Articles written by Neil Wagner - Page 2

Advanced Search

What is Helium

About me - Neil Wagner

Former mad scientist who likes translating scientific jargon back into plain English, where it belongs.

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Sports & Recreation > NBA NBA age limit issue: 33 of 41
Young basketball players will not develop to their fullpotential unless they continually play against high levelcompetition. The under 19 rule was implemented because toomany teams were drafting high school graduates and findingthem virtually useless in game situations. This meant thatthey could not get in enough game time t... More..
Food & Drink > Coffee How to make great coffee in a drip coffee maker: 32 of 39
Good, cold water, a clean pot and a clean coffee maker are the only absolute requirements for making great drip coffee. Everything else is a matter of personal taste. Just because coffee experts say to use one or even two tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water doesn't mean you have to do so. Many people enjoy a mu... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Baseball Thoughts on the steroid controversy in baseball: 55 of 66
It might be useful to view the issue of steroids andHGH in baseball as similar to the spitball issue, which hasa much longer history. In one, you have players actually orallegedly ingesting foreign substances and in the other youhave players adulterating the baseball itself. The baseballestablishment has never been able to t... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Climate Change Debating whether global warming is a threat or just media hype: 137 of 163
There's really little doubt that greenhouse gasemissions are causing the Earth to be warmer than it wouldwithout them. There is some doubt about what this actuallymeans in the scheme of things. Fluctuations in the Earth'sorbit around the Sun and changes in solar activity may havea much greater effect on the Earth's climate. ... More..
Food & Drink > Coffee Tips for buying coffee: 20 of 22
The key to buying good coffee is experimentation. There are so many varieties of coffee out there that you will never find what works best for you unless you actually sample them. It also pays to remember who is in charge here and that's you. While a coffee professional may be useful in guiding you to a particular type of cof... More..
Sports & Recreation > Basketball Players Best NBA players of all time: 31 of 34
The best basketball player of all time was probably Bill Russell. Great basketball players make their teammates better and Russell was the defensive glue on teams that won 11 championships in 13 years. It's hard to make your teammates any better than that. It's true he had plenty of help but basketball is a team game. The Ce... More..
Health & Fitness > Medical Concerns & Issues Hospital errors: What the patient doesn't know might hurt: 21 of 23
Better reporting of hospital errors would be useful for two main reasons. First, it would be a start towards correcting those errors. Secondly, it's information some patients would like to know and they certainly have that right.In her article in the St. Louis Beacon, Joan Little decries the fact that Missouri makes little in... More..
Sports & Recreation > Baseball (Other) Barry Bonds and steroid use: 27 of 27
TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN BARRY OR BONDS USED NANOBOTS I've always maintained a pretty good relationship withBarry Bonds, probably because I don't ask him all the stupidquestions that most media people do. Today he rewarded meby telling how he hit all those homers. It's 2001 spring training and Barry's having troubleseeing the ... More..
Sports & Recreation > Baseball (Other) Drug testing for sports management: 2 of 2
Drug Tests for Sports Management Floyd Landis. Barry Bonds. Boog Giambi. Everybody'sheard about them. The history of athletes using performanceenhancing substances is said to go back to the ancientGreeks (if not further). You all have an opinion on it too:"It's ruining the game" or "Babe Ruth played on absinthe".Whatever you... More..