Are Octopi Actually Aliens?

No, they're not. See you next week.

Okay, hang on, I'm not quite finished yet.

Pictured: Not an alien

The octopus. They're very strange creatures, and there's nothing on Earth quite like them. That's part of the reason they're so captivating to people. So is it possible that the cause of the octopuses otherworldliness is that they're from another world? That's what a group of scientists are claiming, and while you might want to dismiss them as being crazy, they have credentials. These are legitimate scientists, and they've published a legitimate study.

Things start off fine, they note the dramatic differences in the octopus, compared with squid and cuttlefish, their closest relatives, and the nautilus, the cephalopod common ancestor. And that's fine, octopi do have many features that sort of just appeared, evolutionarily speaking. That sort of thing is unusual in biology. But where things go south is when they claim that the reason for this is extraterrestrial influence during the Cambrian explosion, either from alien viruses that modified squid DNA, or from full-on fertilized octopus eggs, suspended in deep freeze for millions of years on an alien comet, landing on Earth and suddenly coming to life. It's a wild theory, and if you ignore the fact that we know the octopus genome, and the split between octopus and squid happened 135 million years ago instead of 500 million years ago, and if you squint, it almost makes sense.

Okay, it really doesn't make any sense. But this wild, off-the-wall theory does serve a point. There's still a lot of science we don't know, and sometimes, you need wild theories to push the boundaries of traditional thinking. Oh sure, most will be wildly wrong (see: octopuses are aliens), but occasionally, they'll be right, or at least point us in the right direction.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Woodbooger Belgian-style Brown Ale

Brewed by: Strangeways Brewing, Richmond, Virginia

Description (from the website): "Dark, roasty brown ale brewed with coconut sugar and dark Belgian candi sugar, fermented with Belgian ale yeast and aged with Bourbon vanilla beans. It’s no hoax. You’ve spotted the elusive Woodbooger. However, your adventure is only now beginning. Examine its habits and you’ll uncover footprints of caramel, chocolate and roasted malts with subtle traces of dark chocolate and fruit esters. It will show you a sweet side, tempting you to let down your guard. But you must keep your wits about you, because as quickly as it reveals itself, it will vanish."

Would I buy it again?: They called their beer Woodbooger. Of course I'd buy it again, the name is basically the entire reason I bought the beer in the first place. But it's actually pretty good.

Review: Little Bennett Golf Course (Part 2)

And we're back with the back nine. Here's the front nine if you haven't seen it yet.

The tenth hole is a fairly short par 4 at 370 yards. You have to deal with small streams on multiple occasions, but this hole contains the only pond on the golf course. The only nonnatural water hazard. You need to carry the tee shot decently far off the tee to carry the water, but at the same time, a driver is really not a great idea. Starting around 250 yards from the tee the hole is pinched by the pond and the tree line to the right, and it becomes quite narrow, which is something I didn't know when I played the hole. Luckily, I hit a very good drive, and was right in the middle of the narrow fairway. A wood or long iron is all you need, this isn't a long hole. Also, if you lay up and keep your shot close to the pond, you'll have a better angle into the green. Not a bad way to start off the back nine.

The tenth hole. It gets pretty narrow beyond where you can see.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a par 5 that plays extremely long. Obviously, it plays uphill, but it was also playing into the wind the day I was there. You need to hit a couple of decent shots to get into full view of the green in two, and you need to stay close to the right trees to have the best angle into the green, as there is a greenside bunker lurking to the left. Also, the second shot is completely blind, much like on the fifth, I had absolutely no idea where to go with it. It's very adventurous golf at Little Bennett.

If you can make the top of the hill, you're in good shape.

Another blind second shot on a par 5.

The third shot is semiblind unless you get your second shot far enough.

The twelfth hole is another fairly short par 4, and in terms of strategic interest, there isn't a whole lot there. But the view from the tee is quite nice. You actually want to aim pretty much at the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain, the fairway runs out quicker than you might expect on the right side. The green is quite small, and similarly to the fifth green, runs slightly from front to back. I like that feature quite a lot, it's interesting when even a high-flying wedge bounces and rolls out.

The twelfth plays sharply downhill. But you get a nice view of the mountain.

The twelfth green is not a large one.

The thirteenth hole features something you don't see every day: a split-level fairway. I'm not sure how necessary that was, but now Little Bennett can say that they've got one. This is another drive-and-pitch par 4, and this one is probably the toughest of the bunch. The drive isn't too bad, but your approach needs to be very precise. It's a small green, and if the hole is on the right side, a shot hit even slightly left will run down to the bottom-left section of the green, leaving a long, uphill putt that's very tricky to judge.

The thirteenth hole.

You can get a slightly better look at the split-level fairway here, as well as the tiny little green.

The fourteenth hole is the last par 5 on the course, and is pretty reachable at 512 yards. You'll notice that once again, the tee shot plays up over the crest of a hill. Yes, all the par 5s feature tee shots like this. A certain lack of variety in the way this course tackles the topography keeps this course from being all that good. The par 5s all play pretty similar, all the par 3s play downhill, things like that. At least you can see the green if you make it up on top of the hill.

Another blind drive on fourteen.

But you can see where your second shot is going. Mostly.

The fourteenth green.

The fifteenth hole is a short par 3 at less than 150 yards, and it plays even shorter. The green is tilted pretty sharply from back to front, but otherwise, there's not much to this hole. Club down, and watch the wedge hang in the air for ages and ages.

The fifteenth hole.

The sixteenth hole is a mid-length par 4, and is a fairly interesting hole. You can clearly see that the fairway falls away pretty severely to the left. It's very easy to sort of bail out from the right-hand fairway bunker, and let your drive drift down the hill. But this will leave you with a blind approach over the greenside bunker. Keep it right and you'll get a better view of the green, and a better angle.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green is semiblind.

The seventeenth hole is almost identical in length to the fifteenth, but it doesn't play quite so much downhill. The green is not big, and this is the most well-bunkered green on the golf course. Otherwise, not a whole lot of strategy here, but it is nice to see a par 3 with a bit less extreme elevation change.

The seveneenth hole.

The eighteenth hole is a fairly long par 4 at 425 yards, and it plays even longer. Much like the ninth hole, you have to lay up off the tee. Use too much club, and you'll leave yourself a ridiculously downhill stance on your second. The stream does cut across the fairway, but that's probably out of reach unless you've got some serious length. If you've laid up correctly, the second shot is a mid-iron over the stream to a big and inviting green.

A layup is definitely in order on the last hole.

The eighteenth green, across a valley.

Is Little Bennett as good as its next-door neighbor, P.B. Dye? No. It's not really even close. P.B. Dye had better views, more interesting greens, significantly more strategy, and it was offbeat in a way that this course just isn't. Interestingly, both courses do share a weakness, in that the closing holes of both nines at both courses are mediocre at best. Seriously, neither course could conclude a nine. Kind of odd, but what are you going to do?

This wasn't a bad golf course though, I'd definitely place it as above average. It was certainly better than Rattlewood. On a course with so much elevation change, Little Bennett could hardly fail to capture at least a little of your attention. And there are quite a few decent holes here. No stand-outs, but some well-designed holes that provide a fair amount of strategy and fun. For a muni course owned by Montgomery County, it's pretty good. I wouldn't pay the $60 they charge on weekend mornings, but the $40 I paid on a Tuesday? That's not too bad a price. Would I play here again? Maybe. Really, it depends on how much P.B. Dye is charging on the day I'd want to play. It's not a bad back-up course.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Honey Kölsch

Brewed by: Rogue Ales, Newport, OR

Description (from the website): "Situated just across from 40 acres of Rogue hops, 119 colonies of bees are carefully kept and fed and the honey is uncapped, extracted, filtered and finally infused into a refreshing Honey Kölsch Ale."

Would I buy it again?: Yes. Actually, this is one of the best summer beers I've ever had. It's got a very nice honey taste, I enjoy the style of beer, and it's not hoppy at all, which is something I like. Not only would I buy it again, I definitely plan to.

Review: Little Bennett Golf Club (Part 1)

This was not supposed to be this month's review. In mid-April, I played Rattlewood Golf Course in Mount Airy, Maryland, and that was the course I wanted to do for May. But I forgot my camera, and to be honest, Rattlewood is really not that good a golf course. It's marginally better than Glade Valley, simply by virtue of the fact that it has more elevation change. That's a very easy way to give a course some interest. There, that's my review of Rattlewood Golf Course. It's a two for one deal today.

Looking back down the seventh fairway at Little Bennett.

Anyway, since I was lacking material for a May review, I decided to play a different Montgomery County-owned public golf course. Little Bennett is south of Frederick but north of Germantown, and is actually pretty close to P.B. Dye, which, if you'll remember, I quite liked. Little Bennett is situated inside a Montgomery County park of the same name, and features some extremely rambunctious terrain. Carts are required here, and while I don't often agree with that policy, I can see it here. There are some huge elevation changes, and they are everywhere. I don't think there's a single hole that I would call flat.

The first hole is pretty representative of what the golfer can expect over the course of the round in terms of terrain. It's also the longest hole on the golf course at nearly 570 yards, which is not something you normally see. The tee shot plays over a valley, at the bottom of which is a stream called the Dark Branch. It's apparently environmentally sensitive, and thus untouchable. So get used to forced carries. The golf course handles them with mixed results, as we'll see. This hole gets it right, cross the gap on the tee shot. It's a little disconcerting on the first swing of the day, but given the location of the clubhouse, there wasn't much choice. Anyway, if you can hit your drive to the top of the hill, you'll have a flat stance for your second. There are a couple of bunkers sort of near the green, but in general, they're not much threat. Most of this course's defense comes from the slopes. This may be the longest hole, but it's not the hardest. So, not a bad start to the round.

The first tee shot of the day plays over a large valley.

The top of this hill is a good place to be for the second shot.

The first green.

The second hole is a mildly long par 4 at 420 yards. But it does play downhill, so that alleviates some of the distance. And there is a very nice view of Sugarloaf Mountain from the tee, a view that would be even better if those trees in the corner of the dogleg weren't there. I suppose they are guarding the optimum angle to the green, but still, they're kind of annoying. And they didn't even have too many leaves on them yet, I imagine the trees are even more annoying once the leaves have properly sprouted. This is another fairly mild hole over sort of flat terrain. Trust me, things get crazier after this.

You can see Sugarloaf Mountain in the background on the second tee.

The second green.

The third hole is a mid-length par 3 at 175 yards. Well, it is on paper, anyway. I knew going into the round that Little Bennett was pretty hilly, but I still wasn't really prepared for a hole like this. It's straight down into the bottom of a valley, and there is nothing long of the green. It's not the most reassuring view, and I'm willing to bet quite a few people end up short, like I did. The green itself is unremarkable, but it doesn't need to be flashy. It's not the primary attraction here.

The third hole.

Looking back at the tee gives you a better idea of how steep the slope is.

The fourth hole is a mid-length par 4 at 390 yards, and yes, it's our first blind tee shot of the tee. The first of quite a few. Frankly, with a course this rugged, blind shots were always going to be common. Some people don't like blind shots. I don't mind them. But I can tell you know that the right side of the fairway gives you a better view of the green, so if you can hit a fade or flirt with the right trees on your drive, that would be best. The bunker you see in the picture isn't really even close to the green, so it's not really anything to worry about.

The first blind tee shot of the day.

The fourth green is also semiblind.

The fifth hole is a par 5, much shorter than the first. But again, we've got a tee shot over a valley to a partially blind fairway. It's a very adventurous type of golf you have to play at this course. The second shot is also blind, thanks to a series of mounds running along the left side of the fairway, which I wasn't a huge fan of. This course is rugged enough, we don't need a whole bunch of artificial mounding to make it worse. However, I'll give this hole a pass because it does something that you don't see all that often. The green actually slopes slightly from front to back. That makes it much harder to hold, since even high shots will bounce and roll. It takes a bit of finesse to hit a green like that, and I appreciated the challenge.

Another tee shot over a valley.

Can't see too much from the fifth fairway.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is a fairly long par 3 at 210 yards, but it does play somewhat downhill. I think the picture tells you everything you need to know about the hole, it's not the most interesting hole on the course.

The sixth hole.

The seventh hole plays very much uphill from the tee, and the drive is very blind. It's another mid-length par 4 with a blind drive and a semiblind approach, except on this hole you don't even get the interesting sideslope in the fairway. So it's a less interesting version of the fourth hole.

The seventh plays very uphill.

Another semiblind green at the seventh.

The eighth hole, comparatively speaking, is pretty flat. The fairway is wide, and at 355 yards, it's a pretty short hole. Unfortunately, this course essentially depends on elevation change for interest, so once again, it's a decidedly average hole. The eighth is a good birdie opportunity though.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is the longest par 4 at Little Bennett, weighing in at 450 yards, and I'd say it's the toughest hole on the course. Not only is the hole long, but you also have to lay up off the tee. Well, you don't HAVE to, but a 3 wood leaves you with a little under 200 yards and a reasonably level stance. From there it's a mid to long iron over a creek to a green that's, admittedly, not that tough to hit. It's pretty big, and very receptive to long irons. But it's not too often the lower handicap golfer has to use a long iron on the second shot of a par 4.

You'll want to lay up on the ninth.

The ninth green, across a valley.

That's it for now, next week we'll get the back nine.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Pounder Pils

Brewed by: Heavy Seas Beer, Baltimore, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Made with German malts and an plethora of European hops, Pounder Pils is an American interpretation of a classic European Style. Exhibiting a crisp malt backbone and an herbaceous hop profile, this Pilsner is quaffable and refreshing. This year-round offering is smooth and elegant showcasing a bright yet zesty botanical aroma. Named for the weight of their shot, the most common naval cannons were called 'six pounders.' At Heavy Seas, that means a six-pack of crisp, clean Pounder Pils."

Would I buy it again?: Yes. As a beer, it wasn't particularly remarkable, but the value was excellent. It cost a dollar less than most six-packs, and you get a pint instead of 12 ounces. So it gets a pass for that.

Alternate Theories to Relativity Have Not Had a Good Time Lately

It's a conundrum at the very heart of theoretical physics. We know quantum mechanics to be correct. It's how nature works at very small scales. We know that the theory of general relativity is completely incompatible with quantum mechanics. The two just don't go together. Therefore general relativity must be wrong, or at minimum, incomplete. Yet general relativity has been proven to work time and time again. But general relativity also means that dark matter and dark energy must be a thing. And despite our best efforts, we're no closer to discovering either than when we first started looking for them. Not really. And I think you get the idea at this point. It's a mess.

So, what are physicists to do? If you guessed make wild theories that somehow work in what we know about gravity AND what we know about quantum mechanics, and hope the two go together, then congratulations! You've got what it takes to be a theoretical physicist. Turns out there are lots of alternate theories of gravity out. Well, there were. The discovery of gravitational waves by LIGO killed most of them. Okay, it wasn't just that, it was that and the simultaneous observation of a gamma-ray burst from the same neutron star collision.

I think the biggest takeaway from this story is that science is always in motion. General relativity's been around for a century now, and it's been observationally validated many, many times. But it isn't perfect. And so, rather than shrug our shoulders and say "close enough", we keep going, and we try to find something that does work. There is always more science to do, always more questions to answer.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Fresh as Helles

Brewed by: Boston Beer Company

Description (from the website): "The soft citrus of orange blossom adds a bright accent to the slightly sweet honey malt notes in this Helles lager, leading to a round, smooth finish."

Would I buy it again?: Yes, I would. It's a Samuel Adams spring seasonal beer, but I think it would work just as well in the summer.

Just How Big Are Neutron Stars, Anyway?

I know, I know, somewhere between 10 and 20 miles. We've known how big neutron stars are for a while. Well, we've roughly known, as it turns out, we don't know their size accurately enough to really figure neutron stars out. We need an exact figure, because an exact figure will tell us exactly how dense they are, and that is an important problem for particle physics. We don't know how matter behaves when pushed to the absolute limits of density, and that's what neutron stars are. They're not black holes, the laws of physics still apply, and it's possible to learn what goes on inside them. All we need to finish the neutron star puzzle (okay, probably not) is an exact radius. And luckily for physicists, an instrument called NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer), attached to the International Space Station, will answer these big questions this summer.

So, that's something to look forward to. I don't have any spectacular conclusions, since we don't know anything yet, I just thought this was a neat article.