About a month ago I sat down and attempted to write down equations which govern grid dynamics. That is, how power comes out of the wall. Why is another story, but it turned out to be quite complicated. Additionally, I never found a concise explanation online so I have decided to write this blog in case any other traveler in cyberspace needs to know the physics or mathematics of the electrical grid. First I will signpost all the different parts, then give plain English explanations, then equations. If the stars align I may eventually provide a github repo with a … Continue reading Grid dynamics

Recent (March 2019) announcements of new programs to land humans on the moon by 2024 have generated all kinds of responses. This blog is not going to deal with whether it’s a good idea, political parts, organizational issues, funding issues, and so on. Instead, I intend to explore variations in mission architecture that this new enthusiasm has exposed. In particular, there are many different proposed ways to “go back to the moon” and it is my intent to understand and explain why the “how” of lunar exploration is not obvious. It is very easy to claim that, of the perhaps … Continue reading Lunar exploration architectures

In mid February I have a four day weekend, what to do, what to do? I decided to visit my old friends V, N, and S in Okinawa, Japan. Photos! I took the China Eastern flight via Shanghai. Unfortunately my seat recliner was broken in the unlatched position and my screen would randomly turn on, flashing my whole row with light, but I was so exhausted after the previous week it didn’t matter. Our flight path took us up and over the north Pacific, crossing Magadan at one point, though the entire flight occurred at night. I watched Ant Man … Continue reading Weekend trip to Okinawa

This blog is somewhat out of step with my usual blend of self-indulgent travel “writing” and self-indulgent nerdiness flaunting, but I am keen to address a years-long trend of consistent misinformation about Tesla in the press. There are many reasons for this, including the dissemination of deliberate misinformation by competitors, the oil industry, and short sellers. Frankly much of it consists of nothing more than glorified tweets on SeekingAlpha, but surprisingly often an apparently well-researched article by an apparently knowledgeable author is published in the mainstream press, and I am concerned that readers who are not fortunate to share my … Continue reading Tesla receives biased coverage

In past years it’s been customary for me to post a yearly review on Facebook. As I move toward different communication platforms, I’ll transfer the tradition to my blog. Many of my posts are quite technical in nature, and I can assure my reader(s) that while I have many more horribly technical posts in store, this one will be relatively personal. I’m pleased to report that 2018 has been a terrific year, so I have lots of good news to share. The most exciting news by far is that C and I were thrilled to welcome our first child Y … Continue reading 2018 in review

I haven’t written a review for quite a while, but I saw two films recently that really resonated both with each other and with my interests, so here goes!   In some respects, the films are quite similar and shared many themes. First, both films’ subject matter is ideal for the medium. They are spectacular and really suit the big screen. Second, both films center around a somewhat isolated and unusual specimen of the human race, namely rock climber Alex Honnold and astronaut Neil Armstrong. Both men make compelling character studies, but what really makes both films shine is the … Continue reading Film review: Free Solo and First Man