Million Year Shower, Sewage Beer, and Virtual Water

A big hello to 4,131 water enthusiasts and accidental subscribers!

As the holiday season creeps closer, are you heading for snowy mountain streams or sun-drenched beaches? 

Wherever your travels take you, don’t forget to pack some water wisdom—and maybe a reusable bottle to stay hydrated sustainably. Safe travels, and may your H2O adventures be epic!

Welcome to "At Water’s Edge" – the only newsletter that makes H2O sound as exciting as H2Whoa 😎

..and maybe a few personal updates too 👀

Before we dive in, answer this in the replies:

How’s your water quality?

• Tastes like teen spirit with a hint of metal.

• One sip and I'm playing will I survive or won’t I?

• Fiji could bottle this and sell it for an even higher markup it’s so good

The Insane Time Earth Got Drenched for a Million Years Straight

Imagine Earth just decided to turn on the world's longest shower - we're talking ONE MILLION YEARS of non-stop rain. Sounds nuts? It actually happened.

About 232 million years ago, something went absolutely bonkers with our planet's weather. Geologists call it the "Carnian Pluvial Event" - a fancy shmancy term for basically Earth's most epic rainstorm ever.

What the Hell Happened?

As the theory goes , a massive volcanic eruption in Alaska went full nuclear, spewing so much greenhouse gas that the planet basically turned into one giant wet mess.

We're talking oceans so toasty they were like "hot soup" (scientists' words, not mine), and monsoons that made hurricanes look like a light sprinkle.

The Crazy Fallout

• Entire landscapes got stripped bare

• Oceans went basically dead (marine biologists' nightmare)

• Massive extinctions everywhere

• But - plot twist - this violent climate chaos actually set the stage for DINOSAURS to take over

This wasn't just random destruction. It was like nature's total system reboot. The massive rainfall and climate shift basically cleared the deck for new life forms to emerge.

Read more about this

Did you know about this? Tell me in the Comments

• no adam, only you can find this stuff

• duh, this is epic

Water World Roundup

1. $16.7M for small businesses in water power R&D: Small businesses making waves with water power.

2. ‘Sewage’ is the secret ingredient in Singapore’s beer: yummy

3. Hurricane dumps rain, but no drinking water: So much water, yet everyone's still thirsty—classic.

What I'm Up To

I tend to get quite reflective during this time of year. I’d define 2024 as a whirlwind of exciting projects and personal growth.

From a work perspective, Transcend continues to fulfill it’s mission on becoming the #1 provider of generative design software for critical infrastructure projects. We’ve grown tremendously from a people & revenue perspective - but most importantly, impact. To date our software has positively impacted the lives of over 360M people around the world in the water, wastewater, and power industries. It’s a dream come true.

On the creative front my first published book, luck by design, is rapidly approaching 10,000 copies sold - which is hard to believe. I’ve also been playing with tools like Claude & ChatGPT to help code projects like visualizing LinkedIn connections on a map.

On the personal front, I’ve been enjoying life’s little joys, including my daughter turning two, discovering new ways to master chess (slowly but surely climbing to a 700 ELO rating!), and making fantasy football playoffs this year despite not watching a single game.

I hope this year was happy, healthy, and productive for you. Drop me a note—I’d love to hear what you’re up to.

Did you know?

Time for some water wisdom that's wetter than your average trivia:

1. Water can exist in three states simultaneously - solid, liquid, and gas. This magical point is called the triple point, and it happens at exactly 0.01°C (32.018°F) and a partial vapor pressure of 611.657 pascals. It's like water's very own identity crisis. (read more)

2. The concept of "virtual water" refers to the amount of water used in the production and trade of food and goods. For example, it takes about 2,400 liters (634 gallons) of water to produce one hamburger, considering all the processes from farm to table. (read more)

3. This curious phenomenon, where hot water can sometimes freeze faster than cold water, is known as the Mpemba effect. The exact cause is still a matter of scientific debate. (read more)

Splashy Quiz: Water You Waiting For?

answers at the very bottom :)

1. What unusual weather phenomenon involves fish raining from the sky?

A) Catfish Storm

B) Sharknado

C) Lluvia de Peces

D) Salmon Tsunami

2. Which famous water bridge in Germany allows ships to cross over a river?

A) The Charles Bridge

B) The Magdeburg Water Bridge

C) The Ponte Vecchio

D) The Rialto Bridge

3. Which festival involves building enormous, intricate structures from water ice?

A) The Ice Music Festival, Norway

B) The Harbin Ice Festival, China

C) The Sapporo Snow Festival, Japan

D) The Winterlude, Canada

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That's a wrap for this month's At Water's Edge! Happy Holidays!

-- Answer Key:

1. C

2. B

3. B