Today I Learned

  • Thread starter Thread starter Greg Bernhardt
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
Today I learned that cleaning a white hat can be done with bleach cleaner, but it’s important to rinse it before wearing it again. I also discovered that "oyster veneering," a woodworking technique from the late 1600s, is experiencing a minor revival despite its labor-intensive nature. Additionally, I learned that the factorial of 23 (23!) equals 25,852,016,738,884,976,640,000, which interestingly has 23 digits, a unique coincidence among factorials. I found out that medical specialists often spend less than 10 minutes with patients, and that watching TV can contribute to weight gain. Other insights included the fact that a kiss can transfer around 80 million microbes, and that bureaucracy can sometimes hinder employment opportunities. The discussion also touched on various trivia, such as the emotional sensitivity of barn owls and the complexities of gravitational lensing around black holes.
  • #2,051
TIL how well you can approximate e ##\approx## 2.718281828 with a few basic symbols and numbers 1 to n:

##2^{(.3+.1)^{–.4}–5^{–7.6}}##, using 1 to 7, has an error of –1.57*10-8
##(1+2^{–76})^{4^{38}+.5}##, using 1 to 8, has an error of 3.96*10-47
##\displaystyle \left(1+9^{-4^{7\cdot 6}} \right)^{3^{2^{85}}}##, using 1 to 9, has an error of –2.01*10-18,457,734,525,360,901,453,873,570. If you write its decimal digits in 10 micrometer small letters and cover the whole surface of Earth with digits, all digits will be correct.

http://www2.stetson.edu/~efriedma/mathmagic/0804.html
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes dkotschessaa, fresh_42, Drakkith and 1 other person
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2,052
Today I learned that an ALEKS pie is not something that you eat.
 
  • #2,053
Today, I learned how ignorant I am, then I read what...
Rachel Hosie said:
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/752215811700424705/gS5sEqhi.jpg
Today, I also learned how damn stupid I am.... I actually read this tripe. ... :oldgrumpy:
 
  • #2,055
OCR said:
Today, I learned how ignorant I am, then I read what...

Today, I also learned how damn stupid I am.... I actually read this tripe. ... :oldgrumpy:
What! Well-done? Never, ever. Now he's lost the already small rest of respect I had for him.
 
  • #2,056
jtbell said:
Today I learned that an ALEKS pie is not something that you eat.
As my chemistry teacher used to say: You can eat everything. Some things you can eat more than once.

If you make an ALEKS pie out of actual pie, you can eat it more than once.
 
  • #2,057
mfb said:
As my chemistry teacher used to say: You can eat everything. Some things you can eat more than once.

If you make an ALEKS pie out of actual pie, you can eat it more than once.
From time to time I have to think about this fellow student of mine, who entered the break room, shaking his head saying:
"Rubbish. There are no zero divisors anywhere!"

So what is an ALEKS pie? No, not the definition. What IS it? A bunch of ##e^-\, , \,\gamma##?
 
  • #2,058
If you make one out of actual pie, it is a large collection of electrons, protons and neutrons.
If you make one out of steel, it is a large collection of electrons, protons and neutrons as well - but this time eating it is more challenging.
 
  • #2,059
Over the past two weeks I learned that mechanical keyboards are awesome. I bought a reasonably priced one, and it's my favorite keyboard of all time. The action is superb. The keyboard takes up less space than my previous keyboards. I love the weight and solidity of the thing. Of course if I want to go into late-night gamer mode, which I seldom have time for, I can switch off all the room lights and switch on the red backlight.

Oh, I almost forgot. I also learned that my idea for a "physics expert system" for tokamak research and development was anticipated way back in the 1950s. Look up the Plasma Apprentice Program from Princeton. No point in reinventing the wheel. But I felt justified in my opinion that most of the theoretical work could be done by a computer. Of course it's that missing 5% or whatever it is today that prevents we humans from becoming redundant -- at least for now. But my intelligent assistant for writing papers is promising, and should help in my upcoming efforts. There's no point in adopting a Luddite attitude towards AI. It's coming, like it or not.
 
  • #2,060
Aufbauwerk 2045 said:
There's no point in adopting a Luddite attitude towards AI. It's coming, like it or not.

That's why we're allotted just threescore and ten, world changes more than we can stand.

But I too like mechanical keyboards

Got good headphones ?



old jim
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes Aufbauwerk 2045
  • #2,061
jim hardy said:
Got good headphones ?



old jim


What does a good set of headphones have to do with mechanical keyboards? If you mean they are noisy, it's true the clickety-clack is a bit more than from my flimsy old plastic keyboard. To which I say TANSTAAFL.

Today's mechanical keyboards are more advanced than those clumsy old mechanical typewriters. The mechanical keyboard switches today are impressive. Actually mechanical keyboards are cool these days.

http://www.keyboardco.com/blog/index.php/2012/12/an-introduction-to-cherry-mx-mechanical-switches/

I want to mention one other thing I learned today. I learned that when Windows 10 decides to update itself on my new computer, then tells me "Do not turn off your computer" because Windows is busy doing something, and I should stand by, and not dare to interrupt Windows, it is very satisfying to immediately turn off my computer. Sorry, Microsoft, but it's my computer, not yours. I will turn it off any time I please.

BTW I learned today it's not hard to disable automatic updates on Windows 10. But I am not recommending that. It's not that I'm against updates, I'm just against automatic ones. I can schedule myself to check for updates when it's convenient for me. Some people might be better off allowing Windows to update when it wants to, because if they forget about it then the updates really pile up.

Soon they will be trying to sell us computers that are hooked up to the cloud 24/7 and can't be shut off. All for "our own good" of course.

:)
 
  • #2,062
This is one of the reasons I don't like the Microsoft OS. It has poor manners. My Mac does not do that.
 
  • #2,063
Aufbauwerk 2045 said:
What does a good set of headphones have to do with mechanical keyboards?

Not a thing.
That recording is from the golden days of hi-fi , as good as commercial analog can be. RCA's Tony Salvatore was the recording engineer. https://www.discogs.com/artist/399562-Anthony-Salvatore

The sound of that orchestra is a treat for the ears. I hear huge differences in tone quality between my three dollar Koss, six dollar Sony, and nineteen dollar Sony headphones. Even on whatever is Youtube's audio stream .
I don't own any audiophile stuff, though.

To remaster for this disc(another Salvatore recording)
https://www.discogs.com/Arthur-Fiedler-Boston-Pops-Orchestra-Pops-Roundup/release/6409473
RCA actually dug up and restored the old Ampex tape recorder they'd used to make the 1962 original . Its sound quality will really show off a good stereo.
 
  • #2,065
jim hardy said:
Not a thing.
That recording is from the golden days of hi-fi , as good as commercial analog can be. RCA's Tony Salvatore was the recording engineer. https://www.discogs.com/artist/399562-Anthony-Salvatore

The sound of that orchestra is a treat for the ears. I hear huge differences in tone quality between my three dollar Koss, six dollar Sony, and nineteen dollar Sony headphones. Even on whatever is Youtube's audio stream .
I don't own any audiophile stuff, though.

To remaster for this disc(another Salvatore recording)
https://www.discogs.com/Arthur-Fiedler-Boston-Pops-Orchestra-Pops-Roundup/release/6409473
RCA actually dug up and restored the old Ampex tape recorder they'd used to make the 1962 original . Its sound quality will really show off a good stereo.

Very interesting. Actually I am an audiophile, although right now I don't have a good enough system. Something for the near future I hope.

I would like to ask about people's experience with analog vs digital sound quality, but I think that's for another thread. I will just say that once I heard a very old tube radio playing some music, and it was a much warmer and richer sound (imprecise words I know) than I had ever heard from any other radio.
 
  • #2,067
Robert Lucky came up with the idea of an adaptive filter at a stop light.
 
  • #2,068
TIL who is Robert Lucky
http://www.boblucky.com/reflect/jan14.html

Hobby Electronics
Published in IEEE Spectrum Magazine, Jan 2014

Many older engineers first became interested in electronics through hobbies in their youth -- experimenting with electronics, assembling kits, or participating in amateur radio....
my kind of guy ! Thanks, Chiral .
 
Last edited:
  • #2,069
Today I learned the odds of filling out a perfect March Madness bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion :nb) I wonder if it's worth filling out 9.2 quintillion brackets...
 
  • #2,070
I realized finite automata are precisely corresponding finite semigroups.. then I googled it and saw that it's a well-known fact. Oh well, the pleasure of discovery
 
  • #2,071
TIL that October 23rd (10-23) is national mole day (1023).
Too bad I missed it!

This joins Pi-day (March 14 (also missed this one); 3.14), Darwin day (February 12), and DNA day (April 25) in the ever growing constellation of science days.

Maybe there is and isn't something like The Cat in The Box Day.
Or maybe there isn't?
 
  • #2,072
jim hardy said:
Not a thing.
That recording is from the golden days of hi-fi , as good as commercial analog can be. RCA's Tony Salvatore was the recording engineer. https://www.discogs.com/artist/399562-Anthony-Salvatore

The sound of that orchestra is a treat for the ears. I hear huge differences in tone quality between my three dollar Koss, six dollar Sony, and nineteen dollar Sony headphones. Even on whatever is Youtube's audio stream .
I don't own any audiophile stuff, though.

To remaster for this disc(another Salvatore recording)
https://www.discogs.com/Arthur-Fiedler-Boston-Pops-Orchestra-Pops-Roundup/release/6409473
RCA actually dug up and restored the old Ampex tape recorder they'd used to make the 1962 original . Its sound quality will really show off a good stereo.

wow what year is that? the noise is real lol SNR 60db ? A treat for the ears! Proof positive our sense are not measuring devices! :D

with todays recording and playback quality it is neat to hear all the little coughs, clangs and other noises in the back ground of live orchestra performances. all had with a 10$ DAC/ chip amp & $15 headphones...beat that Golden days of high-fi lol j/k

a case of member berries
 
  • #2,073
BillTre said:
Maybe there is and isn't something like The Cat in The Box Day.
Or maybe there isn't?
I believe it all hinges on whether or not it's "observed" :wink:
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes Comeback City, DrGreg and BillTre
  • #2,074
nitsuj said:
wow what year is that?

When vacuum tubes and slide rules roamed the earth.
Original recording of Typewriter was 1958.
Pops Roundup in 1962. i bought my first copy then.
It's interesting to play the vinyl and CD versions on same system and compare the sound since both are from same master tape..
It's subjective of course but you can tell the difference. CD sounds better i think mostly because its dynamic range beats what you can do with a groove and stylus. Bear in mind I don't own audiophile stuff, somebody with a thousand dollar turntable and similar grade cartridge might disagree with me.

Interesting article about recording on vinyl here
http://www.recordtech.com/prodsounds.htm
 
Last edited:
  • #2,075
jim hardy said:
When vacuum tubes and slide rules roamed the earth.
Original recording of Typewriter was 1958.
Pops Roundup in 1962. i bought my first copy then.
It's interesting to play the vinyl and CD versions on same system and compare the sound since both are from same master tape..
It's subjective of course but you can tell the difference. CD sounds better i think mostly because its dynamic range beats what you can do with a groove and stylus. Bear in mind I don't own audiophile stuff, somebody with a thousand dollar turntable and similar grade cartridge might disagree with me.

Interesting article about recording on vinyl here
http://www.recordtech.com/prodsounds.htm
imo vacuum tube amps and analog master -> vinyl has an appeal, and even how fancy they got with speaker box design when amplifying / drivers were limited. For me it's the electrical engineering, the mechanics of such a set up that I appreciate. Like a mechanical wrist watch...I can follow how it works, not like that silicon magic voodoo designed with silicon and made with laser..."hand made" machine stuff ftw

ahaha Jim you got to agree with me on this, "audiophile" is a price point...the tech today offers great sound on the cheap, true for recording too. Even for my "old" ears the difference in value for stereo equipment from when I was a kid, 80's to today is huge...it's fun playing old recordings through new tech.

Just a note, something like a Fiio x3 2nd Gen and say sennheiser HD offers accurate sound reproduction on the "cheap". That said imo the sound difference between $200 headphones and $30 ones is pretty small.
 
  • #2,076
nitsuj said:
ahaha Jim you got to agree with me on this, "audiophile" is a price point...the tech today offers great sound on the cheap, true for recording too. Even for my "old" ears the difference in value for stereo equipment from when I was a kid, 80's to today is huge...it's fun playing old recordings through new tech.
Difference in value between my high school days and now is orders of magnitude.
Around 1995 i built this little K-88 audio amp kit for my office, to stream background.
k88AmpKit.jpg


I hot glued it in a sardine can and velcro-ed to the side of my monitor.
It's a linear and look at that THD ! i think it cost about ten bucks then and took fifteen minutes to build. A couple old 6" pipe tees made steampunk enclosures. Tuned them to 6" woofers . Sound was great at low volume which used to be the mark of good equipment.
For contrast
In high school , 1964, i built a record player for my girlfriend with push pull 6AQ5's (miniature 6V6's) . Worked a week drilling for tube sockets and wiring the chassis. Just a decent output transformer cost me ten bucks even back then. K-88 is about same power and way superior performance not to mention it doesn't heat the room.

So i can only shake my head in wonderment at what's available to the hobbyist nowadays.
We old guys can do that for dramatic effect. Recall Doc Brown's amazement at Marty McFly's videocam?

Just bought my first "Class D" for the TV bookshelf speakers, anxious to try it out.
On living room stereo speakers though i remain old school. Keeping my antique 12 inch reflex Altecs forever because they 'fill the room' with sound. I've yet to encounter a compact speaker that can evoke frisson.

And, today i learned "What is a Fiio " ? Thanks !

old jim
 
  • #2,077
Today I learned (not for the first time) that there are two sides to every story.

It's interesting how people's recollection of events can be wildly different. Sometimes I wish we were all robots! Or, barring that, big, smelly dogs like @phinds!
 
  • #2,078
Drakkith said:
Today I learned (not for the first time) that there are two sides to every story.

It's interesting how people's recollection of events can be wildly different. Sometimes I wish we were all robots! Or, barring that, big, smelly dogs like @phinds!
I'll have you know that I smell WONDERFUL. Sometimes. OK, only occasionally. OK, only right after grooming. But I smell WONDERFUL right after grooming !
 
  • #2,079
Drakkith said:
Today I learned (not for the first time) that there are two sides to every story.

It's interesting how people's recollection of events can be wildly different. Sometimes I wish we were all robots! Or, barring that, big, smelly dogs like @phinds!
When I was in grade school, a teacher in one class performed an experiment where she took a student into the hall and told them a complex story. That student repeated it to the next student, etc. until the story made it's way through the entire class. The last student recited the story and then the teacher revealed the original story on the whiteboard. It wasn't even close.
 
  • #2,080
Drakkith said:
Today I learned (not for the first time) that there are two sides to every story.
Yeah, I've noticed that too, but then I've also noticed that my side is always right. Curious how that works out.
 
  • #2,081
phinds said:
Yeah, I've noticed that too, but then I've also noticed that my side is always right. Curious how that works out.

:rolleyes:
 
  • #2,082
phinds said:
Yeah, I've noticed that too, but then I've also noticed that my side is always right. Curious how that works out.
Wow, usually my side is wrong here on PF... or maybe there's just a lot of people here smarter than I (but can this actually be?). Very interesting stuff to think about...
 
  • #2,084
Reply
  • Like
Likes EnumaElish, nitsuj, collinsmark and 1 other person
  • #2,085
Today I learned sadly that Chuck Barris is dead.
RIP Chuck Barris



"Have You Got A Nickle?"
 
  • #2,086
I learned that when a website does not respond fast enough, I need to stop hitting the Post Reply button again and again until the machine does what I want it to do.

Stupid machines.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes EnumaElish and mfb
  • #2,087
Aufbauwerk 2045 said:
Stupid machines.
stupid machine said:
Windows troubleshooter cannot find the problem

Well okay, then. Troubleshoot this !

Terminated.jpg


No more recalcitrance out of that one.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes Aufbauwerk 2045, nuuskur, OmCheeto and 2 others
  • #2,088
I was reading an article about a man who collected $763,000 in missing money. I followed the links and put my name in just for the heck of it. TIL that I have over $50 in unclaimed money for a previous address that I lived at.
:partytime:
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes EnumaElish, OmCheeto, Drakkith and 1 other person
  • #2,089
Borg said:
I was reading an article about a man who collected $763,000 in missing money. I followed the links and put my name in just for the heck of it. TIL that I have over $50 in unclaimed money for a previous address that I lived at.
:partytime:

I did that once, but the cost of getting a notarized claim for it was higher than the amount I supposedly had.
 
  • #2,090
TIL that you can play Ms. Pac-Man on Google maps today (and presumably tomorrow (April Fool's Day).
It seems to use roads from a randomly selected area.
Punch the Pac-Man square at lower left to play.
 
  • #2,091
BillTre said:
TIL that you can play Ms. Pac-Man on Google maps today (and presumably tomorrow (April Fool's Day).
It seems to use roads from a randomly selected area.
Punch the Pac-Man square at lower left to play.
Can't figure out how to play the game, but this is freakin' cool!

They surveyed the heights of all my @#%&$#% neighbor's trees...

That is some serious computing power there, if they did this for everywhere.
 
Last edited:
  • #2,092
OmCheeto said:
Can't figure out to play the game, but this is freakin' cool!

They surveyed the heights of all my @#%&$#% neighbor's trees...

That is some serious computing power there, if they did this for everywhere.
I hate Google's redirect. <grrrr>
 
  • #2,093
Today I learned, that I haven't failed. I have merely found 1001 ways that do not work. #semigroup-theory-is-awesome, #friday-nights-with-semigroup-theory, #deadline-is-in-one-month, #no-pressure.

Ok enough with the hashtag BS -.-
 
  • #2,094
XZ923 said:
I did that once, but the cost of getting a notarized claim for it was higher than the amount I supposedly had.
I guess that it depends on the state. Mine just wants a photocopy of two forms of ID and a bill showing the address that I lived at. I'll make copies next week, send it in and see what happens.

For those who are interested in checking, the link that I used was this - http://www.missingmoney.com/. Once I saw a match, I followed a link to my state's lost money site.
 
  • #2,095
Borg said:
I guess that it depends on the state. Mine just wants a photocopy of two forms of ID and a bill showing the address that I lived at. I'll make copies next week, send it in and see what happens.
Hi Borg:

I confess I am a cautious person regarding possible scams. Try to make sure the organization and address are legit before sending them ID information.

Good luck.

Regards,
Buzz
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes EnumaElish, Borg and fresh_42
  • #2,096
Buzz Bloom said:
Hi Borg:

I confess I am a cautious person regarding possible scams. Try to make sure the organization and address are legit before sending them ID information.

Good luck.

Regards,
Buzz
Thanks, Buzz. My wife and I are extremely careful with regard to possible scams. When I told her about it, that was the first thing that she asked if I verified. The claim form came directly from the Virginia State Treasury - https://www.vamoneysearch.org/.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes EnumaElish and Buzz Bloom
  • #2,097
OmCheeto said:
Can't figure out how to play the game, but this is freakin' cool!

I used the arrow keys on my Mac laptop.
Possible alternates might be keys on the numberpad (which I don't have) or the sets of letter keys (forget what they are) sometimes used for similar things.
 
  • #2,098
BillTre said:
I used the arrow keys on my Mac laptop.
Possible alternates might be keys on the numberpad (which I don't have) or the sets of letter keys (forget what they are) sometimes used for similar things.
Ah ha! I opened the "Google Earth" app by mistake.
Now I get it.
https://www.google.com/maps/@44.6330699,-121.1302995,18z/data=!1e3

ps. Today I learned that I'm really bad at playing Ms. Pacman.
pps. Not sure what button I clicked on earlier on the "Google Earth" app, but I seem to have activated "3D trees", which is a sub-item under "3D buildings". Anyways, that's what I got all excited about this morning.
ppps. It appears that "3D trees" has been available for 7 years, but only for selected cities. Not sure when Portland got added. The feature is not available for some small towns I checked: Madras & Veneta, Oregon.
 
  • #2,099
OmCheeto said:
The feature is not available for some small towns I checked: Madras & Veneta, Oregon.
NYC with its rectangular streets might be good unless the blocks aren't too large.
Yep, tested.
 
  • #2,100
Today I learned... how to build a lightsaber.
33744728526_96e0a3bbf0_c.jpg

Source (1:50 - ): Youtube link
 

Similar threads

Things that you regret not continuing to practice?
Replies
14
Views
2K
What Did You Learn Today? A Tradition of Daily Learning and Sharing
Replies
26
Views
6K
Home Repair & Maintenance Advice for Newbie?
Replies
11
Views
3K
Understanding the divide white/black/blue
4
Replies
161
Views
13K
Studying I feel I have lost it. How do I be dissolved in studies again?
Replies
4
Views
2K
Fighting for Financial Relief: Surviving COVID Debt
Replies
9
Views
2K
Optimizing Prisoner Strategy for the Hat Riddle: A Simple Solution
Replies
35
Views
7K
MHB Effective learning techniques for abstract mathematics?
Replies
3
Views
3K
My experience as a hostage
Replies
2
Views
109
Learn to Play Piano - Tips for Beginners
Replies
27
Views
6K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top