Airplane

Duct tape. We called it 100 mph tape back when I was in the military and it was an invaluable tool for quick repairs while out in the field. Dave Barry calls it one of the six fundamental forces of the universe, “with the other five being gravity, magnetism whining, remote control, and the force that pulls dogs toward the groins of strangers.”

Probably one of the most innovative uses for this all purpose fix-it/stick-it was performed by the astronauts of Apollo 13 who used it to fabricate an ad hoc life support system while 200,000 miles from the Earth.

TDA researcher Anna Z found us another story of duct tape aeronautical engineering involving a drunken passenger on a United Airlines flight from Puerto Rica to Chicago.

Click "Read more" to continue...

My work requires fairly extensive travel. Even though I prefer driving because of the freedom and flexibility it allows in my schedule, sometimes the distances and timelines can only be satisfied by air travel. So I usually find myself flying three or four times a month disguised as a mild mannered businessman.

In such cramped circumstances, squeezed between too many fellow travelers at 30,000 feet you would think that addiction and recovery topics would be taboo but amazingly enough I have had some great discussions over the past year.

There was the time I got to grill the doctor of infectious diseases about ailments directly related to substance abuse. Then there was the time I got to talk to a psychiatrist specializing in sleep disorders about how people new to sobriety can learn how to sleep again without any chemical lullabies.

Click “Read more” to continue…