Off-topic: The 5/22/2012 edition of PJMedia.com has published my latest health care OpEd, "Dr. Orwell Will See You Now".
Theme: Beware the latest health care Newspeak!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Slinky On A Treadmill
"If you're like us, you've always wondered what happens when you put a slinky on a treadmill and let it do its slinky thing..."
Guide To Touchscreen Interactions
Touchscreen interactions: How useful they are vs. how dirty they sound.
(Click on image to see full size)
(Click on image to see full size)
Monday, May 21, 2012
Great School Lunch Blog
"Adorable Nine-Year-Old Girl Reviews Her School Lunches on Her Blog". Here's her blog, NeverSeconds.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Terahertz Wifi
"Researchers in Japan have smashed the record for wireless data transmission in the terahertz band, an uncharted part of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The data rate is 20 times higher than the best commonly used wi-fi standard."
Life Imitates Simpsons At All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry
Real life: "Man protests restaurant after Friday fish fry runs out"
Classic segment from The Simpsons: "'Tis no man, 'tis a remorseless eating machine -- arrgh!..." (Click through to watch video.)
Classic segment from The Simpsons: "'Tis no man, 'tis a remorseless eating machine -- arrgh!..." (Click through to watch video.)
The Physics Of Not Spilling Coffee
The physics of walking with a coffee cup without spilling. (Via @debbywitt.)
Designing An Antimatter Engine
Ohio scientists design an improved antimatter propulsion engine.
(Now all we need is some antimatter!)
(Now all we need is some antimatter!)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Blogger Confronts Newspaper Editor Who Plagariazed His Work
Blogger confronts newspaper editor who plagiarized his work. And leaves with a $500 check.
Here's the video:
Go Duane! (Via PJMedia.)
Here's the video:
Go Duane! (Via PJMedia.)
Physicists: QM Wavefunctions Are Real
"Quantum Theorists State That Wavefunctions Are Real States Not Just Statistical Tools"
HP Clone Calculators
This small Swiss company make credit card-sized clones of HP calculators (Voyager series).
Here's a video of their production samples:
I'd be very keen on one of their HP-15c clones! (Via Jeremy S.)
Here's a video of their production samples:
I'd be very keen on one of their HP-15c clones! (Via Jeremy S.)
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
[Off topic] Who Should Control Your Healthcare Spending?
[Off-topic]: The Forbes website has published my latest health policy OpEd, "Just Who Should Control Your Healthcare Spending?"
(Theme: What simple health care reform has reduced medical costs by up to 30%, while preserving quality of care?)
(Theme: What simple health care reform has reduced medical costs by up to 30%, while preserving quality of care?)
Van Halen and the Brown M&Ms
David Lee Roth tells the back story behind the Van Halen legendary Brown M&M Ban. (Via Kelly V.)
Upcoming Venus Transit
Information about the Venus Transit, occurring June 6, 2012.
Excerpt:
Excerpt:
On June 6th Venus will transit the sun as seen from earth. The last transit was in 2004. But the next transit after this one is in 2117--no, that's not a typo. Venus transits of the sun are rare--they are among the rarest predictable events in astronomy--and past transits were very important to the history of science.
This page explains what they are, why they are rare, why they show up in pairs eight years apart, but with the time between pairs being over a century, and why they are so important in the history of science. For instance, we would not know how far away stars are if we had not observed Venus transits in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Epic Time-Lapse Map of Europe
Well-done animated map of Europe from 1000 AD until 2005 showing shifting borders, alliances, unions, territories, occupied land, etc.:
Monday, May 14, 2012
Interview With A Safecracker
Fascinating interview with a (legal) safecracker.
One excerpt:
One excerpt:
Q: How realistic are movies that show people breaking into vaults?
A: Not very! In the movies it takes five minutes of razzle-dazzle; in real life it’s usually at least a couple of hours of precision work for an easy, lost combination lockout.
Most vault lockouts are caused by malfunctions. A bank employee over-winds the time lock, a technician makes a mistake servicing the vault, or there was no maintenance because the bank has initiated yet another round of cost cutting.
Another 10-20% of my income comes from law enforcement searches and seizures or estate, aka “dead relative” openings. They hire me and I drill it open, but these are not situations where I like to hang around too long.
Q: Do you ever look inside?
A: I NEVER look. It’s none of my business. Involving yourself in people’s private affairs can lead to being subpoenaed in a lawsuit or criminal trial. Besides, I’d prefer not knowing about a client’s drug stash, personal porn, or belly button lint collection...(Via Marginal Revolution.)
Outdated Icons
"The Floppy Disk means Save, and 14 other old people Icons that don't make sense anymore"
Why Computers Still Can't Translate Languages Automatically
"Why Computers Still Can't Translate Languages Automatically".
Short answer: Because computers still don't understand meaning.
Short answer: Because computers still don't understand meaning.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Invisibility Cloak Update
"Silicon Nanospheres Could Be Building Blocks Of Optical Invisibility Cloaks"
Young Orangutans Love iPads
"Orangutans At Miami Zoo Use iPads To Communicate":
The 8-year-old twins love their iPad. They draw, play games and expand their vocabulary. Their family’s teenagers also like the hand-held computer tablets, too, but the clan's elders show no interest.
The orangutans at Miami’s Jungle Island apparently are just like people when it comes to technology. The park is one of several zoos experimenting with computers and apes, letting its six orangutans use an iPad to communicate and as part of a mental stimulus program...
Our young ones pick up on it. They understand it. It's like, 'Oh I get this,'" [Miami Zoo staff Linda] Jacobs said. "Our two older ones, they just are not interested. I think they just figure, 'I've gotten along just fine in this world without this communication-skill here and the iPad, and I don't need a computer.'"(Via Tyler Cowen.)
Bowling Alleys in Churches are Disappearing Fast
"Bowling alleys in churches are disappearing fast".
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