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IBM Quantum Advance

"IBM Just Cracked One of the Biggest Problems Facing Quantum Computing". (Via H.R.)

Strong Robots

"Tiny robots climb walls carrying more than 100 times their weight". (Via H.R.)

Light Posting Notice

Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual for a while, due to external circumstances.

iPad Crashes Grounds American Airline Flights

"Several dozen American Airlines planes are grounded because the pilots’ iPads crashed"

MRI of Knuckle Cracking

Scientists have figured out what makes the sound when you crack your knuckles. 

Their conclusion:

Our data support the view that tribonucleation is the process which governs joint cracking. This process is characterized by rapid separation of surfaces with subsequent cavity formation, not bubble collapse as has been the prevailing viewpoint for more than a half century.

(Click through to see MRI images and video.)

[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column on Perverse Incentives and VA Health Scandals

[Off-topic]: My latest Forbes column is now up, "Perverse Incentives and VA Health Scandals".

Why Superheroes Don't Kill

"Why Superheroes Don't Kill"

Airfares and Big Data

"How airlines use data to charge more -- and how fliers are fighting back"

Gorgeous Glass

"Gorgeous Glass by Niyoko Ikuta"

Simulated Invisibility

"What happens to people when they think they're invisible?" (Via Marginal Revolution.)

Nukes Vs. Asteroids

"A gentle nudge with a nuke: Deflecting Earth-bound asteroids"

Amazon's First Customer

Amazon has even named a building after their first customer, John Wainwright.

1 Star Dining

Washington Post sends reporter to see if a restaurant really deserves its 1-star Yelp rating.

Short answer: "Yes".

Benford's Law Reveals Suspicious Activity on Twitter

"How Benford's Law Reveals Suspicious Activity on Twitter"

A 3-D–Printed Bottle Clinches a Murder Trial

"A 3-D–Printed Bottle Clinches a Murder Trial"

Window Cleaning The World's Tallest Building

"Window cleaning the world's tallest building":

Crossword Competitions

"A glimpse into the world of competitive crossword-puzzle solving."

Bitcoin Hurdles

"It's Still Too Hard to Get Your First Bitcoin"

Police Methods To Get Password

"Drug dealer: Cops leaned me over 18th floor balcony to get my password".

From the article:

[L]ast week, one of the cops who had done the threatening took the witness stand to corroborate Cascioli's account. Jeffrey Walker, who was arrested in an FBI corruption sting back in 2013, admitted that he and another officer had in fact leaned Cascioli over his balcony to elicit the password...

The whole crazy case is a reminder that strong passwords are excellent tools for protecting your information from distant Internet predators. But when the predators have you alone in a room, the real question isn't about the strength of your password but about how much pain and fear you're willing to endure before giving it up.

Force Touch Tips

"How to Use the Apple MacBook's Force Touch Trackpad".

Today, the "Force Touch".  Tomorrow the "Force Choke"!

What You've Googled

"How to see everything you've ever Googled".

Related: "How To Blur Your Search Tracks On Google"

Google Doodle Man

"Meet the man behind Google's Doodles"

Ziploc Design

"The Surprisingly Complex Design of the Ziploc Bag"

Ways Around Government Censorship Online

"Scaling the firewall: Ways around government censorship online"

Shuffling Vs. Smooshing

"A mathematician who has analyzed card shuffling for decades is tackling one final nemesis: 'smooshing.'" (Via Marginal Revolution.)

How the Internet Became a Shame-Storm

Megan McArdle: "How the Internet Became a Shame-Storm"

FBI Lab Errors

Washington Post: "FBI admits flaws in hair analysis over decades"

Scythe vs. Weedwhacker

Video:"Scythe vs. Weedwhacker". Sometimes old tech still works best.

Car Key Fob Exploit

NYT: "Keeping Your Car Safe From Electronic Thieves". (Via Rand Simberg.)

OS Fight

"Android versus iPhone debate escalates into stabbing and car theft"

Rare Earth Substitues

"Boron-based atomic clusters mimic rare-earth metals". (Via H.R.)

Star Wars Trailer Analysis

"The new Star Wars trailer: A scene-by-scene analysis"

Horoscope From xkcd

xkcd: "Horoscopes with an actual basis in fact"

The Ingenious Design of the Aluminum Beverage Can

"The Ingenious Design of the Aluminum Beverage Can":

An Illustrated History of Tex-Mex

"An Illustrated History of Tex-Mex"

Google Robot Army

"Google has patented the ability to control a robot army"

Eternal Honey

"The Science Behind Honey's Eternal Shelf Life"

Subtle Apple Design Details

"15 tiny design features that show Apple's insane attention to detail"

Rainy Weather Street Airt

"This Amazing Street Art Appears Only When It's Raining".

Here's the related video:

Baseball's Bogus Security Theater

Bruce Schneier: "Baseball's new metal detectors won’t keep you safe. They'll just make you miss a few innings."

Micronations Galore

"There are hundreds of 'micronations' you've never heard of"

Hollywood Too Realistic For Law Enforcement

"Creators of The Wire were asked to remove details that could help criminals avoid wiretaps"

Messaging Services Proliferate

"Messaging services are rapidly growing beyond online chat":

As the number of users has grown, specialised versions of messaging apps have emerged. What made Snapchat popular was the ability to exchange pictures that vanish after a few seconds (and often contain nudity). Secret, Whisper and Yik Yak let users remain anonymous (including bullies, unfortunately). Telegram stands out because of its strong encryption (making intelligence services unhappy). And FireChat works without cellular service: users’ phones communicate directly, which was a popular feature during recent protests in Hong Kong.

How to Beat a Polygraph

NYT: "How to Beat a Polygraph Test"

Gene Therapy For Color Blindness?

"UW scientists, biotech firm may have cure for colorblindness". (Via H.R.)

China's "Great Cannon"

"China's aggressive new censorship weapon can cripple your website"

Elephant Male Bonding

"Elephants Have Male Bonding Rituals, Too"

The Mission to Clone the Woolly Mammoth

"The Mission to Clone the Woolly Mammoth"

No Memes In Russia

Washington Post: "Russia just made a ton of Internet memes illegal"

Life On ISS

"How Astronauts Perform Everyday Tasks In The Microgravity Of Space". (Via H.R.)

How Flight Tracking Apps Work

"How Flight Tracking Apps Work"

Emoticons Are Improving English?

"Emoticons are improving the English language"

Pregnancy In Space

"Making Babies In Space May Be A Terrible Idea".

Related article on sex in space.

CO Bugs

"How a Colorado Family Built a Home for the World's Weirdest, Most Beautiful Bugs". (Via H.R.)

Beware The Bees

"Florida men try to steal honey, get attacked by 30,000 bees"

Artisanal Pencil Sharpening

"Demand the Best: Here's The $15 Artisanal Pencil Sharpening Experience".

That $15 ($2.50 more than he used to charge) buys you "a pencil so sharp you don't want to sleep in the same room with it," a labeled bag of the shavings that fell from the pencil, a plastic tube that protects the pencil's tip from breaking in transit, and a certificate of sharpening, which gives you a sharpness rating and details like whether the pencil was sharpened in natural or artificial light. According to Rees, each pencil takes about 20 minutes to complete. By our estimate, he has made around $10,000 from his pencil sharpening business.

What makes Rees's efforts different from Brooklyn's distressed clothing and $20 egg creams is that he is at once sincere about his craft but not delusional enough to miss its absurdity.

(Via A.S.)

Police Department Pays Bitcoin Ransom

Ars Technica: "A small town police department just outside of Boston finally agreed to pay a $500 ransom to regain access to a police server that it had been locked out of after being infected with CryptoLocker ransomware."

Justice For The Brontosaurus

ABC News: "Brontosaurus Finally Validated as a Distinct Dinosaur"

All I can say is, "Yabba dabba doo!"

Bill to Ban Undetectable 3D Printed Guns Is Coming Back

Wired: "Bill to Ban Undetectable 3D Printed Guns Is Coming Back"

GOT Deaths

"An illustrated guide to all 456 deaths in Game of Thrones". Warning: Lots of spoilers.

Light Posting Notice

Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual this week due to external obligations.

Interstellar Timeline

"What Year Does Interstellar Take Place?"

And there's the "Honest Trailer" for Interstellar (warning full of spoilers):

The Four McNuggets Shapes

"The Reason McDonald's Chicken McNuggets Come in Four Distinct Shapes"

Nanoneedles For Cells

"Nanoneedles deliver nucleic acids inside cells"

Suspended Animation Update

"How to Turn Your Dog Off"

World Palindrome Champion

"Meet the Reigning World Palindrome Champion"

Scaling Everest

Well-done interactive display: "Hundreds of climbers are gathering in Nepal to begin a months-long odyssey up the world’s highest mountain in hopes of spending a few extraordinary moments on its peak. Scroll along the icy path to see what climbers will experience on Everest's South Col, the most popular route up the mountain"

50 Years of Moore's Law

IEEE Spectrum: "50 Years of Moore's Law". (Via H.R.)

How To Become A Minor Celebrity In China

"How I Became A Minor Celebrity In China (After My Stolen Phone Ended Up There)"

3D Printed Ice Cubes

"Suntory Whisky 3-D Printed the World's Most Incredible Ice Cubes". (Via Trey P.)

Music and Time

"How Music Hijacks Our Perception of Time"

Ants In Zero-G

Ants cope surprisingly well in zero-gravity.

Physics Of Hand Drying

"The physics of drying your hands"

Extinguishing Fire With Sound

"Engineering students extinguish fire with sound". (Via H.R.)

Cheese And The West

"Cheese changed the course of Western civilization"

Dropbox Versus The World

"Dropbox Versus The World"