Monthly Archives: August 2011

General Lee’s BBQ

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

The brisket sandwich at General Lee’s in Cookeville, TN was some of the best BBQ I’ve had. The shop has a counter in an Amish Grocery store at a gas station between Nashville and Knoxville. All the meats are cooked … Continue reading →


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Nashville, Tennessee

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

Nashville’s got quite the music scene. There’s live country music in dozens of venues from noon-3:00am daily, with no covers. I got here Friday and probably saw twelve bands play over two days. Somehow I ended up with a pair … Continue reading →


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Building Space Ships

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

That was quick. SpaceX, a private space ship company, will begin sending shipments to the international space station this fall: A little less than six months after the final space shuttle launch, a private space company will launch a rocket … Continue reading →


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The Great Sand Dunes

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

This is not how I normally picture Colorado: The dunes sit at the edge of the Rockies, and are held in place by two opposing wind currents. They’re a third of a kilometer tall and can shift by as much … Continue reading →


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MIT Researchers Are Killing…

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

Viruses. Via Marginal Revolution: …in a development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory has designed a drug that can identify cells that have been infected by any type of virus, … Continue reading →


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The Grand Canyon

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

Spent the morning here en route to Boston. Did you hear about the three holes in the ground? Well, well, well. My friend Roberto shot this pretty spectacular photo at one of the lookouts:


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The Dragon’s Awake (II)

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

This cracked me up. Via Popular Science, “European Space Agency Plans to Team Up with Russia for the First Manned Mission to Mars“: If it’s a space race the Russians want, a space race they shall have. But et tu, … Continue reading →


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“There are ‘obvious benefits’ of straight-up sex”

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

Well that should give my daily traffic a bump. The quote is actually referring to the benefits of “straight-up sex” (as opposed to asexual reproduction) for a type of insect — the cottony cushion scale. Via National Geographic, this is fascinating … Continue reading →


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Some Reads

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

1. Mortgage rates hit 50 year low 2. Make your own gun powder 3. 13-Year-Old Designs Super-Efficient Solar Array 4. Encouraging news from Elizabeth Warren 5. Nate Silver on Rick Perry 6. And this is just funny.


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National Parks

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Sam Kornstein

I’ve been on a bit of a National Park kick lately. Three months ago, I had yet to visit my first park. Since the start of my road trip out to California, I’ve now visited six. Here are some of … Continue reading →


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