Little Did I Know...

SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual

Tue, 11 May 2010 20:13:32 +0200

SR-71 Online - SR-71 Flight Manual:

This resource is to educate the public about the operation of the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.

Just so, you know…

Earth, 2300: Too hot for humans

Tue, 11 May 2010 17:49:45 +0200

Earth, 2300: Too hot for humans:

Human survival depends on a wet-bulb temperature of less than 35 °C.

“The wet-bulb limit is basically the point at which one would overheat even if they were naked in the shade, soaking wet and standing in front of a large fan,…”

minimalmac: em: Woah. Totally forgot that Apple’s Dictionary...

Sun, 09 May 2010 19:52:49 +0200

minimalmac:

em:

Woah. Totally forgot that Apple’s Dictionary App has Wikipedia built in.

I always forget this too but it is very handy when you are looking for more than just the spelling. Very handy indeed.

All of the above…

Does This Headline Know You're Reading It?

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:54:05 +0100

Does This Headline Know You're Reading It?:

This is not simply a case of using infrared light, a camera, and eye movement to move a cursor and click buttons: Text 2.0 infers user intentions and enhances the reading experience in far more complex ways. Reading certain words, phrases, or names can trigger the appearance of footnotes, translations, definitions, biographies, even sound effects or animations. Ask how a word is pronounced and you get a verbal answer. If you begin skimming the text, it fades out the less important words. If you glance away, a bookmark automatically appears, pointing to where you stopped reading.

Reading and the Web - Texts Without Context

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:42:32 +0100

Reading and the Web - Texts Without Context:

Given the constant bombardment of trivia and data that we’re subjected to in today’s mediascape, it’s little wonder that noisy, Manichean arguments tend to get more attention than subtle, policy-heavy ones; that funny, snarky or willfully provocative assertions often gain more traction than earnest, measured ones; and that loud, entertaining or controversial personalities tend to get the most ink and airtime.

“Serendipitous encounters” with persons and ideas different from one’s own, he writes, tend to grow less frequent, while “views that would ordinarily dissolve, simply because of an absence of social support, can be found in large numbers on the Internet, even if they are understood to be exotic, indefensible or bizarre in most communities.”

One result of this nicheification of the world is that consensus and common ground grow ever smaller, civic discourse gets a lot less civil, and pluralism — what Isaiah Berlin called the idea that “there are many different ends that men may seek and still be fully rational, fully men, capable of understanding each other and sympathizing and deriving light” from “worlds, outlooks, very remote from our own” — comes to feel increasingly elusive.

An interesting read on how the Internet has transformed our culture.

A curious history of the C.I.A.

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:29:17 +0100

A curious history of the C.I.A.:

By holding no one accountable for past abuse, and by convening no commission on what did and didn’t protect the country, President Obama has left the telling of this dark chapter in American history to those who most want to whitewash it.

Spy in the sky that sees round corners

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:58:00 +0100

Spy in the sky that sees round corners:

By using buildings as mirrors, it will be possible to identify a target vehicle from radar reflections.

Nano Trek.

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:01:00 +0100

Nano Trek.

Bed readers rejoice: iPad gains last-minute rotation lock

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:14:48 +0100

Bed readers rejoice: iPad gains last-minute rotation lock

iPhones are addictive

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:13:47 +0100

iPhones are addictive:

“But the relationship goes even deeper, at least for some. A quarter of the students said they see the iPhone as an extension of their brain or being. Almost 10 percent said they sometimes pat their iPhone, 3 percent have named it, and 8 percent have suspected at one time that their iPod is jealous of their iPhone.”

I’m cheating on ‘her’ on a regular basis.

Markets in everything

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:35:13 +0100

Markets in everything:

Jonathan Keats — a San Francisco-based experimental philosopher who has, over the years, sold real estate in the extra dimensions of space-time proposed by string theory (he sold a hundred and seventy-two extra-dimensional lots in the Bay Area in a single day) made an attempt to genetically engineer God.

Fiber Power

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:20:53 +0100

Fiber Power

Accordion

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:36:51 +0100

Accordion

Photo

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:13:11 +0100

Moscow - Vladivostok: virtual journey on Google Maps

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:07:30 +0100

Moscow - Vladivostok: virtual journey on Google Maps:

“The great Trans Siberian Railway, the pride of Russia, goes across two continents, 12 regions and 87 cities. The joint project of Google and the Russian Railways lets you take a trip along the famous route and see Baikal, Khekhtsirsky range, Barguzin mountains, Yenisei river and many other picturesque places of Russia without leaving your house. During the trip, you can enjoy Russian classic literature, brilliant images and fascinating stories about the most attractive sites on the route.”

Let’s go!

Fear of Spiders Can Develop Before Birth

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:11:16 +0100

Fear of Spiders Can Develop Before Birth:

Scientists aren’t sure how the fear is passed down, but they speculate that stressful events like predator attacks trigger the release of a hormone in the mother that influences the development of the embryo.

Arachnophobia.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve returned to my...

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:45:32 +0100

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve returned to my iPhone after using a Blackberry Curve for a while. It’s still the 1st gen, and while slow and not very stable, it does what it’s supposed to do.

After constantly rearranging my icons for the past few weeks I think I’ve finally settled for this home screen.

PwdHash

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:13:00 +0100

PwdHash:

Not sure if I’m willing to step away from my beloved 1Password, but this sure does sound interesting.

Your users are very stupid. (Maybe.)

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:08:00 +0100

Your users are very stupid. (Maybe.):

In school, I was taught that if you use a calculator, you need to know enough about a problem to be able to tell if the answer you are getting is plausibly correct. Well, now we have a whole generation for whom a good chunk of the world is so alien, and so inaccessible that they literally don’t have the frame of reference just to verify that things are as they should be.

Interesting perspective on the tech divide in our technology-based communication society. An issue that has been discussed at great length since the release of the iPad.

Cheney: "I Was A Big Supporter Of Waterboarding"

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:47:17 +0100

Cheney: "I Was A Big Supporter Of Waterboarding":

The question is therefore not if, but when, he is convicted as a war criminal - in his lifetime or posthumously.