[Off Topic] Scenes From the Denver Women's March

[Off Topic] I have a post for Ari Armstrong's Freedom Outlook website, on my thoughts and photographs from the Denver Women's March this past weekend: "A Liberty Activist Reflects on the Denver Trump Protest".

AI Bootstrap Update

"AI Software Learns to Make AI Software". (Via F.G.)

Japanese Toilet UI

"Japanese Toilet Industry to Simplify Controls for Confusing High-Tech Toilets":

The move is meant to lessen confusion among users of the company’s products, in particular on the part of foreign tourists. Japan is currently preparing for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, which are set to be held in Tokyo. The new standardized list of images and their actions include: large flush, small flush, lift the lid, lift the seat, dryer, bidet, washer, and stop.

Laser Weapon Update

"Laser Weapons Will Turn Earth's Atmosphere into Lenses, Deflector Shields". (Via H.R.)

Neuroskepticism Update

Neuroskeptic: "What Can fMRI Tell Us About Mental Illness?". (Via Debby Witt.)

First Driverless Electric Shuttle In Las Vegas

"Driverless electric shuttle being tested in downtown Vegas". (Via H.R.)

Fluid Dynamics And Crowds

"How Fluid Dynamics Can Help You Navigate Crowds"

Light Posting

Admin note: Due to personal obligations, posting may be light for the rest of the week.

3D Forms of Graphene

"A team of engineers at MIT has successfully designed a new 3D material with five percent the density of steel and ten times the strength, making it one of the strongest lightweight materials known."

MIT And Exoplanets

MIT: "Exoplanets and the Search for Habitable Worlds"

Flight Attendant Tips

"Six Things You Should Know About Flying, According to Flight Attendants"

My favorite:

When we say "see you next time" to certain passengers as they deplane after arrival, that's our code word for "f-ck you - I hope you never fly with us again".

Plague Vaccine Update

"In Search Of A Vaccine To Vanquish The Plague"

Misused Words

"A Harvard linguist reveals the most misused words in English"

Animal Fart Database

"Does it fart? There's now a database -- and a hashtag -- for that"

Direct link to the database.

One typical entry:

Domesticated Dogs

Canis lupus familiaris

Yes

but often takes blame from nearby hominid, Boston Terriers are famous for their farting; known to scare selves with their farts

Classical Music Mashup

"Perfect Classical Music Mashup Merges 52 Famous Songs Into One Amazing Track". (Via H.R.)

Artificial Spider Silk Update

"Scientists Have Finally Figured Out How To Spin Artificial Silk The Way Spiders Do"

Measuring Pain

"Measuring pain: How much does it hurt?" (Via H.R.)

World’s Oldest Surviving Piano

"What Does the World’s Oldest Surviving Piano Sound Like? Watch Pianist Give a Performance on a 1720 Cristofori Piano". (Via K.O.)

Hot Water Freezing

I find it astounding that we still don't really know whether (or why) hot water freezes faster than cold water. (Via H.R.)

The Riemann Hypothesis, explained

"The Riemann Hypothesis, explained"

Paper Centrifuge

"This Human-Powered Paper Centrifuge Is Pure Genius". (Via H.R.)

19 Cats Doing Sexy Poses

Ha! "19 Cats Doing Sexy Poses". (Via T.M.)

The Evolution Of Radiology

Dr. James Chang: "The evolution of radiology".

Yup, this seems about right! (Click on image to see full size version.)

Duvet Cover Trick

Video: "This ingenious duvet cover trick will change your life".

As Jason Kottke says:

Here’s a technique for putting a comforter inside a duvet cover that involves rolling the whole thing up “like a burrito” and then two solid pieces of matter somehow pass through each other? I dunno, that is some goddamned witchcraft that defies the laws of physics and topology...

Analysis Of 2016 Celebrity Deaths

"Was 2016 especially dangerous for celebrities? An empirical analysis". (Via D.B.)

Mine-Sweeping Drone

"These brothers built a mine-sweeping drone to clear land mines without casualties". (Via H.R.)

Sensory Isolation Tank Account

"What a Sensory Isolation Tank Taught Me About My Brain":

Instead of a transcendent excursion into an altered consciousness, sensory deprivation had hilariously underscored the primacy of my body; it was almost a purely physical experience from start to finish. It was like being at a meditation retreat with a runny nose. My brain was simply incapable of escaping the signals my body was sending it.

Unusual Urban Landscape Photographs

"Daredevil Japanese Photographer Explores Urban Landscapes From A New Perspective"

I especially liked this one:

Amazon Echo Murder Witness?

"Police want Amazon Echo to help solve a murder. Should it?"

The Confusing Borders of Lake Constance

"The Confusing Borders of Lake Constance":

Whether there are actually international borders running through the lake depends on what country you are from. One nation claims there are lines. Another says the lake belongs to all three countries. And the third doesn't really care!

Designing Annoying Alarms

"An Alarm Designer on How to Annoy People in the Most Effective Ways"

Anti-Drone Technology

"A boom in consumer drone sales has spawned a counter-industry of start-ups aiming to stop drones flying where they shouldn't, by disabling them or knocking them out of the sky."

Of course, sometimes the old methods work pretty darned well too (*cough* skeet shooting *cough*).

Second Skin

"A team of researchers has developed a 'second skin' polymer that can provide a barrier, cosmetic improvement, and potentially deliver drugs". (Via H.R.)

Open Sourcing Lucy

"Open sourcing Lucy, the world's most famous fossil". (Via H.R.)

Resurrecting Actors

"Actors Seek Posthumous Protections for Big-Screen Resurrections". (Via Tyler Cowen.)

Family Sues Apple Over Distracted Driver Death

Driver kills small child, has Apple Facetime video chat on during accident. Family of victim sues Apple, because Apple did not implement technology to "lock out" drivers from using the app while in motion at highway speeds.

Self-Healing Materials Update

"Scientists develop 'Wolverine'-inspired material that heals itself"

Kasparov On AI

"Kasparov on the future of Artificial Intelligence"

Drunk Driving With Motorized Wheelchair

Eugene Volokh: "Is it drunken driving if your 'vehicle' is a motorized wheelchair?"

Has the Internet Killed Curly Quotes?

"Has the Internet Killed Curly Quotes?" I sure hope so.

e Explained

"What's the Big Deal With the Mathematical Constant 'e'?"

[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column: No, The Government Should Not Provide Health Insurance For All Americans

[Off topic] My last Forbes piece for 2016 came out yesterday, "No, The Government Should Not Provide Health Insurance For All Americans".

I discuss a proposal from conservative health policy analyst James Capretta in which he argues, "The GOP Should Provide Health Insurance for All Americans". And I propose some alternative free-market approaches that we can start implementing in 2017.

Holiday Hiatus

Admin note: Again, GeekPress will take a holiday hiatus until after the New Year. See you all in 2017!

Furiosa’s Cat Feeder

Human barely outwits cat: "Furiosa's Cat Feeder"

AirPod Review

Ars Techncia Review: "The AirPods are fine wireless headphones for a certain type of person". (Via H.R.)

'Toilet Paper' For Smartphones

Not-an-Onion headline: "Swipe right? 'Toilet paper' for smartphones trialled in Japanese airport bathrooms"

Ransomware Twist

"Ransomware Gives Free Decryption Keys to Victims Who Infect Others".  This is both brilliant and evil:

Infected victims of the ransomware known as Popcorn Time, have the option to either pay up, or they can opt to infect two others using a referral link. If the two new ransomware targets pay the ransom, the original target receives a free key to unlock files on their PC...

(Via S.L. and A.B.)

Legal Perils Of Pointing A Laser At A Helicopter

Ars Technica: "A three-second laser strike cost Barry Bowser everything"

Following A Stolen Phone

"Dutch Filmmaker Intentionally Lets His Phone Get Stolen In Order to Follow Its Path Through Spyware".

Here's the video (21 minutes):

Greatest Spirographs

"Behold the greatest spirographs in the world". (Via H.R.)

One nice example:

French Mail Drones

"France is going to let drones start delivering the mail". (Via MR.)

SC Porn Law

South Carolina is considering a bill to require all computers sold in the state to come with porn filters. Users could pay a $20 fee to disable the filter.

Holiday Hiatus

Admin note: GeekPress will take a break until December 27, 2016. Merry Christmas!

Letters To Santa

"23 Funny Historical Letters to Santa"

2016 Media Corrections

"Best of media corrections, 2016 edition".

Two of my favorites are both from the New York Times:

NYT, 5/10/2016: "Because of an editing error, an article on Monday about a theological battle being fought by Muslim imams and scholars in the West against the Islamic State misstated the Snapchat handle used by Suhaib Webb, one of Muslim leaders speaking out. It is imamsuhaibwebb, not Pimpin4Paradise786."

NYT, 4/10/2016:  "An article on March 20 about wave piloting in the Marshall Islands misstated the number of possible paths that could be navigated without instruments among the 34 islands and atolls of the Marshall Islands. It is 561, not a trillion trillion."

Fake Movie Snow

"How Early Filmmakers Faked Snow"

Morgan Freeman AI Voice

"Morgan Freeman Will Be The Voice Of Jarvis, Mark Zuckerberg's Home AI Assistant"

Digital Headlights

"Mercedes' next headlights will behave like projectors". (Via H.R.)

Ikea On Acid

"People Try To Build IKEA Furniture While On Acid"

When Do You Outgrow IKEA?

"When Do You Outgrow IKEA?".

Short answer: Age 34.

OLED Update

"Deep blacks, bright future -- where OLED screens go from here". (Via H.R.)

Cats Stealing Money

Video: "Sneaky Cats Stealing Money Compilation"

Make your own Enigma Replica

"Make your own Enigma Replica"

CIA Maps

The CIA is making decades of once-secret maps now freely available online.

Inside The Maple Syrup Heist

"Inside Quebec's Great, Multi-million-dollar Maple Syrup Heist". (Via Marginal Revolution.)

Predictions That Came True

"The Most Futuristic Predictions That Came True in 2016". (Via H.R.)

Garlic And Feet

"You can taste garlic with your feet"

Darth Vader Yule Log

Brilliant: "Your goofy 'Five Hours of Yule Log DVD' has been swapped with five hours of Darth Vader burning in a funeral pyre."

Ho ho ho.

Visualizing Riemann Zeta Function

Video: "Visualizing the Riemann zeta function and analytic continuation"

Skype Real-Time Translator

"Skype's real-time language translator: Can it really connect the world?"

SMBC: The Talk

SMBC: "The Talk"

Humans And Cats

"Humans and Cats Have a Strange, Complicated History"

Fake Meat Update

"The Revolution Has Begun: Beyond Meat".

I still enjoy meat, but vegetarian friends might find this interesting.

Economics Of Kidnapping

"Kidnapping for ransom works like a market. How it is organized is surprising." (Via Tyler Cowen.)

Emoji Translator Job

"A company in London has advertised for an emoji translator in what is thought to be the first such job worldwide":

The role will involve explaining cross-cultural misunderstandings in the use of the mini pictures, and compiling a monthly trends report. Agency boss Jurga Zilinskiene said emojis were a "potential growth area" as "inconsistencies" had developed in their use.

 One example of a potential misunderstanding included:

Waving hand - You might think this emoji is waving hello or goodbye. Well in China, it has a very specific meaning, along the lines of "bye, you're not my friend any more". Like a middle finger in Europe.

North America’s Lost Medieval City

"Cahokia was North America's biggest city -- then it was completely abandoned". (Via H.R.)

How Casinos Enable Gambling Addicts

"How Casinos Enable Gambling Addicts"

The Japanese Museum of Rocks That Look Like Faces

"The Japanese Museum of Rocks That Look Like Faces".

Here's their "Elvis Presley" rock:

New Pictures of Saturn

"Check Out New Pictures of Saturn From Cassini’s Latest Orbit"

Space Tether

"Japan Testing 'Space Tether' to Knock Junk Out of Orbit"

Austria’s Word of the Year

"Austria's Word of the Year Has 52 Letters":

Bundespraesidentenstichwahlwiederholungsverschiebung. To an English speaker, it may seem like a meaningless, even endless assortment of letters, but it turns out that it’s an award-winning German word. As the Associated Press reports, a survey of 10,000 Austrians has chosen the lengthy noun as its word of the year.

Roughly translated, the word means “postponement of the repeat runoff of the presidential election.” The super-long word was coined this year in response to a similarly drawn-out presidential election in Austria.

Fake News And The Law

Eugene Volokh: "Fake news and the law, from 1798 to now"

Evolution In Action

"A giant Petri dish chock-full of superbugs shows evolution as it happens"

Caesareans And Evolution

BBC: "Caesarean births 'affecting human evolution'"

Sex Vs. Cybersecurity

"Although the question of whether you would give up sex for a year in return for total cybersecurity seems like an odd question, it is one that was posed to 2,000 adults in a poll recently taken by Harris. The response to the question was startling. According to the poll, 39% of Americans are so fearful of their cybersecurity that they said yes."

The 2016 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog

A Holiday Tradition!: "The 2016 Hater’s Guide To The Williams-Sonoma Catalog"

The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think

Jakob Nielsen: "Across 33 rich countries, only 5% of the population has high computer-related abilities, and only a third of people can complete medium-complexity tasks."

Radiation Protection

"Scientists Figured Out How Tardigrades Became Immune to Radiation". (Via H.R.)

Sagan Explains Fourth Dimension

A video classic: "Carl Sagan explains the fourth dimension"

False Positive Breathalyzer

"Hand Sanitizer Can Cause a False Positive Breathalyzer Test".

I foresee a gold mine for defense lawyers arguing against DUI charges...

Remote Justice

"BMW Remotely Locks Stolen Car With Alleged Thief Still Inside"

Reconstructing Destroyed Map

"Watch a Destroyed 17th Century Map Get Painstakingly Restored". (Via H.R.)

Life As A Bee

"You're a Bee. This Is What It Feels Like."

Tesla Gun

"This Handmade Tesla Gun Is Shockingly Cool". (Via H.R.)

Finding Tech Props

"How Hollywood Gets Its Old-School Tech". (Via H.R.)

Fahrenheit >> Celsius

"In Defense of Fahrenheit: A lot of scientific thought went into developing the United States' stubbornly-held temperature system"

AI Medicine Update

 "Google is using its deep learning tech to diagnose disease":

If you give a computer enough photos and the right algorithm, it can learn to see. And if the photos show damaged eyes, the computer can learn to diagnose eye disease even better than humans can.

Here's the JAMA article: "Development and Validation of a Deep Learning Algorithm for Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy in Retinal Fundus Photographs".

A lot of what human physicians do now will likely be performed by machines in the future. In particular, pattern-recognition diagnoses will be ripe for machine learning. As a radiologist, I don't expect my job will exist in its current form in 20 years. (Maybe not in 10!)

What Happened To The Only Person Ever Hit By A Meteorite

"For the Only Person Ever Hit by a Meteorite, the Real Trouble Began Later".

Update: Link was broken earlier; now fixed!

Short Hiatus

Admin note: Due to external obligations, I will take a short hiatus for the rest of the week.

Allied Accuracy

"How Accurate Is the Movie 'Allied'?"

Short answer: It's fiction.