I wrote the following review on Goodreads 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea by Jonathan Franklin My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the story of Jose Salvador Alvarenga who was adrift on the Pacific Ocean for 438 days of 2012-2014. A simple man in his prime, Alvarenga is tough, […]
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Review of John Grisham’s “Sooley”
I wrote the following review on Goodreads Sooley by John Grisham Sooley measures up to Grisham’s highly entertaining, thrilling, captivating standards exhibited in Camino Island, Camino Winds, Gray Mountain and A Time for Mercy. I would not compare this to Rogue Lawyer, which seems to have a different style that is not to my taste […]
Aerodynamics of Dragon Flight
There is a better presentation of dragon aerodynamics, which I gave at the Livermore Library in December 2022. A recording of the talk is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASpntEpOqpk. Ever wonder if dragons can really fly? This post presents a quantitative analysis of the possibility of large flying dragons, up to the size of a humpback whale. One […]
Medieval tallow torch
There is a scene in Dragon’s Ridge where a torch had to light without delay . While writing the scene, I had a nagging suspicion that that torches just don’t light that fast, making the scene not plausible. But I had an idea on how to make the torch light fast, and I tested it with a homemade torch.