[ExI] NBIC/GRIN Elements as Philosopher's Magnum Opus

[Dave Sill]

On Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 11:26 PM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
>
> Having misspent my youth in Florida, I not only missed out on owning a sled,
> I had never even seen one until I was 19 yrs old.  However I did wax my
> surfboard, which would be an example of a solid which acts as a lubricant
> against a liquid.

Hmm. I row competitively and it's fairly common knowledge that waxing
boats doesn't make them faster. I googled surfboard waxing and
everything I found says it's done to the deck to make it less
slippery. E.g.:

http://www.surfinghandbook.com/knowledge/beginners-surfing-tips/surf-wax/

  Surf wax is for the deck of the board, and keeps you from slipping
off. It’s hilarious to watch surfing newbies take their shining new
board straight from the shop to the beach and try to surf with no wax.
What are they thinking!? I’ve also heard stories of people waxing the
underside of their board. I don’t know how people get this idea. Maybe
they think the wax is supposed to help the board glide on the water.

I'm not a hydrodynamicist, but I think that in order to reduce surface
friction you need some kind of physical texturing like the "shark
skin" bathing suits that have been outlawed in competition.

-Dave