Speaking of fluffernutter, some researchers are warning about the dangers of watching TV when very young children are nearby. Recent findings suggest that even casual exposure to TV can harm child development and undermine parent-child interactions.
One study said parents are distracted by TV the same way preschoolers are. Another recent study found that children who watched a short cartoon showed a reduced ability to delay gratification and poorer working memory. I have some language for them, secondhand science is harmful to real science.
Oct 29, 2011
Internet is Growing
If you ate a doughnut a second for the rest of your life you would not grow as fast as the internet. There was more data transmitted over the Internet in 2010 than the entire history of the Internet through 2009.
There are currently 4 billion connected devices around the world, Intel expects that number to increase to 15 billion by 2015 and 50 billion by 2020.
Wow - 48 hours of YouTube videos are uploaded each minute, 200 million tweets sent per day and 7.5 billion photos uploaded to Facebook each month. Also, think about the billions of spams sent each day and billions of emails.
It used to be that the internet added the equivalent of the entire Library of Congress every fifteen minutes and now it does so in less than half that time, and 24 hours a day. I like to think I am doing my share by adding these postings, just to keep the world from taking itself too seriously.
There are currently 4 billion connected devices around the world, Intel expects that number to increase to 15 billion by 2015 and 50 billion by 2020.
Wow - 48 hours of YouTube videos are uploaded each minute, 200 million tweets sent per day and 7.5 billion photos uploaded to Facebook each month. Also, think about the billions of spams sent each day and billions of emails.
It used to be that the internet added the equivalent of the entire Library of Congress every fifteen minutes and now it does so in less than half that time, and 24 hours a day. I like to think I am doing my share by adding these postings, just to keep the world from taking itself too seriously.
Say Cheese
The Center for Retail Research claims that cheese is the world's most frequently stolen food and it has been labeled a "high risk food." There is growing interest in the more expensive cheese such as Parmesan. Next in line as most stolen are fresh meat, chocolate, alcohol, seafood, and infant formula.
Overall, retail 'shrinkage', which includes theft is up to $119 billion in 2011, up 6.6% since 2010. 35.9% of retailers reported that actual and attempted shoplifting rose last year and 24% had higher employee theft. Shoplifters are highest in the Asia pacific and Europe. Organized crime theft is highest in the US.
Almost four percent of the world's cheese supply ends up stolen, putting cheese on top of the list. Shoplifting rates as a whole are going up, because of the current economic situation. Now we can say with certainty that shoplifting is a cheesy crime.
Overall, retail 'shrinkage', which includes theft is up to $119 billion in 2011, up 6.6% since 2010. 35.9% of retailers reported that actual and attempted shoplifting rose last year and 24% had higher employee theft. Shoplifters are highest in the Asia pacific and Europe. Organized crime theft is highest in the US.
Almost four percent of the world's cheese supply ends up stolen, putting cheese on top of the list. Shoplifting rates as a whole are going up, because of the current economic situation. Now we can say with certainty that shoplifting is a cheesy crime.
SIRI
The new voice application for the iPhone that was just announced is very cool, but do you remember that Feb 26, 2010 Friday Thoughts, I told you it was coming. Wow, what a long gestation. Also, Android phones have had voice response for a long time.
Oct 26, 2011
Canned Food Day
Darn, I missed it a few days ago. We eat what we can and what we can’t we can. Nicolas Appert probably didn't say that, but he did invent the canning process. I know Campbell's likes him.
He was born in Chalons-Sur-Marne, France and was destined to become a great chef and confectioner -- and chemist and inventor. In 1809 the French government awarded Appert with twelve thousand francs for his contribution to the world.
Nicolas Appert had, in his search to preserve food, invented a process of heating foods and sealing them in airtight containers. In 1812 he was bestowed with the title, Benefactor of Humanity. We still use his methods of food preservation today!
Also, can't forget another invention of Appert’s: the bouillon cube.
He was born in Chalons-Sur-Marne, France and was destined to become a great chef and confectioner -- and chemist and inventor. In 1809 the French government awarded Appert with twelve thousand francs for his contribution to the world.
Nicolas Appert had, in his search to preserve food, invented a process of heating foods and sealing them in airtight containers. In 1812 he was bestowed with the title, Benefactor of Humanity. We still use his methods of food preservation today!
Also, can't forget another invention of Appert’s: the bouillon cube.
Rubic's Cube
Just a quick video of a computer, powered by a phone solves a Rubic's cube in just over 5 seconds.It beat the human record of 5.65 seconds. LINK I love technology.
Fast Computer
A new computer, K, built by Fujitsu and located in Kobe, Japan, represents a giant leap forward in speed.
The latest ranking of the top 500 computers is determined by running a standard mathematical equation. The winning computer was able to make 8.2 quadrillion calculations per second, or in more technical terms, 8.2 petaflops per second. It makes thousands of calculations faster than you can say calculation.
The performance of K is equivalent to linking about one million desktop computers. Supercomputers are used for earthquake simulations, climate modeling, nuclear research and weapons development and testing, among other things.
The fastest computer in the United States, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Oak Ridge, Tenn., placed third.
The latest ranking of the top 500 computers is determined by running a standard mathematical equation. The winning computer was able to make 8.2 quadrillion calculations per second, or in more technical terms, 8.2 petaflops per second. It makes thousands of calculations faster than you can say calculation.
The performance of K is equivalent to linking about one million desktop computers. Supercomputers are used for earthquake simulations, climate modeling, nuclear research and weapons development and testing, among other things.
The fastest computer in the United States, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in Oak Ridge, Tenn., placed third.
Oct 21, 2011
Happy Friday
If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it.
I have imagined and dreamt about having a Happy Friday!
I have imagined and dreamt about having a Happy Friday!
Cloning is Still Alive
Korea has found a useful way to make cloning work. It has been cloning dogs for a specific purpose. Dogs are a integral part of security in airports around the world, helping detect narcotics, explosives, and other banned substances. Inchon Airport in South Korea says some of their best drug-sniffing dogs are clones.
It cloned genes from a prized security dog named Chase and produced seven cloned Labrador puppies. They are part of an ongoing study about how genetic reproductions of prized work animals may revolutionize their use in the field. Only 30% of normal dogs pass the tests to become drug-sniffers, all of Chase’s clones passed.
Here in the US, The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is working on a cell phone attachment. It is a sensor capable of detecting deadly chemicals with minimal drain on the phone’s battery life. It works like an antivirus software that bides its time in the background and springs to life when it spies suspicious activity. The device, named Cell-All regularly sniffs the surrounding air for certain volatile chemical compounds and shows an alert.
It cloned genes from a prized security dog named Chase and produced seven cloned Labrador puppies. They are part of an ongoing study about how genetic reproductions of prized work animals may revolutionize their use in the field. Only 30% of normal dogs pass the tests to become drug-sniffers, all of Chase’s clones passed.
Here in the US, The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is working on a cell phone attachment. It is a sensor capable of detecting deadly chemicals with minimal drain on the phone’s battery life. It works like an antivirus software that bides its time in the background and springs to life when it spies suspicious activity. The device, named Cell-All regularly sniffs the surrounding air for certain volatile chemical compounds and shows an alert.
Facebook Address Book
If you use Facebook on your phone, it is likely that all of the addresses from your phone address book are now on Facebook. This would have happened sometime during the past few months when Facebook changed the software.
Luckily, there is a way to fix it.
1. Visit Facebook.com from a PC and log in
2. in the top-right corner of the screen, click on Account and then Edit Friends
3. In the menu on the left side of the screen, click on Contacts
4. Here, you will see your contacts in Address Book are listed along with their phone numbers
5. On the right side of the screen, click on the “this page” link
6. Follow the instructions on this page — you’ll have to disable contact-sync in Facebook’s mobile app if it’s enabled — Click the Remove button
Some people like phone numbers on Facebook, but I do not. If you don't care one way or another, but my name is on your list, at least please delete it. Thanks.
Luckily, there is a way to fix it.
1. Visit Facebook.com from a PC and log in
2. in the top-right corner of the screen, click on Account and then Edit Friends
3. In the menu on the left side of the screen, click on Contacts
4. Here, you will see your contacts in Address Book are listed along with their phone numbers
5. On the right side of the screen, click on the “this page” link
6. Follow the instructions on this page — you’ll have to disable contact-sync in Facebook’s mobile app if it’s enabled — Click the Remove button
Some people like phone numbers on Facebook, but I do not. If you don't care one way or another, but my name is on your list, at least please delete it. Thanks.
Caffeine Shots
This is a bit scary. Aeroshots are caffeine inhalers. They contain a quick-dissolving powder.
Take a puff and you get an instant burst of caffeine. Each cartridge contains 100mg of caffeine, or about as much as a large coffee. Each holds about 6 to 8 shots. They look like shotgun shells and the target audience is college students trying to stay up late to cram for exams, or to supplement drinking binges. It is legal, but not what you might want to see around your children.
Take a puff and you get an instant burst of caffeine. Each cartridge contains 100mg of caffeine, or about as much as a large coffee. Each holds about 6 to 8 shots. They look like shotgun shells and the target audience is college students trying to stay up late to cram for exams, or to supplement drinking binges. It is legal, but not what you might want to see around your children.
Birthdays October 18
I was looking at an almanac and saw the number of famous people born on October 18. The list is long, so I won't provide details, but most will know many. Lotte Lenya, Bobby Troup, Pierre Trudeau, Chuck Berry, George C. Scott, Inger Stevens, Mike Ditka, Willie Horton, Laura Nyro, Pam Dawber, Martina Navratilova, Thomas 'hitman' Hearns, Erin Moran, Wynton Marsalis, and more. The births range from 1898 to 1962. The planets must have aligned.
Blue Angels
The Blue Angels team was formed in 1946 by order of Admiral Chester Nimitz in order to boost morale and demonstrate the Navy's fighting prowess. The original team flew modified Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats and has flown a total of nine aircraft. The F/A-18 Hornet is the latest and has been used since 1986 when it replaced the A-4 Skyhawk.
The Hornets in the Blue Angel Squad have been significantly modified from those that see active combat. In addition to an extra inverted fuel pump allowing for longer inverted flights without the engine becoming fuel-starved. The ultra high-gloss, low-friction paint reduces drag.
The M61 Vulcan machine gun in the nose cone has been replaced with a tank that holds the jet's supply of smoke oil. The colored smoke that the jets produce is made by injecting a biodegradable paraffin-based oil into the plane's exhaust nozzles, instantly vaporizing it. It is not only fun for spectators, the smoke trails increase each pilot's visibility to the rest of the team.
The Blue Angels planes have a small spring on the command stick that applies 40 pounds of nose-down pressure to make the plane easier to fly in formation and upside-down.
Because of space restrictions in the cockpit the Blue Angels pilots don't wear G-suits, but since the flights are coordinated, the pilots know when high G maneuvers are coming up and can perform the same task manually by clenching their stomach and leg muscles to prevent blood from rushing from their heads to their lower bodies, causing them to black out.
The Angels run on a 50-50 mix of plant-based bio-fuels and conventional fuel, making it the first and only full Navy squadron to fly with biofuels.
The Hornets in the Blue Angel Squad have been significantly modified from those that see active combat. In addition to an extra inverted fuel pump allowing for longer inverted flights without the engine becoming fuel-starved. The ultra high-gloss, low-friction paint reduces drag.
The M61 Vulcan machine gun in the nose cone has been replaced with a tank that holds the jet's supply of smoke oil. The colored smoke that the jets produce is made by injecting a biodegradable paraffin-based oil into the plane's exhaust nozzles, instantly vaporizing it. It is not only fun for spectators, the smoke trails increase each pilot's visibility to the rest of the team.
The Blue Angels planes have a small spring on the command stick that applies 40 pounds of nose-down pressure to make the plane easier to fly in formation and upside-down.
Because of space restrictions in the cockpit the Blue Angels pilots don't wear G-suits, but since the flights are coordinated, the pilots know when high G maneuvers are coming up and can perform the same task manually by clenching their stomach and leg muscles to prevent blood from rushing from their heads to their lower bodies, causing them to black out.
The Angels run on a 50-50 mix of plant-based bio-fuels and conventional fuel, making it the first and only full Navy squadron to fly with biofuels.
3D Printer for Home
Origo may be the last toy you ever have to buy for your child. The prototype 3D printer under development by Artur Tchoukanov and Joris Peels allows children aged ten and up to design figurines and shapes on a computer, and then print them out to play with.
It will likely have a USB port, wireless connectivity, a price around $800, and it will use 3Dtin as its design software. The printer will be able to produce objects about the size of a large mug. Depending on complexity, Origo should be able to produce a small object (like a ring) in a manner of minutes, but larger objects, like a baseball could take a few hours. Material costs for 3D printing are high as you might imagine. Instead of buying your children more toys, let them make their own.
It will likely have a USB port, wireless connectivity, a price around $800, and it will use 3Dtin as its design software. The printer will be able to produce objects about the size of a large mug. Depending on complexity, Origo should be able to produce a small object (like a ring) in a manner of minutes, but larger objects, like a baseball could take a few hours. Material costs for 3D printing are high as you might imagine. Instead of buying your children more toys, let them make their own.
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