Now Squared

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means ... Read More

When I was eleven, my family and I piled into a white Ford Maverick for a road trip to Niagara Falls.  I had never been there and didn’t know what to expect.  We parked far from the falls – as my Dad was not one to pay for parking.  Even from that distance, I heard the distant roar and saw the towering mist clouds.  When we reached the edge, the site of four million cubic feet of water plunging 167 feet filled ... Read More

A skydiver jumps from a plane and marvels at the patchwork of fields and forests below. From 10,000 feet above the earth’s surface, the jumper sees how the roads connect and where the rivers and creeks drain. Subtle changes in shading outline the hills and valleys. The diver flips, turns and rolls by manipulating her body shape, doing everything a bird can do except one – climb back up. Instead, the skydiver plummets at 120 miles per hour until she ... Read More

On the continuum of life, there are those who are stuck in the past. They live looking through a rear-view mirror, smiling at their successes and fretting about what might have been. Others plant themselves firmly in the mediocre present where their days are predictable and the surprises few. Others are mavericks, hurling themselves into the future with bold plans, taking care to burn their ships to prevent retreat. 99% of mavericks fail. They go down in flames, tripped up by some ... Read More

At the beginning of a chess game, White has twenty possible moves and Black has twenty ways to respond – for a total of 400 possible positions after the opening turns. After two moves for each player there are close to two hundred thousand possible chess positions and after five moves the possible number of positions is over a trillion. In fact, there are more possible chess positions than there are atoms in the universe, according to estimates made ... Read More

Imagine a world where strawberries are as big as apples and peas as large as beets. In this imaginary world, mosquitoes, flies and roaches have been exterminated, while horses are nearly extinct. Only a few high breed horses are kept by the rich for racing, hunting and recreation. It is a land where packages are delivered through a network of pneumatic tubes and the letters C, X and Q have been eliminated from the everyday English alphabet in order ... Read More

The joy of a Caribbean vacation. The white sand, the aqua water, relaxing with loved ones by the pool. Such were the things I looked forward to several years ago when we booked a holiday along the Mexican Caribbean coast. We were scheduled to leave snowy Idaho a few days before Christmas, fly to Atlanta for the night, and take a short flight to Cancun the next morning where a rental minivan would be waiting. We’d then ... Read More

 In 1519, Hernan Cortés landed with a fleet of 12 ships near present day Veracruz, Mexico.  The flotilla held 500 Spaniards, 300 natives, a dozen horses and a few cannons. Cortés’ aim was to conquer the Aztec Empire and take possession of its great wealth. The legend is that before launching the attack Cortés burned his ships to prevent his men from retreating.   Through the ages this brazen act has come to represent fully committing to a course of action.  Going all in.  ... Read More

Dozens of popcorn kernels spin around an air popper’s chamber.  Tucked inside each kernel’s hard shell is a water droplet in a pocket of starch.  As the temperature in the popper rises, the moisture begins turning to steam. Pressure builds inside the kernels until one by one the casings give way in a steam explosion so powerful the kernel turns inside out as it arcs through the air. Apply enough heat and popcorn will pop.  That outcome is certain.  Knowing beforehand which kernel you ... Read More