China hydroelectric dam ambitions

https://youtu.be/6IzLzI_MbnE?si=HCOTxKW5D7_QmKrU

China huge ambitions for 125 GW of hydropower come at a cost, especially the risk of disaster in this earthquake-prone region. Thousands of people and ancient buildings will be destroyed. 

Bees' monolecty

Some bees have been painstakingly observed to forage from a very limited range of flowers, known as "oligolecty," or "monolecty" if it's truly a single species, which is apparently debatable.  

This seems to me to be very expensive for the bee (more travel for less nectar than random opportunistic foraging,) with little benefit, yet very valuable for the plant requiring no effort, except maybe co-evolution of the plant to favor that bee species, which isn't really much "effort." 

What evolutionary drive is there for this specific foraging? Is it just that in foraging a specific species they would become "expert" faster, recognizing which flowers have the most yield of how to get the most pollen and nectar efficiently? 

A brief review of monolecty in bees and benefits of a broadened definition. 2020

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-020-00785-y

On a realted note, this story of a specific hummingbird and a specific flower co-evolving to benefit each other is equally remarkable. 

https://youtu.be/7xRxpicxeFQ?si=_kpTdjXXBhZwE47l

Bubbles reduce drag under a ship's hull.

https://youtu.be/KF4ULDEorro?si=sUJqQuRZT5NvdRWq

Microbubbles released under a large ship's hull reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency by 20%. 

Apparently, large bubbles are better than small bubbles. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160902125334.htm

Fungus in forest fire smoke

13:03 There are 10x as many bacteria and fungi in forest fire smoke than in ambient air. [This is likely due to the powerful updrafts during forest fires carrying detritus upwards rather than any ability of the smoke to harbor spores.]

They were formerly inside plant structures that were destroyed by the fire. Essentially the spores are trying to "get away" from the fire. A new kind of vector for microorganism dispersal. 

https://radiolab.org/podcast/9d5209706f0cb91a4248748a

This phenomenon was forst explored in a  father-daughter high-school science project, including flying a kite to collect samples aloft to prove the spores weren't local ground-based contaminants. 

"Fungal spores are transported long distances in smoke from biomass fires." 2004

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1352231003009142

Engage with others around you

In public situations we are often "under-social" 

35:27 A tension between approach and avoid...seen across all species...the balance between those two motivations tilts us towards avoidance more often than would be optimal for us. 

https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/you-2-0-the-gift-of-other-people/

"Dating square" app

Really interesting dating app: begins as a "love is blind" game, then you can request seeing mutual profiles, and their photo is only gradually revealed as you read their whole profile. Seems to be a clever rebellion against the superficial "swipe right" culture. 

https://youtu.be/4yTEin7Vj0I?si=CDVOk1Pn0hHNH0KT

Floating tidal turbine

https://youtu.be/ZQ_g3yNMy_g?si=ICYZhice-KT93led

Floating tidal turbine for second-highest tides in the world. 

The story of golden kiwi fruit

https://youtu.be/YyLcD7_vt0Q?si=KLraRlcWBU8qH5UK

So interesting! A billion dollar business. Disease nearly wiped out the industry, had it not been for a fortuitous resistant "golden kiwi" variety. A single exporter to control prices. Franchise fees to grow the Golden variety are massive. Disease nearly wiped out the industry, had it not been for a fortuitous  resistant "golden kiwi" variety. 

What's wrong with Nissan GT-Rs? Why aren't they more popular?

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Nbzf2SY2LzGhx9CB/?mibextid=oFDknk

-transmission isn't great...clunky at low speeds 

-if you use launch control or immediately voids the warranty

-transmission upgrade $14K-$25K

They're cool cars, but I think there's a lot of cars that offer "more" at the same price point. Audi R8, 996 Turbo, Porsche 997/991, Lotus, M3, Ferrari 360...

Horsepower upgrades: In general you will see in the 575-625whp range on a well-tuned Full Bolt On setup with pump fuel, and 650-700ish with E85. Full Bolt On isn't a precise thing, but generally downpipes, fuel pumps, injector, intake, ECU flash. Sometimes a better intercooler. Things you can 'bolt on' without dropping the engine down. 

I've put a TON of miles on the these on track. They're undoubtedly fast, capable, and a bargain for the performance potential. 

However, they just don't do much for me beyond being fast. I know this is highly subjective, but it doesn't excite me. Which everybody says and is almost cliche now, but it never made me want to drive it more than I had to if there was a GT3 or something more visceral.

I think while they are fun cars they have a lot of quirks. The transmission sounds like a dump truck while reversing, and while they are fast they do feel disconnected. Plus the fact that they have been produced since 2008 with only minor changes causes them to lose a lot of the halo effect they used to have.

- they actually feel vintage in a good way since they have a real hand operating parking brake, hydraulic power steering, etc. I think I like them even more now than I did when they were new since I'm not a fan of ultra-modern stuff for the most part.

I owned one (model year 2014) for over 4 years and got to know the car fairly well. It has some downsides that Kevin mentioned (dual h clutch transmission is pretty low tech by modern standards, they are large in parking lot situations, etc), but they have serious upsides too in that they can do everything from commuting in traffic to running mega speeds in half mile racing. Overall, I remain a big fan of the cars, and they are likely to become somewhat collectible now that production is coming to an end.

I love GTR's, owned multiple Z's, and was sort of a Nissan guy. I didn't get one when I finally made enough money because a base 911 costs about the same used, handles better on the track, and is available in manual.

While they are a blast to drive hard, I never enjoyed them if you were ever in traffic, or cruising. They have a very loud transmission, and they want to go. They are certainly a lot of bang for the buck, and can produce crazy power, but I do feel they lack some things people look for say in a Porsche, BMW...

Downsides:

Expensive for a Nissan.

Rare (~20K made over 15 years), means expensive parts

Heavy for a sports car in 2008

Early models known for fragile l transmission, and Nissan treated owners badly

Too big/heavy for Autocross

Not all that quick on a road course for a modern car

Mostly known for big HP drag builds, but this means they have all been modified (like an STi)

Design has been made for 15 years basically unchanged

How To Be Alone | Hidden Brain Media

41:54 "when we're in nature, we often have 'soft fascination,' where we are receiving what's happening around us in a mindful way. And we're thinking actively about our next steps and the objects around us. We're focused to the present moment. 

How-to-be-alone

Maps in our mind

19:33 The "default mode network" is the part of the brain that says "can I take what just happened in real life and fit that pattern into a model?" 

Hidden Brain: Changing our mental maps." 

How they film car chases

https://youtu.be/YSRjoUtAVik?si=7-TJBCuB6EOWW8kR

Techniques for filming car chases have greatly evolved. 

In the above video they mention "Extraction" in passing... Here's a video about the intense 12-minute seamless segment in that movie, which includes a car chase. 

https://youtu.be/gwn0J2OVDG4?si=EXA7zbVi98deC18K

Tesla police cruiser

Lots of modifications. 2:47 Takes about 2 years to break even on the vehicle cost. 

Big brother is watching what you watch.

Not surprisingly, 

"The International Olympic Committee, the body that oversees the Games, tracks in minute detail how each of the 32 Olympic sports performs: how much airplay they generate, how much social media traction they gain, how popular they are and how much they add to the program relative to their cost." 

nytimes

They added coffee, and the reaction sped up.

On a whim, researchers added caffeine to their reaction between aluminum and seawater, and the reaction went much faster. This could be used as a safe source of hydrogen fuel for vehicles, since it can produce gaseous hydrogen without having to store it. 

https://news.mit.edu/2024/recipe-for-zero-emissions-fuel-with-cans-seawater-caffeine-0725