The Road Not Taken

Dedicated to KT.
Photo: Reinhard Kargl

This is a picture I took at the Huntington Library last week. At first I was not sure if I liked it. But when I was told that the image evoked impressions from one of my favorite poems, I was sold on it.

Here is the poem by Robert Frost, first published in 1916 in the collection Mountain Inverval. (More information can be found here.)

•••

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

•••

 

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard

“Food Rules” by Michael Pollan

Most of us are trying to become more conscious about what we put into our mouths. In the age of industrially manufactured, synthetic “food”, all-you-can eat buffets and heavily advertised junk available around the clock, it’s not always easy to separate the fad from the food.

Journalism professor and bestselling author Michael Pollan just came out with a concise paperback guide consisting of 64 simple, universal rules. These can be read in less than 20 minutes and are easy to understand and memorize.

At a suggested retail price of $11, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual is a bargain. (Publisher: Penguin Paperback, 112 pages, ISBN-13: 978-0143116387)

Pollan is also the author of the highly acclaimed The Omnivore’s Dilemma: the Secrets Behind What You Eat and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard

What “Nuclear Option”?

Not even the nuclear industry claims with a straight face that it could ever be cost efficient without massive government subsidies. Last week the White House answered the nuclear lobby’s call in the form of loan guarantees for “a new generation of safe, clean nuclear plants”. For this, Obama has earmarked $36 billion.

But what about nuclear waste storage options? More than half a century has passed since the first nuclear power plants became operational. And yet, we don’t even have any options on where to stick existing nuclear waste in the long term. And we have essentially no plans for waste from the touted next generation of nuclear reactors.

In the U.S., the nuclear industry has been eerily absent from this discussion. Because for reasons that are beyond strange, the industry is not responsible for the permanent storage of the waste it generates. The federal government (read: the taxpayer) is.

Not surprisingly, the government has been handling this problems with the same acumen it handles all other huge undertakings. First, a huge bureaucracy was created. It was then paralyzed by congressional infighting, partisan divisions, various lobbies, rebelling states (neither of which is keen to become the radioactive dumping ground for the entire nation) and political posturing. Add to that campaign contributions in one form or another and one arrives at a predictable political quagmire.

Precise figures are not obtainable, but it has been estimated that $14 billion have been spent on project “studies” since 1983. That’s just for “thinking” about options. The result? We are no closer to a long term storage solution than we were decades ago. The proposed Yucca Mountain repository for high level waste is all but dead. The proposed 2011 budget contains no funding for it. And even if the Yucca Mountain project would be revived over the objection of many geologists who consider the site unsafe, it would not have enough capacity. Not to forget that it would cost the taxpayer more than $100 billion to build and operate!

So we continue to have nuclear waste sitting in interim storage on hundreds of reactor sites across the United States — a huge security risk, but the only option we have had for decades. And the only option available for the foreseeable future.

At a symposium during last week’s annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Diego, California, geologist Allsion Macfarlane (George Mason University, Virginia) put it this way: The U.S. should consider “moving waste management out” of the federal government’s hands, perhaps into a public-private partnership. (And why not make the nuclear industry entirely responsible for the cost of nuclear waste management? After all, that’s what we demand of other industries).

While given past experiences on this issue would seem to make Macfarlane’s suggestion a logical step, I remain skeptical that consensus on a sound, cost efficient and safe solution will be found before radioactive waste from the proposed new generation of nuclear plants needs disposal.

So let’s not fool ourselves with talk about “options” when there are none in sight.

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard

Long Live The Flying Saucer!

Some inventions fly all over the planet. One such thing is the Frisbee, whose inventor, Walter Fredrick Morrison passed away at the age of 90 last week.

Since the 1950s, hundreds of millions of people (and their dogs) have been enjoying the flying discs. The original mass manufacturer, the American toy company Wham-O Inc., has sold more than 200 million of them. In addition, there must have been hundreds of millions of knockoffs made all over the world.

I grew up in Europe. My personal introduction to the Frisbee arrived with Kirk, an American exchange student from Ohio, who stayed with us at my parents’ house. To me as a boy, Kirk seemed very cool and very mature.

Childhood memories: Kirk in my parents' backyard, demonstrating proper Frisbee technique. It's all in the wrist!

Inventor Fredrick Morrison’s family moved from Utah to California when Fred was 11 years old. In 1937, he and his girlfriend Lucile began tossing a large popcorn lid back and forth. It seemed like a fun thing to do at a Thanksgiving party. The fun soon continued at Santa Monica Beach, where the couple switched to tossing a cake pan.

Californians are always quick to pick up a trend. When another beach-goer offered Morrison a quarter for the cake pan, it dawned on him that he had a business. (A cake pan cost just a nickel, thus allowing a hefty margin). Soon, Morrison and his girlfriend were selling cake pans at the beach.

They married in 1939. Soon afterwards, Morrison was off to the war. He served in the Army Air Force as a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot in Europe, was shot down and spent 48 days as prisoner of war.

Back home in 1946, Morrison used his aviator’s knowledge to sketch a more aerodynamical disc, which he called the Whirlo-Way. With experiments and experience, the discs’ shape was further improved and resulted in the Pluto Platter of 1955. Two years later, Morrison sold the patent to Wham-O Inc., also known for the Hula-Hoop a dozen other wacky toys. It was Wham-O that came up with the name “Frisbee” – which Morrison first resented but then (after receiving more than $2 million in royalties) made peace with.

And that’s the story!

I’m not sure what happened to Kirk after he left. But the Frisbee he gave me, made from indestructible plastic, might still be found in my parents’ basement somewhere.

_______________________________________________________

TweetReinhard

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard

Buster Keaton, Fountain Pens, Starry Skies (And A Dog Rescue)

This has been a full weekend.

Friday night, I attended a screening of Buster Keaton’s 1928 silent movie Steamboat Bill, Jr., surrounded by historical instruments at the Nethercutt Collection. The Nethercutt not only has a world renowned collection of classic cars, but also restores and exhibits historic reproducing pianos, Nickelodeons, phonographs, striking watches, Orchestrions, cylinder and disc music boxes. The engineering of these things has always fascinated me. Dean Mora, a top expert for 1920s and 1930s music, performed on the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ. (The instrument in the Nethercutt Collection is one of the largest of its kind).

Detail of the Nethercutt's Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. Photo: Reinhard Kargl

Saturday night, friends and I spend time observing the night sky in the mountains outside of Los Angeles. (The mountains of Southern California still have relatively dark sites in proximity to populated areas).

At the entrance to Charmlee Park in the Santa Monica Mountains, California.

With SMAAC founder Robert Lozano and our Newtonian refractor.

Back in the city after midnight, I accidentally ran over a small shaggy dog! Luckily, the animal was not hurt — just tremendously frightened. I noticed the dog had a collar tag, but each time I tried to approach him, the terrorized animal tried to bite me. With lots of patience and smooth talking, I was able to inch closer and closer until he finally allowed me to inspect his collar tag. Finally, an address! Together with my friend Thor, who happened to have a pet crate in his nearby apartment, I sat out on a mission to find the dog’s owner. (Getting the dog into the crate was another problem to be solved. I was bitten, but my leather gloves prevented an injury).

After some difficulties, we were ultimately successful. I ended up banging on doors in a bleak, gang infested, rough neighborhood where hardly anyone spoke English. This generally is not a bright idea in the middle of the night.

But it was all worth it. Roused residents at the building (who at first probably thought we were immigration agents or police officers) directed us to the right apartment and ultimately, to the dog’s family.

It turned out the dog had been lost two days ago and had since been wandering some of the roughest streets of Los Angeles. Happy ending for one dog and his overjoyed family – including a very cute (and very sleepy) little girl in pajamas.

Photo: Dave Gooley

Being a writer, I have a fascination with fine fountain pens. So on Sunday, I attended the annual International Fountain Pen Expo in L.A./Manhattan Beach. Each year, traders, collectors and pen aficionados from all over the world get together to exchange information and trade in vintage and new writing instruments, inks, accessories and ephemera. All of these are prized collectors items.

Photo: Reinhard Kargl

Fountain pens, inks and nibs have become a highly specialized, serious craft. The picture above shows John Mottishaw, one of the world’s most skilled experts for fountain pen nibs. He restores vintage nibs and pens and even customizes them to suit individual preferences. There is such a backlog that the waiting list for new orders is now 8 months!

Vintage fountain pens for sale. Photo: Dave Gooley

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard

Fundamental Change At NASA

The recent announcements by the White House and the NASA administration were no surprise to insiders. The Ares/Constellation program is dead!

Size comparison between Saturn V, Space Shuttle, Ares I, IV and V

Privately, I’ve been contending this for many months: the solid fuel design based on Space Shuttle booster technology is rife with engineering problems, which is why the program was running late. NASA has been tight lipped about the scale of these problems, which is understandable. But enough has been leaked to call the technical and financial feasibility into question.

The other Ares-problems were weight issues, cost overruns, uncertain long-term funding and perhaps most importantly — given the allocated funds, everything was taking way too long.

So what does the end of Constellation mean?

First, without a man-rated heavy lift launcher (Ares V), NASA’s half-baked plans to return astronauts on the moon are suspended. Secondly, without a man-rated lifter in the arsenal (Ares I), NASA has no way to transport astronauts to the ISS after the Space Shuttle is finally retired. (The Shuttle’s retirement has been projected for this year).

If Congress confirms this course change, we are looking at the end of an era. From the beginnings of the space program, all major U.S. space transport system have been developed by either NASA or by the military. Specific tasks were farmed out to contractors, but everything was managed from the top. On the military side, independent contractors began to take on an increasingly autonomous and commercial role. This development was not mirrored on the civilian side, where the complex Space Shuttle system, which continues to cost half of NASA’s budget just to operate for a few flights per year, prevented any fundamental restructuring. Too many people had vested interests in keeping the Shuttle program going for 30 years.

It looks as though finally, the time has now come to get NASA out of building and managing launch systems. In the future, this may be left entirely to competing commercial contractors. Several players are ready to go, and they can possibly do what NASA’s bureaucracy could not achieve: faster, better, cheaper.

Even the military, which certainly cannot claim to have achieved efficient cost control when it comes to managing such huge and expensive programs, has done a better job encouraging lower launch costs than NASA has. And this point is crucial, because the most important and most expensive part of space missions has never been the actual operating costs in space, but the cost of development and launch.

We may be looking at a new beginning!

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard

59th Journalist Killed In Mexico

The bloody corpse of radio journalist Jose Louis Romero was found last Saturday on a highway near Los Mochis in Sinaloa, Mexico. His body had been shoved into a plastic bag, the hands bound and broken. One bullet was lodged in the shoulder and two in the head. Romero had been reporting on drug trafficking.

A few hours later, gunmen killed the chief police investigator who had started to investigate the murder.

According to Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission, this was the 59th murder of a Mexican journalist since 2000.

Last week, the body of regional newspaper reporter Valentin Valdes was found with a threatening message. Valdes had been reporting on the arrests of suspected drug traffickers. His newspaper has announced that in view of the threat, all reporting on drug violence may have to be suspended.

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard

After Five Years, A New Layout

When I started this blog five years ago, it was just an experiment. I didn’t think it would attract any attention but considered it a good exercise and playground. To my surprise, readership has grown steadily and now reaches several thousand per month.

When I began, I was not happy with any of templates and blogging platforms in existence at the time. I didn’t like the clutter of permalinks and sidebars and didn’t want to bother with categorized posts. I didn’t want to click buttons or pull down menus. I simply wanted to write. I just wanted a simple string of text, divided into paragraphs and segments – similar to what you might find in a printed magazine.

So I decided to write everything in simple HTML, which allowed me to do it all by myself. Additionally, a simple file structure without self-hosted scripts and databases allowed me to keep a mental overview of where the various files were located.

But now, technology has moved on, and I feel the time has come for a change. Particularly the rise of social networking applications has changed the way content is shared. Unfortunately, this now requires a more standardized and structured way of doing things. Automating certain tasks and relying on templates and hosted scripts has become a necessity.

After giving this some thought (and because I had to study it for clients anyway), I have decided to migrate to a dedicated blogging platform. Among all the options, I decided for a self-hosted WordPress platform.

As time permits, I will be fine tuning various elements, so please be patient while I make these adjustments.

Most likely, due to time constraints I will not move all the posts of the previous five years into the new platform, but they are still accessible in the old HTML files. (Please note that the search box in the sidebar will not work for these files).

Thank you for reading!

BACK TO 2009

BACK TO 2008

BACK TO 2007

BACK TO 2006

BACK TO 2005

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard

R.I.P. Johnny Lee Jett :.

For the fourth time in the course of the last few months, I had to bid final farewell to someone close to me.

John was an extraordinarily kind hearted man who always had a warm smile and handshake to offer. He was the sort of person whom one could wake up in the middle of the night when in trouble, and I never doubted that he would lend a helping hand — no matter what. John was a man for whom honor and integrity were sacred. Not only did he possesses these virtues, but he embodied them.

John was an American patriot, but he loved traveling and exploring the world. Forever curious and deeply interested in history, languages and world cultures, John traveled to over 20 countries on almost every continent. He climbed the pyramids of Egypt and on the Yucatan Peninsula as well as the Great Wall of China. His last travel adventure lead him to visit war memorials in Washington D.C., Pusan, Korea, Nagasaki, Japan and finally, Vietnam. On most of his journeys, John was accompanied by his wife Marie.

John was born on November 1, 1935 in Masonville, Arkansas. He died, as a result of cancer on December 27, 2009. We interred his body at Inglewood Park Cemetery in California.

Related Articles:

TweetReinhard