Day: March 16, 2004

As always in engineering, there are limits to what we know.  We’re used to this—it feels natural.  But to physicists, defining the border between what is known and what is unknown is irresistible.  They may fret over whether Schrödinger’s cat is alive, dead, or both; engineers will look at the airtight box, then at their…

If you don’t floss your teeth, they won’t necessarily rot away.  The vast majority of car trips do not include any metal bending, so why wear seat belts?  And why not smoke?  Not all smokers get cancer.  Or you could adopt Oscar London’s compromise, "If you smoke, why bother wearing a seat belt?"  And some…