"Well, it's actually an elaborate body kit for a 2004 to 2007 Infiniti G35. The kit car can be built in under 2 months and for less than $40,000...It was Designed by an Average Guy with No Money...The kit is only compatible with 2003-2007 Infiniti G35 coupes...Essentially, the kit just replaces the original body of the Infiniti G35, 90 percent of what you need to build a Vaydor G35 is from the original Infiniti G35.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
What sticky sea creatures can teach us about making glue | Jonathan Wilker
Using clues from the natural glue that clams and oysters make to stick to rocks, this researcher is building artificial polymers with similar chemical groups to create a glue for use in surgery that can be used underwater.
Meet the man behind a third of what's on Wikipedia
What sort of person spends spends every day editing Wikipedia? This guy does. And he still loves at home with his parents.
Meet the kids who grew up in Chinese takeaways.
A touching story interviewing adults whose parents ran a Chinese takeout business, who as kids essentially grew up in the restaurant, working there at a tender young age.
Woah! Massive volume of life forms deep beneath the surface.
It's not often that biology facts get that kind of a reaction out of me. But the estimated volume of life forms up to a km beneath the surface is twice the volume of the oceans. That's not the volume they live in, that's the volume of living beings.
An unfortunate name
This product, a combination of cocaine and wine, was marketed by the company Hazard & Hazard. The product is no longer sold, perhaps because of their unfortunate name.
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Moving averages
On investing.com, you can set up a graph of moving averages of 13-period and 30-period using the investing.com website to follow this method. Find the indicators/slash icon at the top, select "moving average," then find the small "settings" gear next to the moving average title and select the 13 and 30 period averages. As discussed on https://ragingbull.com/2018/03/12/how-to-use-moving-average-crossovers/
Monday, January 28, 2019
Why does Waze allow you to submit pothole reports?
-to alert other drivers
-to alert the people who fix potholes
-to curry favor with local governments, in exchange for early reports of road construction projects, new roads, and other map updates that give the software an edge
-to deflect attention away from antitrust issues by promoting their good citizenship
Years of life lost, by country
Years of life lost is decreasing in every country. In Africa, childhood infectious diseases are the culprit, from pre-term birth to malaria to HIV. China has modernized and developed better healthcare infrastructure which diminishes infectious disease allowing stroke to be the main reason for years of life lost. While in G7 countries, heart disease is the culprit because it's a disease of the aged.
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Reddit: Why do two movies often come out around the same time with the same premise?
Here are some examples:
The Prestige & The Illusionist
Antz & A Bug's Life
Darkest Hour & Dunkirk
Olympus Has Fallen & White House Down
Friends With Benefits & No Strings Attached
Jobs (2013) and Steve Jobs (2015)
Armageddon and Deep Impact
Volcano and Dante's Peak
Batman vs Superman - Captain America: Civil War
Wyatt Earp vs Tombstone
Madagascar and The Wild
Mirror Mirror and Snow White
The Huntsman, After Earth, and Oblivion
Hercules with The Rock and the Legend of Hercules
Or 2010 (The Year of the Elite Squad) with:
The Expendables
Red
The A-Team
The Losers
"Studios have hundreds of scripts waiting in the wings to be made. So when one studio hears that A Bug's Life is coming out, they'll quickly greenlight Antz, a script that they've held onto for years, because they can leech off the marketing a bit. (It actually might be the other way around.)
However, it's not completely one-sided. Pixar isn't grumbling about it because they know that the idea of "bug movies" in the public mind is going to help them out as well. There's an economic term for this, kind of like how you see clusters of businesses offering similar goods all in one close location, like the Hammock District. The customers you lose to competition is offset by the fact that you'll get more customers overall because the general public knows where to go to buy hammocks."
*I want to add - do you think many people could solidly distinguish between Olympus Has Fallen or White House Down, or was there a crapshoot by moviegoers to see "that Whitehouse movie"?
There's a very good youtube video on this. They demonstrate it by having two competing vendors on a beach. They move the vendors around to figure out the most optimal locations. They end up being most optimal when they are next to each other. I'd assume this is a similar concept.
You are pretty much spot on.
What happens is that scripts get shopped around to different studios/producers/directors all over Hollywood. Because Hollywood is an industry that pretty much relies on networking and knowing the right people, these people of course eventually talk to each other, and word gets around that a studio picked up that script you thought had potential but decided to pass on. So now you are second guessing your decision to pass (because another studio clearly found a way to tweak the script and make it a potential money maker, otherwise they wouldn't have green lit it), and decide that your studio needs to take a shot on that movie. So you get someone to write a similar script or tweak a similar one that you had in your script vault, and you greenlight the movie for a scheduled release close to your competition's movie (because that's obviously when the market research people concluded was the best time to release the movie). Naturally, your movie is a few weeks/months behind, so you pretty much have to rush things in order to meet that release window.
So the result is that we get two very similar movies released in very close proximity to each other, with one being a good/decent movie (the original, well planned and produced movie), while the other is often utter dogshit (the rushed copycat). The prime example of this phenomenon is Dante's Peak and Volcano. Hollywood is a funny industry to work in sometimes.
How Ants Sniff Out Food
Smarter than you'd think. Ants following a trail of pheromones using their antennae.
Before there was Alexa: Headlines Jay Leno 2006
At 2:41, he absolutely ridicules a voice-controlled remote - because you're too lazy to push a button.
How Trump wins press conferences
-Trump has shortened press conferences, made them sparse, and escalated the acrimony between press and POTUS, and played all of this to his advantage to foment his supporters.
What does "blocking" mean in movies?
I never understood blocking before, thinking it was one actor moving in front of another and blocking him. It's more about building blocks that build up the picture frame. It's dissected and analyzed beautifully here, for what it does subconsciously for the viewer.
I found this just as interesting as this analysis of how soundtracks are used to focus your attention a particular way.
Downs–Thomson paradox - Wikipedia
If you build bigger roads, they inevitably fill up with more cars because drivers gravitate to bigger roads, which then slows down traffic.
The paradox is actually stated "the equilibrium speed of car traffic on a road network is determined by the average door-to-door speed of equivalent journeys taken by public transport" but what it means is that building bigger roads only fills them up with more cars that are happy to use the faster road, until the new road is so busy that public transport becomes a better alternative again, and then a certain number of drivers shift to public transport, restoring equilibrium.
The paradox is actually stated "the equilibrium speed of car traffic on a road network is determined by the average door-to-door speed of equivalent journeys taken by public transport" but what it means is that building bigger roads only fills them up with more cars that are happy to use the faster road, until the new road is so busy that public transport becomes a better alternative again, and then a certain number of drivers shift to public transport, restoring equilibrium.
Also, explained graphically at 3:24 in this video
Hollywood vs real chefs
I found this pretty interesting - asking two pairs of real chefs if Hollywood got it right. And I think for the most part, Hollywood did. At 1:57, you can really sense the respect chefs have for another chef's knife-wielding skill.
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Handy list of EPIC smart phrases
https://docplayer.net/2343494-We-hope-this-list-of-smart-phrases-helps-make-creating-your-epic-note-templates-a-bit-easier.html
@VS@
@RFV@
@NAME@ is a @AGE@ @SEX@ who presents for surgery.
@PMH@
@PSH@
Prior to admission, @HE@ was taking @PTAMEDS@
@SOCH@ (excludes blank answers, vs @SOCHX@ which lists all vices even if answers are blank)
@TOBHX@
@ALCHX@
@DRUGHX@
@LASTLAB(CREATININE:3,HCT:3,POCGLUCOSE:1)@
@RESUFAST(HGBA1C)@
@LABRCNT(CREATININE,HCT,PLT)@
@FRAMINGHAMSCORE@
Current problem list @PROB@
And for obstetric patients,
Mom is currently at @GA@ with an @EDD@
@OB@
And, just for fun, look at this Reddit thread where they made some smart phrases for frequent flyer John, who frequently came in drunk ".JOHNISBACK" and often hit his head ".JOHNHITHISHEAD"
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/7wm67n/epic_users_whats_your_favorite_dot_phrase/
@VS@
@RFV@
@NAME@ is a @AGE@ @SEX@ who presents for surgery.
@PMH@
@PSH@
Prior to admission, @HE@ was taking @PTAMEDS@
@SOCH@ (excludes blank answers, vs @SOCHX@ which lists all vices even if answers are blank)
@TOBHX@
@ALCHX@
@DRUGHX@
@LASTLAB(CREATININE:3,HCT:3,POCGLUCOSE:1)@
@RESUFAST(HGBA1C)@
@LABRCNT(CREATININE,HCT,PLT)@
@FRAMINGHAMSCORE@
Current problem list @PROB@
And for obstetric patients,
Mom is currently at @GA@ with an @EDD@
@OB@
And, just for fun, look at this Reddit thread where they made some smart phrases for frequent flyer John, who frequently came in drunk ".JOHNISBACK" and often hit his head ".JOHNHITHISHEAD"
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/7wm67n/epic_users_whats_your_favorite_dot_phrase/
Friday, January 25, 2019
We may finally know what causes Alzheimer’s – and how to stop it | New Scientist
What!!? Alzheimer's may be caused by bacteria that cause gingivitis, and there may be a drug, and potentially even a vaccine, to prevent Alzheimer's eventually.
"...However evidence has been growing that the function of amyloid proteins may be as a defence against bacteria, leading to a spate of recent studies looking at bacteria in Alzheimer's, particularly those that cause gum disease, which is known to be a major risk factor for the condition."
"In the new study, Cortexyme have now reported finding the toxic enzymes – called gingipains – that P. gingivalis uses to feed on human tissue in 96 per cent of the 54 Alzheimer's brain samples they looked at, and found the bacteria themselves in all three Alzheimer's brains whose DNA they examined."
"This is the first report showing P. gingivalis DNA in human brains, and the associated gingipains, co-lococalising with plaques..."
"...gingipain blockers had passed initial safety tests in people, and entered the brain. It also seemed to improve participants with Alzheimer's. Later this year the firm will launch a larger trial of the drug, looking for P. gingivalis in spinal fluid, and cognitive improvements, before and after.
They also plan to test it against gum disease itself. Efforts to fight that have led a team in Melbourne to develop a vaccine for P. gingivalis that started tests in 2018. A vaccine for gum disease would be welcome – but if it also stops Alzheimer's the impact could be enormous."
Thursday, January 24, 2019
America's Most Famous Butcher
Pat Lafrieda increased the family business 500-fold, and sells to 1500 restaurants daily including Benjamin's, New York, which serves only his steaks.
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Inside the weird world of YouTuber burnout
Seeking the hollow validation of "likes" on social media engenders great anxiety when those likes diminish.
This reporter asks what the eventual societal effect will be.
Monday, January 21, 2019
Transferring money from Canada to USA
I've researched online a bit, but most impartial reviews of transfer methods are concerned about the fees involved in transfers of hundreds of dollars not thousands - where in our case the fees are trivial compared to differences in exchange rates.
Here's what I found by searching for info about international transfers. This page described it well; they recommended xe.com
"Banks. If you break it down to the nitty-gritty, banks don't carry out nearly as many money transfers as dedicated services (because they are too busy selling insurance and brokering home loans and all that other jazz), which means that at the end of the day, they need to charge more for each transfer to keep the service profitable.
Money transfer services. International money transfer providers, on the other hand, have to compete with each other for customers, which means they're going to go out of their way to offer the lowest fees and the most competitive exchange rates. It's a simple formula: lower prices = more customers = more transfers = more money = everyone is happy!"
Get a comparison of how much you get after an exchange - at https://www.fxcompared.com/
Get a comparison of how much you get after an exchange - at https://www.fxcompared.com/
This page suggests ofx.com or transferwise.com because of competitive rates and low fees. They can also set up a transfer that awaits a favorable exchange rate in the future to trigger the transfer.
On that page, someone on the discussion points out "had to go to my local bank --during business hours! -- to initiate a "wire transfer" to the US bank account owned by OXF. There is an option to link your bank account but it requires to type in your online banking login and password, something I didn't want to do. Second I tried Xoom by PayPal. Minor markup of 1%."
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Heart attack treatment sub-grouped by zodiac sign
This is the medical study forced to re-analyze the results into subgroups, where the indignant researchers impudently subdivided the results by zodiac sign.
"Even though the overall results of the trial were so dramatically positive, during peer review The Lancet asked the researchers to subdivide the patients and detail which ones had benefited and which ones had not. The Oxford team regarded this request as "bad science", but decided to comply, although in a very unorthodox way. Making use of the horoscope column from a newspaper, they subdivided the patients according birth sign. This showed that aspirin didn't seem to work for those born under Libra or Gemini, but worked brilliantly for Capricorn."
Trick to falling asleep quickly
The air force or other military researched how to fall asleep anywhere to help pilots or soldiers to be awake when they need to be.
It was developed to ensure soldiers stayed alert and didn't make mistakes due to tiredness
While some people manage to nod off as soon as their head hits the pillow at night, others toss and turn all night as they struggle to drift off.
If you're used to lying in bed awake at night, brain whirring at a million miles an hour, unable to get the sweet, sweet slumber you crave, then good news.
A secret military technique that is said to help anyone fall asleep in just two minutes has recently been revealed.
The trick is reportedly used by the US army to help them fall asleep when in situations that are less than peaceful, such as on battlefields.
The secret is detailed in the book Relax and Win: Championship Performance, which although first published in 1981, has recently gained traction online after Joe.co.uk revealed the trick to falling asleep.
It's thought that army chiefs developed the technique to ensure soldiers didn't make mistakes due to tiredness.
Here's how to do it:
Relax the muscles in your face, including tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes
Drop your shoulders as far down as they'll go, followed by your upper and lower arm, one side at a time
Breathe out, relaxing your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down
You should then spend 10 seconds trying to clear your mind before thinking about one of the three following images:
You're lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you
You're lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room
You say "don't think, don't think, don't think" to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.
Hydroponic farming looks to offer food stability across Canada
Guelph hydroponic farming. At 1:06 they explain that changing the color of the light changes the flavor and color of the crop.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Japan's tech revolution - BBC Click
Watch from 21:00 on, an entire room full of interactive video displays that react to your movement.
How will we survive when the population hits 10 billion? | Charles C. Mann"
Sweeping change in how we consume is required to prevent a catastrophic end to the human race. The answer to our survival is divided into two camps - wizards, who envision technological answers to water, food, and power supplies, and prophets, who see a return to a simple, rural, agrarian society as our hope for survival. Food needs to come from tubers and plants that have a high yield and require less water.
How Are Aluminium Cans Recycled in Britain?
It seems so counterproductive to ship the heavy ingots 900km to Germany to be rolled into this sheets that are then shipped back to England again to be made into cans.
Forgery Experts Explain 5 Ways To Spot A Fake
Proving a fake takes many steps and different analyses, as detailed in this video.
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
The "Lies" Advertisers Can Legally Tell You
So, a tagline for a company can be a boastful, unproven claim like "world's best," yet other parts of advertising can't be false claims.
Bill meets bots
Cool bleeding-edge stuff. Imagine what it's like for these researchers to meet Bill Gates.
Monday, January 7, 2019
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Corruption in Louisiana
This video clearly lays out the heartbreaking disparity between business wealth and citizen poverty generated by ridiculously generous tax breaks afforded to large corporations in Louisiana.
Friday, January 4, 2019
White Winter Hymnal - Pentatonix (Fleet Foxes Cover)
A nice version of the cover by Pentatonix below.
Most followers on twitter 2007-2018
Just think of the billions of wasted minutes reading verbal diarrhea from celebrities.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Keeping Disney Clean
Apparently, Walt was obsessed with garbage because theme parks at the time were dirty. He watched people in his park and determined they littered if the garbage can was more than 30 feet away, so he ensured there were garbage cans every thirty feet.
"One thing they don’t mention in the video is that the mission to keep the parks clean is instilled in every single cast member from day one, when they go through their training process. On their first day of employment, cast members go through a 4-hour course called Traditions. It’s essentially an orientation class that all newbies have to go to and is where they learn, among other things, the Disney standards of ethics, safety, and the history of the Walt Disney Company. Part of that is the history of cleanliness at the park (like they discuss in the video above) but also how it’s every cast member’s responsibility to keep the park looking its best. So if you’re in the parks, you’ll see some non-custodial cast members with grabbers so they can pick up trash, or if they’re walking down the street in Frontierland and see the wrapper from the Mickey Pop, they’ll pick it up and throw it in the trash."
Who Cleans Up When a Wind Farm Retires?
Wind turbines only last 20-40 years. At 15 years old, it's often a big business decision to shut them down. Permits for wind farms now include posting bonds to cover demolition costs, so land can be restored to normal even if the power company goes bankrupt.
Lidar Tech Could Solve Border Security
Lidar sensors can give much better information to border patrol agents about false alarms versus movement of people across the border that agents need to respond to.
In some small towns, a border wall would be a huge inconvenience affecting access to water for irrigation, tourism, recreation.
How Aircraft Carriers Work
The US owns the vast majority of the world's aircraft carriers, using them for a show of military force around the world.
An Island On the Brink of Collapse Makes a Huge Comeback
A one-man reforestation effort that shifted people's thinking, encouraged them to conserve resources, and began to reverse the effects of climate change.
Tree Farm Is Bringing Life Back To Detroit’s East Side | NBC
Who would've thought that growing trees would revitalize a city and bring people back?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)