No iPhones For Movie Villains

"Apple won’t let bad guys use iPhones in movies".

(So if you were watching the murder mystery Knives Out and you saw a character using their iPhone, you could deduce they weren't the killer.)

Black Sign Language

"How America developed two sign languages -- one white, one black"

Small Victory For Privacy

Ars Technica: "Removing a GPS tracking device from your car isn't theft, court rules"

Pandemic Prep Items

Australian virologist Ian Mackay offers recommendations of items to purchase and preparations to make in anticipation of potential Coronavirus pandemic:

The list included extra prescription drugs and over-the-counter fever and pain medicines; feminine hygiene products; toilet paper and tissues; and vitamins "in case food shortages limit the variety in your diet." He also advised buying items including soap, alcohol hand rub and household cleaning products.

In terms of food, he suggested purchasing cereals, grains, beans, lentils and pasta; tinned food such as fish, vegetables and fruit; oil, spices and other flavorings; dried fruit and nuts; powdered milk; items for pets; as well as soft drinks, candy and chocolate for treats.

Mackay also provided a list to be used in the event that a "severe" pandemic cuts access to fresh foods. The products "should be the last things to buy if you have a hint of when supplies might slow or stop for a (hopefully short) time."

Those include bread and wraps, meat for freezing, milk, eggs, yogurt, and fruit and vegetables. Car fuel should also be bought at this time, he said.

"But don't panic buy and don't hoard!" said Mackay.

Original article by Mackay, including some risk analysis: "So you think you’re about to be in a pandemic?"

McD's Candles

"McDonald's to sell 'Quarter Pounder' scented candles"

Smithsonian Images

"Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain". (Via H.R.)

AI Deception

"AI Deception: When Your Artificial Intelligence Learns to Lie"

Fusion Update

"Radical hydrogen-boron reactor leapfrogs current nuclear fusion tech"

Corporate Buzzwords

"The Most Annoying Corporate Buzzwords"

Signal App And Public Officials

"Mayor de Blasio joins encrypted messaging app Signal, raising legal and ethical questions".

I (and several friends) use Signal, and we like it. However, there's an interesting question of whether public officials should use the secure app for conducting government business in a way that violates Freedom of Information Act.

Related story from Wired: "Signal Is Finally Bringing Its Secure Messaging to the Masses"

More Trek

"Exclusive: Captain Pike And The Enterprise To Be Star Trek's Next Show"

Human Echolocation

"How humans can echolocate like bats"

Wikipedia, Past, Present, And Future

"Wikipedia Is the Last Best Place on the Internet"

Tribble Math

"Physics undergrads crunched numbers for Star Trek's tribble problem". (Via H.R.)

Trek Transporters

"The terrible truth about Star Trek's transporters"

Mysterious Aerodynamic Lift

"No One Can Explain Why Planes Stay in the Air":

[T]here is actually no agreement on what generates the aerodynamic force known as lift. “There is no simple one-liner answer to this,” [aerodynamics expert John D. Anderson] told the Times. People give different answers to the question, some with “religious fervor.” More than 15 years after that pronouncement, there are still different accounts of what generates lift, each with its own substantial rank of zealous defenders. At this point in the history of flight, this situation is slightly puzzling.

Click through to see lots of diagrams and theories!

Tricking A Tesla

"Hackers can trick a Tesla into accelerating by 50 miles per hour"

RIP, Larry Tesler

"The Computer Scientist Responsible for Cut, Copy, and Paste, Has Passed Away"

Amazon And Third Party Sales

"Who's responsible for what you buy on Amazon? A court is about to decide". (Via N.L.)

Fooling Driverless Cars

"Driverless cars can't tell the difference between projections and real objects"