A Canal Powered by Rain

Why the world’s most celebrated shortcut depends on the weather

Oct 6 • Justin D. McMurtry

September 2026

Two Different Strike Zones

How baseball’s robot umpires diverge from the rulebook

Sep 29 • Justin D. McMurtry

The Code Built for a Japanese Factory

How the QR code went from tracking gearbox parts to every restaurant table

Sep 22 • Justin D. McMurtry

Did Houston’s 11th Street Road Diet Work?

A $2.4 million project, three stated goals, and four years of data that can’t settle the argument

Sep 15 • Justin D. McMurtry

From Sputnik to Einstein: The Everyday Wonder of GPS

The physics, history, and quiet infrastructure behind knowing where you are

Sep 8 • Justin D. McMurtry

Where Did Pro Batting Helmets Come From?

A century-long history of tragedy, innovation, and gradual acceptance

Sep 1 • Justin D. McMurtry

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August 2026

2,500 Miles Across the Ocean Without a Map

How Polynesian voyagers found Hawaii using nothing but stars, swells, and centuries of accumulated skill

Aug 25 • Justin D. McMurtry

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How to Actually Make “Three Feet” the Law

Seven shared flaws among safe-passing laws, and new language that would fix all of them

Aug 18 • Justin D. McMurtry

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Alaska: Three Centuries to Statehood

Alaska's journey to statehood was long, but ended in a sprint

Aug 11 • Justin D. McMurtry

The Law That Was Supposed to Protect Cyclists

Houston’s “safe passing” ordinance has a bike-lane loophole and thirteen years of lax enforcement

Aug 4 • Justin D. McMurtry

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July 2026

The Number That Shouldn’t Exist

How a number nobody believed in turned out to be the bridge between growth and geometry

Jul 28 • Justin D. McMurtry

Teach the Rider, Not Just the Road

Why cyclist education is the most under-invested safety intervention we have

Jul 21 • Justin D. McMurtry

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