I have a radiometer, or light mill, sitting on the windowsill at home. It’s one of the coolest gadgets I’ve seen. It is essentially a lightbulb-shaped partial vacuum that contains a set of rotating vanes. One side of each vane is black while the other is white. When exposed to light, the vanes rotate with the black face always trailing the white.

For the longest time, I erroneously assumed that the vanes rotate because of the impact of photons. However, a more detailed explanation can be found on Wikipedia. A more proper explanation for the radiometer phenomenon lies in the energy gradient between the black and white surfaces. Osbourne Reynolds theorized that gas particles tend to migrate towards area of greater heat. In the radiometer, cool particles travel from the white to the black side through the edges, creating a pressure gradient. This gradient drives the vane forward, with the black side trailing. The orientation of the four vanes allow for rotation of the mill. Physics is like magic. I’ve made a video of my radiometer in action:

misc hobbies

As I specialize further in my career, I increasingly wonder how much my time is worth. In the hospital, we often see a strict division of labor. Physicians seldom perform phlebotomy or vital signs–this is the job of lab techs and nurses.  Our time is valuable and should be spent on tasks that require our many years of specialized training.

Does this division of labor exist outside of the hospital? Numerous medical residents have told me that they hire housekeepers to maintain their homes or apartments simply because “it’s not worth my time”. Other chores that I’ve heard residents renounce include: 1) mowing the lawn 2) cooking 3) washing dishes [including putting dishes into the dishwasher].

I’ve renounced cutting/logging trees ever since I entered medical school, mostly because I find that operating a chainsaw may prematurely end my career as a physician before it even begins. I don’t particularly care for logging trees either. But what about other tasks? What tasks can you refuse to do before being labeled a pampered snob? Read more…

medicine, misc food, life

Several weeks ago, I experimented with competitive brand saran wrap. There was no doubt that the alternative brand was inferior. Since I don’t learn from past experience, I acquired a roll of brand-X aluminum foil. Fortunately, I also had a roll of Reynold’s wrap aluminum foil, which served as the gold standard in my head-to-head trial of foils.

As usual, the name-brand product was about 2.5x as expensive as the competitive equivalent. At first glance, it was clear that the cardboard packaging on the Reynold’s wrap was sturdier. The perforated sides of the box was cut with precision, allowing smooth unraveling of the roll while creating sufficient tension to keep the roll inside the box. The serrated edge of the Reynold’s box also appeared more substantial. However, I was able to cleanly tear a specified length of foil from both boxes, unlike with the saran wraps. Mostly likely, it’s due to aluminum’s tensile strength. The Reynold’s foil was at least 50% thicker than brand-x, which helps minimize risk of perforation by heavier foods in the oven.

For food preparation purposes, I feel comfortable in using a cheaper brand,  as long as the aluminum doesn’t melt in the oven (that should NEVER happen anyway unless there are impurities in the roll). My baked chicken tasted no different with either brand.

Of course as a techie, I also use my aluminum foil as a reflector material for increasing gain on satellite discs.  More on that subject in another post…

misc food, hobbies

After months of getting bombarded television commercials, billboards, tickers, and flyers about the “hip” java offerings at McDonald’s, I caved in and bought an iced latte. At $2.79, the McLatte is more economial than its Starbucks or Peet’s counterpart (usually $3.99+), but how does it compare in quality?

Frankly, I haven’t had an iced latte in at least a year. One, because they’re expensive. Two, because vendors these days mix in insane amounts of sugar to appeal to the masses. If I wanted to have my coffee as a dessert, I’d rather eat ice cream. Nonetheless, I think McCafe achieves its purpose in expanding its empire. I’m not sure where the McDonald’s java beans originate from, but I’d imagine they’re from the same batch that is used for all of their coffee. Their coffee brew is actually decent, mind you (as long as the employee isn’t combining old brew with the fresh). The clear, hemispheric lids for their iced coffees are the same as those used in the McFlurry and sundaes–this makes great economical sense. The coffee itself is slightly more dilute than the Starbucks rendition. They may have not considered the ice dilution factor in the iced coffees, or it may not have been practical to make two different concentrations given the overall sales volume. I actually prefer a more dilute drink anyway–caffeine is too addictive anyway.

I give them a thumb’s up. It’s good to see competition.

misc food

After I watched all 5 seasons of “The Office“, I embarked on a “Man vs Wild” marathon. It’s somewhat of a realistic count of the adventures of Bear Grylls, who was once the youngest guy to scale Mt. Everest. For most of the episodes, he shows the viewers survival tactics in some of the world’s most remote areas. While there are some rumors that on some episodes, he spends part of his time off the camera in luxury hotels rather than in the wild as portrayed, the majority of his adventures are impressive. Aside from being able to eat anything raw (Yak eyes, puff adders, spiders) and able to build rafts from fig vines, Bear Grylls is well-versed–these abilities have enabled him to produce five seasons of adventures.

Aside from the instinctual thrill of watching this survivorman dive into waterfalls, I enjoy analyzing the science behind all of his tactics. On one episode, he explains the Dakota fire pit as a means to sustain a fire in a windy environment and mask your tracks. While I may never actually build one of those myself, it’s interesting to learn about fundamental skills. Bear Grylls also comments much on the nutritional value of the insects, creatures, and animals he manages to stuff in his mouth. Yes, snails have high protein content. So do snakes.  From a scientific standpoint, this point is fundamental since the aforementioned animals are highly muscular. And muscle is built from amino acids (roughly). Nonetheless, I find it amusing to hear these correct statements from someone who didn’t go through years of college. I’ve finished three seasons so far…two more to go.

misc life