December 2011
22 posts
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“Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on...”
– —Mark Twain
(via BuzzFeed)
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November 2011
112 posts
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The science of humor →
“The sense of humor is a ubiquitous human trait, yet rare or non-existent in the rest of the animal kingdom. But why do humans have a sense of humor in the first place? Cognitive scientist (and former programmer) Matthew Hurley says humor (or mirth, in research-speak) is intimately linked to thinking and is a critical task in human cognition because a sense of humor keeps our brains alert...
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Mitt Romney: Sleezeball of the day!
Romney’s recent campaign ad: “If we keep talking about the economy, we are going to lose.”
Oh wait! I’m sorry. That was out of context. Romney’s attack ad actually quoted Obama saying, “If we keep talking about the economy, we are going to lose.”
Oh wait! That too was out of context. Here is Obama’s complete statement from his 2008 campaign:...
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$350 hardware cracks HDMI copy protection →
“After the leak of an HDCP master key in 2010, Intel proclaimed that the copy protection was still secure, as it would be too expensive to build a system that could conduct a real-time decryption of the data stream. It has now been proven that a system can be built for around $350 (€200) to do the task. However, the solution is of no great practical use for pirates.” ...
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Why we procrastinate →
“What better way to put off doing that thing you gotta do than watching this nifty book trailer about … procrastination (Why do you procrastinate? ‘The problem isn’t that you are a bad manager of your time. You’re a bad tactician in the war inside your brain.’” Read more…
(source: You Are Not So Smart, via Neatorama )
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The bright side of narcissism →
“A new study on the habits of highly effective CEOs suggests that narcissistic personalities do better at bringing their companies into line with the latest innovations. The study measured how quickly different pharmaceutical companies adapted to the emerging biotechnology field that has risen over the last thirty years. They compared those measurements with the companies’ CEOs,...
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Can scientists make a battery that will survive... →
“A team of researchers from Stanford have developed a new battery electrode that can survive 40,000 charge cycles. That’s about a hundred times more than a normal Lithium-Ion battery, and enough to make it usable for somewhere between 10-30 years.” Read more…
(source: Gizmodo)
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The real cost of a stolen identity →
“Those who have had their identity stolen know the feelings of helplessness and violation that it can bring. The costs go beyond the pocketbook – it can be devastating to know that someone else out there is posing as you. What decisions are they making in your name? How much of your money have they spent? What can you do about it? This infographic by ZoneAlarm breaks down the costs of...
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Renewable energy's hidden costs →
“Renewable energy sounds so much more natural and believable than a perpetual-motion machine, but there’s one big problem: Unless you’re planning to live without electricity and motorized transportation, you need more than just wind, water, sunlight, and plants for energy. You need raw materials, real estate, and other things that will run out one day. You need stuff that has...
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What it really takes to be an “expert” →
“Every professional activity requires a combination of education and experience for people to be considered “experts” in a field. How many hours does it take to be an expert in litigation? What about poker? Knitting? This infographic by Udemy takes a look at some common activities and what is required to achieve a true level of expertise. Compared to other things, how do they stack...
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Carrier IQ responds to complaints with legal... →
“Carrier IQ, in a move intended to make everyone love and respect them, sent this Cease and Desist order to TrevE, the developer who discovered the deep problems inherent in their software, for defamation when he called CIQ a rootkit and pointed out lots of issues. They also threatened legal action for copyright infringement because he posted excerpts from freely-available training...
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“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a...”
– —G.K. Chesterton
(source: G.K. Chesterton, via uberhumor)
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For perfect teeth, start hunting and gathering →
“Why do people in industrialized countries need braces and dental work to treat overcrowded, poorly aligned teeth? They can blame their ancestors, who after hunting and gathering for millennia decided to give farming a go, according to new research.” Read more…
(source: History.com)
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Maze solving robot mouse makes real lab mice look... →
Final result:
Learning the maze:
“Even after spending years solving countless placemat mazes at restaurants around the world, I’m still no match for this robotic micromouse that races through this giant maze in just 3.921 seconds, shaving a full second off the previous record.” Read more…
source: Gizmodo)
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Surrounded by surveillance: Is everything spying... →
“Depending upon who you listen to, GPS tracking shouldn’t be your only concern when you are out and about on the streets. The ACLU hammered license plate scanners as ‘logging our every move,’ a different investigative report concluded your car is spying on you, and some even claim the street lights are out to get you.” Read more…
(source: ComputerWorld)
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Wireless contact lens display now a reality →
“It has finally been done: A team of US and Finnish bioengineers have embedded an antenna, radio receiver, control circuitry, and LED into a wearable contact lens. If you’re a rabbit, you can hop along to their research lab at the University of Washington, Seattle, and try it out right now — but if you’re a human, you’ll still have to wait a couple more years for the bionic,...
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How the FAA estimates space-junk risks →
Read more…
(source: Wired)
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Are you a narcissistic boss? →
“Entrepreneurs’ identities are closely tied to their businesses, so it’s not surprising that companies often absorb many of their founders’ personality traits. A founder-driven culture can be a good thing. Steve Jobs’s design ethos, for instance, helped mold Apple into a successful business. But when founders fill companies with their clones, it can lead to...
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Simple ways to burn off Thanksgiving calories →
“While the fresh turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and other traditional Thanksgiving trimmings are a delicious annual indulgence, the Calorie Control Council estimates the typical holiday meal potentially packs 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat that can stick around and haunt overeaters.” Read more…
(source: ABC News)
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6 degrees of Facebook separation? Try 4 →
“In the vast eco-system that is Facebook, you’re closer to your fellow social networkers than you might think. In a new study, Facebook researchers tested the “six degrees of separation” theory and found that four degrees, and in some cases three, mightbe more accurate.” Read more…
(source: PC Magazine)
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How technology is shaping our language →
“This is an interesting article about how technology is shaping the English language, which touches on the fate of the current crop of (sometimes silly) tech-inspired words, and anticipates an increased blurring of the line between the written and spoken word.” Read more…
(source: silicon.com, via Slashdot)
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How much tech can children take? →
“Today’s parents have more than one screen in the living room to worry about: PCs, smartphones, tablets and games consoles are all part of the fabric of daily life for today’s children. On the one hand, researchers warn of the potential dangers of too much “screen time”, pointing to alarming (some say scaremongering) research that suggests over-exposure leads to an increased risk of...
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This is what the desk of the future looks like →
“EXOpc has posted a video of its EXOdesk — an interactive desk environment that lets you do all sorts of tasks on a virtual space on your desk — in action and it looks amazing.” Read more…
(source: Mashable)
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The grandiosity of religious leaders →
“Religious leaders have power, tremendous power over people. In fact the spiritual power they exercise over the people cannot be compared to any other modes of exercising power. Precisely therein lies the danger that religious leaders may abuse their power and authority. Two characteristics of religious leaders who misuse their power are narcissism and grandiosity.” ...
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Renewable energy consumption in the US →
“Overall consumption of renewable energy, including hydropower, represented about 8 percent of total energy consumption in the United States in 2010.” Read more…
(source: Live Science)
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Evolution explains why we want expensive crap,... →
“Of all the hot news this week, by far the most compelling, the most important was the report that an enterprising gentleman is going to start selling panda tea. Now, to be honest, it’s not made from actual panda. Nope, the $36,000-per-pound tea that wildlife expert An Yashi plans to bring to market is actually made from the panda’s fecal matter. Apparently, dried, partially-digested...
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Get ready for a new human species →
“If some of the information emerging from the technology, governmental, and academic worlds are any indication, not only is the police state here; the scientific dictatorship is right around the corner. Indeed, if recent comments made by Juan Enriquez are indicative of the coming state merger between technology and genetics, we have much to be concerned about. “ Read more…
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The Jerk →
“Like everyone else in the tech world, I’ve been reading Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography. Simultaneously, I’ve been reading the reactions to it. The one that seems to stand out above all others amounts to: “wow, Steve Jobs was a jerk”. Those who have followed Apple closely throughout the years have heard dozens if not hundreds of stories of Jobs berating employees. Isaacson’s book...
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College students don't study as much as they... →
“How much do college students really study? According to the annual National Survey of Student Engagement, the average college senior hits the books for about 15 hours a week. But the amount they devote to reading, reviewing notes, or participating in study groups varies significantly depending on their major. Engineering students rack up the most time—19 hours per week—while their...
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Bezos' New Shepard takes off and escorts itself... →
“Since being awarded $22 million from NASA to develop a commercial space vehicle, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has been relatively quiet. There’s been a couple of test flights, one of which didn’t end so well for the water tank-shaped ship, but we haven’t actually gotten to see the New Shepard (a nod to Alan Shepard) in action. Well friends, take a gander after the break...
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Netflix lands ‘Arrested Development’ →
“If you’ve been feeling coldly toward Netflix recently, this might warm you up: The media-streaming giant has signed an exclusive deal to resurrect acclaimed comedy series “Arrested Development.” New episodes will be available only to Netflix streaming subscribers in the U.S. in 2013.”
Read more…
(source: The Huffington Post, via The Daily Beast)
The 99% could win any election they wanted. We... →
“A referendum to limit the power of Congress could actually be the tour de force that OWS can use to move its supporters from anger to action.” Read more…
(source: Changing the Planet, via Current)
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Quantum theorem shakes foundations →
“At the heart of the weirdness for which the field of quantum mechanics is famous is the wavefunction, a powerful but mysterious entity that is used to determine the probabilities that quantum particles will have certain properties. Now, a preprint posted onlineon 14 November1 reopens the question of what the wavefunction represents — with an answer that could rock quantum theory to its...
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Full disk encryption is too good, says US... →
“You might be shocked to learn this, but when a quivering-lipped Chloe from 24 cracks the encryption on a terrorist’s hard drive in 30 seconds, the TV show is faking it. “So what? It’s just a TV show.” Well, yes, but it turns out that real federal intelligence agencies, like the FBI, CIA, and NSA, also have a problem cracking encrypted hard disks — and according to a new research paper,...
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The 8 people who will ruin your attempt to lose... →
“It’s damn hard to lose weight and just generally get in shape. Americans are getting fatter every year, and 80 percent of people who lose weight gain it all back. Why does it seem so impossible? Part of the reason is willpower and genetics, blah, blah, blah, but a big part of it is other people.” Read more…
(source: Cracked, via Huffington Post)
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Engineers Create World's Lightest Material →
Light as a Feather, Stiffer Than a Board
When you pick up the newest material in Julia Greer’s office, it takes a second for your mind to adjust. Despite its looks, the little brick of metal weighs next to nothing.
Greer, assistant professor of materials science and mechanics, is part of a team of researchers from Caltech, HRL Laboratories, LLC, and the University of California, Irvine,...
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