Vero Beach

Yesterday I conducted research regarding my own question about energy dissipation in the surf. The picture shows me hard at work.


Here are my research results. My friend John is ruminating on how to calculate the energy, but I think I have the answer to why the water isn't warmer near the shore. I stood in the surf up to my hips and paid close attention to the sensations. I could tell that the current was onshore from the knees up but predominantly offshore from the knees down. In addition, there was a significant component of the offshore current parallel to the beach. The net result is that the undertow plus scattered rip currents must indeed thorougly mix the beach water with colder water from offshore. It is not the same water at the beach merely moving back and forth.

Today we had a visit from Dave and Johnnie Hackett. They drove down from Eau Gallie t o have lunch with us. We went to the Driftwood Resort for lunch and sat outside in the fresh air next to the beach. In a few minutes, a rain squall approached. We and everyone else eating outside were chased inside.

It was fun to see Dave and Johnnie again. They are great people. My opinion is not at all influenced by the delicious citrus fruits they brought us from the trees in their yard.

Here is a funny story I told at the lunch table. I got it from the Wall Street Journal.

Idiot was actually once a clinical term that referred to someone on the far left (of the bell curve). It was the lowest grade of "mental deficiency," as a table we found on this page shows:

IQ range Classification
70-80 Borderline deficiency
50-69 Moron
20-49 Imbecile
Below 20 Idiot

Today "deficiency" is called "retardation," and the classifications are as follows:

IQ range Classification
50-69 Mild
35-49 Moderate
20-34 Severe
Below 20 Profound

So, the next time you are tempted to call someone an idiot, get modern and call them profound instead.