The big game will be played this weekend so
I thought it might be interesting to review the technology behind
the lines that TV adds to the field for down markers. Before the
game begins, technicians make a digital 3-D model of the field,
which is not flat. It is subtly curved with a crown in the middle to
help water flow away. Each field is unique.
Technicians also put together two separate color palettes before
each game. One palette contains the colors for the field’s turf to
automatically be converted into yellow (or whatever color is used)
when the line is drawn onto the field. All other colors, such as
player and official uniforms, shoes, the ball, etc., go into the
other palette. Colors that appear on this second palette are never
converted. If a player’s foot is situated on the line, everything
around it will turn yellow, but not his foot.
Each camera used for the game contains sensors that record its
location, tilt, pan, zoom and transmit this data to the graphics
computers. These sensors allow the computers to process exactly
where each camera is within the 3-D model, along with the
perspective of each camera so the lines can be added to the picture.
One version requires a four-man crew and costs about $25,000 per
game to project the lines onto the field.
Feb 1, 2013
Beer Myths Debunked
More game day stuff. The myth says if
cold beer gets warm, cooling it again will make it stale. This is a
myth was started by marketing people. Beer experiences substantial
fluctuations in temperature during shipping, although excessive heat
will ruin beer. The notion that beer can only be refrigerated once
is a total myth.
Are Bottles Better Than Cans - Canned beer is often associated with mass-market, “cheap” beer. However, craft brewers are beginning to can their beer. In fact, at least 212 breweries, according to CraftCans.com now sell canned beer.
The Huffington Post conducted a blind taste test and found participants preferred the taste of canned beer to bottled three times out of four. During the game you can pop or twist or flip a top and know the beer is all the same.
Are Bottles Better Than Cans - Canned beer is often associated with mass-market, “cheap” beer. However, craft brewers are beginning to can their beer. In fact, at least 212 breweries, according to CraftCans.com now sell canned beer.
The Huffington Post conducted a blind taste test and found participants preferred the taste of canned beer to bottled three times out of four. During the game you can pop or twist or flip a top and know the beer is all the same.
Table Salt vs. Kosher Salt
Salt is another game day treat
that goes on almost everything. The primary ingredient in each type
is sodium chloride. US requires food-grade salt be a minimum of
97.5% pure.
Table salt usually contains an anti-clumping agent, like calcium silicate, and also iodine. Kosher salt usually does not contain either. In the old days, people used to put a few grains of rice in their salt shaker to keep the salt from clumping.
The main difference between Kosher salt and regular salt is the grain size, with table salt being much smaller, because Kosher salt is less processed.
Kosher salt is not called “Kosher” because the salt is certified as kosher, but because this type of salt was used in the process of koshering meat to remove surface blood from meat without making the meat too salty.
Incidentally, iodine was first added to salt commercially in the United States in 1924 by the Morton Salt Company at the request of the government, because people weren't getting enough iodine in their diets. This caused many people to develop goiters or swelling of the thyroid gland. The practice was taken from the Swiss, who began adding iodine to salt many years earlier. Today most people get enough iodine in their diets, but many government health agencies around the world still recommend adding it to salt.
Table salt usually contains an anti-clumping agent, like calcium silicate, and also iodine. Kosher salt usually does not contain either. In the old days, people used to put a few grains of rice in their salt shaker to keep the salt from clumping.
The main difference between Kosher salt and regular salt is the grain size, with table salt being much smaller, because Kosher salt is less processed.
Kosher salt is not called “Kosher” because the salt is certified as kosher, but because this type of salt was used in the process of koshering meat to remove surface blood from meat without making the meat too salty.
Incidentally, iodine was first added to salt commercially in the United States in 1924 by the Morton Salt Company at the request of the government, because people weren't getting enough iodine in their diets. This caused many people to develop goiters or swelling of the thyroid gland. The practice was taken from the Swiss, who began adding iodine to salt many years earlier. Today most people get enough iodine in their diets, but many government health agencies around the world still recommend adding it to salt.
Africa Size Comparison
This interesting picture shows
the size of Africa compared to other continents and countries.
Wordology, Meme
The vast expanse of the internet makes
communication around the world immediate, and with it copying and
sharing of interesting (and not so interesting) information. The
neologism (a new word or phrase) 'meme' (rhymes with team) has
reached widespread use to describe the viral spread of jokes, ideas,
and more via the internet.
“Meme” was coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins before the web was in use, in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. He stated, "We need a name for the new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. ‘Mimeme’ comes from a suitable Greek root, but I want a monosyllable that sounds a bit like ‘gene’. I hope my classicist friends will forgive me if I abbreviate mimeme to meme. If it is any consolation, it could alternatively be thought of as being related to ‘memory’, or to the French word même."
The French word même means “same” or “alike.” The Greek word “mimeme” he takes “meme” from comes from the Ancient Greek meaning “that which is imitated” / “something imitated” / “something copied”.
Dawkins was hoping that the word would be used as a unit of human cultural transmission, such as a melody, fashion, or catch-phrase. People refine memes as they sometimes alter the information when they transmit it to another human. Bacon, while being still being delicious has also become a meme.
“Meme” was coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins before the web was in use, in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene. He stated, "We need a name for the new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. ‘Mimeme’ comes from a suitable Greek root, but I want a monosyllable that sounds a bit like ‘gene’. I hope my classicist friends will forgive me if I abbreviate mimeme to meme. If it is any consolation, it could alternatively be thought of as being related to ‘memory’, or to the French word même."
The French word même means “same” or “alike.” The Greek word “mimeme” he takes “meme” from comes from the Ancient Greek meaning “that which is imitated” / “something imitated” / “something copied”.
Dawkins was hoping that the word would be used as a unit of human cultural transmission, such as a melody, fashion, or catch-phrase. People refine memes as they sometimes alter the information when they transmit it to another human. Bacon, while being still being delicious has also become a meme.
Jan 25, 2013
Happy Friday
Man cannot learn truths which are too complicated; he forgets truths
which are too simple.
It is not complicated; I simply always have a Happy Friday!
It is not complicated; I simply always have a Happy Friday!
S.O.S Scrub Pads
S.O.S brand scrub pads stands for “Save
Our Saucepans”. The name was originally thought up by the wife of
the creator of the S.O.S pad, Ed Cox.
In 1917, Cox was an aluminum pot salesman and when he introduced himself to potential new customers, he would give them a little steel wool pad that he had encrusted with soap as a gift. Eventually, these pads became more popular than the pans he was trying to sell so he began selling the pads.
The last period in “S.O.S” was left off because “S.O.S.” could not be trademarked due to the SOS distress signal often being written as “S.O.S.”.
In 1917, Cox was an aluminum pot salesman and when he introduced himself to potential new customers, he would give them a little steel wool pad that he had encrusted with soap as a gift. Eventually, these pads became more popular than the pans he was trying to sell so he began selling the pads.
The last period in “S.O.S” was left off because “S.O.S.” could not be trademarked due to the SOS distress signal often being written as “S.O.S.”.
Origin of Porky Pig
The inspiration was Joe Cobb, Joe in
the “Our Gang/Little Rascals” TV Series. Joe Cobb starred in 86
episodes of the series and played the ever smiling yet hapless
stereotypical fat kid, who often sets up gags for the others.
During the early 1930s, Leon Schlesinger secured a contract to produce the Looney Tunes series for Warner Bros. He asked animator Robert Clampett and studio director Friz Freleng to design a new series of characters and suggested they do a cartoon version of the Our Gang films.
The first short, I Haven’t Got a Hat, released in 1935 included: Beans the cat, Oliver Owl, a motherly cow named Mrs. Cud, and Porky Pig in the ‘Joe’ role. Porky quickly became the star. Porky’s name came from Friz Freleng, who remembered two childhood friends and brothers nicknamed “Porky” and “Piggy” and decided to put the two names together. His trademark stutter comes from Joe Dougherty, the first voice actor to voice Porky. Joe had a very pronounced stutter and forced director Freleng to go through take after take of uncontrollable stuttering.
Eventually the studio realized the high production cost of the many hours of wasted material, and replaced Dougherty with Mel Blanc in 1937. By this time the stutter had become so associated with the character that Blanc was asked to use it to create a more precise comedic effect.
Had to include this tribute picture to Mel Blanc, man of a thousand voices with some of his favorite characters, including Porky. It is titled "Speechless."
Porky’s legacy continues with his signature line “Th-th-that’s all folks” heard at the end of Looney Tunes episodes. The Warner Bros. other series, Merrie Melodies, which had always used “So Long, Folks” to close its short films, changed to the more catchy Porky line after opinion polls found most people better associated with it.
During the early 1930s, Leon Schlesinger secured a contract to produce the Looney Tunes series for Warner Bros. He asked animator Robert Clampett and studio director Friz Freleng to design a new series of characters and suggested they do a cartoon version of the Our Gang films.
The first short, I Haven’t Got a Hat, released in 1935 included: Beans the cat, Oliver Owl, a motherly cow named Mrs. Cud, and Porky Pig in the ‘Joe’ role. Porky quickly became the star. Porky’s name came from Friz Freleng, who remembered two childhood friends and brothers nicknamed “Porky” and “Piggy” and decided to put the two names together. His trademark stutter comes from Joe Dougherty, the first voice actor to voice Porky. Joe had a very pronounced stutter and forced director Freleng to go through take after take of uncontrollable stuttering.
Eventually the studio realized the high production cost of the many hours of wasted material, and replaced Dougherty with Mel Blanc in 1937. By this time the stutter had become so associated with the character that Blanc was asked to use it to create a more precise comedic effect.
Had to include this tribute picture to Mel Blanc, man of a thousand voices with some of his favorite characters, including Porky. It is titled "Speechless."
Porky’s legacy continues with his signature line “Th-th-that’s all folks” heard at the end of Looney Tunes episodes. The Warner Bros. other series, Merrie Melodies, which had always used “So Long, Folks” to close its short films, changed to the more catchy Porky line after opinion polls found most people better associated with it.
Geocaching
Do you like to get outside and explore? Want to
do something fun? Geocaching is like a scavenger hunt for adults. It
is played with your smartphone or GPS device. There is an app for
most phones and it works with your built-in GPS on the phone. The
phone guides you to the exact location, but then you need to look
around to find the treasure.
There are millions of little treasures hidden around the world. Each has an exact location and a short description letting you know what you are looking for, such as a plastic pencil box, tin can, etc. When you find it, you sign the enclosed logbook and if there is a gift, you are expected to replace it with your own item of equal or greater value.
You can also log on to the internet and share your story with the over six million other players. There are even groups in many cities around the world that you can join to share stories. I looked up my neighborhood and found the location of two caches, less than a half mile away. LINK Happy hunting.
There are millions of little treasures hidden around the world. Each has an exact location and a short description letting you know what you are looking for, such as a plastic pencil box, tin can, etc. When you find it, you sign the enclosed logbook and if there is a gift, you are expected to replace it with your own item of equal or greater value.
You can also log on to the internet and share your story with the over six million other players. There are even groups in many cities around the world that you can join to share stories. I looked up my neighborhood and found the location of two caches, less than a half mile away. LINK Happy hunting.
Shape of the Earth
When thinking of geo stuff, it is
interesting to note that the earth is not round. Most people know
this, but did you know you weigh more or less depending on where you
live?
The Earth’s shape is classified as an oblate spheroid or ellipsoid. The polar diameter of the Earth is about 26.7 miles (43 km) shorter than its equatorial diameter causing a difference of about 0.3%. This very slightly oblate shape affects the weight of an object according to its position on the Earth’s surface. A 20-lb bag of sand would weigh less at the equator than at the North Pole. This is because the further an object gets from the center of the Earth, the less it weighs. Maybe I might move to the equator.
The Earth’s shape is classified as an oblate spheroid or ellipsoid. The polar diameter of the Earth is about 26.7 miles (43 km) shorter than its equatorial diameter causing a difference of about 0.3%. This very slightly oblate shape affects the weight of an object according to its position on the Earth’s surface. A 20-lb bag of sand would weigh less at the equator than at the North Pole. This is because the further an object gets from the center of the Earth, the less it weighs. Maybe I might move to the equator.
Are We There Yet
We tend to get irritated with traffic jams
and long driving trips by car. Here is a picture from 1800 that
might put modern travel time in perspective.
Jan 22, 2013
Wordology, Paladin
Someone who fights for a cause.
Some of you might remember the old TV western series 'Have Gun, Will Travel' with Richard Boone.
Some of you might remember the old TV western series 'Have Gun, Will Travel' with Richard Boone.
What Causes Gray Hair
A few of these gray things have
begun to sprout and it made me wonder why. A person’s hair color is
the result of pigments known as melanin produced by a specialized
group of cells known as melanocytes. Melanocytes are found
throughout our body and the melanin they produce is what gives our
skin, hair, and eyes their color. Scientists can determine what
color your eyes and hair are from DNA.
The melanocytes responsible for hair color are found in the bulbs of your hair follicles.
There are two main types of melanin. Eumelanin produces dark browns and blacks, and pheomelanin produces reddish/yellow. How these cells blend together determines what color hair will be. It is not fully known what makes the melanocytes blend together in the ways they do, but it appears to be genetic.
Once melanin is produced, their granules are transferred to adjacent keratinocytes, also found in the bulbs of your hair follicles. Keratinocytes are what produce keratine, the dead protein cells that make up our visible hair. Gray hair is the result of less melanin within the keratin. The less melanin, the more gray your hair will be and white hair has no melanin.
As we age our melanocytes decrease in number. The result is less and less melanin, until none are present, so hair slowly turns gray, and then white.
In 2009, scientists in Europe found that hair follicles produce small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. Normally this small amount of hydrogen peroxide is broken down by an enzyme called catalase. As we age, catalase production is reduced and there is a build up of hydrogen peroxide, which blocks melanin production by melanocytes.
There are several other things that can cause our hair to turn gray, including: genetic defects; abnormal hormone production, such as stress; abnormal body distribution of melanin; and climate factors, such as pollutants, toxins, and chemical exposure. The time and speed at which you will gray varies greatly.
As an aside, in Britain, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa, the spelling is commonly grey. In the United States, the preferred spelling is gray, but grey is accepted.
The melanocytes responsible for hair color are found in the bulbs of your hair follicles.
There are two main types of melanin. Eumelanin produces dark browns and blacks, and pheomelanin produces reddish/yellow. How these cells blend together determines what color hair will be. It is not fully known what makes the melanocytes blend together in the ways they do, but it appears to be genetic.
Once melanin is produced, their granules are transferred to adjacent keratinocytes, also found in the bulbs of your hair follicles. Keratinocytes are what produce keratine, the dead protein cells that make up our visible hair. Gray hair is the result of less melanin within the keratin. The less melanin, the more gray your hair will be and white hair has no melanin.
As we age our melanocytes decrease in number. The result is less and less melanin, until none are present, so hair slowly turns gray, and then white.
In 2009, scientists in Europe found that hair follicles produce small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. Normally this small amount of hydrogen peroxide is broken down by an enzyme called catalase. As we age, catalase production is reduced and there is a build up of hydrogen peroxide, which blocks melanin production by melanocytes.
There are several other things that can cause our hair to turn gray, including: genetic defects; abnormal hormone production, such as stress; abnormal body distribution of melanin; and climate factors, such as pollutants, toxins, and chemical exposure. The time and speed at which you will gray varies greatly.
As an aside, in Britain, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa, the spelling is commonly grey. In the United States, the preferred spelling is gray, but grey is accepted.
Bacon
Gratuitous picture of bacon. A few readers complained that I have
not mention bacon for a long time.
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