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Dr. John Lienhard

Journalist · 27 articles indexed on Spring

Dr. John Lienhard is a bylined journalist whose reporting appears on Spring. We aggregate Dr. John Lienhard's work from trusted local sources with full attribution, linking back to the original publisher. To learn more about how we select and review stories, see our editorial standards.

Affiliated with: Houston Public Media

Recent articles

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1602: The Tragedy of the Commons

Episode: 1602 The tragedy of the commons revisited. Today, the tragedy of the commons.

Houston Public Media · Jul 13, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1601: Dirt

Episode: 1601 Mother dirt. Today, let's play in the dirt.

Houston Public Media · Jul 12, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1600: Adams's Education

Episode: 1600 Henry Adams ponders the Virgin and the Dynamo. science, medieval architecture, Langley, 1900 Paris exhibition, Chartres cathedral.

Houston Public Media · Jul 11, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1599: Urban Archaeology

Episode: 1599 Urban archaeology: a privy provides a window to the past. Today, history in a trash bin.

Houston Public Media · Jul 10, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity #3387: Burington's Handbook

Episode: 3387 In which an old handbook keeps teaching me for almost eight decades years. Today, an old book keeps informing me.

Houston Public Media · Jul 7, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3386: Fourth Dimension

Episode: 3386 In which the search for visualizing four dimensions leads, ultimately, to mathematics. Today, the missing dimensions.

Houston Public Media · Jul 6, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1598: Surface Tension

Episode: 1598 Surface Tension: a tiny force, but omnipresent. Today, we look at the edge of a water droplet.

Houston Public Media · Jul 5, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1597: Ottoman Telegraph

Episode: 1597 The Ottoman Empire telegraph, linking Europe and Asia. Today, the telegraph connects Europe and Asia.

Houston Public Media · Jul 4, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1596: The First Automobile?

Episode: 1596 Looking for the "first" automobile. Today, let's try to find the first automobile.

Houston Public Media · Jul 3, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3385: Blohm & Voss BV141

Episode: 3385 The weird Blohm & Voss BV141 airplane, and reflections on asymmetry. Today, a weird aeroplane.

Houston Public Media · Jun 30, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3384: Alien Life Forms

Episode: 3384 Further thoughts about the search for extra-terrestrial life. Today, Alien life forms.

Houston Public Media · Jun 29, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1595: Alfred Stieglitz

Episode: 1595 In which Alfred Stieglitz and 291 anticipate Modern. Today, Stieglitz and photography, art and reality.

Houston Public Media · Jun 28, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1594: The Mad Scientist

Episode: 1594 The Mad Scientist — he keeps coming back. Today, the mad scientist.

Houston Public Media · Jun 27, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1593: LST-325

Episode: 1593 The LST-325: Thirty old men and an old ship become young again. Today, the LST-325.

Houston Public Media · Jun 26, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3382: Disorder

Episode: 3382 Thoughts about coping with the disorder in our lives and the disorder in our world. Today, disorder.

Houston Public Media · Jun 23, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3381: Shuttle-Carrier N905NA

Episode: 3381 The last ride of NASA's Shuttle carrier, N905NA. Today, the last Shuttle-carrier.

Houston Public Media · Jun 22, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1592: Specialized Language

Episode: 1592 In which we use fancy words instead of simple ones. Today, the quotidian denominator.

Houston Public Media · Jun 21, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1591: Completed Technologies

Episode: 1591 Baroque violins and the notion of a completed technology. Today, let's talk about complete technologies.

Houston Public Media · Jun 20, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1590: The Great Wall of China

Episode: 1590 The Great Wall of China — a long and checquered history. Today, a 2300-year-old wall.

Houston Public Media · Jun 19, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1589: Pluto (The Planet)

Episode: 1589 Pluto: We finally reach the outer fringe of the Solar System. Today, we discover Pluto.

Houston Public Media · Jun 15, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1588: Nieuport 17

Episode: 1588 The Nieuport 17, early harbinger of the finished WW-I fighter. Today, a case history of technological change.

Houston Public Media · Jun 14, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1587: Early Warplanes

Episode: 1587 In which airplanes gradually learn to wage war. Today, we turn plowshares into swords.

Houston Public Media · Jun 13, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1586: Topsell's Beasts

Episode: 1586 Topsell's history of four-footed beasts and serpents. Today, a zoology book.

Houston Public Media · Jun 12, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3380: Ergodicity

Episode: 3380 What underlies a term from physics: Ergodic (or Ergodicity). Today, let us steal a word from physics.

Houston Public Media · Jun 9, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3379: Gestalt

Episode: 3379 A look at the overarching meaning of the word "Gestalt." Today, a curious word: Gestalt.

Houston Public Media · Jun 8, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1585: Dissonance

Episode: 1585 In which the elephant Prathida teaches me about dissonance and Christmas. Today, dissonance, elephants, and the holiday season.

Houston Public Media · Jun 7, 2026 · local

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1584: Hugo Distler

Episode: 1584 Hugo Distler: Beleaguered pioneer of twentieth century music. Today, the brief moment of a musical genius.

Houston Public Media · Jun 6, 2026 · local

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