Ask John

This blog, as well as others, know John well. Full of whit with answers tied to physics, science fiction, and military history, John uses his experience as an interpreter of goat-speak to share unlimited bits of information flowing from his neurological network. With that in mind, I present the inaugural edition of Ask John.

If you had dinner with Albert Einstein, what would you ask him first?
Hmm. Does he know what’s gone on following his death? If so, does he really think the Higgs boson, if found, is really the ultimate and completing particle of the sub-atomic family? If he only knew what he did at the time of his death, how the heck did he come up with the fact that the speed of light is insurmountable?

What if you could change places with General (MacArthur or Patton), which decision would you make differently?
This one’s the toughie. I could be flip and say, as Patton, I’d decide not to slap those soldiers. But I assume you mean military. As Patton, I’d say drive north in France to help US First Army close off the Falaise gap, thus encircling and destroying or capturing most or all of up to 14 German divisions. For direct action, while I hate to criticize Patton, being one of my favorites, it would be to put major effort up Monty’s left on Sicily. While Patton’s run to the west of the island certainly put the Italians and Germans in a nasty spot, if all Allied forces could have reached Messina sooner, they could have cut off some of the German forces that made the Italian campaign such a bloody, grinding effort.

For MacArthur, lower the priority of the Philippines because they were not as militarily important as other island groups like the Marshalls. I understand wanting to get an American colony back, but a lot of time and effort was wasted that could have been applied in the “island hopping” campaign.

What if you were a vegetable, what would you be?
Bizarre! I’d say corn, but I’m allergic to the pollen corn plants put out, so I’d make myself sneeze! Strange as it sounds, probably a potato. Part of you gets the warm summer sun, but most of you is in the cool, moist earth. I’ve always loved the feel of rich, black dirt!

Thanks John. To submit future questions for Ask John, submit them on the comments … and then we’ll see if John can overcome the urge to immediately provide answers. Then again, I can receive suggestions on Facebook or by email.