The Story Old-Paw's Ear Thermometer

I am remembering that Old Paw got a patent on the “Ear Thermometer” far too early for there to be any electronics small enough or affordable enough to make the product economically viable. The early prototype models that Barnes Engineering could turn out were quite clunky, very similar to the first cell phones, which were like  "WW2 walky-talkies" from which they had descended. 

A Lyrebird's Astonishing Mimicry Skills

Decades ago, when we went to Australia, we were often told to listen to the songs of the native LyreBirds. However, Lyrebirds don’t sing their own songs at all. According to David Attenborough, all we heard were clever copies of the songs of all the other birds…

Another Temple Bowling War Story

Today, I found myself telling Mom more of what I remember of the stories Temple Bowling told our family when he visited us from his training base in Long Island. Those tales were told and retold at Westover Road dinner parties for years after the war.  So here is another…

Why Did the SpaceX Upper Stage Explode

This video is probably more detailed than you want, however, from my search today it is the best presented answer so far as to why SpaceX’s Flight-8 Ship tumbled, exploded and become a massive fireworks display. Earlier, SpaceX's first stage booster had performed flawlessly and was left safely hanging there in the "chop sticks" on the launch tower, just as planned.

R. Bowling Barnes P-38 WW2 War Story

My purpose is to record this event as part of Barnes family history. I use the phrase “WW2 War Story” in the title to acknowledge that it is not corroborated by any contemporaneous photographs or even written down in the journal Dr. R. Bowling Barnes kept during his time in Germany just before the close of World War Two…