Bike and Beyond...

Doomsday! No joke!

So, my friend Chan is currently attending University of Michigan to get his PHD in Physics, (I'm sure it's a more in depth title, but close enough). Anyway, he and I routinely have conversations about whats happening in the physics world; I read or find out something interesting, throw it by him and see what he says. I try, or at least pretend, to be slightly informed about the field... mostly because it interests me. Of course, it's nothing like Chan's understanding of it. I figure it's good cocktail party conversation: "Hear about how scientists might destroy the earth with a black hole?" "No, what?" "Yeah, not a huge chance but could happen...hows your drink?" Something like that. Also, I figure if I ever become a science teacher it will be good to have some knowledge of current events. Anyway, it always ends up being slightly entertaining to me and I'm almost positive it is to Chan.

Below is one of our recent conversations about the link I sent him:

Todd: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/03/27/823924.aspx

And if you wondering about the laser, check out his blog here. The last post is about the laser he is currently working on. He hasn't posted in a while but I'm assuming it's cause he is too busy burning holes in soda cans.

Good Luck!

Labels: Doomsday, Hadron Collider, Physics

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posted by Todd Johnson @ 3:24 PM Comments: 0

Memories...

A few days ago I was in my apartment and I smelled a Skunk, a strange thing happened, but that skunk smell brought me back to my childhood. As funny as it sounds, here is a sample of what happened in my brain:

I smelled the skunk and then thought of Hampton and when I was a kid. My neighbor and best friend, Mike, and I would always play in the woods. Behind his house there is a very small stream that we would always play around (can't keep boys away from water). Well around water back where we live is a plant called Skunk Cabbage. Like it sounds, when you stepped on this plant or broke it at all, it would smell very strongly and almost exactly like Skunk. Being the boys we were, we would always step on it with our boots to cause it to stink. Every time it would rain, we would call each other up to meet at the stream to check out how fast it was flowing. We would go downstream where there was a small natural pool. With our boots and rain jackets on we would put rocks and boards at the bottom of it to create a damn. The object was to get the pool as big as we could. After being satisfied with our damns strength we would walk up stream breaking up any natural blockages in the waters path. We pretended we were forest rangers cleaning up the stream. The farther we went up, the faster it seemed to flow. After doing this for some time we would return to see the fruits of our labor. Usually by then, with the added water, the damn would need some reworking and the whole process would start over. Hours later, cold and soaked, we would head home for some hot chocolate, proud of the days accomplishments.
It's just amazing how a slight whiff of a smell can bring me back 3,000 miles and 16 years, to a time where my only worry was if a stream was flowing and a pool was filling...

Labels: Hampton, Memories, Skunk Cabbage

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posted by Todd Johnson @ 12:02 PM Comments: 0

Coming soon...

Just want to say I will post soon, I have a modge podge of things to
write about.

Sent from my iPhone

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posted by Todd Johnson @ 11:34 PM Comments: 0