Thursday, August 30, 2012
Frequent Flier Space Miles
Alex Knapp: "Frequent fliers on Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Australia have a new perk to save their miles for -- a trip into space."
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Apple Genius Training
"How To Be a Genius: This Is Apple’s Secret Employee Training Manual".
I was fascinated by how much was shrewd (some might say manipulative) use of applied psychology as opposed to simply technical issues.
I was fascinated by how much was shrewd (some might say manipulative) use of applied psychology as opposed to simply technical issues.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Fully Homomorphic Encryption
Fully homomorphic encryption: "A new form of encryption allows you to compute with data you cannot read"
Monday, August 27, 2012
Debate over MRI Lie Detector in MD Murder Trial
"Debate on brain scans as lie detectors highlighted in Maryland murder trial".
The judge heard testimony about the technology, but ultimately decided not to allow it for the trial.
The judge heard testimony about the technology, but ultimately decided not to allow it for the trial.
The Woman Who Needed to Be Upside-Down
If a giant man ever walks into the ER holding a tiny woman upside-down by her feet, you'll be damned glad you read this article. (Via Dr. David Solsberg.)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The 'Anternet'
"Stanford biologist and computer scientist discover the 'Anternet'". (Via Radley Balko.)
The Origins of "D'oh!"
The Origins of "D'oh!"
Tidbit: In the actual scripts, it's always written as "annoyed grunt", rather than "D'oh".
Tidbit: In the actual scripts, it's always written as "annoyed grunt", rather than "D'oh".
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
[Off-Topic] Hsieh OpEd in Forbes on Human Progress and Wealth
[OFF TOPIC] My latest OpEd was published in yesterday's Forbes, "If You Want Human Progress To Stop, Institute A Maximum Income".
Theme: Honestly-earned wealth should be defended on moral (as well as economic) grounds.
Theme: Honestly-earned wealth should be defended on moral (as well as economic) grounds.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wiki Weapon Project
"'Wiki Weapon Project' Aims To Create A Gun Anyone Can 3D-Print At Home".
It will be very interesting if this goes anywhere technically. And what sort of legal measures are proposed in response:
It will be very interesting if this goes anywhere technically. And what sort of legal measures are proposed in response:
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Deep, Deep, Storage
"For one cent a month, Amazon Glacier stores your data for centuries".
However, retrieval can be slow and potentially costly.
However, retrieval can be slow and potentially costly.
Passive Surveillance With Subject's WiFi
Bruce Scheier notes: "A new technology uses the radiation given off by wi-fi devices to sense the positions of people through a one-foot-thick brick wall."
Restaurant Offers Discount for Surrendering Your Phone Before Meal
"Restaurant Offers Discount for Surrendering Your Phone Before Meal". (Via Mark Perry.)
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Customer Reviews of Bic For Her Ballpoint Pens
Hilarious customer reviews of "BIC For Her Amber Medium Ballpoint Pen". (Via Radley Balko.)
Monday, August 20, 2012
Extreme Storage
"Harvard cracks DNA storage, crams 700 terabytes of data into a single gram". (Via Howard R.)
Backup Your Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter Accounts
"Yes, You Should Back Up Your Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter Accounts. Here's How". (Via Instapundit.)
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Our Internal Microbiome
"Looking at human beings as ecosystems that contain many collaborating and competing species could change the practice of medicine"
State Stereotypes Using Google Autocomplete
Clever map of US state stereotypes, using Google Autocomplete to fill in "Why is [state X] so..."
Government Experiments on Derailing Trains
Vintage footage from 1944 shows US government experiments on the best way to derail trains.
Includes various slow motion, reverse motion, and freeze frame analysis. (Via Howard R.)
Includes various slow motion, reverse motion, and freeze frame analysis. (Via Howard R.)
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Big Brother Is Watching Your Car
"Your car, tracked: The rapid rise of license plate readers". (Via Debby Witt.)
New Solution to Prisoner's Dilemma?
"The discovery of a winning strategy for Prisoner's Dilemma is forcing game theorists to rethink their discipline"
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Escaped Kangaroos
News story sentence of the day: "A very fit policewoman hurled herself onto the kangaroo." (Via Tyler Cowen.)
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Fake IDs More Realistic
Technology is making it much easier to create realistic fake IDs.
Note: Technology makes it easier to create fake IDs" does not imply "We need a national ID card".
Note: Technology makes it easier to create fake IDs" does not imply "We need a national ID card".
Encrypted Warhead
"Encrypted Warhead": "Researchers have renewed their call for help in cracking an "encrypted warhead" they believe was unleashed by a powerful nation-state and may be poised to search and destroy a high-profile target."
(Via A.B., who summarizes: "Clever. Computer virus payload which will only decrypt on matching hash of traits on target system. I'm really curious what comes out of this.")
(Via A.B., who summarizes: "Clever. Computer virus payload which will only decrypt on matching hash of traits on target system. I'm really curious what comes out of this.")
African Pirate Form Letters
When African pirates hijack a ship, here's the form letter they send out.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Wireless Charging Update
"Wireless Charging Technology to Hit Mainstream in Late 2013". (Via Jon H.)
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Thursday, August 09, 2012
MIcrosoft's Lost Decade?
The August 2012 Vanity Fair has a lengthy piece entitled, "Microsoft's Lost Decade".
The article includes information supposedly drawn from MS staff about the toxic corporate culture and poor management that caused them to lose their innovative edge, while competitors like Apple, Amazon, and Google made incredible gains.
I don't have any first-hand knowledge of some of these claims. So it's possible that the stories are completely accurate. Or they may be coming from folks with axes to grind. But if the overall theme of the article is correct, it does explain a lot of what we've seen (or not seen) coming from Microsoft these past 10 years.
The article includes information supposedly drawn from MS staff about the toxic corporate culture and poor management that caused them to lose their innovative edge, while competitors like Apple, Amazon, and Google made incredible gains.
I don't have any first-hand knowledge of some of these claims. So it's possible that the stories are completely accurate. Or they may be coming from folks with axes to grind. But if the overall theme of the article is correct, it does explain a lot of what we've seen (or not seen) coming from Microsoft these past 10 years.
[OFF TOPIC] Hsieh OpEd in Forbes on Medical Innovation
[Off Topic]: The 8/8/2012 Forbes has published my latest OpEd, "The Federal Government's War On Medical Innovation".
I discuss how the government is hampering the development of life-saving medical technology through two methods: new taxes and FDA regulation.
I discuss how the government is hampering the development of life-saving medical technology through two methods: new taxes and FDA regulation.
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Chinese Prison Body Doubles
"In China, the rich and powerful can hire body doubles to do their prison time for them"
(I'll let somebody else make the obligatory, "They all look alike" joke!)
(I'll let somebody else make the obligatory, "They all look alike" joke!)
"Smart Pill" Knows When It's Been Ingested
"FDA clears first 'smart pill' that senses when it's been taken, sends data to wearable patch"
How Alan Turing Outsmarted Britain's Home Guard
"How Alan Turing Outsmarted Britain's Home Guard -- and For Their Own Good"
Freakonomics-themed TV Cop Show
The Freakonomics blog announced, "Weird But True: Freakonomics-Flavored Cop Show Bought by NBC".
They explain, "The gist: a big-city police force, in crisis, hires a rogue academic (sound familiar?) to help get crime under control." It could be interesting!
They explain, "The gist: a big-city police force, in crisis, hires a rogue academic (sound familiar?) to help get crime under control." It could be interesting!
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
The Ultimate People Walking Into Stuff Compilation
The title pretty much says it all: "The Ultimate People Walking Into Stuff Compilation"
(Via Cynical-C.)
(Via Cynical-C.)
Bug Gun With Salt As Ammo
Dispense with pesky insects with the Bug-A-Salt salt gun.
Uses a pinch of common table salt. Non-toxic, no flammable chemicals. More information here. (Via Howard R. and Kelly V.)
Uses a pinch of common table salt. Non-toxic, no flammable chemicals. More information here. (Via Howard R. and Kelly V.)
The Abbreviation 'OMG" Is Almost 100 Years Old
"The abbreviation 'OMG' is almost 100 years old":
Perhaps the first usage of "OMG" appeared in a 1917 correspondence from British Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher to Winston Churchill, wherein Fisher excitedly relayed the phrase to his former Royal Navy colleague -- "I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis — O.M.G. (Oh! My God!) -- Shower it on the Admiralty!!"
Netflix For Ties
Clever business idea: Tie Society. Basically, it's "Netflix for ties".
Fortunately, I don't wear ties regularly. But if I did, I'd consider using this service. (Via J.M.)
Fortunately, I don't wear ties regularly. But if I did, I'd consider using this service. (Via J.M.)
Monday, August 06, 2012
Sprinter Speeds Over Time
This well-done interactive graphic shows how amazingly fast Usain Bolt is.
And how sprinters have progressed over the decades.
And how sprinters have progressed over the decades.
MIT Hippy Geek Saved Apollo 13 Astronauts?
"NASA Had No Idea How To Save Apollo 13, But An MIT Student Reportedly Did"
Update: Others dispute this claim.
Update: Others dispute this claim.
Unsafe Safes
"Unsafe Gun Safes Can Be Opened By A Three-Year Old".
From the article:
From the article:
[E]lectrons do not open doors; mechanical components do. If you can compromise the mechanisms then all the credentials, encryption, fingerprint readers, and other gizmos and gimmicks mean nothing.Or as Bruce Schneier notes: "In other words, security is only as strong as the weakest link."
Sunday, August 05, 2012
Powerful Magnets Spare Baby From Major Surgery
CNN reports "Magnet experiment saves baby big surgery".
Basically, Dr. Eric Scaife (assisted by a radiologist) used a pair of powerful magnets to safely create an artificial perforation in some abnormal tissue blocking a baby's rectum (a condition known as rectal atresia). By doing so, he was able to spare the baby some potentially dangerous major surgery.
The article doesn't describe which brand of magnet Dr. Scaife used, only that they were "industrial-strength magnets from an online company". But they sure sound similar to these Buckyball magnets that the government is trying to ban from consumers.
In effect, Dr. Scaife used his magnets to create (under carefully controlled circumstances) the same kind of bowel perforation that is one of the risks of unintended ingestion of Buckyball magnets.
(FWIW, I don't think the government should ban the sale of Buckyball magnets to adults. But that's a topic for another time. CNN link via R.W.)
Basically, Dr. Eric Scaife (assisted by a radiologist) used a pair of powerful magnets to safely create an artificial perforation in some abnormal tissue blocking a baby's rectum (a condition known as rectal atresia). By doing so, he was able to spare the baby some potentially dangerous major surgery.
The article doesn't describe which brand of magnet Dr. Scaife used, only that they were "industrial-strength magnets from an online company". But they sure sound similar to these Buckyball magnets that the government is trying to ban from consumers.
In effect, Dr. Scaife used his magnets to create (under carefully controlled circumstances) the same kind of bowel perforation that is one of the risks of unintended ingestion of Buckyball magnets.
(FWIW, I don't think the government should ban the sale of Buckyball magnets to adults. But that's a topic for another time. CNN link via R.W.)
Don't Surf Porn From Your Work Computer...
...Especially not if you're part of the US military missile defense staff
Bank Allows Man to Deposit Junk Mail Check
"Patrick Combs deposits a junk-mail cheque for $95,000 – for a joke. The bank cashes it".
Things get especially interesting after the bank tells him the money is legally his.
Things get especially interesting after the bank tells him the money is legally his.
Prescient Text Message
College student's final text just before a near-fatal car accident: "I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident".
Saturday, August 04, 2012
NASA and Commercial Space
Rand Simberg discusses NASA's decision to award more than $1 billion to private spaceflight companies SpaceX, Boeing, and Sierra Nevada. And what it means for the future of the ISS and U.S. spaceflight. (Via Instapundit.)
Friday, August 03, 2012
[Off topic] Hsieh Lecture on Medical Licensing Laws
Off-topic: My 20-minute lecture on "Milton Friedman and Medical Licensure" has now been posted:
I covered three main subjects:
Thanks to Amanda Teresi-Muell for organizing this special Liberty On the Rocks event, as part of a commemoration of Milton Friedman's 100th birthday!
And thanks to Ari Armstrong for recording the video and for doing the video editing to intersperse the images of my slides within the footage!
(Note: I don't agree with Friedman on several issues. Friedman was not a fully-consistent advocate of free-market economics. But on the topic of medical and occupational licensure, he was very good, and I wanted to highlight his excellent thinking on this particular topic.)
I covered three main subjects:
* Milton Friedman's views of medical licensureTowards the end, I cite Dr. Milton Wolf as one of the people promoting some good free-market reforms to move us in the right direction.
* Licensure and competence
* Licensing laws and ObamaCare
Thanks to Amanda Teresi-Muell for organizing this special Liberty On the Rocks event, as part of a commemoration of Milton Friedman's 100th birthday!
And thanks to Ari Armstrong for recording the video and for doing the video editing to intersperse the images of my slides within the footage!
(Note: I don't agree with Friedman on several issues. Friedman was not a fully-consistent advocate of free-market economics. But on the topic of medical and occupational licensure, he was very good, and I wanted to highlight his excellent thinking on this particular topic.)
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Don't Tell An Italian Man He Has No Balls
"In Italy, telling a man he has 'no balls' is now a crime". (Via Trey P.)
Speed of Sound Is Too Slow for Olympic Athletes
"The Speed of Sound Is Too Slow for Olympic Athletes"
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Five Guys, Same Photo, 30 Years
"Five guys take same photo for 30 years".
Here's what they looked like in 1982. Click through to see the subsequent photos (taken at 5 year intervals), until 2012:
Here's what they looked like in 1982. Click through to see the subsequent photos (taken at 5 year intervals), until 2012: