The next big deal may be the smart
bulb. Sony last week launched a connected light bulb that contains
everything needed for Artificial Intelligence. It goes on sale in
Japan this year. Think of a smart house linked with a number of
these lights in different rooms, unobtrusively sitting there,
waiting for your beck and call.
Sony's Multifunctional Light works like other smart lights. It can
be automated or can be controlled with a smartphone. It has
built-in Wi-Fi and a dedicated app. It also has a motion-detector,
brightness meter, temperature and humidity sensors, an infrared
sensor and a memory card slot, plus a built-in speaker and
microphone. Wouldn't it be nice to control the temperature for the
room you are in vs. the temperature down the hallway.
Not a stretch to think of adding smoke/gas detectors. Wouldn't it
be also be great to have it speak in addition to smoke alarm and
call the fire department and send pictures for you. I imagine it
could turn itself on or off under any range of circumstances, like
if someone comes into a dark room or leaves a room. Nice to have a
built in intercom so you no longer need to yell upstairs to bring
more beer and chips. How about being able to replace the baby
monitor with a smart monitor or having it turn on in the morning
along with the alarm clock. Think of it turning the stove off if
your food is beginning to boil over. Add a fire extinguisher in
the ceiling and it could selectively put out small fires at the
source.
It is a step up to think of speaking to a light from clapping to
turn on, along with telling it to dim a bit more. It could even be
programmed to automatically dim when a TV is turned on. Easy to
think of it as a replacement for the Amazon ECHO. Have a question,
ask it out loud and the light will search the net and speak back
with an answer.
I can also envision it to be programmed to know when you are away,
so the motion detector will know that no one should be there and
to turn on, give an audible alarm, and call the police, or just
call the police with no alarm. Heck, a video camera could send a
pic of the culprit to the police along with the call.
Devices need electricity, whether by battery or from the wall.
Light bulbs are always plugged in directly and fixed, so no
battery needed.
It would also be easy to take it with you and just change apps so
it works in your cabin, camper, or hotel room. Ah, technology,
how the mind wanders.
Jan 22, 2016
New Way to Slice Pizza
For those who have friends or family who love crust and some who do not, here is a novel way to satisfy both.
Make a few gently curved lines and join corners to middles. Six slices each, with crust and no crust.
Make a few gently curved lines and join corners to middles. Six slices each, with crust and no crust.
Screen Resolution Evolution
Now that the 2016 Consumer Electronic Show has ended, it seems appropriate to recap where we are with TVs and how we got here.
First, 3D TV is dead. Curved screens remain a hard sell. 4K TV is looking at a short life span as it is already being usurped by 8K TV. 8K may suffer the same fate unless TV and movie producers begin to crank out content capable of utilizing the new standards. In times past, we always waited for hardware to catch up to our needs, now we are waiting for content to catch up to hardware.
Sharp released its first 8K TV in 2015. The 85-inch LV-85001 costs $133,000. Samsung showed its 110-inch 8K TV in January, 2016. It also announced that a 11K TV is being developed for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. LG also showed off a 98-inch 8K TV in January, 2016. All of this advancement comes amid a current dearth of 4K content. These advances may still prove to be more resilient than the 3D revolution that never happened.
Advances in hardware and software continue to outrun battery capacity and bandwidth speed. Although bandwidth is less of an issue in Europe and other countries as the US continues to lag, mostly due to politics, not capability.
How we began the race comes from early television. For the first half-century of television, resolution was measured in lines per screen rather than pixels. TV resolution in the 1930s and 1940s had 240 to 819 lines per screen, improving upon previous resolutions. The new resolution used a display method known as progressive scanning, where each line of an image is displayed in sequence, in contrast to the traditional analog method where first odd and then even lines are drawn alternately.
In 1953, analog color TV had 525 lines, establishing the NTSC color standard. Europe followed up in the 1960s by introducing the 625-line standards. However, bandwidth barriers limited widespread adoption of analog HDTV.
In 1977, the Apple II introduced color CRT display to home computers by adapting the NTSC color signal. The Apple II achieved a resolution of 280 pixels horizontally by 192 pixels vertically. By the 1980s, home computer makers began using pixels (picture elements) as a unit of measure.
IBM introduced a VGA standard display of 640x480 in 1987. Since then, demand for digital videos and video games has driven resolution to greater and greater density. Desktop monitors are now a standard resolution of 2560x1600. Mobile devices range lower from 240x320 for the smallest devices.
During the 1990s, plasma TVs and LCD TVs moved toward thinner and lighter TVs. During 1996, digital was officially mandated by the US FCC as a new standard for future DTV/HDTV broadcasting. By 2006, LCDs became more popular due to better daytime viewing and lower prices. LCDs created colored images by selectively blocking and filtering a white LED backlight rather than directly producing light.
HDTV uses a resolution of 1920x1080p, equivalent to 2,073,600 pixels per frame, and known as 1080p. The 4K Ultra HDTV uses 3840x2160p, known as 2160p. This amounts to four times the amount of pixels and twice the resolution of HDTV, hence 4K. The newer 8K increases this eight times to 7680x4320.
OLED improved color by directly producing colored light, allowing for greater contrast. OLED TVs are also extremely thin, measuring in fractions of an inch.
When the iPhone 4 was released, Steve Jobs claimed that the human eye cannot detect smartphone resolution beyond 300 pixels per inch (Apple's limit at the time). However, many others have proven the eye can actually detect at least 900 or greater PPI.
Incidentally, it is the relationship of HD, 4K, 8K, etc., to screen size that makes the difference. Phone screens are small, so HD, 4K, etc., are a waste, as our eyes cannot perceive the difference. Distance between our eyes and the screen is also a factor, that is why many TV manufacturers show the optimal distance for viewing.
As TV sets grow, it takes more pixels to see the same clarity of picture that are needed on a smaller screen. The arguments of not being able to tell the difference between HD, 4K, and 8K are relative to size and distance from the screen. However, 8K is likely beyond the average household to notice any perceptible difference vs. 4K.
First, 3D TV is dead. Curved screens remain a hard sell. 4K TV is looking at a short life span as it is already being usurped by 8K TV. 8K may suffer the same fate unless TV and movie producers begin to crank out content capable of utilizing the new standards. In times past, we always waited for hardware to catch up to our needs, now we are waiting for content to catch up to hardware.
Sharp released its first 8K TV in 2015. The 85-inch LV-85001 costs $133,000. Samsung showed its 110-inch 8K TV in January, 2016. It also announced that a 11K TV is being developed for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. LG also showed off a 98-inch 8K TV in January, 2016. All of this advancement comes amid a current dearth of 4K content. These advances may still prove to be more resilient than the 3D revolution that never happened.
Advances in hardware and software continue to outrun battery capacity and bandwidth speed. Although bandwidth is less of an issue in Europe and other countries as the US continues to lag, mostly due to politics, not capability.
How we began the race comes from early television. For the first half-century of television, resolution was measured in lines per screen rather than pixels. TV resolution in the 1930s and 1940s had 240 to 819 lines per screen, improving upon previous resolutions. The new resolution used a display method known as progressive scanning, where each line of an image is displayed in sequence, in contrast to the traditional analog method where first odd and then even lines are drawn alternately.
In 1953, analog color TV had 525 lines, establishing the NTSC color standard. Europe followed up in the 1960s by introducing the 625-line standards. However, bandwidth barriers limited widespread adoption of analog HDTV.
In 1977, the Apple II introduced color CRT display to home computers by adapting the NTSC color signal. The Apple II achieved a resolution of 280 pixels horizontally by 192 pixels vertically. By the 1980s, home computer makers began using pixels (picture elements) as a unit of measure.
IBM introduced a VGA standard display of 640x480 in 1987. Since then, demand for digital videos and video games has driven resolution to greater and greater density. Desktop monitors are now a standard resolution of 2560x1600. Mobile devices range lower from 240x320 for the smallest devices.
During the 1990s, plasma TVs and LCD TVs moved toward thinner and lighter TVs. During 1996, digital was officially mandated by the US FCC as a new standard for future DTV/HDTV broadcasting. By 2006, LCDs became more popular due to better daytime viewing and lower prices. LCDs created colored images by selectively blocking and filtering a white LED backlight rather than directly producing light.
HDTV uses a resolution of 1920x1080p, equivalent to 2,073,600 pixels per frame, and known as 1080p. The 4K Ultra HDTV uses 3840x2160p, known as 2160p. This amounts to four times the amount of pixels and twice the resolution of HDTV, hence 4K. The newer 8K increases this eight times to 7680x4320.
OLED improved color by directly producing colored light, allowing for greater contrast. OLED TVs are also extremely thin, measuring in fractions of an inch.
When the iPhone 4 was released, Steve Jobs claimed that the human eye cannot detect smartphone resolution beyond 300 pixels per inch (Apple's limit at the time). However, many others have proven the eye can actually detect at least 900 or greater PPI.
Incidentally, it is the relationship of HD, 4K, 8K, etc., to screen size that makes the difference. Phone screens are small, so HD, 4K, etc., are a waste, as our eyes cannot perceive the difference. Distance between our eyes and the screen is also a factor, that is why many TV manufacturers show the optimal distance for viewing.
As TV sets grow, it takes more pixels to see the same clarity of picture that are needed on a smaller screen. The arguments of not being able to tell the difference between HD, 4K, and 8K are relative to size and distance from the screen. However, 8K is likely beyond the average household to notice any perceptible difference vs. 4K.
Stroma Procedure
There is a laser treatment,
pioneered by
California-based Stroma Medical and it is currently available
in several countries. It is undergoing human testing in Costa
Rica that turns brown eyes blue. The Strōma laser disrupts the
brown layer of pigment, causing the body to initiate a natural
and gradual tissue-removal process. Once the tissue is
removed, the patient’s natural blue eye is revealed. The
procedure is totally non-invasive and takes about 20 seconds
to perform, but takes two to four weeks to see final results.
Current cost is about US $5,000. Reminds me of a song by
Crystal Gale. LINK
China's Wealth
China has 190 billionaires, more than
two million millionaires, and ranks a bit behind the US in
number of high-net-worth individuals, according to research
from Forbes magazine and Boston Consulting Group. Not bad
for a communist country.
Horology
The science of timekeeping is known as
horology.
Nanosecond and Picosecond - A nanosecond is one billionth of a second, and a picosecond is one trillionth or 0.000 000 000 001 of a second.
Planck time - Planck time is the shortest known time span. It is the time it takes for light to travel a Planck length or 1.616199 × 10-35 meters in vacuum.
Easter celebration date - Easter is normally celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the Spring Equinox.
Light year - A light year is not a unit of time, but a unit of distance. The International Astronomical Union defines a light year as the distance light travels in vacuum in one Julian Year. In astronomy, a Julian Year corresponds to exactly 365.25 days.
Fortnight - A fortnight is a unit of time that refers to 14 days. It comes from an old English word, fēowertȳne niht, meaning fourteen night. It is commonly used in the UK, Ireland, and many commonwealth countries. People in the US and most parts of Canada use the term biweekly to refer to the time period of two weeks.
New York minute - The phrase in a New York minute refers to a very short period of time or an instant. Legend has it that the phrase originated in Texas in the late 1960s. The phrase was popularized by TV personality Johnny Carson who joked that a New York minute was the time between a traffic light turning green and the car behind one's car honking.
Jiffy - Jiffy is usually used to indicate a very short period of time, but it is formally defined in the fields of Physics and Chemistry as the time required for light to travel a centimeter. Also known as a light centimeter, a jiffy is equal to about 33.3564 picoseconds.
Friday 13th - Any month in the Gregorian Calendar that begins on a Sunday will have a Friday, the 13th, and there is at least one Friday the 13th in every year. A single calendar year can have up to 3 Friday the 13ths.
Nanosecond and Picosecond - A nanosecond is one billionth of a second, and a picosecond is one trillionth or 0.000 000 000 001 of a second.
Planck time - Planck time is the shortest known time span. It is the time it takes for light to travel a Planck length or 1.616199 × 10-35 meters in vacuum.
Easter celebration date - Easter is normally celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the Spring Equinox.
Light year - A light year is not a unit of time, but a unit of distance. The International Astronomical Union defines a light year as the distance light travels in vacuum in one Julian Year. In astronomy, a Julian Year corresponds to exactly 365.25 days.
Fortnight - A fortnight is a unit of time that refers to 14 days. It comes from an old English word, fēowertȳne niht, meaning fourteen night. It is commonly used in the UK, Ireland, and many commonwealth countries. People in the US and most parts of Canada use the term biweekly to refer to the time period of two weeks.
New York minute - The phrase in a New York minute refers to a very short period of time or an instant. Legend has it that the phrase originated in Texas in the late 1960s. The phrase was popularized by TV personality Johnny Carson who joked that a New York minute was the time between a traffic light turning green and the car behind one's car honking.
Jiffy - Jiffy is usually used to indicate a very short period of time, but it is formally defined in the fields of Physics and Chemistry as the time required for light to travel a centimeter. Also known as a light centimeter, a jiffy is equal to about 33.3564 picoseconds.
Friday 13th - Any month in the Gregorian Calendar that begins on a Sunday will have a Friday, the 13th, and there is at least one Friday the 13th in every year. A single calendar year can have up to 3 Friday the 13ths.
Jan 15, 2016
Happy Friday
Laughter increases the activities of antibodies in the body by twenty percent, helping destroy viruses and tumor cells.
I always increase my laughter while enjoying a Happy Friday!
I always increase my laughter while enjoying a Happy Friday!
Looney Tunes wanted to add a rabbit to their lineup and animator Ben "Bugs" Hardaway had a sketch of the proposed bunny. When the drawing was finished, he labeled it as "Bug's Bunny," his nickname and bunny.
Later the studio was looking for a name, saw the caption at the bottom, so just eliminated the apostrophe from bug's and the new name was born.
Later the studio was looking for a name, saw the caption at the bottom, so just eliminated the apostrophe from bug's and the new name was born.
Physian's Changing Attitudes
Doctors have always
encountered the problem of how to best tell
their patient of a terminal sentence.
Recently, medical professions have been more
upfront about tragic news such as this.
Physicians used to think that by not telling
a person they were dying, it would boost
their moral and increase their hope.
During 1961 only 10% believed it was correct to tell a patient of a fatal diagnosis. This changed after studies were done that revealed nearly 90% of patients said they would like to know the truth of their prognosis.
By 1979, physicians had completely reversed their beliefs and a survey revealed that 97% felt full disclosure was the correct course to take.
During 1961 only 10% believed it was correct to tell a patient of a fatal diagnosis. This changed after studies were done that revealed nearly 90% of patients said they would like to know the truth of their prognosis.
By 1979, physicians had completely reversed their beliefs and a survey revealed that 97% felt full disclosure was the correct course to take.
Thought for the Day
“Murder is a crime.
Describing murder is not. Sex is not a
crime. Describing sex is.” — Gershon Legman
Origin of Bloody Mary
This drink is believed by many to be the perfect hangover cure. A Bloody Mary is made up of vodka, tomato juice, and cayenne pepper and Tabasco or Worcester Sauce.
The drink is said to have been named after the Catholic Queen Mary I (1516-58), nicknamed Bloody Mary due to her relentless pursuit of Protestant dissenters, of whom nearly 300 were burned at the stake. The tomato juice is thought to resemble the blood she spilled.
The drink is said to have been named after the Catholic Queen Mary I (1516-58), nicknamed Bloody Mary due to her relentless pursuit of Protestant dissenters, of whom nearly 300 were burned at the stake. The tomato juice is thought to resemble the blood she spilled.
Congress Schedule 2016
Thought you might enjoy this. As of Jan 11, this is the planned schedule for 2016. The dates with a line through are actual sessions. The dates with boxes around are planned days off. These do not count individual persons vacations, sick days, or other days off, such as campaigning, etc.
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