservation Principles” (#3), 1964 http://jim.medding.net/blog/2011/03/21/the-conservation-principles/ It’s Pi day! "How does one celebrate Pi Day?" you might be asking. Put Pi on your socks, obviously. http://jim.medding.net/blog/2011/03/14/pi-day-celebration/ We’ve all seen them – "international" icons used to communicate a message without using written words. Some work and some don’t. [caption id="attachment_324" align="aligncenter" width="283"][/caption] Since moving into a new building at work, I’ve been puzzled about the icon used to communicate evacuating the building during a fire. It just didn’t ... http://jim.medding.net/blog/2011/03/12/more-urgency-please/ A recent text message exchange between my wife and myself has convinced me that perhaps it’s time to consider a cell phone upgrade. Wife: I found some glasses today and they are on order. They were reasonably priced although I am looking at some pricey sunglasses. Me: Ugh! Ok thanks for the warning Wife: I like ... http://jim.medding.net/blog/2010/07/27/txtg-on-stoopid-phne-hurtz-am-hppy-much/ Even though it’s one of the most famous motorcycle races in the world, the Isle of Man TT get’s very little attention here in the States. Well, perhaps outside of the motorcycle racing world here in the states. Then again, motorcycle racing just doesn’t get any attention here in the ... http://jim.medding.net/blog/2010/06/15/a-quick-drive-around-the-isle-of-man/ Recently, a date encoding in an auto-generated e-mail subject heading caught my eye. It was an interesting pattern. Being the type of person to see the street number of a house and think “I like that number” before realizing that it’s my birth date, I decided to treat myself and ... http://jim.medding.net/blog/2009/10/10/the-answer-to-life-the-universe-and-everything-day/ Recently, after I shared one of my favorite racing videos with a coworker, he responded by suggesting that since I liked old racing videos, I might like this one: On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB ... http://jim.medding.net/blog/2009/09/28/a-quick-drive-through-paris/