mbarrick | "How do you know that?" is a question I frequently get…

"How do you know that?" is a question I frequently get asked. Here's an insight: A couple years ago there was a cockroach problem in my apartment building. It was dealt with, but there was another smaller problem the following spring that was also dealt with. It's spring so I am nervous and vigilant about the beasties coming back again. Last night before bed a few of pictures of wonky, ancient Tudor building came up in my IG feed This morning I dreamt about an insect infestation underneath the floor of centuries-old Tudor house in England that was my problem to deal with. Poison was out of the question because of various regulations. Thirty years ago I worked in a lab and walked past a vat of liquid nitrogen every day on the way to my office. My solution in the dream was to pour liquid nitrogen into the insect nest under the floor. This morning I looked into what it takes to make liquid nitrogen, learned quickly that I could have solved the problem more easily with liquified air rather than pure nitrogen, and looked into how to DIY a cryocooler. So there, that's how I know that. Welcome to my brain. Image: DIY cryocooler by "Hyperspace pirate" via Maya Posch on Hackaday. via Instagram