I think you'll enjoy this video of a choir. Especially at about 1:36.
http://youtu.be/m2WQoC8WpSU
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Cool google searches
http://www.gizmag.com/google-search-functions/34382/
"an * a day" gets "an hour a day" and "an asprin a day"
"time: africa" gets the current time in Africa
"AS 2490" gets flight stats for a flight
"showtimes: Jurassic Park" gets local showtimes for the movie
search google for "askew" or "do a barrel roll" or "zerg rush" and see what happens!
"an * a day" gets "an hour a day" and "an asprin a day"
"time: africa" gets the current time in Africa
"AS 2490" gets flight stats for a flight
"showtimes: Jurassic Park" gets local showtimes for the movie
search google for "askew" or "do a barrel roll" or "zerg rush" and see what happens!
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Pros and cons of free public transit
Since the following article has a bias in favor of free transit, the downsides mentioned are few. (I'm sure it'd be hard to find a lot of writing about the negatives of free public transport, as this viewpoint is not popular in the press.)
The article mentions decreased costs for fuel, parking, insurance, maintenance, and decreased accidents, litter, and pollution. Passengers can use front and rear doors making stops more efficient.
Note that the increased capacity for cars (freed up by bus passengers) can entice more cars to re-fill the void, so measures to decrease road capacity have to be enacted.
The article seems to be written by someone German, which makes it a little hard to read. I was interested to note that with the advent of free transit, "most of the new riders were former cyclists and pedestrians."
Here is a list of disadvantages from the Wikipedia page:
Several large North American municipalities have attempted zero-fare systems, but many of these implementations have been unsuccessful. A 2002 National Center for Transportation Research report suggests that, while transit ridership does tend to increase, there are also some serious disadvantages:[3]
- A sharp increase in vandalism and hooliganism
- Transit vehicles turning into de facto homeless shelters
- In large transit systems, significant revenue shortfalls
- A significant increase in driver complaints and staff turnover, even though farebox-related arguments are all but eliminated
- Slower service overall (not collecting fares has the effect of speeding boarding, but increased crowding tends to swamp out this effect)
- Declines in schedule adherence
- Increased costs in security and vehicle-maintenance
- General increase in local and state/provincial taxes (including for those who do not use the bus)
This report suggests that, while ridership does increase overall, the ultimate goal of reducing emissions by enticing drivers to take transit instead is rarely met: because fare-free systems tend to attract large numbers of hooligans, vagrants and other "problem riders", zero-fare systems often have the effect of frightening potential riders back into their cars.[3]
...I would think that the increase in "problem riders" is small, but any instance of such problems would get blown out of proportion, undermining efforts to reap the benefits of free transportation. In my experience, over hundreds of rides on the bus, only twice did I encounter a problem where the driver had to ask a passenger to get off. Perhaps the solution is either a nominal small fare, or an expensive monthly pass that allows free rides.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
“Fibonacci Zoetrope Sculptures”
"Fibonacci Zoetrope Sculptures" - mesmerizing
Blooms: Strobe-Animated Sculptures from Pier 9 on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/116582567
Blooms: Strobe-Animated Sculptures from Pier 9 on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/116582567
Things to do after a loved one's death: Estate, death certificate, executor etc.
Set up an estate checking account. Notify social security (avoid identity theft) and DON'T post on Facebook.
Get 20 copies of the death certificate, from the city clerk's office or the vital statistics office. Obtain letters testamentary, or letters of administration. Petition the probate court. Cancel subscriptions. Get a tax form. Get their recent credit card bill.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
turn your truck into a snowmobile
Somehow, I think installing them would not be fun for 10 minutes in the cold at the roadside, with the ramp sinking into the snow, espcecially if the ramps weren't perfectly aligned, as at 5:09.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Best YouTube videos
Funny YouTube videos
Strange formations on Google maps
Strange things found on Google street view.
This ad milks the build-up to one of the best moments in music.
Skype laughing chain. Weirdest laughs ever. Gets funny at 1:00.
The homeopathic Emergency Room - a funny skit.
Funny stand-up routine about babies and the Moro reflex.
Cool series of videos stopping people on the street to see what music they're listening to.
Bad women drivers. Always funny.
Scary elevator prank. Very scary.
Hilarious, G-rated well-edited compilation of women getting a bikini wax.
Fight for his life on a safari in Africa.
Ants cooperating - cool!
Excavator mulchers - the ultimate redneck yard tool.
Maintaining high voltage lines. Beautiful photography, and as you watch it, the personality needed for this high risk job comes through.
Very funny parody of a real commercial, which makes a clever commentary on how technology is interfering in our lives.
Celebrities read mean tweets. Incisive and bitter comments read by the celebrities themselves.
Butterscotch, an amazing beat box talent.
Beat-boxing while playing the cello (starting at 1:03). Kevin Olusola before he was discovered by Pentatonix
Weird professor gets excited about iridium; in a series that brings the periodic table to life.
Twin mirror prank. Talk about throwing you for a loop!
http://youtu.be/70FdRyn63jI
Funny prank where portable toilet opens in to a boardroom meeting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAEaA31EdtU
Funny prank where portable toilet opens in to a boardroom meeting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAEaA31EdtU
OK GO a music video series that is incredibly imaginative, full of trompe l'oeil and tomfoolery. There's a Rube Goldberg machine
http://youtu.be/qybUFnY7Y8w
http://youtu.be/qybUFnY7Y8w
and a car drive that makes music that only a car company could afford to make
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MejbOFk7H6c
(yes, they really set all that up!)
http://youtu.be/75aqU54CaYE?list=PL07D399D8CE9C0B48
(yes, they really set all that up!)
http://youtu.be/75aqU54CaYE?list=PL07D399D8CE9C0B48
and of course the treadmill video that started it all
Here's the whole series:
Yet another clever parody by Weird Al Yankovic: a social commentary on how texting had ruined the English language.
Weird Al has had confetti brilliance in parodies for decades.
Touching video illustrates that true artistry can emerge with persistence even in crippling cerebral palsy.
Wedding proposal guy falls from roof.
Vocal impressions of divas - very good!
Cool camping trailers
The Conqueror UEV440
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqQKsBZnl2I
The Conqueror UEV440
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqQKsBZnl2I
Ultra-slow motion. Always cool to watch.
http://youtu.be/ktvZ2Z_s4Bo
Did you know that airbags have a huge hole in them?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRcajZHc6Yk
Did you know that airbags have a huge hole in them?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRcajZHc6Yk
Rethink what you think about beauty. What it takes to transform someone to a cover girl.
http://youtu.be/iYhCn0jf46U
When the photo is retouched, "there's not much left of who you are." at 1:31
http://youtu.be/iYhCn0jf46U
When the photo is retouched, "there's not much left of who you are." at 1:31
Beauty: what we think of ourselves versus what others think. Great campaign from Dove.
"Our self-perceptions are, generally, kind of harsh." - at 5:53
"Our self-perceptions are, generally, kind of harsh." - at 5:53
Cool science of talking with helium
Cool machine performs entire repair of potholes as a one-man operation.
Amazing footage of meteor hitting Russia
Tweety bird becomes huge monster in Jekyll and Hyde cartoon
Portable bridge mounted on a tank is demonstrated
Drowning: what someone looks like.
Autosock- an alternative to winter chains.
World's longest truck
Train snow plowing deep snow
Largest floating crane
Darpa urban challenge: Self driving cars
Beautiful tilting curved bridge - a clever design.
Falkirk wheel ship elevator
Jim Gaffigan stand-up comedy on bacon.
Remote control Dragon fly
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