Navigates around customers autonomously, confirms items are on the correct shelf, and takes stock inventory.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Crabwise walking robot, and variable compliance legs
Thinking outside the box to get more maneuverable robots.
Invention that Could Transform Jet Engines
30 years and $10B to make a jet engine 15% more efficient and 75% quieter by making the fan blade turn slower than supersonic speeds.
Friday, June 29, 2018
Lettuce - How Do They Do It?
How is this even sustainable, to pour billions of gallons of water into the desert to grow lettuce?
How Norway achieves low recidivism in its prison system
An emphasis on retraining for society, and incarceration rates 1/10 of the US, and maximum 21-year sentences.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Dinner at Grandma's: Enoteca Restaurant Where Grandma's cooking
Such a cute idea! You'll enjoy this.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Maps reveal hidden truths of the world's cities - BBC News
-a really interesting look at displaying facts through maps.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
How Movies Get Vintage And Custom Cars
-interesting. They keep 190 cars on their lot and have a huge list of people willing to rent their cars for a movie.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Secrets of the Cashew
Cashew apples - who knew? The fruit that generates the cashew is mostly just thrown away because it won't survive shipping. A few farmers make a traditional fermented drink from it.
Canola: Canadian Oil Low-acid
-specifically bred for low acid, and chemically treated to remove a cabbage-like flavor
Monday, June 18, 2018
Google Assistant Apps - "Talk to..."
"Talk to what's new on Netflix"
"Talk to Wine Guide"
"Talk to Quora"
Courtney Hadwin: 13-Year-Old Golden Buzzer Winning Performance
Wow, what an alter ego when she performs!
Why Are There No Mosquitoes at Disney World?
I really wondered about this when I visited Disneyland, so I'm glad to see this pretty thorough answer to the question. Careful surveillance including assessing when a species is ready to reproduce, detailed monitoring to help Target specific areas to spray, and even a coop of chickens to test for carrier-state of troublesome viruses.
Unlocking DJI zones drone
http://dji.com/flysafe/geo-system/unlock
When your request is approved, go to the Camera View, select General Settings, and select Unlocking List in the DJI GO or DJI GO 4 app to confirm your flight license has been downloaded. Afterwards, you can fly in the Authorization Zone without a network connection.
When your request is approved, go to the Camera View, select General Settings, and select Unlocking List in the DJI GO or DJI GO 4 app to confirm your flight license has been downloaded. Afterwards, you can fly in the Authorization Zone without a network connection.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Friday, June 15, 2018
Monday, June 11, 2018
Friday, June 8, 2018
THE BICYCLE OF SPRINGS
What a wacky idea. But, success is all about having the right attitude, as you can see.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
How to Select Music for the Operating Room (OR), with links to songs.
Here's my entire playlist on Spotify so you can see what I've selected as music for the operating room.
Finding the right song for the OR takes work. I am constantly looking out for new music.
Many stores and businesses play music engineered and designed to “put people in the mood to buy,” so I’ll often identify a song using a phone application
while shopping at Home Depot or Safeway.
Or, I’ll comb lists of popular music, such as the iTunes top songs,
Here are some characteristics to look for:
Tuneful melody
Counterpoint, that is, two distinct simultaneous melodies,
of bass vs vocals during chorus, [Sarah Bareilles - Between the Lines, Duffy - Mercy]
or vocals and synthesizer.[Maroon V - Can't Stop, Maroon V - Misery, Maroon V - One More Night]
or vocals and synthesizer.[Maroon V - Can't Stop, Maroon V - Misery, Maroon V - One More Night]
Good bridge passage - a transitional mid-song change in chord structure
that contrasts musically with the rest of the song,
adds depth and complexity.[Rob Thomas - Lonely No More, Corrs - Summer Sunshine, Alanis Morissette - Ironic,
Gary Numan - Cars]adds depth and complexity.[Rob Thomas - Lonely No More, Corrs - Summer Sunshine, Alanis Morissette - Ironic,
Tuneful bass line:
A musical bass line helps, since bass sounds rise above ambient noise,
especially when it provides
a counterpoint to the melody.[Metronomy - Night Owl,.Maroon V - Not Coming Home, OneRepublic - Secrets]
a counterpoint to the melody.[Metronomy - Night Owl,.Maroon V - Not Coming Home, OneRepublic - Secrets]
Syncopated, strong beat
Sometimes a song's only redeeming feature is its strong beat,
without which it would be of passing interest.[Skylar Grey - Invisible, Ryland James - Shoulder to Cry On]
A syncopated beat adds a musical intrigue
and unpredictability.[Sarah Bareilles - I choose You {I love this video!}, Muse - Undisclosed Desires]
and unpredictability.[Sarah Bareilles - I choose You {I love this video!}, Muse - Undisclosed Desires]
A half-time beat adds syncopation and variation, and a contemplative
vibe.[Hedley - Parade Rain, Chris Tomlin - I Will Folow, Mat Kearney - Sooner or Later, Matt Nathanson - Car Crash]
vibe.[Hedley - Parade Rain, Chris Tomlin - I Will Folow, Mat Kearney - Sooner or Later, Matt Nathanson - Car Crash]
Distinctive voice:
Lead singers rarely have a bass voice, but rather a strong and distinct
(often nasal) voice heard well over the instruments. This singer’s voice
is as nasal as during a cold.[Mat Kearney - Closer to Love] A breathy voice can be appealing,[Phoebe Ryan - Should I, Astrid S - Does She Know]
or a husky voice,[Dua Lipa - Thinkin 'Bout You, Halsey - Now or Never, P!nk - Just Give Me a Reason, LadyGaga - The Cure] or better yet,
a breathy-husky voice,[Sixpence - Don't Dream It's Over, Leigh Nash - Ocean Size Love, Plumb - Sink and Swim, Lady Gaga - The Cure]
a breathy-husky voice,[Sixpence - Don't Dream It's Over, Leigh Nash - Ocean Size Love, Plumb - Sink and Swim, Lady Gaga - The Cure]
or a sultry one,[Leigh Nash - Along the Wall, Missy Higgins - Sugarcane, Selena Gomez - The Heart Wants What It Wants]
or sometimes even sugary sweet.[Lights - Saviour]
or sometimes even sugary sweet.[Lights - Saviour]
Sometimes a vocal cord injury can impart a unique, signature tone.[David Archuleta - Crush]
A controlled rasp, used artfully and sparingly, adds
emotional intensity and pathos.[Sia - Alive] The vocal exaggerations,
raspy notes, and over-enunciation a singer uses to add passion
and complexity are often lost amongst the instruments -
but can re-emerge in a remix that
strips away the instruments.[Rob Thomas - This is How a Heart Breaks - Pull Defibrillator Mix]
strips away the instruments.[Rob Thomas - This is How a Heart Breaks - Pull Defibrillator Mix]
Filigree:
This is a key concept - a higher pitch, repetitive, fast instrument
that populates the treble landscape with an arabesque of
musical texture and complexity. A variety of instruments fulfill this embellishment:
synthesizer and guitar,[Natalie Imbruglia - Beauty on the Fire, Maroonn 5 - It Was Always You, OneRepublic - Life in Color, Veronicas - I Could Get Used to This]
rhythm guitar,[David Powter - Crazy All My Life]
ukulele,[Matthew Morrison - Summer Rain]
pop synth,[Lights - The Listening]
marimba,[Hailee Steinfeld - Rock Bottom]
or percussion.[Matt Kearney - Sooner or Later]
Full landscape:
This is a more abstract concept, that expands on the concept of filigree.
Imagine a graph of dull (”ooh”) to bright (“ee”) on the x-axis,
versus pitch on the y-axis. Evaluating a new song,
this 2-dimensional “landscape” fills with notes,
and good music fills this abstract landscape, fully and
artfully.[Maroon 5 - One More Night, OneRepublic - Good Life, OneRepublic - Burning Bridges, Switchfoot - Dare You to Move,
Switchfoot - Love Alone is Worth the Fight, Echosmith - Cool Kids, Lights - Where the Fence is Low, Matt Nathanson - Suspended]
To illustrate, using the inverse, this song on first pass seems reasonable, but doesn't flesh out all the corners of this graph - the bass and vocal are on the dull side of the graph, no instrument fulfills the filigree concept, and the few moments that open up the bright side are jarring and don't fit the character of the song.[The Shins - No Way Down],]artfully.[Maroon 5 - One More Night, OneRepublic - Good Life, OneRepublic - Burning Bridges, Switchfoot - Dare You to Move,
Switchfoot - Love Alone is Worth the Fight, Echosmith - Cool Kids, Lights - Where the Fence is Low, Matt Nathanson - Suspended]
Songs to avoid...
Here are songs that nearly made the playlist but for their
excessive repetition,[The Fray - How to Save a Life, John Mayer - Say]
predictability,[Timbaland - Apologize, Sam Smith - Restart]
slow or dreamy mood,[Sarah Reeves - Feel the Waters]
jarring sounds,[Kimbra - Settle Down]
and containing rap (with the following exceptions when used as a brief embellishment.)[Lights - Flux and Flow, Sia - The Greatest]
And no party songs - I’d define this as a song with snapping fingers,
clapping, saying “woop!,” “Yeah!” or saying singer's name,
or including saxophone riffs.[Los Del Rio - Macarena, Outkast - Hey Ya!, de Barge - Rhythm of the Night
Alternate versions:
Sometimes an artist or song intrigues on first listen, but then is too harsh / edgy / bland...
so I’ll search out an alternate version,as follows:
Hollywood version:
An artist who has a signature “sound” can often have such qualities
“regress toward the mean” of common taste when they are
produced by Hollywood.
Justin Timberlake can be avant garde, jarring, and repetitive,[Justin Timberlake - Cry Me a River]
but for the movie “Trolls” he is reined in and smoother.[Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop the Feeling]
Meghan Trainor is brash and repetitive,[Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass]
but for a “Peanuts” soundtrack she is smoother and
not as over-confident.[Meghan Trainor - Better When I'm Dancin']
not as over-confident.[Meghan Trainor - Better When I'm Dancin']
A duet - This song’s solo version[Sheryl Crow - Always on Your Side] is so enriched with the added
contrasting vocals of Sting.[Sheryl Crow feat. Sting - Always on Your Side]
An a capella version:
There may be a cover in an a capella version - this gritty song[Lorde - Royals]
becomes so much more vibrant and intriguing in the a capella version,[Pentatonix - Royals]
while this song[Sam Smith - Naughty Boy] is rendered so much more
compelling, energetic, and musically interesting in the cover version.[Pentatonix - La La Latch]
Acoustic version:
The standard "radio" version is cluttered with backing vocals and
electronic and autotune effects,[Liam Payne - Strip That Down]
electronic and autotune effects,[Liam Payne - Strip That Down]
but the unplugged version is fun and intimate.[Liam Payne - Strip That Down - Acoustic]
This song’s original version is filled with raunchy hard-hitting guitar,[Switchfoot - Stars]
but is beautifully mellowed in the acoustic version[Switchfoot - Stars - Acoustic]
which exposes the deep lyrics, complex guitar underpinnings,
and heartfelt vocals that were lost in the cacophonic brash original version.
And once in a long while, a hard-hitting, head-banging group[Extreme - Decadence Dance]
has a tender, heartfelt melody.[Extreme - More than Words]
Cover version:
A cover version may distinctly improve on the original,
when, for instance, the original has a lighthearted dance feel,[Sheppard - Be More Barrio]
while its stripped-down cover is more compelling and intimate.[Vazquez Sounds - Be More Barrio]
improved in their cover version
counterparts,[Alanis Morissette - Crazy, No Doubt - It's My Life, Sixpence - Don't Dream It's Over] respectively.
counterparts,[Alanis Morissette - Crazy, No Doubt - It's My Life, Sixpence - Don't Dream It's Over] respectively.
Dance remix:
Sometimes a song[Hayley Kiyoko - Curious] that's raw and simple becomes captivating and catchy in a
dance remix.[Hayley Kiyoko - Curious - Marian Hill Remix]
dance remix.[Hayley Kiyoko - Curious - Marian Hill Remix]
Avoid fads:
Hit music forever looks for a new sound,
a motif that becomes a fad and flashes through hitmaker’s songs,
often to excess, then quickly fades into the obscurity of cliché, rapidly becoming dated.
Many songs follow suit in the formulaic production of hit music.
A recent fad is a caterwauling “hamster voice” sound,
where the singer’s voice is presumably
sampled and then raised
a few octaves.[Petit Biscuit - Sunset Lover, Maroon 5 - Don't Want to Know, R3hab - The Wave]
a few octaves.[Petit Biscuit - Sunset Lover, Maroon 5 - Don't Want to Know, R3hab - The Wave]
Some songs will use these instant-cliché sounds
to such ludicrous excess that they seem to be
purposefully driving the song, and that cliché sound, into obscurity.[Imagine Dragons - Thunder]
It takes an artist with restraint to avoid pandering to such unoriginality,
by tastefully and artfully incorporating such a fad without overdoing it,[Astrid S - Paper Thin]
using it to fill auditory voids in a broad "landscape" as mentioned above.
Pure and Simple:
Sometimes a surprisingly simple song,
with vocals and one or two instruments,
conveys a captivating
purity and innocence without ticking all the
above boxes.[Tyrone Wells - Always Love You, Sarah Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart,
Ruth B. - Lost Boy, Never Say Never - Trouble, Dishwalla - Candleburn]
purity and innocence without ticking all the
above boxes.[Tyrone Wells - Always Love You, Sarah Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart,
Ruth B. - Lost Boy, Never Say Never - Trouble, Dishwalla - Candleburn]
Avoid garage-band sound:
Too energetic and distracting for the OR,
epitomized by musical simplicity, two busy rhythm guitars,
nonstop vocals, busy eighth-note drums and excessive cymbals.
Compare the commercial version[Relient K - Be My Escape] with
the unplugged version offers a respite from that auditory overload, and allows the lyrics to dominate.[Relient K - Be My Escape - Acoustic]
Occasionally, there are exceptions, where the garage-band sound is tastefully done.[My Favorite Highway - Go]
Exemplary songs:
Strong syncopated beat, dynamic range, relatable lyrics, counterpoint vocals.[The Script - Breakeven]
Strong bass, slightly harsh busy decorative rhythm guitar.[Seal - Crazy]
Tuneful, upbeat, snappy ukulele backdrop.[Matthew Morrison - Summer Rain]
Strong beat, clear poignant lyrics, edgy voice, rich backing vocal chords,
cello’s rich tone, with the key modulating up for the last chorus.[Butterfly Boucher - Another White Dash]
Rich sonic landscape, strong beat, interesting staccato vocals.[Dragonette - Detonate]
Syncopated rhythm, nice chord progression, full-sounding
backing vocals.[OneRepublic - Good Life, Death Cab for Cutie - Your New Twin-sized Bed]
backing vocals.[OneRepublic - Good Life, Death Cab for Cutie - Your New Twin-sized Bed]
Dramatic, full landscape of sound, deftly engineered, tuneful bass line, silky smooth voice.[Want you back - Gray, Zedd - In the Middle]
I hope this analysis helps you select great music for the OR.
-Tom Elwood
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