Monday, April 13, 2026
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Autological words
I love words like sesquipedalian and obfuscatory because they are perfect examples of themselves. Apparently they're called "autological" words.
Erudite
Polysyllabic
proparoxytone (pro-par-OX-y-tone) - a word stressed on the antepenultimate, or third-to-last syllable
https://theweek.com/articles/459441/17-words-that-describe-themselves
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Cascadia megaquake is inevitable
We're overdue for the next "big one" earthquake in WA, OR, CA and it will likely last longer than 3 minutes at over 9 on the Richter scale.
9:15 things to have on hand - shelf-stable food, water 1 gallon per person per day for 3 days, fire extinguishers, 2-bucket toilet, toilet paper, sawdust for #2, and a 4-in-one gas shutoff tool.
Avoid chronic Omeprazole PPI
https://youtu.be/m4dDMYNLMUU?si=LI2GD2Maum6ylryp
(Nexium), Pantoprazole (Protonix) (1:33-1:47).
Risks: Chronic use can lead to kidney damage, and deficiencies in magnesium and Vitamin B12, which are crucial for heart and nerve health (3:05-4:34).
Monday, April 6, 2026
Sunday, April 5, 2026
The Artemis Earth photo is incredible – but the one thing that nobody is telling you about it will blow your mind
Great observation, great article.
Friday, April 3, 2026
Self-driving will save us from rising traffic death rate
Graph at 25:29 shows succeeding statistic that distracted and drunk driving is making death rates in the US surpass those of other advanced nations.
Monday, March 30, 2026
Robots handling difficult terrain over the years
https://youtu.be/9kae-UAME1U?si=sNDpM5t6ZkP8baN5
https://youtu.be/NAcanWv_2Z8?si=kmz5yEhg4XBY6q_R
https://youtu.be/iNL5-0_T1D0?si=towV6vSSvg6pJc3s
https://media.wired.com/photos/5c34feb32020097d13ab868b/master/w_1600,c_limit/robottraining.gif
https://www.wired.com/story/the-clever-clumsiness-of-a-robot-teaching-itself-to-walk/
Sunday, March 29, 2026
10 Year Old's Research Shocks Scientists Around the World - memories retained during butterfly chrysalis metamorphosis
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nhESxrqPjfU&si=oed4FVBuKb-Wi6lC
The remarkable story of 10 y.o. Jo Nagai from Japan who conducted groundbreaking research on swallowtail butterflies (0:23). Jo documented unique behaviors and eventually challenged the scientific belief that metamorphosis completely resets an insect's brain (1:42-2:52).
The Experiment and Results:
Memory Persistence: Jo replicated a study by entomologist Martha Weiss, demonstrating that swallowtail butterflies retain memories formed as caterpillars. By associating a lavender scent with a mild shock, Jo showed that 70% of the trained butterflies avoided that scent as adults (5:25-7:56).
Transgenerational Memory: Jo later discovered that the offspring and grandchildren of these trained butterflies also avoided the lavender scent, despite never being trained themselves. This suggests that learned behaviors might alter biology and be passed down to future generations (9:00-11:00).
War is not about precise targeting
"This is the recurring illusion of overequipped leaders: Because they can map the battle space, they think they understand the war. But war is never merely a technical contest. It is shaped by grievance, sacred narrative, the memory of past humiliations and the desire for revenge."
"The military theorist Carl von Clausewitz long ago recognized the delusion of reducing war to a kind of algebra. War, as he understood it, is never merely calculation. It is saturated with passion, uncertainty and political purpose."
-Yonatan Touval
Saturday, March 28, 2026
Friday, March 27, 2026
Pothole repairs
Quite a few technologies have been developed for mobile pothole repair.
Robotic arm on from of truck
Expand hole to fit pre-formed patches
Multiple heads on backhoe-type machine
Injection patching handheld hose
Patch sheets laid down by hand
Shake from bag, paved by traffic
Lumps paved by traffic
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