Rock-paper-scissors is a game that tends
to get very frustrating when you lose. Now think about losing to a
machine and every time. The rock-paper-scissors robot is called
Janken robot and was developed by the Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory
in Japan.
As for how the robot is able to beat its human opponent every time,
the Janken robot cheats. The main purpose is not that of beating
people at rock-paper-scissors. The robot uses visual feedback to
respond to the actions of a human hand in a matter of milliseconds.
This technology opens the door to potential applications that
involve precise cooperation between a human and a robot. The robot
can be used remotely as the sensors responsible for recording the
signals of a human do not need to be in the immediate vicinity of
the machine.
The Janken robot is able to respond so fast to human movements that
it can potentially be used to help out in a wide variety of fields.
Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory says that the robot can also be
programmed to have a delayed response to human actions if needed,
which might make it even more useful depending on the situation. Incidentally,
they used to play rock, paper, scissors, bacon. They took
out bacon because it always won.
Jul 3, 2015
Five Internet Firsts
Symbolics Inc. registered the first
domain name, Symbolics.com, on March 15, 1985, before the real
internet was born. Symbolics Inc. grew out of MIT’s Artificial
Intelligence lab, and was the first company to make workstation
computers.
CERN launched very first website on August 6, 1991. It was a simple page, similar to a Word document with black lettering on a white background with blue hyperlinks. It briefly described project W3, better known now as the World Wide Web.
The first picture ever uploaded to the World Wide Web on July 18, 1992 was a picture of the all-girl comedy group Les Horrible Cernettes. The group was made up of administrative assistants and partners of researchers at The European Organization for Nuclear Research.
A little-known band called Severe Tire Damage, played live on the Internet for the first time on June 24, 1993.
YouTube was registered as a domain on February 14, 2005. On April 23, 2005, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim posted the first video called 'Me at the zoo'. The 19-second video features Karim standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo, talking about his interest in “really, really, really long trunks.”
Incidentally, the Internet is what you connect to and the Web is how you view it.
CERN launched very first website on August 6, 1991. It was a simple page, similar to a Word document with black lettering on a white background with blue hyperlinks. It briefly described project W3, better known now as the World Wide Web.
The first picture ever uploaded to the World Wide Web on July 18, 1992 was a picture of the all-girl comedy group Les Horrible Cernettes. The group was made up of administrative assistants and partners of researchers at The European Organization for Nuclear Research.
A little-known band called Severe Tire Damage, played live on the Internet for the first time on June 24, 1993.
YouTube was registered as a domain on February 14, 2005. On April 23, 2005, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim posted the first video called 'Me at the zoo'. The 19-second video features Karim standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo, talking about his interest in “really, really, really long trunks.”
Incidentally, the Internet is what you connect to and the Web is how you view it.
Control Your E-mail
107.8 billion emails were sent and
received per day in 2014 for business-related purposes worldwide.
That number is expected to grow to 139.4 billion emails per day by
2018.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine found that when you are interrupted during the work day, either from a phone call, email, or other item, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task you were originally completing.
Here are a few tips to take control. Do not open email until at least 10am. Control the first part of your day and set goals. Set auto respond to tell everyone that you are offline until 10 am.
Turn off alerts for email so you are not distracted, (except on Friday when you can start your day with some interesting thoughts to exercise your brain).
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine found that when you are interrupted during the work day, either from a phone call, email, or other item, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task you were originally completing.
Here are a few tips to take control. Do not open email until at least 10am. Control the first part of your day and set goals. Set auto respond to tell everyone that you are offline until 10 am.
Turn off alerts for email so you are not distracted, (except on Friday when you can start your day with some interesting thoughts to exercise your brain).
Five More Frozen Food Facts
Carl Paul Gottfried Linde, an engineer, scientist, and professor at the Technical University of Munich helped pioneer industrial cooling, through what is commonly known as the Hampson-Linde cycle, and used his findings to plan an ice and refrigeration machine back in the nineteenth century. Linde’s desire to build such machines was furthered in 1892, when the Guinness Brewery requested that Linde create a carbon dioxide liquefaction plant for them.
The first “complete” frozen meal was not the 'TV dinner', it was airplane food. In 1945, Maxson Food Systems, Inc. starting making its 'Strato-Plates', meals that were created specifically for consumption on airplanes. Each frozen meal included a meat, vegetable, and potato, and was meant to be reheated for in-air eating.
Swanson’s, which is widely hailed as the true creator of TV dinners, coined the name and was the most well-known maker of compartmentalized meals in the 1950s.
Conagra Foods introduced its Healthy Choice line of frozen food in 1989, after the corporation was inspired to pursue healthy frozen picks after its chairman, Charles Harper, suffered a heart attack due to his bad eating habits.
There has long been a debate over which company first introduced the frozen pizza to the grocery store market, with both Totino’s and Tombstone vying for the title. However, the Celentano brothers, who owned their own Italian specialty store in New Jersey, are believed to have marketed the first frozen pizza in 1957.
The first “complete” frozen meal was not the 'TV dinner', it was airplane food. In 1945, Maxson Food Systems, Inc. starting making its 'Strato-Plates', meals that were created specifically for consumption on airplanes. Each frozen meal included a meat, vegetable, and potato, and was meant to be reheated for in-air eating.
Swanson’s, which is widely hailed as the true creator of TV dinners, coined the name and was the most well-known maker of compartmentalized meals in the 1950s.
Conagra Foods introduced its Healthy Choice line of frozen food in 1989, after the corporation was inspired to pursue healthy frozen picks after its chairman, Charles Harper, suffered a heart attack due to his bad eating habits.
There has long been a debate over which company first introduced the frozen pizza to the grocery store market, with both Totino’s and Tombstone vying for the title. However, the Celentano brothers, who owned their own Italian specialty store in New Jersey, are believed to have marketed the first frozen pizza in 1957.
All Season Protection
A receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead. The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds attackers until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection.
Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School. For decades, he has suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed. Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says "spray the culprit in the eyes."
Did you also know that wasp spray will kill a snake and a mouse? It can. It will also kill a wasp.
Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School. For decades, he has suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed. Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says "spray the culprit in the eyes."
Did you also know that wasp spray will kill a snake and a mouse? It can. It will also kill a wasp.
Jun 26, 2015
Happy Friday
Happiness is more to your mind than sound is to your ears.
I can be perfectly quiet while enjoying a Happy Friday!
I can be perfectly quiet while enjoying a Happy Friday!
Set Your Clocks Back
Tuesday June 30 is the day to adjust
your clocks back by one second. At 2359 Greenwich Mean Time on June
30, or 9.59am US EST on July 1, the world will experience a minute
that will last 61 seconds. It is called the leap second. That is
when timekeepers adjust high-precision clocks so they are in sync
with earth’s rotation, which is affected by the gravitational tug of
the sun and moon.
The last modification, on June 30, 2012 was disruptive for many internet servers, including Qantas’ online reservation system, which went down for several hours. The leap second is not something that needs to be added to your watch, your stove, the clock on your nightstand, etc.
The last modification, on June 30, 2012 was disruptive for many internet servers, including Qantas’ online reservation system, which went down for several hours. The leap second is not something that needs to be added to your watch, your stove, the clock on your nightstand, etc.
Canada Day
The birthday of a country is a special day
for the citizens of that country. Canada Day was first celebrated on
July 1, 1867, commemorating the Constitution Act, 1867, which
integrated three colonies into one country named Canada. It was
initially called the Dominion Day, but with the approval to pass the
Canada Act, it was renamed in 1982. Various activities at the Canada
Day include parades, festivals, fireworks, musical performances, and
more.
The Calgary Stampede is scheduled for July 3 to 12, 2015, Calgary Stampede is an exciting outdoor show held in Calgary, Canada. It is an annual exhibition and rodeo that helps people re-live the era of cowboys. Over one million people attend this annual festival that features First Nations exhibitions, a parade, rocking stage shows and concerts. The Calgary Stampede is famous for rodeos, and chuck wagon racing, along with competitions.
The Calgary Stampede is scheduled for July 3 to 12, 2015, Calgary Stampede is an exciting outdoor show held in Calgary, Canada. It is an annual exhibition and rodeo that helps people re-live the era of cowboys. Over one million people attend this annual festival that features First Nations exhibitions, a parade, rocking stage shows and concerts. The Calgary Stampede is famous for rodeos, and chuck wagon racing, along with competitions.
Horsehoe Crabs and Spiders
Horseshoe crabs were
misidentified as crabs hundreds of years ago. They spend most of
their time crawling on the sea floor and have a crab-like shell
roughly resembling a horseshoe. However, they are grouped with
arachnids.
Horseshoe crabs date back 500 million years as a species. These prehistoric survivors, who perhaps never evolved to flourish on land like the rest of their cousins, can grow up to 0.6 meters (2 ft) wide and use their long tails as a tool to dig for food or to turn over. The horseshoe crab has 10 eyes on its back and sides, can replace lost body parts, and has blue blood. The blood is medically valuable and is used to detect bacteria, for cancer research, diagnosing leukemia, and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Horseshoe crabs date back 500 million years as a species. These prehistoric survivors, who perhaps never evolved to flourish on land like the rest of their cousins, can grow up to 0.6 meters (2 ft) wide and use their long tails as a tool to dig for food or to turn over. The horseshoe crab has 10 eyes on its back and sides, can replace lost body parts, and has blue blood. The blood is medically valuable and is used to detect bacteria, for cancer research, diagnosing leukemia, and vitamin B12 deficiency.
What's in a Name, Bidet
A bidet is a low, basin-like
bathroom fixture, usually with spigots, used for bathing the genital
and perineal areas. It is also the French name for a small saddle
horse originated during the early 1600s.
The modern bidet that resembles a toilet was developed in the 19th century, and the very popular bidet seat came about in the 1960s, with one of the most popular invented by an American, Arnold Cohen.
Bidet use greatly reduces the need for toilet paper, which in North America is over 36 billion rolls per year.
Incidentally, over 2.6 billion people (40% of the world’s population.) have no access to a toilet.
The modern bidet that resembles a toilet was developed in the 19th century, and the very popular bidet seat came about in the 1960s, with one of the most popular invented by an American, Arnold Cohen.
Bidet use greatly reduces the need for toilet paper, which in North America is over 36 billion rolls per year.
Incidentally, over 2.6 billion people (40% of the world’s population.) have no access to a toilet.
Take That Gig
Do you have some extra time and want to make
a few bucks? Gigwalk is a company with an app that you can use to
find work in your area. Some take minutes, like checking a product
placement in a local store, to longer ones, such as doing an
inventory of a product line. The platform gives brands and retailers
on-the-ground visibility and allows them to take action to drive
more in-store sales. There are gigs available in sixty cities so far
with more to come in the future.
Workers (gigwalkers) look up opportunities on their phone and decide if they are interested. Each individual Gig is represented by a pin on the map in the mobile application. Gigs can take anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours to complete and pay from $3 to $100. It pays directly to your Paypal account. Here is a LINK to the main site.
Workers (gigwalkers) look up opportunities on their phone and decide if they are interested. Each individual Gig is represented by a pin on the map in the mobile application. Gigs can take anywhere from 5 minutes to a few hours to complete and pay from $3 to $100. It pays directly to your Paypal account. Here is a LINK to the main site.
New York City Stats
New York City uses more energy, sucks
down more water, and spews out more solid waste than any other
mega-metropolitan area. There are about 20 million residents,
speaking over 800 languages, in the 6,000 square miles that comprise
the city’s greater metropolitan statistical area. It pumps out over
33 million tons of waste a year. The next closest offender is Mexico
City, which generates 12 million tons of trash.
There are at least 26 other megacities around the world, which, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, account for 9 percent of the planet’s electricity use, drain 10 percent of its gasoline, and create 13 percent of its trash. There were 27 megacities, worldwide, as of 2010. In 2020 there will be closer to 40. According to the study, New York is more wasteful per capita, than all of them.
"The New York metropolis has 12 million fewer people than Tokyo, yet it uses more energy in total: the equivalent of one oil supertanker every 1.5 days,” according to study author Chris Kennedy, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto.
There are at least 26 other megacities around the world, which, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, account for 9 percent of the planet’s electricity use, drain 10 percent of its gasoline, and create 13 percent of its trash. There were 27 megacities, worldwide, as of 2010. In 2020 there will be closer to 40. According to the study, New York is more wasteful per capita, than all of them.
"The New York metropolis has 12 million fewer people than Tokyo, yet it uses more energy in total: the equivalent of one oil supertanker every 1.5 days,” according to study author Chris Kennedy, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto.
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