Questions, Questions

We tossed out our Ninja coffee maker because it was burning the coffee. I’d almost say my husband felt a wave of pleasure dumping it and going back to our old-fashioned coffee maker from Walmart. This ties into my previous post, "Why Are Some Things Expensive?" It’s frustrating to splurge on a high-end product with more features, only to end up with a worse outcome.

Over the weekend, we got our car washed at an automated car wash station. As with most things in my life, this seemingly mundane experience triggered a cascade of questions.

What are those black rotating brushes made of? If they can get dirty, does someone have to clean them? If they’re rubbery, maybe they just rinse off? How does the machine adjust to different cars? What if the rubbery things make scratches?

Then, we pulled up to the vacuum station. Another round of questions. Where does all the dirt go? There’s a locked compartment—what’s inside? Oh, that’s where the coins go. How much does this car wash station make? How much does it cost to build one?

Let’s assume it costs $200K. If each wash generates a $5 profit and 200 cars get washed per day, the station starts turning a profit after 200 days.

Why am I using my precious ion gradients to think and calculate such things?

You don’t just enter the lab as a Ph.D. scientist and turn off the questioning when you hang up your lab coat at the end of the day. The scientist’s mind is always on.

And speaking of Ph.D.—Doctor of Philosophy. I’d argue I spent a good chunk of my middle school years practicing adolescent philosophy. But what does philosophy even mean? Why do we call certain people philosophers?

I could question everything—outer space, the insides of atoms, patterns and connections between things, associations, and links. I could question cause and effect. I could even question questions themselves. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), this process never stops.

As I climbed the hill from the parking lot, another thought hit me: movement, migration. What does it mean to migrate? What does it mean to be an immigrant? If humans move to Mars, what will we call them? Earthlings? 😂

Would plants grown in Martian soil nourish humans made from Earth’s soil? Who will be the first to test this? How will land be allocated on Mars? In the past, people built fences and—ta-da!—the land was theirs. Will we do the same on Mars?

If I had $200K, I could have built a car wash station and made automated money.

But I’m a Ph.D. scientist, so instead, I’ll keep asking questions. 😆