Saturday, December 27, 2025
Anti-tremor engineering
https://youtu.be/SiWKmoLqlRg?si=wiAMEY1X98So36CP
Desperately trying all kinds of engineering to offset a hand tremor. Very challenging to make it lightweight, portable, durable, and waterproof.
Friday, December 26, 2025
Water-jet loom
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DPAVfxKHa/
A modern loom is a jet of water to send the yarn across the fabric. Cool! And probably a lot now efficient.
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Murder confession
https://youtu.be/jJZv3z7FOt0?si=1Y5kEdybcOdfCiR-
I find it morbidly fascinating how well this man disguises his guilt during the questioning, into he's confirming with incontrovertible evidence.
Monday, December 22, 2025
Sunday, December 21, 2025
Pet peeves with Tesla
There used to be an on-screen "gear-icon" button to ignore navigation directions but continue FSD; navigation often insists on a route that saves only a few minutes but has more intersections and side-roads, or insists on a lane change for no apparent reason consistently at the same location. Being able to negate these consistent nuisance navigation deviations without stopping FSD would be a huge relief and benefit.
Also, a small thing: Somewhere to place a grocery bag so it doesn't fall over.
During FSD, the necessity of turning the steering wheel every 30 sec or so is tiresome; I've decided pulling on the FSD control lever is easier. I just wish that pressing the accelerator briefly, or some other easier method of acknowledging you are actively supervising driving would be much more pleasant.
Also, better functioning of FSD during heavy rain (common in the Pacific NW) would be welcome. If some means of automated cleaning of the side cameras could be engineered, like a spinning glass cover that ship's bridges have, would be a huge improvement.
Can solar power the Tesla for a 30-mile commute?
This calculation assumes a lot of things about how much sunshine you get each day, and how efficiently you drive, but they calculate 11 panels of solar.
"If the Tesla's mileage is around 30 miles per day, it would consume 7.8 kWh every day according to the 0.26 kWh per mile range. The optimal DIY charger for this Tesla model would be a Level 2 AC charger (240V).
To achieve the 7.8 kWh or 10 kWh each day, 16.67 kWh is required in solar energy every day. In addition, +50% power requirements apply as well as 90% battery and inverter efficiency.
This goal requires 11 solar panels"
Low Cost Rainwater Harvesting: An Alternate Solution to Salinity-Affected Coastal Region of Bangladesh
"Bangladesh located in the same zone. The Satkhira district averages nearly 1,710 mm rainfall per year...minimum catchment area was assumed to be 6 m2 and storage tank of 2000 liter capacity...approximate cost was assumed to be $171 for building and operation of the whole system."
"a family consisting of five members having water demand of 5 l/capita/day for 3 months (for only drinking and cooking purpose) was considered...dry spell period in the region is around 45 days...So, sixty days demand is 2000 liter...storage tank is the most expensive component of rainwater harvesting system...plastic tanks are cheap...To reduce total coliform from the stored rainwater, locally made sand filter can be used." https://pubs.sciepub.com/ajwr/2/6/2/index.html
Efficient floating fish farm
Singapore floats high-tech fish farm up meet food demands.
Using 0:30 a closed-containment system that filters seawater, thus obviating the need for antibiotics in its tanks, this floating fish farm 1:36 produces 66,000 lb of fish a month, which is 20 x more per hectare than traditional open-net cage farms.
Similarly, automation has increased yield at shrimp farms, using 6:55 mangrove trees to recycle their waste water.
Advance Estate Planning for a Surviving Spouse - Schwab
in a community property state...all assets acquired during the marriage will transfer to the surviving spouse regardless of whether a will is in effect. However, for property acquired outside the marriage that isn't jointly owned—such as a home purchased by one spouse before being wed...spouse is entitled to only one-third to one-half of the property
To avoid the expense and delays of probate,
- Titled with rights of survivorship, meaning both spouses have equal ownership and the surviving spouse will inherit the deceased spouse's interest.
- Placed in a revocable trust—which isn't subject to probate—with your spouse as its beneficiary
- For bank accounts in one spouse's name, you can file a payable on death (POD) form to ensure the surviving spouse can access the account without going through probate.
In addition to your will and any trust documents, you might include a letter of intent in which you detail the recipients of particularly meaningful or valuable property.
US movies mapsplained
The first stronghold of movie production was NYC under Thomas Edison, but it moved to Hollywood because of better weather, more land to develop, and no antagonistic political backlash.
7:30 hours of sunshine
11:45 a variety of countries could be simulated by local topography.
Rabies on radiolab
Incredible that there's no cure.
"In terms of the percentage of people who come down with the symptoms of rabies, who die, it is the deadliest disease in the world."
"People just screaming and writhing with convulsions...from the virus's perspective, it's trying to drive its host to be more aggressive so that it bites somebody else and spreads more virus."
"they will get this fear of water, a really powerful fear of water...from the virus's perspective, why that would be advantageous. You are trying to transmit virus through biting. So, an animal who can't swallow his virus-filled saliva is gonna be like a loaded gun."
Induced coma (Milwaukee protocol) was thought to be a cure in 2004, but it turns out that particular survivor probably had previously developed antibodies enabling her survival, and "There have been at least 64 cases with failure of the protocol."
Improving plastic removal in the Ocean Cleanup project
https://youtu.be/OYrXldOVkn4?si=jT9JVlO6D1igMlkA
An indoor test model helps improve net design to prevent (4:23) "over-topping and underflow in different wave conditions," to improve retention efficiency.
2025 overview of the projects
Phone thief steals your life savings in minutes
https://youtu.be/gi96HKr2vo8?si=X6sAJZm7mIoeiq5f
Jail interview with a serial phone thief - explains how he exploited people's vulnerability.
Seeking deipnosophists
Do you consider yourself a deipnosophist? - "Someone who is an adept conversationalist, engaging in witty, knowledgeable, or interesting small talk at the table."
DEIPNOSOPHIST. dÄ«pˈnäsÉ™fÉ™̇st.
Still working in their 80's - because of financial mistakes
https://youtu.be/tN-6pT7nsx0?si=xl6XvnuTZbG_WzFG
A sad litany of common financial pitfalls -
Borrowed from retirement savings between jobs
Panicked and sold during stock market crash.
Loaned money to someone.
House failed to sell while in escrow.
Got in debt from traveling
Flaws in human design.
We are "fearfully and wonderfully made," but perhaps not perfectly designed. I remember my Dad commenting on this - things like the sinus drainage at the top instead of the bottom of the sinuses.
I decided to put this into Open Evidence AI search and it have an interesting answer. I had never heard the term "molecular debris" before, not imagined it could refer to the human genome.
What design flaws are there in the human body?
The human body exhibits numerous anatomically and physiologically suboptimal features that reflect evolutionary constraints, developmental tradeoffs, and mismatches between ancestral and modern environments rather than optimal design.[1-2]
Structural and Anatomical Imperfections
Musculoskeletal vulnerabilities are particularly evident. The transition to bipedalism created mechanical stresses that predispose humans to lower back pain, knee problems, and foot disorders—structures originally evolved for quadrupedal locomotion were repurposed rather than redesigned.[1]
The recurrent laryngeal nerve exemplifies poor routing, looping unnecessarily around the aortic arch before reaching the larynx, a consequence of developmental constraints from our fish ancestry.[1]
Complicated human birth results from the evolutionary compromise between bipedalism (requiring a narrow pelvis) and increasing brain size (requiring a large birth canal).[3] This obstetric dilemma makes human childbirth uniquely difficult and dangerous compared to other primates.
Genomic Imperfections
The human genome contains extensive "molecular debris" inconsistent with intelligent design.[4] Pseudogenes (nonfunctional gene remnants), parasitic mobile genetic elements, and needlessly complex regulatory pathways pervade every human genome.[4] De novo mutations collectively cause significant embryonic and fetal mortality, as well as genetic diseases in surviving individuals.[4]
Evolutionary Mismatch
Modern chronic diseases largely reflect mismatch between bodies adapted to ancestral environments and contemporary conditions.[5-7] Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease were rare historically but are now epidemic because traits advantageous in food-scarce environments (efficient energy storage, strong appetite) become maladaptive in calorie-abundant modern settings.[5][7]
The immune system shows both overreaction (autoimmune diseases) and underreaction (susceptibility to novel pathogens) when confronted with modern pathogen exposures, hygiene levels, and dietary patterns that differ radically from ancestral conditions.[7]
Tradeoffs and Constraints
Natural selection optimizes reproductive fitness, not health or longevity.[2][8] This explains why selection has not eliminated genes causing age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and atherosclerosis—which manifest after peak reproductive years when selection pressure weakens.[3][9] Similarly, the female reproductive tract's extensive oocyte atresia (>99.99% loss) and early embryonic loss represent quality-control mechanisms with significant biological costs.[9]
Human anatomy reflects six categories of apparent suboptimality: evolutionary mismatch, coevolutionary pressures, functional tradeoffs, developmental constraints, traits favoring reproduction over individual health, and defensive responses that are protective but uncomfortable.[2]
Christmas Island crabs
https://youtu.be/Zl4A9_SeQmg?si=9xws-OeUXIsMolMB
Arrival of humans in Christmas Island wreaks havoc on a stable ecosystem, one species after another - red crabs, ants, lac scale (think shellac) and ultimately the introduction of parasitic wasps restored the natural order.
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Synthetic diamonds by DeBeers
3:34 diamonds are transparent to visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light, making them useful for optical windows in lasers or welding equipment. They excel at dissipating heat, which can help keep electronics from overheating, and they can handle extremely high voltages before breaking down, which is why some scientists are studying them as a material for semiconductors.
Monday, December 15, 2025
Sunday, December 14, 2025
Stop asking 'How was school today?' To raise successful kids, ask 7 questions instead
Questions to ask your kids after school and how each developed character and insight.
1. What was the best part of your day?'
This question encourages kids to scan their brains for positives.
2. 'What's a mistake you learned from today?'
This normalizes errors and celebrates healthy risk-taking. Talking openly about mistakes reduces shame.
3. 'Who were you proud of today?
This turns their attention to others and cultivates empathy.
4. 'What's one thing that would have made today better?'
Helps kids identify feelings like frustration and disappointment without dwelling on those experiences. It naturally opens the door to problem-solving and planning.
5. 'Who did you help today?'
Empowers kids to engage in prosocial behavior...kids begin to look for opportunities to be helpful and acts of kindness.
6. 'What was the most interesting thing you learned today?'
Emphasizes curiosity rather than just academic performance.
7. 'What's something new you'd like to try?'
This nudges kids to look outside their comfort zone and encourages them to be courageous.
Amy Morin is a psychotherapist, clinical social worker and instructor at Northeastern University.
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Monday, December 8, 2025
Ed Sheeran's tough year.
10:45 A good look at emotions of going through grief.
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Dextrous robotic manipulators
https://youtu.be/zwDXcNT6Zoc?si=DCozUAfdNrkDiNOG
Quite a breakthrough - silent fast actuators that don't generate heat.
Friday, December 5, 2025
Thursday, December 4, 2025
How the Chinese qwerty keyboard was developed
The Wubi effect - the story of Professor Wang Yongmin, and how he saved Chinese script from the brink of extinction.
Bioluminescence explained
https://radiolab.org/podcast/the-glow-below
At 24 minutes - why deep sea creatures flash back bioluminescence when you flash a light at them
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