Lies Your Physics Teachers Told You

Originally posted on Quora in response to the question What are some high school physics misconceptions?

Here are two misconceptions that persist far beyond high school. They surprise even physicists and engineers!

Attach a ball to a bungee cord and swing it in a horizontal circle over your head. What path will the ball take if you release the cord?

We’ve all been taught that it will continue in a straight line^* tangent to the circle. That’s wrong!

How We Worked Before the Internet, and What We Can Learn From It

Originally posted January 17, 2021 

Back in the ’80s, when we cooked popcorn and reheated coffee on the stove, and when “let’s go to the videotape!” actually involved videotape, we already had both private and public networks. We had external media, long- and short-term storage, and even L1 caches. It was glorious.

A Document that's Older than Most of my Coworkers

Things You Hear as a Band Parent

It was the night of the high school band's annual fundraiser at the "fancy hotel" in our town. I don't know the official name of the event; I just call it the Annual Dance for Rich Parents. I'd dropped her off with her trombone, let her know that Mom would probably be picking her up because I was exhausted, then drove home and went to sleep.