Today I Learned

[Mad scientist]

Today I learned that surfers saved the Apollo space program. When engineers had a problem with the honeycomb insulation on the second stage tanks of the Saturn 5 rocket they employed surfers, who were using it in the construction of surf boards, to solve it.

Source: Discovery Science channel program - Moon Machines

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today I learned that people can actually go into the St. Louis Arch, up to the top, and look out little windows up there. I had no idea. I'd assumed it was a sealed construction that could only be appreciated from the outside.

 

[Pythagorean]

TIL my 5yo daughter now has a sense of humor.

3yo: "can I have chicken trips?"
5yo: "what's that? Chicken that travels? HAHAHAHA"

 

[Bystander]

people can actually go into the St. Louis Arch

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Arch

 

[Lisa!]

TIL Newton had a close relationship with Nicolas Fatio de Duillier !

 

[PWiz]

Today I learned that hard work can beat talent, not just in talk, but in real life as well. (It really works!)

 

[jim hardy]

St Louis Arch?

One should go twice
daytime view is spectacular
but the city lights at night are more stunning.

The trolley ride up is not for the claustrophobic, though.

 

[dlgoff]

One should go twice
daytime view is spectacular
but the city lights at night are more stunning.

The trolley ride up is not for the claustrophobic, though.

One should go on a windy day. The Gateway Arch/St Louis Arch is

... designed to sway up to 9 inches (23 cm) in either direction while withstanding winds up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h).

 

[OmCheeto]

TIL my 5yo daughter now has a sense of humor.

3yo: "can I have chicken trips?"
5yo: "what's that? Chicken that travels? HAHAHAHA"

TIL, that time passes quickly. It seems like just last week, that she was born.

ps. Glad to hear she never got scooped up by an eagle.

 

[jim hardy]

Arrrghh! Computers !

Today i learned
to get the Arduino to send serial data to the PC in simplest form, the Arduino's serial monitor utility and usb,
to define a string array and find the right element in it
and to make Arduino count from one to ten in Roman Numerals.
Rest of the way from 10 to 2400 for that clock will be easier.

I think i dislike C - it seems at this point dreadfully awkward compared to Basic.
But Arduino has a pretty handy console that seems to not crash Windows very often.

old jim

 

[Borek]

I think i dislike C - it seems at this point dreadfully awkward compared to Basic.

You have put me back in time. Eons ago interpreted BASIC was the first language available to people on their 8-bit computers (C64, ZX Spectrum, Atari 800, such things). And they all thought they know a thing or two about BASIC, so they know what programming is. You have just (unknowingly) quoted their comments

And you are as wrong as they were 30 years ago

 

[jim hardy]

And you are as wrong as they were 30 years ago

I take that as "an encouraging word", that things will get better as i become accustomed to C.

I started on TI99 (16 bit) interpreted basic and moved to Qbasic.
And i make no pretense about being a real programmer, just learned what was necessary task by task.

This Arduino utility says it's "compiling"... i wonder if it really is running compiled C ?

 

[Borek]

I take that as "an encouraging word", that things will get better as i become accustomed to C.

They should. Actually I would suggest you learn a little bit about how the processor works (registers, addressing of memory, stack, interrupts) - while these things are not necessary, IMHO they help understanding why C is so effective.

This Arduino utility says it's "compiling"... i wonder if it really is running compiled C ?

Definitely. That is one of reasons that made me wrote what I wrote above. C is relatively close to the hardware, many of the things you write in C almost directly translate to the underlying assembler commands (processor operations).

I started with BASIC eons ago, but I started to understand what I am doing once I srtarted programming in assembly. I don't need it now, but I feel like it still helps me.

 

[jim hardy]

I started with BASIC eons ago, but I started to understand what I am doing once I srtarted programming in assembly. I don't need it now, but I feel like it still helps me.

Interesting.

We used Fotrran II in school (1965)

next i worked on a Data General Nova and learned its assembler
in those days a register was a 4 bit 7400 DIP IC that you could see
and i 'scoped every IC in the doggone thing chasing intermittents from board to board

yes i'd like to learn this processor
guess I'm OCD for basic understanding

 

[Astronuc]

There comes a time when one has to give up the keys and the car.

92-year-old slams into 9 cars in Piggly Wiggly parking lot
http://news.yahoo.com/92-year-old-slams-into-9-cars-in-parking-lot-150212529.html

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today I learned "Hagia Sophia" is pronounced "Hi ya, Sophia!"

 

[nitsuj]

There comes a time when one has to give up the keys and the car.

92-year-old slams into 9 cars in Piggly Wiggly parking lot
http://news.yahoo.com/92-year-old-slams-into-9-cars-in-parking-lot-150212529.html

I would interested to know the stats on this (old people and driving accidents). Certainly insurance companies would know best, and I haven't heard an old person say, "we'll now that I'm 85 my auto insurance has gone through the roof."

It must be that they (very senior drivers) don't have a higher risk to them, but when they do have a "lapse" in driving ability it's dramatic. Such as pressing the wrong peddle, or not really caring that they've hit numerous vehicles. I'd guess they will be "priced out" for insurance coverage.

I'm pretty sure in our province a doctor can pull a driver license.

 

[jim hardy]

I haven't heard an old person say, "we'll now that I'm 85 my auto insurance has gone through the roof."

It must be that they (very senior drivers) don't have a higher risk to them, but when they do have a "lapse" in driving ability it's dramatic.

Old folks generally don't drive very much anymore. So the product of risk/mile X miles might actually go down.

Dad got to where he wouldn't venture into city traffic.
So he was able to drive until very near the end. Everybody in his small town knew to give the old blue Buick wide berth,.
Dad's doctor would have his nurse drive Dad home and call me to come get the Buick.
It has been in the family since new in 1965, a great-grandson has it now. It should be a real head-turner when he turns 16.

old jim

 

[Astronuc]

My mother-in-law did left turn into the left turn lane of a multi-lane road. Fortunately, there were no cars in the lane. She got cited by police. She was blinded by the sun during the turn and missed it by one lane.

My grandfather gave up his car and keys at 93. I don't think he had an accident, but he was becoming less steady, so he gave up the car in favor of a three wheel scooter that he could use on side-walks.

I understand the desire and need for independence, but there also needs to be consideration for the safety of others. I have seen reports of elderly running over pedestrians. So, clearly there comes a time when one has to give up the privilege of driving to avoid harming others.

 

[Astronuc]

Britain's Royals Search for New Chauffeur - for the Queen no less

https://gma.yahoo.com/britains-royals-search-chauffeur-181838449--abc-news-celebrities.html
The job pays up to $37,000 per year, includes meals and 33 vacation days, but does require nearly 50-hour work weeks, according to the posting on the Monarchy’s website.

 

[Lisa!]

TIL about the origin of french kiss!

 

[Pythagorean]

TIL that "ring around the rosies" is not actually a reference to the black plague.

One folklorist suggests it was a more-or-less meaningless song (the words literally reference the motions of children performing the song) and that it came about during the religious ban on dancing in the US and Britain. As a loophole, people would play "games" that involved play-dancing and singing, such as ring around the rosie.

http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.asp

 

[jim hardy]

Wow i'd love to try my hand at royal chauffeur-ing !

Sent the link to son... Thanks !

back on topic------
Microwave finally quit a couple days ago.
Today i learned that
starting with 1974 model year, microwave oven door interlocks include a switch that blows the fuse should the the other door switches fail to disconnect power.
Good idea, it assures the first failure will announce itself and hopefully prompt somebody at least minimally competent to take a look .

But i found a loose power connection to the little computer circuit board behind keypad.
No wonder that oven's clock would never stay set. I've been wondering why for ten years now !

The laugh is on me.

 

[epenguin]

It seems after all and always was not all that obvious a song title and maybe I'm not the only one who didn't, in a very long time, get it, since The Economist retold an explanation last week which I read and so today learned, that My Lady Greensleeves probably had green sleeves through rolling in the grass.

The article suggests this was in the course of a commercial activity for advertisement purposes, but I'm not going to believe it - the words may have changed but the tune has more sentiment in it than that.

(This was in a book review - Feb 14 issue!)

 

[jim hardy]

Today i learned a little more Arduino C, namely String and Modulo,,,,,

increased its Roman Numeral counting ability from 10 to 2400,.
(Planning on 12/24 hour time for that clock.)

Next step will be add colons and learn to make hour digits increment at intervals of 60 minute digits.

old jim

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today I learned they have identified a new cognitive bias called :

"Google effect The tendency to forget information that can be found readily online by using Internet search engines."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

 

[jim hardy]

"Google effect The tendency to forget information that can be found readily online by using Internet search engines."

at my age I like that better than "Senior Moment"...

 

[OmCheeto]

Today I learned they have identified a new cognitive bias called :

"Google effect The tendency to forget information that can be found readily online by using Internet search engines."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

I discovered something very similar more than 3 decades ago. I didn't have a name for it, but I suspected it existed. It was the engineering officer on my submarine who stated it, very succinctly; "I may not know everything, but I know which books to find the answer in".

From the concluding paragraph in your wiki entry:

Sparrow claims the Internet is a type of transactive memory. She said, "We're not thoughtless empty-headed people who don't have memories anymore. But we are becoming particularly adept at remembering where to go find things. And that's kind of amazing."

hmm... I like that phrase: transactive memory.

ps. TIL that sometimes it's very difficult to find people I've worked with, with google. Yesterday, I could find no reference to someone who reminded me of Pythagorean. Today, I can find no record of my engineering officer.

 

[zoobyshoe]

TIL that sometimes it's very difficult to find people I've worked with, with google. Yesterday, I could find no reference to someone who reminded me of Pythagorean. Today, I can find no record of my engineering officer.

Not sure if this is what you mean, but I have had problems once in a while not being able to relocate stuff I previously googled and read. Did I just imagine I'd read something, or did it subsequently get removed from the interweb, or rewritten?

 

[OmCheeto]

TIL, that Isaac Asimov, one of my favorite authors, hid funny stuff, in the side notes.