GeekPress

Keyring 2.0

2012-05-21T00:04:00.000-06:00

Clever update on the standard keyring. Click through to read the explanation.

Great School Lunch Blog

2012-05-21T00:03:00.000-06:00

"Adorable Nine-Year-Old Girl Reviews Her School Lunches on Her Blog". Here's her blog, NeverSeconds.

Larger Screen iPhone?

2012-05-21T00:02:00.000-06:00

Larger screen iPhone?

What Exactly is Web Hosting?

2012-05-21T00:01:00.000-06:00

Nice video explanation: "What Exactly is Web Hosting?"

(Via Dr. John Drake.)

Terahertz Wifi

2012-05-18T00:04:00.000-06:00

"Researchers in Japan have smashed the record for wireless data transmission in the terahertz band, an uncharted part of the electro-magnetic spectrum. The data rate is 20 times higher than the best commonly used wi-fi standard."

Life Imitates Simpsons At All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry

2012-05-18T00:03:00.000-06:00

Real life: "Man protests restaurant after Friday fish fry runs out"

Classic segment from The Simpsons: "'Tis no man, 'tis a remorseless eating machine -- arrgh!..." (Click through to watch video.)

The Physics Of Not Spilling Coffee

2012-05-18T00:02:00.000-06:00

The physics of walking with a coffee cup without spilling. (Via @debbywitt.)

Designing An Antimatter Engine

2012-05-18T00:01:00.000-06:00

Ohio scientists design an improved antimatter propulsion engine.

(Now all we need is some antimatter!)

Blogger Confronts Newspaper Editor Who Plagariazed His Work

2012-05-17T00:04:00.000-06:00

Blogger confronts newspaper editor who plagiarized his work. And leaves with a $500 check.

Here's the video:

Go Duane! (Via PJMedia.)

Touché Enhanced Touch Interaction

2012-05-17T00:03:00.001-06:00

Touché: Enhancing Touch Interaction. (Via Howard Roerig.)

Physicists: QM Wavefunctions Are Real

2012-05-17T00:02:00.000-06:00

"Quantum Theorists State That Wavefunctions Are Real States Not Just Statistical Tools"

HP Clone Calculators

2012-05-17T00:01:00.000-06:00

This small Swiss company make credit card-sized clones of HP calculators (Voyager series).

Here's a video of their production samples:

I'd be very keen on one of their HP-15c clones! (Via Jeremy S.)

[Off topic] Who Should Control Your Healthcare Spending?

2012-05-16T01:01:00.000-06:00

[Off-topic]: The Forbes website has published my latest health policy OpEd, "Just Who Should Control Your Healthcare Spending?"

(Theme: What simple health care reform has reduced medical costs by up to 30%, while preserving quality of care?)

Other Moore's Laws

2012-05-16T00:04:00.001-06:00

The Other Moore's Laws (click on image to see full size):

Van Halen and the Brown M&Ms

2012-05-16T00:03:00.000-06:00

David Lee Roth tells the back story behind the Van Halen legendary Brown M&M Ban. (Via Kelly V.)

Creative Dad Takes Crazy Photos Of Daughters

2012-05-16T00:02:00.000-06:00

"Creative Dad Takes Crazy Photos Of Daughters"

Upcoming Venus Transit

2012-05-16T00:01:00.000-06:00

Information about the Venus Transit, occurring June 6, 2012.

Excerpt:

On June 6th Venus will transit the sun as seen from earth. The last transit was in 2004. But the next transit after this one is in 2117--no, that's not a typo. Venus transits of the sun are rare--they are among the rarest predictable events in astronomy--and past transits were very important to the history of science.

This page explains what they are, why they are rare, why they show up in pairs eight years apart, but with the time between pairs being over a century, and why they are so important in the history of science. For instance, we would not know how far away stars are if we had not observed Venus transits in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Bubbles in Microgravity

2012-05-15T00:04:00.000-06:00

"The Trippy Physics of Bubbles in Microgravity".

Click through to watch the video.

Epic Time-Lapse Map of Europe

2012-05-15T00:03:00.000-06:00

Well-done animated map of Europe from 1000 AD until 2005 showing shifting borders, alliances, unions, territories, occupied land, etc.:

What's The Secret to Amazing Naps?

2012-05-15T00:02:00.000-06:00

"What's the secret to amazing naps?"

Language and Gestures

2012-05-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

Interesting essay discussion language and gestures: "Body Language"

Interview With A Safecracker

2012-05-14T00:04:00.000-06:00

Fascinating interview with a (legal) safecracker.

One excerpt:

Q: How realistic are movies that show people breaking into vaults?

A: Not very! In the movies it takes five minutes of razzle-dazzle; in real life it’s usually at least a couple of hours of precision work for an easy, lost combination lockout.

Most vault lockouts are caused by malfunctions. A bank employee over-winds the time lock, a technician makes a mistake servicing the vault, or there was no maintenance because the bank has initiated yet another round of cost cutting.

Another 10-20% of my income comes from law enforcement searches and seizures or estate, aka “dead relative” openings. They hire me and I drill it open, but these are not situations where I like to hang around too long.

Q: Do you ever look inside?

A: I NEVER look. It’s none of my business. Involving yourself in people’s private affairs can lead to being subpoenaed in a lawsuit or criminal trial. Besides, I’d prefer not knowing about a client’s drug stash, personal porn, or belly button lint collection...

(Via Marginal Revolution.)

Meta-Meta-Government Study

2012-05-14T00:03:00.000-06:00

"This Is Not a Joke: Government Issues Study of a Study About Studies"

Outdated Icons

2012-05-14T00:02:00.000-06:00

"The Floppy Disk means Save, and 14 other old people Icons that don't make sense anymore"

Why Computers Still Can't Translate Languages Automatically

2012-05-14T00:01:00.000-06:00

"Why Computers Still Can't Translate Languages Automatically".

Short answer: Because computers still don't understand meaning.