Saturday, February 21, 2009
Nano-Puzzles
Not only are these fascinating pictures, the work (and the questions) are wonderfully detailed considering the scale.. here.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Bigger is about to get smaller
Research being done in nanotechnology has led to the potential for a huge increase in data storage. This apparently is in the magnitude of about 10 terabytes a square inch. Put in 'real life' terms this is about 250 DVDs held on an American quarter.
The article is here.
The article is here.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
IE8 Incompatibility Issue
There are lots of postings and gloating in relation to the fact that one of the sites that is incompatible with Internet Explorer 8 is in fact microsoft.com. As a long time FireFox user I will try to refrain from gloating myself.
Where I DO have issue though is with the fact that Microsoft are clearly failing to ensure backward compatibility that has the potential to create huge amounts of work for none-compliant sites and will affect a lot of people's surfing and web experience. The visible blame will fall upon the web site owners.
The cause (as I understand it) is due to a failure by MS to comply with standards. As a result web designers and coders have had to work around these with earlier versions of Internet Explorer and much of this is hard-coded into their sites.
Now MS have a list of 'incompatible' sites. Amongst these are some 'minor' ones such as - Apple.com, CNN.com, EBay, FaceBook...
My position on this is quite simple. It is clearly the responsibility of MS to ensure that THEIR code is compatible with the web sites. After all, it is their failure to enforce 'standards' in the first place that is causing this 'problem'. As examples, it would be akin to a petrol/gas company saying that all cars need to be fitted with a special adapter because they have changed the formula of the petrol (yes I know about catalytic converters) or someone determining that text ...should be read this way...
Where I DO have issue though is with the fact that Microsoft are clearly failing to ensure backward compatibility that has the potential to create huge amounts of work for none-compliant sites and will affect a lot of people's surfing and web experience. The visible blame will fall upon the web site owners.
The cause (as I understand it) is due to a failure by MS to comply with standards. As a result web designers and coders have had to work around these with earlier versions of Internet Explorer and much of this is hard-coded into their sites.
Now MS have a list of 'incompatible' sites. Amongst these are some 'minor' ones such as - Apple.com, CNN.com, EBay, FaceBook...
My position on this is quite simple. It is clearly the responsibility of MS to ensure that THEIR code is compatible with the web sites. After all, it is their failure to enforce 'standards' in the first place that is causing this 'problem'. As examples, it would be akin to a petrol/gas company saying that all cars need to be fitted with a special adapter because they have changed the formula of the petrol (yes I know about catalytic converters) or someone determining that text ...should be read this way...
Joke
Thanks to DF for this one...
Don't Eat Chicken Sandwiches no matter What.......................
A little boy and a little girl attended the same school and became friends.
Every day they would sit together to eat their lunch. They discovered that they both brought chicken sandwiches every day! This went on all through the fourth and fifth grades, until one day he noticed that her sandwich wasn't a chicken sandwich.
He said, 'Hey, how come you're not eating chicken, don't you like it anymore?'
She said 'I love it but I have to stop eating it.'
'Why?' he asked.
She pointed to her lap and said 'Cause I'm starting to grow little feathers down there!'
'Let me see' he said.
'Okay' and she pulled up her skirt.
He looked and said, 'That's right. You are! Better not eat any more chicken.'
He kept eating his chicken sandwiches until one day he brought peanut butter. He said to the little girl, 'I have to stop eating chicken sandwiches, I'm starting to get feathers down there too!' She asked if she could look, so he pulled down his pants for her!
She said 'Oh, my God, it's too late for you! You've already got the NECK and GIBBLETS!!!
======
My only comment? I must have eaten turkey sandwiches as a child... ;-)
Don't Eat Chicken Sandwiches no matter What.......................
A little boy and a little girl attended the same school and became friends.
Every day they would sit together to eat their lunch. They discovered that they both brought chicken sandwiches every day! This went on all through the fourth and fifth grades, until one day he noticed that her sandwich wasn't a chicken sandwich.
He said, 'Hey, how come you're not eating chicken, don't you like it anymore?'
She said 'I love it but I have to stop eating it.'
'Why?' he asked.
She pointed to her lap and said 'Cause I'm starting to grow little feathers down there!'
'Let me see' he said.
'Okay' and she pulled up her skirt.
He looked and said, 'That's right. You are! Better not eat any more chicken.'
He kept eating his chicken sandwiches until one day he brought peanut butter. He said to the little girl, 'I have to stop eating chicken sandwiches, I'm starting to get feathers down there too!' She asked if she could look, so he pulled down his pants for her!
She said 'Oh, my God, it's too late for you! You've already got the NECK and GIBBLETS!!!
======
My only comment? I must have eaten turkey sandwiches as a child... ;-)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Meanwhile, back in Iraq...
The cost of the war continues... here. And this is just the 'guesstimate' without including a few 'bits and pieces' like the on-cost for rehabilitation and so on.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Joke
DIVORCE VS. MURDER
A nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to
the pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, 'I would like
to buy some cyanide.'
The pharmacist asked, 'Why in the world do you need cyanide?'
The lady replied, 'I need it to poison my husband.'
The pharmacist's eyes got big and he exclaimed, 'Lord have mercy! I
can't give you cyanide to kill your husband. That's against the law!
I'll lose my license! They'll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad
things will happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!'
The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her
husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife.
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, 'Well now, that's
different. You didn't tell me you had a prescription.'
A nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to
the pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, 'I would like
to buy some cyanide.'
The pharmacist asked, 'Why in the world do you need cyanide?'
The lady replied, 'I need it to poison my husband.'
The pharmacist's eyes got big and he exclaimed, 'Lord have mercy! I
can't give you cyanide to kill your husband. That's against the law!
I'll lose my license! They'll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad
things will happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!'
The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her
husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife.
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, 'Well now, that's
different. You didn't tell me you had a prescription.'
This does not seem right
Look at this sentence. Disregard the context for the moment (I have excluded any other info). Is this a 'correct' sentence.
"We wish you all the best for your application and good luck in future."
Or is it just me?
"We wish you all the best for your application and good luck in future."
Or is it just me?
Amazon - They ARE watching you!
While reading up on Professor Richard Wiseman, I went to his book page. A little later I happened to go back to Amazon.co.uk where I was still logged in trying to decide upon a specific HTML book. Most disturbing was how the page showing what I had viewed and 'what others have bought' had updated automatically to include his Quirkology book.
For me that is far too intrusive. Making a decision or determining a choice on my behalf is NOT why I have an Amazon account. Suggestions using information while I am using their site, yes. Using my surfing information from elsewhere without my explicit permission, No.
I am sure that this is buried in small writing somewhere in the EULA or an amendment that was made using the equally (much smaller) permission to modify the EULA without telling me about it...
It is still wrong!
Incidentally, for those of you who forget this, just closing the browser or tab does not necessarily log you out of Amazon. In the same way that it is not clear where to log in (arguing point I know), look how easy (NOT) it is to log out...
For me that is far too intrusive. Making a decision or determining a choice on my behalf is NOT why I have an Amazon account. Suggestions using information while I am using their site, yes. Using my surfing information from elsewhere without my explicit permission, No.
I am sure that this is buried in small writing somewhere in the EULA or an amendment that was made using the equally (much smaller) permission to modify the EULA without telling me about it...
It is still wrong!
Incidentally, for those of you who forget this, just closing the browser or tab does not necessarily log you out of Amazon. In the same way that it is not clear where to log in (arguing point I know), look how easy (NOT) it is to log out...
Lost for Wurds
Online dictionaries
1. Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary.
2. Visual Thesaurus. (This has some form of natural beauty that defies description)
1. Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary.
2. Visual Thesaurus. (This has some form of natural beauty that defies description)
It is all relative
New Scientist have an article on the LHC and time travel - essentially that the Large Hadron Collider will potentially herald the beginning of time travel. This is on the basis that time travel cannot begin until a time machine has been created. Extending this hypothesis with a minor jump in reality and relativity (or by lighting up a rather large fattie), this then by default precludes time travel back beyond the existence of a time machine. Could be interesting for people who intend to subscribe but already know they have.
However, there appears be a somewhat oxymoronic issue with the issue (so to speak)... 'available free to magazine subscribers'
On the same site is an article about/by Professor Richard Wiseman (appropriate name) regarding how we perceive people by their appearances. You can check out his books on Amazon I am sure. That is not what I was posting about. On his web site he mentions the basketball video. It is on YouTube... here. Pay attention now!
At the same time of course there is this wonderful magical trick/illusion.
Prof. Wiseman has an interesting article at Forbes.com. My favourite part is:
"Lucky people had developed various interesting ways of introducing such variety. One noticed that whenever he went to a party, he tended to talk to the same type of people. To help disrupt this routine, he randomly chose a color before arriving at the party, and then only spoke to people wearing that color of clothing at the party. I have had firsthand experience of the power of this principle. Just last week I chose the color black, spent an evening busily chatting away to a large number of people I wouldn't normally speak to, and so ended up really enjoying the funeral."
However, there appears be a somewhat oxymoronic issue with the issue (so to speak)... 'available free to magazine subscribers'
On the same site is an article about/by Professor Richard Wiseman (appropriate name) regarding how we perceive people by their appearances. You can check out his books on Amazon I am sure. That is not what I was posting about. On his web site he mentions the basketball video. It is on YouTube... here. Pay attention now!At the same time of course there is this wonderful magical trick/illusion.
Prof. Wiseman has an interesting article at Forbes.com. My favourite part is:
"Lucky people had developed various interesting ways of introducing such variety. One noticed that whenever he went to a party, he tended to talk to the same type of people. To help disrupt this routine, he randomly chose a color before arriving at the party, and then only spoke to people wearing that color of clothing at the party. I have had firsthand experience of the power of this principle. Just last week I chose the color black, spent an evening busily chatting away to a large number of people I wouldn't normally speak to, and so ended up really enjoying the funeral."
Darwinism #2
My basic concern here is: Is this an evolutionary or a creationist perspective? Cynically, I would ask if it is the birth of a new religion...
This is perhaps the 'chicken and the egg' scenario... here.
As an 'optimistic atheist', my favourite piece in the whole article is:
"Our brains effortlessly conjure up an imaginary world of spirits, gods and monsters, and the more insecure we feel, the harder it is to resist the pull of this supernatural world."
To me that reads "God-bothering is for the insecure".
Second that with:
"Religious belief is the "path of least resistance", says Boyer, while disbelief requires effort."
This is perhaps the 'chicken and the egg' scenario... here.
As an 'optimistic atheist', my favourite piece in the whole article is:
"Our brains effortlessly conjure up an imaginary world of spirits, gods and monsters, and the more insecure we feel, the harder it is to resist the pull of this supernatural world."
To me that reads "God-bothering is for the insecure".
Second that with:
"Religious belief is the "path of least resistance", says Boyer, while disbelief requires effort."
Euro-Lex
For those EU citizens who are unaware of this (hey, the EU/EC are very poor communicators/publicists) there is this site.
They are currently promoting a document entitled "Cross Walking Eur-Lex - A proposal for a metadata mapping to improve access to EU documents.... we will see what transpires...
They are currently promoting a document entitled "Cross Walking Eur-Lex - A proposal for a metadata mapping to improve access to EU documents.... we will see what transpires...
Dis-Honourable Member
Thanks to DD (well his brother JR actually) for this interesting snippet of information.
Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 600 employees and has the following employee statistics .
29 have been accused of spouse abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
9 have been accused of writing bad cheque's
17 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year
Which organisation is this ?
It's the 635 members of the House of Commons, the same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line...
The House of Commons is the section of the Houses of Parliament in the UK where the MPs from all of the regions of the UK meet to do their MP type of stuff (laws, making verbal gaffs, shouting at one another). They make decisions affecting the lives of millions in the UK - wire tapping, CCTV, surveillance... Either on a short-term basis or much longer. Normal politicking type of things. One would think that they were upstanding citizens, models of virtue, strong integrity ... etc. Read below...
Hero of the Hudson - Part 2
Today, someone sent me a jokey picture. You have seen this picture before (highly likely) but the joke actually points out something I had not noticed before. Entitled 'The Difference Between First And Second Class". See what I mean?
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