Tag Archives: Science

Which is more important: Diet or Exercise?

I just posted a new video:
https://youtu.be/KHY5XfMfdig

This post is the text version of that video. I didn’t send my last blog by email (I want to limit emails to one per month). In that last blog post, I linked to 3 videos. In case you missed them, I worked on two vlogs about burning Iron:

Attempt 1: Classic demo and solid oxidizer failure to ignite:
https://youtu.be/46YlW8qjp_c

Attempt 2: Steel wool burning in pure(ish) oxygen:
https://youtu.be/SURy8xRsRp4

And a video essay about robotics and automation:
https://youtu.be/TisXw8zS5r0

This latest work is a bit of a rant about a research rabbit hole. I was trying to ask what seemed like a simple question. Which is more important to longevity: diet or exercise? That seems pretty straightforward. I was surprised to find that it was almost impossible to get a clear comparison between two effects.

And then I found this study by Atefatfar et al. (2023). This study examined all four possible cases of the good/bad diet versus exercise/no exercise. I expected them to have similar, additive effects. But that’s not what they found.

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Video essay on Robots (plus a DIY chemistry demo)

I managed to post three videos since my last update.

A vlog about burning Iron: https://youtu.be/46YlW8qjp_c

Burning Iron Attempt 2: pure-ish oxygen: https://youtu.be/SURy8xRsRp4

A video essay about robotics and automation: https://youtu.be/TisXw8zS5r0

The slightly expanded essay is below for your reading pleasure.

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Aluminum is Wealth and Knowledge is Better than Gold

This post is also available in video form: https://youtu.be/pXXad5FmkiU

Aluminum is wealth. That sounds strange – it’s cheap, and it’s a recent invention. But the fact that we can all get use (goods and services) because of things made of aluminum is a kind of wealth. And it’s an example of a bigger principle. When someone tells you something is rare or scarce and equates that to value, remember this. Value comes from enabling more people to enjoy something, not from preserving its exclusivity.

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Nuclear Fusion Fuels – Where will they come from?

This post is also a video! Click here to watch.

I know you’ve seen lots of people say “fusion is limitless energy forever and it’s just around the corner. A brighter future will soon dawn for everyone.” I think that hype is maybe not ideal. I do this thing where I read the news like I’m watching lottery drawing – maybe today will be THE DAY and all the problems are SOLVED. I think that’s setting myself up for disappointment. Instead, I took a look at some technical problems and how far along researchers are to solving them.

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