Great observation, great article.
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
https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/photo-news/the-artemis-earth-photo-is-incredible-but-the-one-thing-that-nobody-is-telling-you-about-it-will-blow-your-mind/
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
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Is an image AI or real? SynthID
Any user with free access to Google Gemini can upload an image or video file and simply type "SynthID," then press "Submit," to run a quick scan.
Monday, March 23, 2026
The Secret of Charisma - Hidden Brain Media
https://www.hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-secret-of-charisma/
Charisma and the Paradox of Control
"Most of us want some feeling of agency...but we don't quite want the responsibility of being wholly in charge of it all ourselves." – Molly Worthen[27:25]
[32:50–36:10]
Charismatic leaders position themselves as keepers of "secret truths"—offering followers a vision or information withheld by mainstream authorities.
"You think you have a full picture of reality, but you don't. You've been denied some crucial facts…" [33:14]
"The power of charisma resides much more in the story and the message than in the individual." – Molly Worthen [31:44]
The Risks and Ethics of Following Charisma
[50:18–54:27]
Self-Assessment Needed: Who is being cast as the "enemy" in the story, and what do I really know about them?
Quote: Worthen: "What are my sources of information? ...that personal knowledge of these victims as individuals... was crucial..." [53:05]
Stay grounded in well-rounded traditions, not filtered narratives.
Listener Q&A: Breakups, Healing, and Emotional Growth
[60:13–62:33]: Breakups differ from bereavement in that one involves rejection and the refusal of a shared vision for the future; it's not just loss, but a relational rupture.
Rumination's Pitfalls [72:54–77:38]:
Rumination keeps people stuck in emotional pain, whether through "what if" scenarios about the future (anxious), regrets about the past (depressive), or rehearsals of conflict (angry).
Quote: Leone: "Rumination is busy work, right... And yet that verbal cognitive loop insulates you from... what's really going on, which is the present." [73:08]
Helping Friends Who Are Stuck [94:10–96:59]
Be a companion, help them take a third-person perspective, encourage forward-looking stories.
Friday, March 20, 2026
Making neon signs
My favorite moment is at 11:36 when he "blacks out" the connecting portions behind the letters.
Using hydrogen-oxygen concussive blasts to clear snow accumulation to prevent avalanches.
Can also be permanently attached to the mountain instead of dangled from a helicopter.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Oscars quotations
The glory of art is that it can not only survive change, it can lead it. - Robert Redford.
Amy MacAdams said that Diane Keaton would often sing on set:
Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, the other is gold.
A circle is round, it has no end.
That's how long, I will be your friend...
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