Author, Scientist, …
I thought the jig was up when I heard the top U.S. Intelligence Agency was releasing what it knew about UFOs. (See link at the bottom of this post.) Who would want to read a science fiction novel about UFOs and aliens when the truth is—as they say—stranger than fiction? What would happen to all … Continue reading “Science Fiction Writers and the New UFO Report”
Large scale nuclear accidents like those at Chernobyl and Fukushima are environmental disasters which grab the headlines. But lesser accidents do occur, just as in any industrial facility. I was involved in one such incident. From the mid-sixties to the mid-nineties, Georgia Tech had a research reactor which served a multitude of research purposes. It … Continue reading “Nuclear Incident at Georgia Tech”
A dead forest bleeds for years, its decomposition products flowing slowly into the soil, leached out by rains to turn tributaries as black as night. Those dark tributaries join forces, darkening streams heading inexorably to the sea. At last, the blood of the forest flows out into the surf zones, spreading a dark brown stain … Continue reading “The Blood of a Forest”
The following is a reprint from InDepth: Digital Scuba Diving Magazine by Global Underwater Explorers. Published on September 6, 2019 By InDepth by John Clarke Just like skeletal muscles, respiratory muscles have a limited ability to respond to respiratory loads. An excellent example of this is a person’s inability to breathe through an overly long … Continue reading “Maintaining Your Respiratory Reserve”
In the preceding blog post, I reminded the reader that the Earth’s supply of helium is limited. It is not a renewable resource. Being a diving professional, I am not concerned about the consequence of a helium shortage on party balloons. But I am thinking about the potential consequences on diving. So, knowing that hydrogen … Continue reading “Hydrogen Diving: The Good, The Bad, the Ugly”
Helium is a low density, non-narcotic gas often added to the breathing gas mixture of divers who have to dive deep. Nitrogen, the primary component of air is both dense, making it hard to breathe when diving deep, and narcotic at depths below one hundred feet. That is why nitrogen leads to the so-called “rapture … Continue reading “What Will Divers Do When the Helium is Gone?”
“If it had been a snake, it would’ve bit me.” That phrase is common in the Southern United States, often shouted in surprise when you’re vainly looking for something, and eventually discover it right in front of you. Well, here’s an example of when the snake did bite, figuratively, and ended up sinking a ship. … Continue reading “The Sinking of the Montrose”
“Nianqua” means “many springs” in the Osage language. It’s those little springs that make canoeing down the Little Nianqua river a favorite pastime for adventurers. The Little Nianqua is a tributary of the Nianqua River which empties into the Mississisppi. In between freshman and sophomore year in college (September of 1966), a high school friend … Continue reading “Canoeing the Little Nianqua River in the Ozarks”
In 1940, my older brother, Albert, was born prematurely, with a severe case of ichthyosis (skin with scales like fish.) Due to Albert’s prematurity, at birth his entire body fit in the palm of my father’s hand. Albert had no suckling reflex, and so the pediatrician said there was nothing that could be done to save him. … Continue reading “Autohemotherapy Saved My Brother”
The word “pen pals” was recently in the news. In the 1960s, students were taught U.S and World History. Long before the days of personal computers and the Internet, we high school students were encouraged to expand our perspective by becoming pen pals with other students around the world. Of course, back then, the phrase … Continue reading “Where is Pham-lỷ-Täi?”
