Les horloges marines de M. Berthoud. Book 34 of 2022 (Clocks for sea navigation)

 

I picked this book up in the gift shop in the Museum of Arts and Technology in Paris.  It is a biography of Ferdinand Berthoud, the leading designer and maker of clocks for ships in the second half of the 18th century. 

Most ships had accurate techniques for establishing latitude, their position north and south. But east and west position could only be determined with accurate clocks on a voyage that began at a known position. Berthoud made this possible with clocks that would keep time nearly perfectly for weeks and even months. 

He lived a long life that saw him become the marine clock maker of the King of France, survive the Revolution, and be honored for his service by the Emperor Bonparte before his life ended at the age of 80.   

The book is written in middle school French. I had to struggle with many words in the vocabulary of navigation and clock making, but I learned a lot about navigation. Accurate clocks were the only way a ship could be sure of its longitude when sailing across open ocean.  

First 33 books of 2022:

The Red Wheelbarrow and Other Poems by William Carlos Williams

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

Cochrane by David Cordingly 

QED by Richard Feynman

Spirits in Bondage by C.S. Lewis

Reflections on the Psalms by  C.S. Lewis

The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler by David I. Kertzer

The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Hannah Arendt

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

The Echo of Greece by Edith Hamilton

If This Isn't Nice, What Is? by Kurt Vonnegut

The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry S. Strauss. 

Civil Rights Baby by Nita Wiggins

Lecture's on Kant's Political Philosophy by Hannah Arendt

Le grec ancien facile par Marie-Dominique Poree

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay

First Principles by Thomas Ricks

Political Tribes by Amy Chua 

Book of Mercy by Leonard Cohen

A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew Knoll

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

Understanding Beliefs by Nils Nilsson

1776 by David McCullough

The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt

Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson

How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss

Unflattening by Nick Sousanis

Marie Curie  by Agnieszka Biskup (en francais)

The Next Civil War by Stephen Marche

Fritz Haber, Volume 1 by David Vandermeulen

The Red Wheelbarrow and Other Poems by William Carlos Williams, Book 33 of 2022

I read this little book on the train traveling back and forth to Philadelphia.  A poem or two or three at time. My favorite poetic forms are the epic and the sonnet and these poems are in many other forms. I liked some more than others. I was glad to share the beauty and craft and creativity of this little volume of 36 poems.  

I bought the book at The Red Wheelbarrow bookstore in Paris, a lovely little store opposite Jardin Luxembourg.

Brevity defines both the volume and its contents.  The first poem:

This is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which 
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

The last poem:

The Locust Tree in Flower

Among

of

green

stiff

old

bright

broken 

branch

come

white 

sweet

May

again

And my favorite:

The Term

A rumpled sheet 

of brown paper

about the length

and apparent bulk

of a man was

rolling with the

wind slowly over

and over in

The street as

a car drove down 

upon it and

crushed it to

the ground. Unlike

a man it rose

agin rolling

with the wind over

and over to be as

it was before. 

------

First 32 books of 2022:

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

Cochrane by David Cordingly 

QED by Richard Feynman

Spirits in Bondage by C.S. Lewis

Reflections on the Psalms by  C.S. Lewis

The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler by David I. Kertzer

The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Hannah Arendt

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

The Echo of Greece by Edith Hamilton

If This Isn't Nice, What Is? by Kurt Vonnegut

The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry S. Strauss. 

Civil Rights Baby by Nita Wiggins

Lecture's on Kant's Political Philosophy by Hannah Arendt

Le grec ancien facile par Marie-Dominique Poree

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay

First Principles by Thomas Ricks

Political Tribes by Amy Chua 

Book of Mercy by Leonard Cohen

A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew Knoll

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

Understanding Beliefs by Nils Nilsson

1776 by David McCullough

The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt

Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson

How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss

Unflattening by Nick Sousanis

Marie Curie  by Agnieszka Biskup (en francais)

The Next Civil War by Stephen Marche

Fritz Haber, Volume 1 by David Vandermeulen

Lunch with Bill Nye the Science Guy: We Talked About Bicycles

In 2004 Bill Nye, the Science Guy, spent an entire day at the museum and library where I worked until I retired: The Science History Institute in Philadelphia. He was filming part of an episode for his (then) new series "The 100 Greatest Discoveries in Science."

The founder of SHI, Arnold Thackray, spoke about the discovery of atoms, the benzene ring and oxygen for the episode on chemistry. 

In the middle of filming we took a lunch break. Nye had a film crew from the Science Channel and several staff members of SHI were helping with filming.  When we had our box lunches, Nye suggested he and I sit at the end of the table.  He is a bicyclist and I told him I had just bought a Trek Madone road bike.  

Nye had been thinking about getting a new carbon bike, so he asked me dozens of questions about the frame, the drive train, the wheels, tires, every part of the bike.  Nye is a nerd down to his bike socks. He really wanted to know every detail about the bike.  When I told him I raced, he wanted to know about that too. 

After we were finished filming, Nye came back to the atrium at the center of the building on the third floor. It has a skylight its entire length four floors up.  Nye told us we should install a sundial at the center of the atrium.  He then talked about how his father was a Prisoner of War in the Pacific in World War II. He maintained his sanity by making sundials in the POW camp.  

Some media stars play a role on camera and are someone else when the lights go off. Bill Nye is a science guy all the time.  It was a delight to spend the day with him--and very tiring. 

 

50th High School Reunion--The Kinder, Gentler Reunion

SHS Class of 71

This past weekend on Saturday night I drove to my 50th High School Reunion. The Stoneham (Massachusetts) High School Class of 1971 met for dinner at Bear Hill Country Club on the north end of our little town.

Bear Hill Golf Club

Since 1971, I have attended four reunions:  the 10th, the 30th and the 40th before the current reunion. Just over fifty of our class of 364 attended this half-century gathering.  Several more wanted to attend by life got in the way.  

The reunion committee: Elaine, Niccie, Bill and Patricia

If my memories are reliable, this reunion was the most congenial I have been to. At all of the previous reunions nearly all of us were working, our kids were still at home, and we were still working out our place in the world.  At this reunion, I spoke with many people who seemed at peace with life--or at least more at peace than I remember.

Speaking of remembering, I introduced myself to about twenty people. Some had not been to previous reunions--or not the the reunions I attended.  Some people were instantly recognizable, but others I could not place.  

I had more trouble recognizing men than women. Our senior year, a lot of boys had long hair, some had shoulder-length hair.  Fifty years later, the men most difficult for me to recognize had the least hair--or no hair.  

Many of my classmates were recently retired. Some missed their jobs, most were happy to be retired.  

At the end of the evening several people were talking about a 55th reunion in four years--since the 50th was delayed a year by COVID.  If that 55th reunion or the 60th happens, I will be happy to go. 

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, Book 32 of 2022

This very popular book was published in the late 1970s.  It became a national bestseller in 1984 after the author went on TV and radio talking about how he came to write the book. Fifty years later, we live in a world with fewer readers, but the book promotional tour is part of being an author.  Every author does it.

I started to read this book in the 1990s.  I don't remember why, but I dropped it after 30 pages. It sat on my shelf for a couple of decades, then in the big clean up I did at age 65, it was gone.  This year I talked about the book with my friend Cliff, got a copy and tired again.  

It's funny to think I finished the book now and dropped in 25 years ago. I still agree with his central premises:  we have to accept suffering and death to live a happy life.  Peck is right.  But 25 years ago, I embraced suffering as a potential good. Now I accept suffering as part of life--and hope I do not have to do too much of it.  Death is now the same--I am not looking for it, but accept it as the most definite part of my physical future.

I enjoyed the book. His case studies are interesting. I would recommend it to anyone. Next I will read his book People of the Lie. After explaining why it is difficult to lead a good life in The Road Less Traveled, Peck discusses the existence of evil in his next book.  From ordinary assholes to extraordinary tyrants and sociopaths, Peck has a lot to work with on the topic of evil. 

First 31 books of 2022:

Cochrane by David Cordingly 

QED by Richard Feynman

Spirits in Bondage by C.S. Lewis

Reflections on the Psalms by  C.S. Lewis

The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler by David I. Kertzer

The Last Interview and Other Conversations by Hannah Arendt

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

The Echo of Greece by Edith Hamilton

If This Isn't Nice, What Is? by Kurt Vonnegut

The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry S. Strauss. 

Civil Rights Baby by Nita Wiggins

Lecture's on Kant's Political Philosophy by Hannah Arendt

Le grec ancien facile par Marie-Dominique Poree

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay

First Principles by Thomas Ricks

Political Tribes by Amy Chua 

Book of Mercy by Leonard Cohen

A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters by Andrew Knoll

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

Understanding Beliefs by Nils Nilsson

1776 by David McCullough

The Life of the Mind by Hannah Arendt

Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson

How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss

Unflattening by Nick Sousanis

Marie Curie  by Agnieszka Biskup (en francais)

The Next Civil War by Stephen Marche

Fritz Haber, Volume 1 by David Vandermeulen

Battery Life--Battery Death

The Red Triangle of Death

When I returned from a recent trip, my 2001 Toyota Prius let me know a big expense loomed in my near future.  On both displays on the dashboard was the "Triangle of Death" the indicator lights that say the hybrid battery is about to die. 

Dead battery indicator

I knew this indicator light was in my future because hybrid batteries last about seven years. The current battery is the third for my intrepid car.  We bought the car in 2002 with 15,000 miles on it. The first battery died right on schedule in 2008 and the next one in 2015. 

Good till 2029? 

Until COVID, I was sure that when this battery died the car would go to the junkyard.  The Prius has a current Blue Book value of $1,000 so putting a $4,000 battery in it is not the smart move.  

BUT.

Used car prices are crazy.  Everything else about the Prius is at least functional (and ,like me somewhat wrinkled). In its 205,000 miles it has had 65 oil changes and all other required maintenance.  So I ordered the battery and will now look at getting a used electric car in 2029. 

MackBook Air in travel case

Yesterday, my MacBook Air also displayed the Triangle of Death. I bought this computer in 2016. Recently I noticed the battery would not last more than 90 minutes on battery. I took it to Lancaster Computer Company. Ron, the owner, said the expected battery life is three or four years. He replaced the battery. I made several charge jokes (battery and credit card) and I left with a fully functional computer for less than $100.

Portable cell phone charger

Another battery death in the past month was the portable cell phone charger that is the second most useful travel accessory I have--after the green cube power adapter plug for every region of the world. 

Dropping further down the price scale, I replaced that very necessary item for just $30. I travel nowhere without a cell phone charger. 

My iPhone is less than two years old, so it has no battery issues.  In modern life batteries are all around us. Having three important batteries die in a month shows me just how dependent I am on these powerful, invisible devices.  

I'm glad I could replace them all, so my life can charge ahead. 

Can We See the World Through Someone Else's Eyes?

 

"I want to see the world through your eyes!" says a friend, a lover, a caregiver, a well-meaning person who truly wants the experience of seeing life through the eyes of another.  

Every person is infinitely complex. One of the ways I comprehend the existence of God in the universe is the complexity of every person I know. The more I know about anything infinite, the more I know that I don't know.  

To some degree, I know my children. I share many experiences with each of my children. The more things I share with them, the more I know that they were and are growing and changing in a world about which I know nothing: school, friends, jobs, teams, their own reading, learning, triumphs, losses and loves.  

For months now I have been working next to refugees and immigrants from Ukraine. Some have told me parts of their stories, but even as a veteran, I will never know (I hope) the vast pain they feel of fleeing their country because a tyrant invaded.  

Then I had a moment of clarity that told me for sure, I would never see the world through someone else's eyes.  Recently I visited the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris: a museum displaying French technology over the past half millennium.  

To say the museum is vast just begins to describe it. 

Three thousand permanent exhibits, many working models in glass cases, cover six thousand square meters of floor space (roughly an American football field with end zones) in in the Abbaye de Saint-Martin-des-Champs. It has half again as much space for storage. 

Long hallways are lined with models of ships, steam engines, bridges, buildings, towers, factory production equipment, tools, scientific measuring devices, satellites, rotary telephones, floppy disk computers, switchboards, cars, aircraft, Foucault's pendulum and much more.   

I walked through all of this museum in an afternoon, glancing at some things, lingering over others. 

I started down a long hallway near the end of the exhibit area. I had found some connection with all of the exhibits, at least some understanding of the use or operation of many of the objects.  

Then I saw a black inverted-V shaped object 50 yards away and connections with that particular thing started flooding into my mind.  I was looking at a V-10 Renault engine, one of the RS series of engines that first entered Formula 1 racing in 1989 and continued with updates until 2013.  I knew immediately that this engine powered the Williams F1 race car that won five world driving championships between 1992 and 1996. A later version of this engine powered the Red Bull car that Sebastian Vettel drove to four titles from 2010 to 2013. In between, it powered Fernando Alonso to both of his titles in 2005-6.  

Renault RS3 V-10

The first title for the engine in 1992 was the one and only title for my favorite driver, Nigel Mansell.  My youngest son is named for Mansell.  The Renault RS3 V-10 powered Mansell to the world championship.

Nigel Mansell in his Red 5 Williams in 1987

The Renault V-10 was the engine of the 1990s, powering four more champions in the five years following Mansell's title. 

In 2005, Fernando Alonso won the first of his two world championships with RS25 V-10, the last year of the V-10 engine in Formula 1.  The next year Alonso took the title with the new V-8 version of the engine.  Along with the new V-8 configuration, Renault introduced pneumatic intake and exhaust valves. The V-8 Renault could rev to 20,500 rpm.  No other race car engine has ever revved like RS26.  

Rev limiters followed. Then from 2010-2013 Sebastian Vettel drove a Renault-powered Red Bull car to four consecutive world championships.  

I watched all or part of every Formula race from 1984 when ESPN began covering every race until now.  The history of the Renault engine was alive in my mind as I approached the 350-pound lump of metal in a glass case.  

Later I told my son about this moment. I said seeing that engine was like seeing him in a crowd at a soccer game. I would see a thousand faces, but when I saw his face, I would remember things from his whole life.  In the museum, I saw more than a thousand objects, but that one flooded me with memories.  

And yet, there is so much more to know about the Renault Formula 1 engines, about my son Nigel and about everyone I love and care about.  Between zero and one lies an infinite number of numbers.  

Can I see the world through someone else's eyes?

Maybe for a moment.  

Maybe not.  

When I described all I knew about that engine, I did not even begin to try to describe the emotions I associated with some of those races.  I cheered myself hoarse when Mansell took the title in 1992.  In 2007 my son Nigel and I began following and cheering for a rookie driver named Lewis Hamilton.  In 2008 he won the closest title fight in Formula 1 history--the first of seven world championships.  Which meant Nigel and I were cheering against the dominant Renault engines of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull from 2010-2013.  

Can I see the world through someone else's eyes?

Maybe for a moment? 

I think not.