Archive for March, 2009
A Fish-Powered Vehicle
March 10th, 2009
I’m a little late on this one. A few years ago the artist Seth Weiner created a vehicle controlled by the motion of a goldfish. I can only assume that this man makes his living doing things like this, which makes me insanely jealous.
animals, art+design, computer science, science | 1 Comment »
The Pseudodoxia Epidemica
March 8th, 2009
In the 1600s a doctor named Thomas Browne wrote a comprehensive refutation of many of the superstitions of his day. This has recently been published online.
Some of the propositions he refutes:
- The common Tenent, that Crystall is nothing else but Ice strongly congealed.
- That bitter Almonds are preservatives against Ebriety.
- That an Elephant hath no joints.
- That Iews stinke.
- Concerning the beginning of the world, that the time thereof is not precisely knowne, as commonly it is presumed.
You get the idea. This book is amazing.
Coffee Lights
March 5th, 2009
If I ever find myself running a coffee shop I will be installing these lights.
The Beard-second
March 3rd, 2009
Apparently this is a real unit of measure, inasmuch as Google and Wikipedia agree that it is. Supposedly it can be used in nuclear physics as an analog to astronomy’s light-year, but due to some debate over its exact value I suspect that it’s rarely used in practice.
Barry Schwartz
March 2nd, 2009
Swarthmore psychologist Barry Schwartz discusses, among other things, the relation between systems of incentives and practical moral wisdom. I absolutely love the TED talks.
In particular I like his comment that scripted education prevents disaster but ensures mediocrity.