Trusting bathroom scales Dec 8, 2008
It's almost funny how much faith we put in bathroom scales, considering the fact that they're cheap, simple, relatively inaccurate, and certainly not precise measuring devices.  The mechanism inside a scale is likely either a spring or a strain gauge, both of which are affected by repeated use, temperature, and likely humidity.  Plus, it's a standard and necessary practice in industry to calibrate measuring devices at least daily, if not more often.  A digital scale that simply zeroes itself doesn't mean it's calibrated.  Nonetheless, I gained two pounds this weekend according to my bathroom scale. #science
Third eye Nov 26, 2008
A parietal eye is an organ on the top of the head of some lizards, frogs, and fish that's sensitive to light, likely "regulating circadian rhythmicity and hormone production for thermoregulation."  Whoa.  Typical wilderness conversation: 
Bob the Lizard:  Even though I'm not facing you, I can still sort of see what you're doing, Jimmy. 
Jimmy the Frog:  Shut up Bob.  I'll poke your three eyes out.
#science
Correlation vs. causation Nov 20, 2008
One of the many interesting things Freakonomics talked about was the difference between correlation and causation.  Correlation means that two or more things are related; causation means that one thing caused another thing.  We humans tend to confuse the two and jump to faulty conclusions that cause lots of problems later on.  For example, let's say the headlines read, "People who eat chocolate daily are three times as likely to develop arthritis."  Our tendency is to assume that daily chocolate consumption causes arthritis.  However, if we actually looked at the data, we might find that people who eat chocolate daily have a tendency to overeat in general, whereby they gain excess weight, causing undue stress on their knees and ankles, causing arthritis.  So daily chocolate consumption and arthritis are correlated.  Wikipedia (as usual) has more. #science
Reusing zip-lock bags (3) Nov 18, 2008
When I was growing up, I thought my family was poor.  Other kids had plastic sandwich bags that zipped shut; I was stuck with those stupid ones with the flap that folds over, which really didn't work at all.  But then the day came:  My mom started buying zip-lock bags.  I figured we must've won the lottery or somehow made it big.  Zip-lock bags = success in life. 

But then it started going downhill.  I would notice a bag or two sitting next to the dish drainer.  I would wonder, "Who left these used bags out?  They belong in the trash."  And then I caught my mom in the act -- she was washing the bags after using them, giving them a second life they didn't deserve at all.  I was back to square one.  My family was so poor, we had to reuse zip-lock bags. 

I went through a phase in early adulthood where my trips to the supermarket were a statement of rebellion against how I was raised.  I bought zip-lock bags.  I bought draw-string trash bags.  I bought candy and cookies, and often did so without thinking about it beforehand, i.e. spur of the moment.  I was successfully misdirecting my rage into shopping, which I've heard is a good idea.  And those zip-lock bags I bought?  Sometimes I would just throw them in the trash for the fun of it, without even using them, simply because I could.  (I'm kidding, of course.)

Fast forward a few years, and here I am, in my kitchen, washing dishes ... and plastic zip-lock bags.  I was opposed to it at first.  We make enough money to buy all the plastic zip-lock bags in the world, but it's not about the money.  [Serious moment coming]  It's about the landfills.  Most times we use a plastic bag, we simply throw it in the trash when we're done because that's what you do with disposable things.  That's why plastic was invented in the first place (or something along those lines).  But if you reuse a bag even once, you've effectively doubled the lifespan of that bag.  It lasted 100% longer than it was intended.  And I think that's a start.  Since plastic in landfills will essentially never go away, I think it would be a good idea to cut down on the source, which turns out to be me.  So now not only do I reuse zip-lock bags (washing them isn't so bad), I reuse plastic shopping bags as well (at least the ones that haven't been used for the transport of cat excrement).  And I recycle, even though I'm not fully convinced it's real.  In general, I think it's a good idea to cut down on disposable things and try to reuse as much as possible.  It probably won't help much, but it's something. #science
Densely packed M&M's (2) Oct 22, 2008
A few years ago, scientists at Princeton University discovered that oblate spheroids, when poured into a spherical container and shaken, pack more densely than any other shape.  In other words, the best way to fill up a spherical candy dish (which would be a stupid thing to own because it would roll off the table) is with M&M's (which are oblate spheroids), not Jelly Beans (which are prolate spheroids).  You can't argue with science. #science
Heating season Oct 7, 2008
I hate these first few weeks of fall where the temperature drops at night but is almost comfortable during the day, leaving me on the fence about whether to turn the heat on or not.  I realize that once I turn it on, I won't turn it off until like May.  It means my electric bill will septuple in size (x7, quite literally).  It means winter is upon us, which is never fun.  So I make the decision to sit around with my jacket on, keep my hands warm by sitting on them, freeze my butt off when I get out of the shower, and generate heat by putting the blanket over my head in bed, all for the purpose of delaying heating season. #science
Two things on engineers (2) Jun 16, 2008
I'm an engineer.  Two common misconceptions come up when people hear this. 
  1. "You must like trains."  Wrong.  People mistakenly group engineers with trains because train conductors are often called engineers.  That's because they operate engines, which, oddly enough, is almost completely unrelated to engineering.  Sure, engines are designed by engineers, and the entire railroad industry was essentially created by engineers.  But just because I have a degree in engineering doesn't mean I understand or am interested in how trains work.
  2. "You must like cars."  Wrong.  I hate cars.  I believe what my dad always said:  "A car is the worst investment you'll ever make."  But aside from the financial aspect, there's the mechanic aspect.  I'm a mechanical engineer, so people assume mechanical → mechanic → cars → you like cars.  Again, mechanical engineering has almost nothing to do with cars aside from the fact that the automotive industry was created by engineers.  But just because I have a degree in mechanical engineering doesn't mean I can fix your transmission.
In conclusion, train conductor and car mechanic a mechanical engineering degree do not make. #science
General purpose bomb Apr 21, 2008
I went to a military museum recently and was intrigued by the description of the 20-foot long, 43,600-lb T12 bomb.  The inscription on the bomb itself clearly says "General Purpose".  Is it just me, or does a bomb that big seem to serve more than just a general purpose?  General purpose military items are things like bullets, grenades, and even tank rounds.  But a bomb that creates an effect similar to an earthquake and which can only be transported by the largest combat aircraft ever built seems like it serves a pretty specific purpose. 

Also, the plane that carried this bomb was the Convair B-36, also known as the Peacemaker.  Achieving peace through bombing.  That's how it's done. #science
Snow on my birthday Apr 18, 2008
No, it didn't snow today.  In fact, it was unseasonably warm in New Jersey, getting into the mid-80s.  It was especially weird because it dropped down into the 30s just a few days before.  At some point in my lifetime, it snowed on my birthday.  It wasn't a big snow, and I believe it melted later the same day.  But it definitely snowed on my birthday.  I swear it. #science
Antarctica facts Feb 7, 2008
Two facts I learned from a Snapple cap and later verified with Wikipedia: 
  1. In addition to being the coldest and windiest continent, Antarctica is the driest continent.
  2. Antarctica is the highest continent (has the highest average elevation).
Unfortunately, both sources of information are incredibly difficult to verify (aren't some Snapple facts false?), but like most things on Wikipedia, these facts sound believable and there's really no reason for them to be false.  Either way, quite interesting. #science