It is that time of the year again… the return of college football. For many this is the greatest time of year. All day cookouts, kegs, cheerleaders, the band, the pageantry, hard hitting, the Heisman, Lee Corso, the lights, 90,000 people standing and cheering, the field and the passion make this sport one of the most entertaining to watch. So without further ado, here is the debut of the Kook Wear Top 25.

1. Ohio State – The power of the sweater vest continues… at least until they play an SEC team. Still Ohio State returns AAs Malcom Jenkins, James Laurinitis and Marcus Freeman to the #1 defense in the country last year. Competent Todd Boeckman paired with the amazing Beanie Wells at RB should score their points.
2. USC – There is not much to say except that they are loaded as usual.
3. Florida – The offense starring Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin could be the best in the country. Everyone will know RB/WR/Ret Chris Rainey by the end of the year. If the defense can step up, this year could be special for the Gators.
4. Oklahoma – The class of the Big 12 and if Sam Bradford does not have a sophomore slump, the Sooners could win it all.
5. Georgia – Stud RB Knowshon Moreno leads the charge on the talent rich Dawgs. This is the ‘chic’ pick this year. They played as well as anybody at the end of last season. Only injury concerns on the offensive line can stop them.
6. Auburn – SEC tough veterans and a new spread offense can give the Tigers a boost this year.
7. LSU – The defending national champs have recruited well and their defense is downright scary. The quarterback situation is not the best though. Should be in the mix for the National Championship.
8. Clemson – Could this be the year Clemson wins the ACC? There is plenty of talent and experience returning. Jacoby Ford, James Davis and CJ Spiller should make for a potent offense. Da’Quan Bowers will be an AA on the DL before his career is over.
9. Missouri – Heisman hopeful Chase Daniels leads 15 returning starters as a title contender in 2008.
10. Texas – Strong all around.
11. Wisconsin – Dark horse contender in a weaker Big 10 this year.
12. Tennessee – A shift in offensive philosophy is underway at Tennessee. Will it translate to an SEC crown this year? Gerald Jones has slots of ability at the ATH position.
13. West Virginia – Pat White and Noel Devine will make people look silly this year.
14. Texas Tech – Michael Crabtree for Heisman?
15. Kansas – Lots of experience returning on both sides of the ball.
16. Va Tech – Tyrod Taylor possibly redshirting? Well, it will help with class separation but it would be sad to see the Hokies drop an extra game or two without him.
17. Arizona State – Can they challenge the mighty Trojans? Many believe they can and this should make for a great game.
18. Alabama – Saban can coach. The Tide has a talented recruiting class coming in. Bama was able to compete with the big boys last year but they also lost to Louisiana-Monroe. Opening week test versus Clemson can foreshadow the rest of the season.
19. Notre Dame – Only one freshman will start at the beginning of the season. Weis has recruited well over his tenure at ND. There are no excuses, the Fighting Irish got to win now.
20. Oregon – Some say the Autzen Zoo is the toughest place to play in college football. “Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
21. Penn State – Just win for Joe Pa baby.
22. Wake Forest – Jim Grobe can flat out coach.
23. South Florida – Can USF be the second strongest program in the state of Florida?
24. Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights keep ‘chopping wood’ up in Jersey. Should be an exciting Big East race this year.
25. Brigham Young – Kind of hating on them right now, might eat my words.

Pura vida,
Nick

As citizens of Florida can already attest to, the 2008 hurricane season is ramping up. Tropical storm Fay surprised many in central Florida this past week by stalling out and dumping over 15 inches of rain in some areas. Brevard County suffered substantial flooding and 51 homes were damaged by a tornado.

Now there are more tropical systems developing in the Atlantic. Hurricane Gustav is already making landfall in Haiti. It is expected to strengthen to at least a category 3 as it moves into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. People living in the gulf sates should take notice and start preparations now.

Also there is another tropical disturbance, Invest 95, which has the potential to develop into a storm. Currently situated northeast of the Virgin Islands, the standard computer models have this system taking a northwest trek towards Bermuda.

Here are some key suggestions for preparing for a hurricane:

1. -Plan Ahead (know evacuation routes, keep posted with the news, gather supplies, keep organized
2. -Turn off water, gas and electricity
3. -Gather non-perishable and high perishable foods, vitamins, plastic utensils and a non-electric heating source
4. -Fill the tub and extra containers with drinking water
5. -Gather batteries, radios and flashlights
6. -Fill your car with gas
7. -Board up your home, bring potential projectiles inside, secure down what cannot be moved
8. -Cut potentially damaging tree and shrub limbs if possible
9. -During the storm get to the safest room in the house (away from windows and internal to the structure
10. -If the storm is extremely strong, get out of the area completely or go to a shelter

Pura vida,
Nick

The 2008 Olympics, set in Beijing, are set to begin August 8th. The Chinese government has undertaken drastic measures in the last month or so to reduce the air pollution that plagues the city.

On July 1st, 300,000 high-polluting vehicles were barred from the streets. Then on July 20th, driving restrictions were implemented which limited to driving on odd or even days; this depending upon the last number of their license plate. These measures have removed about two million vehicles from the streets.

Also, many factories in the city and surrounding areas were shut down in an effort to improve air conditions. Check out this video:

This vid can also be found on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZqBvtZpP0

Isn't it sad that we have to undertake "emergency" procedures to get air quality to an acceptable level? I think it is safe to say that pollution is getting out of hand when people are concerned about the health of the competing athletes who will only be in the city for a month… And that it is ridiculous that the times of certain endurance events might have to be changed to times when smog levels are reduced…

Then on the other hand you can look at this situation and have hope. Drastic changes have been made and it affected the lives of millions of people. While there has not been much improvement in air quality, there has been some difference. These changes have only been in effect for a month! Imagine if these changes were made for a whole year! I’m not naive, I know that there will always be some level of pollution, but it does illustrate that we as a society are capable of making drastic changes to improve the health of our planet.

Pura vida,
Nick

There is a new sensation overtaking the skydiving world. Its called a wingsuit, birdman suit or squirrel suit. The wingsuit is another step in the ultimate pursuit in skydiving; horizontal movement and no parachute.

The wingsuit basically increases the surface area of the human body thus slowing the terminal velocity of free fall from 120mph to about 60mph. The flying squirrel does something similar when it leaps out of trees. The suit creates an airfoil shape that generates lift. Also a tremendous amount of horizontal velocity can be developed. Therefore a small parachute must be deployed before landing to slow this movement.

Wingsuit flying as dangerous as it is fun. But that won't stop people from trying new things. In 2003 Felix Baumgartner flew across the English Channel and reached speeds of 220mph using a carbon fiber wing. In 2005 the Birdman Rocket Team successfully mounted jet engines on the feet of one of their team riders.

check out this video:

This vid can also be found on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHlOvhlKPvs

Pura vida,
Nick

Don’t look now but the young Florida Marlins are only a half game out of first place in the National League east division. These blue collar athletes have a combined payroll less than Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. That makes what they are doing all the more exciting.

The Marlins are strong up the middle, anchored by all-stars Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. Both are among the league leaders for homeruns. Uggla should end up with over 100 RBIs when the season is done. Hanley is a speed demon with 23 stolen bases. He is on pace for a 40-40 season. Jorge Cantu is having a solid season as well, battling .291 and slugging a respectable 18 homeruns.

As a team the Fish lead the NL in dingers. Also, the team is in the top three in RBIs and slugging percentage.

Pitching has been more of a concern though. Aside from the surprising start by Ricky Nolasco, no one pitcher has stepped up and taken control of this team. Young phenom Josh Johnson has a chance to become “the man” during the second half of the season. The 6’7” 230lb righty is just recovering from an injury but during his young career Johnson has shown big strikeout potential.

This team is fun to watch. They are hard working and selfless. Say what you want about the organization but the Marlins scouts are among the best in the business. The team constantly brings in new young talent. If history is any example the Fish might be in for a magical season. With World Series titles in 97’ and 03’ perhaps the Marlins are poised to make another run.

Pura vida,
Nick

MIT engineers have created a new more efficient solar panel to harness the power of the sun. The “solar concentrator” works by directing solar energy toward the edges of a panel. A mixture of dyes is painted onto a glass or plastic pane. The edges of the panel are fitting with solar cells. These dyes absorb light across a range of wavelengths and then re-emit them at different wavelengths along the pane to cells waiting at the edges. The focused light increases the electrical power obtained by each cell by over a factor of 40.

Since the solar cells are only placed around the edges of a panel, the system is very inexpensive. Furthermore, these dyes can be applied to existing solar cells to increase their efficiency by up to 50%. The engineering team believes that due to the ease of manufacture, that this technology could be implemented within three years.

One day in the not too distant future imagine office buildings designed with mostly glass to allow ambient light in thus reducing power consumption. Each one of those panels also serves as a solar concentrator also reducing the net power consumption of the building. With these advances it is easy to see the future is bright indeed.

Pura vida,
Nick

Over the Fourth of July weekend oil prices settled above $145 for the first time. As a result gas prices continue to increase with seemingly no end in sight. People the world over are starting to alter the way they live as gas becomes a more and more significant part of their budgets. There is still debate over the contributing factors to global warming however people would agree that all things being equal the reduction of emissions and the improvement of gas mileage is a good thing.

Many people point to the fact that the original Ford Model T got between 13-21 mpg and a 100 years later a Ford Explorer gets 16 mpg: where is the improvement? We must be careful with a blanket statement like this though.
The Model T’s engine made 20 hp, the car weighed just over 1000 lb, had horrible emissions and would struggle to hit 45 mph. We can design a car to these specs today and achieve much better resulting emissions. However, to meet people’s demands for comfort, safety and practicality certain concessions must be made. But there are new engine technologies that are being developed that can drastically improve gas mileage and emissions.

Many companies are looking at innovative ways to increase the efficiency of an engine. The efficiency of an engine relates how much useful power is output for a given amount of heat energy input. Typical modern engines have an efficiency of only 25%. Revetec, an Australian engine design company, is developing a Controlled Combustion Engine (CCE) that utilizes of two counter-rotating "trilobate" cams geared together. The CCE X4v2 achieved a repeatable 38.5% efficiency. This engine is really intriguing because it can be configured in numerous ways. Revetec's CCE is half the size and weight of a typical engine. Also the Australian company is claiming 50% fewer emissions with their prototype.

Other companies such as Rotoblock, based out of California, are prototyping an Oscillating Piston Engine (OPE). They, like Revetec, are aiming at reducing the size and increasing the efficiency of the internal combustion engine. The OPE has pistons arranged in a circular manner around a coaxial driveshaft. The toroidal cylinders oscillate which drives a crankshaft. In this engine the entire cylinder block rotates! Rotoblock is committed to the environment and the third generation of the engine will serve to investigate the use of

Doug Pelmear, an engineer asserts that he can get 110mpg and 38% efficiency out of an 87’ Mustang motor! It is still a traditional rod-and-piston engine with more electronics regulating it. He has entered his design in the Progressive Automotive X Prize Competition: a race to find an affordable, marketable car that can get at least 100 miles to the gallon. The winner of the X Prize will get 10 million dollars!

If small startups such as Revetec and Rotoblock can engineer such intriguing ideas for engines, imagine what Honda or GM could do? It is time for these automobile manufacturers to step outside their comfort zone and come up with something new! Coupling new engine technology with lightweight materials it is very possible to have cheap, efficient transportation for the masses.

Pura vida,
Nick

Welcome back! Last time we discussed how waves are created out on the open ocean. This time we will focus in on how waves approach and break on the beach.

Sets:
As swell waves propagate away from their origin they form groups known as sets. Keen surfers can identify sets as they arrive. As waves get closer to shore their height increases and surfers can see the “lines” that form. Clear and organized lines are referred to as “corduroy,” after the fabric.

But how do these lines form and what causes waves to actually break on the beach?

Wave breaking:
It is important to realize that a wave is more than the crest and trough that appears on the surface of the water. Fluid particles are disturbed by wave motion beneath the surface and they move in a circular motion. Basically this means that the particles move up and down at the same rate as they move back and forth. The orbital motion of particles decreases as water depth increases.

So there is a total amount of energy associated with a propagating wave. As that wave approaches the beach it begins to “feel” the ocean floor. That is to say the deep water orbital motions of the particles become disturbed. The wave will slow down as that net energy is compressed in shallower waters. The particles will begin to move in a more oval fashion. The height of the wave continues to steepen as the water depth decreases. Also the base of the wave continues to slow down and the crest begins to outrun it. Finally when the wave face gets too steep, the base can no longer provide support and the wave breaks!

Types of breaks:
There are three main types of breaks:

Beach break – these breaks are typically what you would find at a beach. The wave breaks over a sloping sandy seafloor.

Reef break - this is where a wave breaks over a coral reef. These waves can be very beautiful and powerful but dangerous as well. Some of the most famous breaks in the world are reef breaks. The rapid change in the height of the ocean floor causes waves to arrive with a lot of energy and steepen quickly.

Point break – named after the Keanu Reeves movie! This wave breaks onto a rocky point that juts out into the water.

There are also three main ways the breaking waves travel. A wave can be either:

Left - this wave breaks from left to right from the beach perspective. It is called a left because of the surfer’s position it is breaking towards the left when their back is turned towards the wave.

Right - this wave breaks from right to left from the beach perspective.

A-Frame – this wave has shoulders on either side thus allowing multiple people to surf the same wave!

By now you probably realize how important the topography of the ocean floor is for the breaking of waves. Indeed, this is one of the most beautiful aspects of surfing. There are no two places in the world where the break is the same. In fact beach erosion and differing wind conditions causes the wave to change over time at the same place! Every wave is unique; every session offers its own challenges and joys. So next time your out in the lineup take a moment to appreciate that the wave your about to surf is the only one of its kind!

Next time we’ll discuss wind and the forecasting of surf…

Pura vida,
Nick

The most die hard surfers generally tend to be fantastic meteorologists. So understanding the physics of waves; from their creation to how they break on the beach will only help you develop as a surfer.

Wave Creation:
Waves are created by a variety of forces such as tidal forces (sun and the moon), earthquakes (tsunamis), and most importantly in our case; wind. These other mechanisms for wave formation are interesting in their own right but wind is by far the most dominant force for creating typical waves to surf.

Waves are generally made out on the open ocean due to wind blowing across the water. The wind imparts its energy to the ocean by causing a stress on the water surface. Ripples are formed which somewhat act like sails thus catching more wind. Eventually the wave height will become significant and gravity (attempting to restore the water surface back to level) will cause the wave to propagate at a steady velocity. The binding force between water molecules causes the wave energy to be transferred between them. So there you have it, a wave! It is important to note that individual water molecules move very little (their movement is actually circular).

Wave Strength:
The greater the energy imparted to the ocean, the greater the wave size. The main factors that determine the wave’s energy are: wind intensity, wind duration (in one direction), and the distance that the wind blows; also known as the fetch. It is easy to see that storms are perfect for generating large waves and surfers are great at predicting when the swells will hit their favorite beaches!

Swell:
As waves move out from the wind source that created them they start merging and sorting themselves out into groups based upon their wavelength. The waves with the longest wavelength travel the fastest however their longer wavelength results in a shorter height. These longer wavelength waves traveling across the open sea are called swell waves.

Part Two will discuss how waves approach the beach…

Pura vida,
Nick

Earthwave Brazil, a member of the Earthwave Global Surf Challenge set a new world record yesterday for the most surfers riding one wave simultaneously; 84 surfers successfully rode a wave at Quebra Mar in Santos. The old record of 44 surfers, set in 2006, was smashed earlier in the day by Earthwave Capetown in which 71 surfers rode a single wave. This year the surf challenge had venues in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, England, Reunion Island in France, South Africa and Tahiti.

The Earthwave Global Surf Challenge is a worldwide initiative created by the Kahuna Surf Academy based out of Capetown, South Africa. Their global competition was motivated by an interest in breaking the world record and inspired by global warming trends displayed in Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth."

Great job Brazil! Next year the first Sunday in September promises to be very exciting as more participants will attempt to overtake the new record!

Pura vida,
Nick