tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142318832024-03-07T18:49:37.285-05:00Where Chris WasChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.comBlogger856125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-52386459062783667052023-01-19T13:47:00.000-05:002023-01-19T13:47:14.368-05:00A Topologist's Map of the World<p> TAFC.SPACE has <a href="https://tafc.space/qna/the-topologists-world-map/">a post</a> which includes a map of the world as seen by a topologist. I.e. it doesn't show sizes or locations of countries, just which countries are next to which other countries. The actual map is near the bottom of the post but it's worth scrolling for.</p><p style="text-align: right;">via <a href="https://kottke.org/22/12/the-topologists-map-of-the-world">Kottke.org</a></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-46726184135166677032023-01-16T15:43:00.001-05:002023-01-16T15:43:23.803-05:00<p> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-89743-x">An article</a> in <i>Nature</i> reports on scientists who trained a deep-learning system with a large number of photographs of human retinas. After training, the system was able to identify the sex of the people in the photos with >80% accuracy. This is interesting because there is no known difference between male and female retinas. Naturally the system can't tell us how it tells the difference.</p><p style="text-align: right;">via <a href="https://medium.com/magnetic/52-things-i-learned-in-2022-db5fcd4aea6e">52 Things I learned in 2022</a> via Kotke.org</p><p><br /></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-74849467623249339652022-12-07T19:59:00.000-05:002022-12-07T19:59:02.838-05:00Lancaster over 315 Front<p> <a href="https://twitter.com/CWHM/status/1598337124796956683">A tweet</a> from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum has a picture taken from their Lancaster bomber on its first flight over Toronto. The picture was taken on 11 November 1988 and features the still-under-construction Toronto Skydome stadium. The picture also includes the RBC systems building where I had just started work two weeks earlier.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-25278500396752455512022-11-25T18:45:00.003-05:002022-11-25T18:45:35.815-05:00Trench Warfare<p><i>A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry</i> has <a href="https://acoup.blog/2021/09/17/collections-no-mans-land-part-i-the-trench-stalemate/">a post</a> on why trench warfare in the First World War worked out the way it did and why a stalemate and huge numbers of casualties are inevitable. It doesn't have anything to do with stupid or uncaring generals (though those certainly did exist) but with technology.</p><p></p><blockquote>The trench stalemate is the result of a fairly complicated interaction of weapons which created a novel tactical problem. The key technologies are machine guns, barbed wire and artillery (though as we’ll see, artillery almost ought to be listed here multiple times: the problems are artillery, machine guns, trenches, artillery, barbed wire, artillery, and artillery), but their interaction is not quite straight-forward.</blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-63065970171903189632021-09-17T12:32:00.003-04:002021-09-17T12:32:33.982-04:00Views of website vandalism<p> I'm working my way though the xkcd web comic and quite liked this one:</p><p><a href="https://xkcd.com/932/">https://xkcd.com/932/</a><br /></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-55510467043624630202021-03-18T18:28:00.000-04:002021-03-18T18:28:02.770-04:00Iceberg Designer<p> Ever had an idea for a new iceberg design but wondered how it would float? Well now you can find out <a href="https://joshdata.me/iceberger.html">here</a>, just draw you iceberg and let it drop.</p><p style="text-align: right;">via <a href="https://flowingdata.com/2021/02/23/how-that-iceberg-would-really-float/">Flowing Data</a></p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-39649485246526310782020-10-24T22:08:00.001-04:002020-10-24T22:08:21.674-04:00Obit: The Amazing Randi<p> The New York Times has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/obituaries/james-randi-dead.html">the obituary</a> of James Randi, stage magician and debunker of the paranormal.</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-58088586651181471392019-02-20T20:49:00.000-05:002019-02-20T20:49:51.782-05:00The Cost and Logistics of Climbing Mount EverestBoing Boing has <a href="https://boingboing.net/2018/12/03/the-human-and-financial-cost-t.html">a post</a> with a video (14 minutes) about the costs and logistics of organized expeditions to climb the world's highest mountain.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-86489185698340268742019-01-13T14:34:00.000-05:002019-01-13T14:34:17.636-05:00DIY Bamboo FurnitureBoing Boing has <a href="https://boingboing.net/2018/11/07/watch-this-woman-make-a-bamboo.html">a video</a> (7 min) of a woman making a set of bamboo furniture using only hand tools.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-57750327987385510642018-08-02T14:21:00.001-04:002018-08-02T14:21:42.384-04:00US Land UseBloomberg has <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-us-land-use/">an article</a> with an animated map that shows how much land in the continental USA is used for various purposes.<br />
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via <a href="https://twitter.com/timoreilly/status/1024385321423712256">Tim O'Reilly on Twitter</a></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-1594903829004415032018-05-31T20:34:00.000-04:002018-05-31T20:34:08.653-04:00Alto 80We make <a href="http://routealto80.blogspot.com/2018/05/2018-trip-1-and-another-season-begins.html">another appearance</a> in the Alto 80 blog. We <a href="http://routealto80.blogspot.com/2016/05/2016-trip-1-imagine-our-nice-surprise.html">first encountered</a> Jim and Dale on our first outing with the trailer though we had been following <a href="http://routealto80.blogspot.com/">Jim's blog</a> since before we ordered our Alto.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-79278939685659052262018-03-26T11:47:00.000-04:002018-03-26T11:47:01.350-04:00Video: Selfish AltruismKottke.org has <a href="https://kottke.org/18/03/a-selfish-argument-for-making-the-world-a-better-place">a post with a video</a> explaining why it is better for you if everyone's living standard improves. It makes an interesting comparison between the situations in pre-industrial times and today.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-41397846117382739012018-02-28T17:46:00.000-05:002018-02-28T17:46:30.477-05:00Sculpture in a notepad<a href="http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2018/01/12/omoshiro-block/">A very cool post</a> about some Japanese notepads that, as you remove the sheets, slowly reveal a laser-cut sculpture.<br />
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via <a href="https://boingboing.net/2018/01/15/omoshiro-block.html">Boing Boing</a></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-35750596058374017372018-02-03T17:18:00.000-05:002018-02-03T17:18:14.374-05:00Making a stack of Chinese bowlsBritish woodworker Robin Wood has <a href="http://www.robin-wood.co.uk/wood-craft-blog/2015/09/30/fantastic-video-of-foot-powered-bowl-turning-in-china/">a blog post</a> with a very well made short video showing a Chinese craftsman making a stack of wooden bowls using a foot-powered lathe. I've never seen a lathe quite like that one - most of the Western ones I've seen use some sort of spring to counter-rotate the lathe - nor have I seen anyone make a stack of bowls all at once.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-85706406273013465122018-01-22T13:37:00.000-05:002018-01-22T13:37:12.115-05:00Singaporeans worry as temperature drops to low twentiesI lived in Singapore in the late nineties and I still sometimes look at the Singaporean news. The Straights Times has <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/keep-warm-temperature-could-dip-to-just-below-22-deg-c-over-the-next-few-days">an article</a> cautioning residents that the temperature has fallen into the low twenties Celsius.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
According to NEA's website, the lowest temperature recorded in Singapore was 19.4 deg C on two days in 1934. Both days were in the month of January.</blockquote>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-83009108417883912272018-01-01T15:36:00.001-05:002018-01-01T15:36:52.453-05:00Millennials' Financial ProblemsThe Huffington Post has <a href="http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/poor-millennials/">an article</a> about why Millennials are in such a bad financial position. (And no it's not because of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/may/15/australian-millionaire-millennials-avocado-toast-house">avocado toast</a>.)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What is different about us as individuals compared to previous generations is minor. What is different about the world around us is profound. Salaries have stagnated and entire sectors have cratered. At the same time, the cost of every prerequisite of a secure existence—education, housing and health care—has inflated into the stratosphere. From job security to the social safety net, all the structures that insulate us from ruin are eroding. And the opportunities leading to a middle-class life—the ones that boomers lucked into—are being lifted out of our reach. Add it all up and it’s no surprise that we’re the first generation in modern history to end up poorer than our parents.</blockquote>
<br />Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-46159272933675532402017-12-16T22:11:00.000-05:002017-12-16T22:11:49.036-05:00Finding Serial Killers AlgorithmicallyThe New Yorker has <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/27/the-serial-killer-detector">an article</a> about Thomas Hargrove who has been mining crime data to find groups of related murders that haven't been linked before. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Each year, about five thousand people kill someone and don’t get caught, and a percentage of these men and women have undoubtedly killed more than once. Hargrove intends to find them with his code, which he sometimes calls a serial-killer detector.</blockquote>
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via <a href="http://flowingdata.com/2017/12/06/serial-killer-detector/">FlowingData</a></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-49483345871109663122017-11-10T16:04:00.000-05:002017-11-10T16:04:54.337-05:00Torture doesn't workThe Guardian has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/oct/13/the-scientists-persuading-terrorists-to-spill-their-secrets">a long piece</a> about a pair of scientists who have proved what everyone knew but many didn't want to admit - that torture doesn't work for extracting information. The article also covers how you should go about an interrogation.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Alisons, husband and wife, have done something no scholars of interrogation have been able to do before. Working in close cooperation with the police, who allowed them access to more than 1,000 hours of tapes, they have observed and analysed hundreds of real-world interviews with terrorists suspected of serious crimes. No researcher in the world has ever laid hands on such a haul of data before. Based on this research, they have constructed the world's first empirically grounded and comprehensive model of interrogation tactics.</blockquote>
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via <a href="https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2017/10/the_science_of_.html">Schneier on Security</a></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-51595698808837247362017-08-03T13:04:00.000-04:002017-08-03T13:04:33.538-04:00Sleeping Sperm WhalesKottke.org has <a href="http://kottke.org/17/06/this-is-how-sperm-whales-sleep">a post</a> with a picture of a pod of sleeping sperm whales.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-77381377310175620862017-05-31T14:09:00.000-04:002017-05-31T14:09:39.950-04:00The Swindon Magic RoundaboutWhile I am generally in favour of roundabouts as opposed to stoplights, Boing Boing has <a href="http://boingboing.net/2017/04/18/this-is-one-of-the-worlds-mo.html">a post</a> with a GIF of a giant roundabout in Swindon, UK that may be taking things too far.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-64963584799814064712017-05-26T19:32:00.000-04:002017-05-26T19:32:18.423-04:00A Day in the Average American LifeFlowing Data has <a href="https://flowingdata.com/2015/12/15/a-day-in-the-life-of-americans/">a post</a> with an animation that shows how Americans spend their time during the day. The individual dots move around the image as the survey respondents changed activities.<br />
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via <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/6bnj2u/a_simulation_of_an_average_day_for_1000_americans/">Reddit</a></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-74860530478702197082017-05-10T21:49:00.000-04:002017-05-10T21:49:05.184-04:00Solar System in a BottleIf you've always wanted your own solar system, <a href="https://www.littleplanetfactory.com/collections/miscellaneous/products/solar-system-in-a-bottle-to-scale">this</a> may be the way to go.<br />
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via <a href="http://flowingdata.com/2017/04/21/solar-system-in-a-bottle/">Flowing Data</a></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-74304608087877836862017-05-04T12:43:00.000-04:002017-05-04T12:43:19.223-04:00The Shrinking Reach of MalariaThe Economist has <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/10/daily-chart-7?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/ed/theshrinkingmalariamap">a post</a> with a set of map showing how the area affected by malaria has been shrinking over time. Interestingly, malaria was endemic in North America and Europe until the mid-20th century.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-36393771868305297922017-04-30T17:15:00.000-04:002017-04-30T17:15:00.405-04:00Martial Status by AgeFlowing data has <a href="http://flowingdata.com/2016/12/08/marital-status-by-age/">a post</a> with a chart showing marital status by age (of Americans). It is interesting that most men die married while most women do not.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14231883.post-12343317331246111002017-04-17T22:00:00.000-04:002017-04-17T22:00:41.081-04:00Obit: Hugh MontgomeryThe Washington Post has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/hugh-montgomery-spy-with-exploits-from-battlefield-to-powder-room-dies-at-93/2017/04/10/1b3c846a-1b9c-11e7-bcc2-7d1a0973e7b2_story.html?utm_term=.1da4451f8cc2">the obituary</a> of Dr Hugh Montgomery an American soldier and spy. He started his career parachuting into Normandy in 1941 and retired from the CIA in 2014 at the age of 90.<br />
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via <a href="https://twitter.com/osssociety/status/851577464065318914">Twitter</a></div>
Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259211814706201037noreply@blogger.com0