Dec 22, 2017

Roller Coaster Facts

Since 2017 has been such a roller coaster year, thought I would look up some coaster facts.

Missouri is home to the steepest wooden roller coaster, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. 'Outlaw Run' has a drop at an 81-degree angle.


Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure near Jackson, New Jersey includes a drop of 418 ft (127 meters). It is also the world's tallest roller coaster at 456 ft (139 m).
The GateKeeper roller coaster at Cedar Point amusement park is the longest wing coaster at 4,164 feet (1269 m). It also has the tallest inversion of any roller coaster 170 feet (51.8 m), has the most inversions on a wing coaster (6) and is the fastest non-launched wing coaster.
Leap-the-Dips is the world's oldest operating roller coaster, built in 1902 and located in Lakemont Park, Altoona. It is also North America's last surviving side friction roller coaster.
Formula Rossa is the fastest roller coaster which races up to 149.1 mph (227kph) in just 4.9 seconds. It is Located in Abu Dhabi, UA.

The thrill of riding a coaster continues and more coasters are being built each year to challenge these records.

Dec 15, 2017

Happy Friday

Don't worry about the afterlife.

Live today and celebrate a Happy Friday!

Web Birthday

The internet as we know it has profoundly changed all of our lives, but many forget how young it is and how quickly it evolved. The web, or "world wide web" turns 27 years old on December 20. On that date in 1990, British engineer and scientist Tim Berners-Lee, who once made a computer out of an old television set, launched the world's first website, running on a NeXT computer at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland.

On 30 April 1993 CERN put the World Wide Web software in the public domain. CERN made the next release available with an open license, as a way to
maximize its dissemination. Making the software required to run a web server freely available, along with a basic browser, and a library of code, the web quickly flourished to what it is today.


Incidentally, the web neutrality act that was overturned yesterday was just put in place during 2015. Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, etc., grew and flourished before the government took over the web and the vote to keep the government out of it will not be the end of the world as some pundits will have us believe. Evidence of government control can be found in many other areas, such as post office, student loans, higher education, taxes, healthcare, banking, and more. The internet will not end because the government decided to not be in charge of it.

Natural Foods Myth

Foods that are labeled “natural” are better for you" is a myth.
“Natural” is a word that evokes pleasant feelings, implying that a food is inherently good for you. However, “natural” and “all-natural” are not regulated in the same way that “organic” or “kosher” are. Natural foods can contain large amounts of high fructose corn syrup, foods treated with pesticides, or genetically engineered products.

In response to consumer concerns about this issue, during 2016 the US Food and Drug Administration asked for public comments on the use of the word “natural” in food labeling. It means the FDA may take action to regulate use of this term to prevent consumers from being misled.

Until the label “natural” is better regulated, reading nutritional labels carefully is the best way to ensure the foods you eat are healthy. Never assume that an “all-natural” food has any particular nutritional benefit or superior qualities.

Holiday Healthy Drinking

There is a myth that says wine has health benefits, while beer and liquor do not.
There are many studies outlining the health benefits of wine, but not as many for other alcohols. However, in addition to the antioxidants in wine, all alcohols, when consumed in moderate doses can raise the body's levels of HDL, the good cholesterol.

Boston-based nutritionist and wellness counselor Alannah DiBona explains, "Wine (as well as beer and all types of alcohol) in moderate doses raise the body's levels of HDL, or good cholesterol, which protects the heart against the plaque buildup that may cause strokes and heart attacks. As Europeans have proven for centuries, 1 to 2 alcoholic beverages per day helps to reduce the risks of heart disease."

Developing an alcohol problem in the name of good heart health and lower cholesterol is not a good idea, but a glass of wine, or a few shots, or a few beers can actually reduce your risk for heart disease when combined with a good diet and exercise. Also remember the calories you intake when drinking alcohol, wine, or six-pack of beer can cause weight gain.

Beer, Wine, and Spirits

The spirits industry, as of 2016 commands 35.9% of the total alcohol market vs. 47% for beer and 17.1% for wine. Beer made up close to 60% of the alcohol market during the 1990s.

Contest vs. Sweepstakes

Some people use the two terms interchangeably, but there is actually a large difference between the two.

In a contest, you might be evaluated based on an essay, a cheesecake recipe, or some kind of design. A panel of judges makes a subjective determination based on the judging criteria outlined in the fine print.

In a sweepstakes, luck takes the place of talent. All entries are given equal consideration and tossed into a random drawing.

According to the many state and federal laws, charging money for a sweepstakes entry would classify it as a lottery, and that is usually illegal, unless it is being sponsored by a state government. Contests, on the other hand, can charge an entry fee since there is a degree of skill involved.

In 2006, the CVS pharmacy chain was ordered to pay $152,000 in civil penalties in New York after they promoted a “sweepstakes” in which entries were automatically submitted for customers buying Nicorette gum; the chain did not make the offer available to people who did not buy the product making it no equal consideration.

4K vs. 8K TV

4K, or 3840×2160, is about 2 million pixels and it contains almost four times the number of pixels on a screen compared with 1080P (current) technology.
8K resolution is 7680×4320 pixels. It is 16 times more dense than 4K. The numbers show 4K at 2 million pixels is compared to 8K at 33 million pixels. Today’s TV technology is not yet capable of handling this kind of raw power.
Other comparisons show current HD is 24 frames per second, 4K ultra HD is 60 frames per second, and 8K super Hi Vision is 120 frames per second.
For human eyes to actually differentiate between 4K and 8K resolutions, 8K televisions need to be at least 70 and 80 inches in size and you need to sit very close. To truly enjoy 8K, the television sets need to be even larger than that. Panasonic has developed a plasma television that is 145 inches.
2020 Olympics will all be broadcast in 8K - Samsung, LG, Sony, and Panasonic have all announced plans to have 8K TVs ready for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Incidentally, as of September 2017 an 85 inch 8K TV costs $133,000 and is only available in Japan. Oh, and the old wives tale of sitting too close can hurt your eyes is a myth.

HDTV Antenna Myth

HDTV antenna hype created a huge misconception with regard to TV antennas used for HDTV reception. There is no such thing as an HDTV antenna. An antenna is like a pipe (as I recently described HDMI cables). An antenna just takes in the signal and passes it along to your TV. If the signal is HD, it passes HD. If the signal is SD, it passes SD.

Bottom line, do not be fooled by a marketing ploy to get you to pay more for an HD antenna, any modern antenna will pass along HD content to your TV. Also, all antennas provide a better picture than cable as the digital signals are compressed by cable companies.

Heisman Trophy

Last week they awarded the Heisman trophy, but many do not remember who John Heisman was and how he had the trophy named for him.

He was a player, coach, and hugely successful innovator in the early days of football. He played for Brown and then Penn as a collegian from 1887 to 1891, then went on to coach a number of college teams. He changed the sport from placing the ball on the ground and rolling it from center to lifting and handing or passing it back to the quarterback. He also added more innovations to the game.
During 1916, he coached Georgia Tech to the highest scoring game in college football. While playing a makeshift Cumberland team, his team outscored its opponent 222-0.
Heisman became the athletic director at New York’s Downtown Athletic Club, which awarded the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy to the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi. He died after the first trophy was awarded and before the second trophy could be awarded, the club voted to rename the prize the Heisman Memorial Trophy Award and included college players west of the Mississippi.

Incidentally, The famous “Heisman pose” trophy is actually based on Ed Smith, a former NYU running back who modeled for the trophy’s sculptor in 1934.

Robot Handiwork

For those who do not think robots are ready for prime time, here is a gif showing a robot stitching the skin of a grape. LINK  

Dec 8, 2017

Happy Friday

Do not chase happiness, attract it.

I am always attracted to happiness, especially on a Happy Friday!

Camel Beauty Contest

An interesting beauty contest is held in Madinat Zayed in Al Gharbia from December 13 to 29, the Al Dhafra Festival, the world’s largest festival of Bedouin traditions, is organized by the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi. The two-week event also serves as an important channel to make future generations familiar with their traditions and cultural heritage.

The festival will host one of the world’s largest camel beauty contests and camel gatherings with organizers expecting around 2,000 camel owners and over 20,000 camels from the GCC taking part in the event.

Last year camels owned by Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed, the President’s Representative, won top prizes in the camel ‘mazayna’ beauty contest at this year’s Al Dhafra Festival. Sheikh Sultan’s camels won the Aayel category for the golden-red camel breed, originally from Oman. Camels belonging to Khamis Al Mazrouie won the Majahim category, the black camels of Saudi Arabia.

Overweight Statistics

Many things have changed since 1960. Back then the price of gas was 25 cents, house price $12,700, loaf of bread 25 cents, and a pound of hamburger 45 cents. Not so with the CDC definitions of weight. The tables used to determine the current obesity levels are still the same ones used during 1960.

Unrelated, but interesting to note that since 1960, the average weight of a turkey has more than doubled from 15.1 pounds during 1960 to 31.1 pounds during 2017.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and the US National Center for Health Statistics, as of 2014, close to 71% of US adults age 20 or older are overweight or obese, based on those old tables.

While the world has changed dramatically, the weight definitions for overweight and obese have not changed during the past almost sixty years. The fact that Americans have also increased height and age during that time is not taken into consideration of the weight calculations.

Bottom line, we are comparing current weights to ancient 1960 tables. Also, BMI, as a measure has been debunked by the same CDC which states, "BMI ranges are not exact ranges of healthy and unhealthy weight." According to the BMI table, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Vin Diesel are both overweight.

Maybe the 1960 definitions and the BMI definitions need to be updated according to modern reality. Since we have achieved two standard deviations above the almost 60 year old tables, it might be time to redefine normal or we will soon be 100% overweight. Then the government agencies will forced to redefine the definition of windmills, as they are wont to do.