The Schwarzschild Radius
I've always been fascinated by Black Holes, not because of the movie (though as a kid that was cool and I love the soundtrack) but because of the thought experiments that happen in my head when I think of them. Information loss, relative time, etc. If you have any interest at all in Black Holes, I highly recommend you check out Leonard Susskind's book, The Black Hole War. It's a pretty dumb title but a fascinating read, even if you're not a theoretical physicist.
Anyway, since I read that book, I've done lots of calculations using the Schwarzschild Radius (Rs = 2GM/c2) to determine the size you would have to compress some matter (like the Earth or Sun) to create a gravitational constant (aka a black hole). So I found this cool video on YouTube and REALLY liked the video at towards the end when he describes the evidence of a black hole at the center of The Milky Way. Awesome stuff, I've read about it but had never seen those images.
The Break Up
Looking back on the past couple of years, I knew this was post was inevitable. Though we often appreciated each other, I often felt we were together out of mere convenience than true desire. It's been five years and I guess that's a long time for any couple to be together. We just grew apart. I suspect we'll remain good friends and I still admire her every time I pull my car into the garage.
I'm talking about cycling of course and for whatever reason, the fire just didn't return this year. I've put about a hundred miles on the trainer (41 on Superbowl Sunday) and maybe two rides outside. Rather than being fun, it was a chore. I dreaded weather forecasts of warmer temps rather than daydreaming about them.
Instead, I've found a new lover. Hiking. The more difficult the better but I'll take easy ones with great views too. I finally got some decent hiking boots (courtesy of the annual REI member dividend) and my winter conditioning hikes up Mt. Si have paid off.
Though I haven't had much time to blog about my experiences, I have taken some pics and posted them on Flickr:
