Today I Learned

[Sophia]

I learned about epilepsy today.
I don't know how true these people's descriptions of what they've been through actually are but am so happy I haven't had it so far. I did witness several kids around my house experiencing it painfully (like those being possessed in exorcism related movies).

Yeah it's a scary disease but it can fortunately be managed well in many cases. Recently people with epilepsy have been allowed to get a driving license here, if their doctor allows.
Sadly, for some people medication doesn't work so well.

 

[RonL]

Today I Learned, Om has a website

"That's exactly as far as I got.
Interesting.
hmmm... I have many theories outside of EE that I'm not allowed to share here at the forum.
Doesn't bother me a bit, as, like you, I post them on my own website.
My website get's about one view per year, and no one in 20 years has commented on my theories.
I took that as a clue."

Tell me more, tell me more...

 

[OmCheeto]

Today I Learned, Om has a website

"That's exactly as far as I got.
Interesting.
hmmm... I have many theories outside of EE that I'm not allowed to share here at the forum.
Doesn't bother me a bit, as, like you, I post them on my own website.
My website get's about one view per year, and no one in 20 years has commented on my theories.
I took that as a clue."

Tell me more, tell me more...

It's a "humorous" site.

A small excerpt:

Building the worlds most efficient vehicle.
[9/1/2008]

Step 3. Physics Tests

Given that my brain is in non-stop mode while I'm awake, most every idea has crossed my mind.
Many of the impractical ones may have been covered in the Physics courses I took at university back in the 1980's, but having forgotten nearly everything, I'm doomed to have to recalculate everything.

The first good bad idea to be dropped was the conversion of kinetic into potential energy.
The mathematics could not have been simpler: h=1/2 * v^2 / g
Basically, it's a bad idea because converting your kinetic energy into potential energy would require, at a speed of only 20 mph, an increase in height of the entire vehicle of about 13 feet. At 55 mph, the height requirement is about 100 feet.
Might make a good Dr. Seuss cartoon.

...

Though, as funny as it seems, the concept has actually been put into practical use.

[edit] Long before I thought of it, btw...

 

[OmCheeto]

TIL something about the Beatle's "Blackbird" song:

Om on Facebook;

"A lovely little sad song. Listening to it, it reminded me of Simone Manuel's reaction to winning the gold medal, and the history of why it was significant. This made me curious as to the original inspiration of the song, as it seemed to fit too well."

Wiki claims; "McCartney has stated that the lyrics of the song were inspired by the unfortunate state of race relations in the United States in the 1960s."​

Well, there you are then."​

 

[RonL]

It's a "humorous" site.

A small excerpt:Though, as funny as it seems, the concept has actually been put into practical use.

[edit] Long before I thought of it, btw...

Didn't know anything practical had been accomplished, but in 1976, I tried to get a patent on a wheel design that would convert your 100' height into about 1/2" strokes that were spaced around the tires, pumping small shots of hydraulic fluid to a drive motor. The simple math gave me a positive power up to about 12 miles per hour, at that point the car weight remaining fixed, killed any additional speed.

 

[OmCheeto]

Didn't know anything practical had been accomplished, but in 1976, I tried to get a patent on a wheel design that would convert your 100' height into about 1/2" strokes that were spaced around the tires, pumping small shots of hydraulic fluid to a drive motor. The simple math gave me a positive power up to about 12 miles per hour, at that point the car weight remaining fixed, killed any additional speed.

Your's sounds suspiciously just like the invention I'm planning on patenting.
hmm...

ps. Today I would like to learn where to get one of those "patent idea" notebooks. I hear they are some kind of special. hmmmm... [google google google]

TIL, that they aren't that special:

"The only required element is that it contain bound pages that can't be temporarily removed (no loose-leaf binders). That's because, as you move forward in the invention process, you'll need to record your progress chronologically. This includes your own thoughts about your idea and your plan of action, as well as any and all conversations you have with others, especially potential business contacts like engineers or manufacturers. Be sure to date these conversations and detail them in your notebook. You'll want to do that because, as recommended by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office , your dated notebook will act as a record to validate your progress..."​

 

[RonL]

Your's sounds suspiciously just like the invention I'm planning on patenting.
hmm...

ps. Today I would like to learn where to get one of those "patent idea" notebooks. I hear they are some kind of special. hmmmm... [google google google]

TIL, that they aren't that special:

"The only required element is that it contain bound pages that can't be temporarily removed (no loose-leaf binders). That's because, as you move forward in the invention process, you'll need to record your progress chronologically. This includes your own thoughts about your idea and your plan of action, as well as any and all conversations you have with others, especially potential business contacts like engineers or manufacturers. Be sure to date these conversations and detail them in your notebook. You'll want to do that because, as recommended by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office , your dated notebook will act as a record to validate your progress..."​

My design was rejected three times and the final rejection was based on an air pump connected to a train wheel (in 1897 no less), I did not have money to continue trying to get coverage of any type, it pretty well broke my spirit for getting invested in things beyond my mental and financial means. My head is still full of "STUFF"

 

[fresh_42]

TIL something about the Beatle's "Blackbird" song:

Om on Facebook;

"A lovely little sad song. Listening to it, it reminded me of Simone Manuel's reaction to winning the gold medal, and the history of why it was significant. This made me curious as to the original inspiration of the song, as it seemed to fit too well."

Wiki claims; "McCartney has stated that the lyrics of the song were inspired by the unfortunate state of race relations in the United States in the 1960s."​

Well, there you are then."​

Here's an interesting story on this subject I read today:
http://www.littlethings.com/real-peter-norman-story/?utm_source=tickld&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=miracle

Also a TIL. Didn't think the Australians had similar issues for so long.

 

[1oldman2]

TIL, while going through my email, the US government is giving research grants to break the laws...of physics. This led to some very interesting reading on time reversal symmetry as well as reciprocity breaking. It appears the research should benefit superconductive, meta-materials and quantum computing development to mention a few fields. http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=189493&WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&WT.mc_ev=click

 

[OmCheeto]

My design was rejected three times and the final rejection was based on an air pump connected to a train wheel (in 1897 no less), I did not have money to continue trying to get coverage of any type, it pretty well broke my spirit for getting invested in things beyond my mental and financial means. My head is still full of "STUFF"

1897? Ha ha! That's actually the era where I expect to find MY patentable idea. This is just too simple.

ps. Send me a PM of the 1897 patent, as TIL that there were 22,065 "utility" patents issued that year. I ain't got time for that much searchin'

 

[Sophia]

Today I finished reading my first simple book in German https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F33E3C0/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[mfb]

Nice :)

On what level is the German in the book?

 

[Sophia]

Nice :)

On what level is the German in the book?

It's on a very basic level. It's specifically written as first reading for beginners. There are 10 (very) short stories about a young man from Italy who came to Berlin in order to learn German. There are several books in the series and I've already bought second one.
I took a year of German 9 years ago and now I'm trying to revise and learn more. This book is exactly the level that fits my needs :-)

 

[fresh_42]

TIL that Sloop John B is actually an Irish folk song for the tin whistle. (Micho Russell, I remember you!)
This explains the very first note, but I'm still not sure if it is a "c" and which one.

Corr.: Bahamas.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Today I learned that LED 100W-equivalent light bulbs (1500 lumens) have now reached the point where they fit in my existing light fittings (well, I had to modify one of the shades slightly) and produce similar light to the old incandescent bulbs. We bought some (at 12.99 UK pounds each - many times the price of the old bulbs) and finally have enough light from the ceiling light that we no longer need the table lamps as well to be able to read comfortably. It's great to have light again which actually comes on at full brightness when I turn on the switch!

Unfortunately these ones are not dimmable, so they are not yet suitable to replace the existing bulbs in our bedrooms, and anyway LED dimmables (which are currently too bulky for our light fittings) will need new dimmer switches as the ones for incandescent bulbs don't work properly with LEDs. We tried a dimmable CFL, but it didn't dim properly and it also made a loud buzzing as soon as it was no longer at maximum. At the moment, we have halogen incandescent bulbs, which only come in clear glass, so we get annoying glimpses of the bright filament and it makes very sharp shadows.

However, this is definitely progress. Within a few years I hope we will be back to where we were with cheap incandescent bulbs.

And perhaps they could introduce a built-in "heating" feature too; I used to like the fact that my old desk lamp took the chill off the surface of my desk and my keyboard in cold weather, making my hands and arms more comfortable, but now I have to turn up the room heating instead.

 

[mfb]

(at 12.99 UK pounds each - many times the price of the old bulbs)

They last basically forever, and save electricity - in the long run they are cheaper. Even if you have to heat a bit more.

 

[rollete]

Today I learned that The Science Forum is not the Physics Forum.

 

[Bystander]

Stick around ... you might like this place as well.

 

[rollete]

I hope so...

 

[rbelli1]

The Science Forum

TIL: Why the moderators here can seem a bit crotchety at times.

BoB

 

[Molar]

I don't know how to write LaTex codes. So, today I thought I would try to learn it.

Today I learned how to write the superscripts, subscripts and the roots and fractions, using the guidelines given here.
I am quite excited.

 

[andrewkirk]

Today I learned that 'capital city' does not mean 'city where the government of a country (or state or province) is'.

This came up in conversation with my sister-in-law, who lived in Netherlands for a while and said in passing something about Amsterdam being the capital, and I said no the Hague is the capital. She said, no that's where the government is, but the capital is Amsterdam.

I did some web searching and found she's right. Apparently there is an ancient law or proclamation of some sort, still in force, that says Amsterdam is the capital. I then looked up some definitions of 'capital city' and found this interesting Wikipedia page that says

'A capital city (or capital town or just capital) is a city or town, specified by law or constitution, by the government of a country, or part of a country, such as a state, province or county.'

How weird is that? The city is 'specified by law', but not specified to be anything in particular, such as a seat of government!

Apparently Malaysia also has a seat of government (Putrajaya) that is not its capital - which is Kuala Lumpur.

 

[Buzz Bloom]

TIL (actually yesterday) an excellent example of a general mathematical truth. This truth says:

For a sequence of propositions P(N) which depend of the value of a positive integer N, it may be possible to prove that each proposition is true individually, but not possible to prove the general proposition: For all N, P(N).​

The logic is that each P(N) may be individually proved with a finite proof which does not use induction. However, to prove the general proposition, induction is required, and the use of induction is arguably plausible that it is improper to use it for the particular general proposition.

See https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/blue-eye-paradox.875870/page-14#post-5549227 .

ADDED
For some reason, the link above is not to the correct post. I must not properly understand how to correctly create a link to a specific post. The correct post is post #273 on page 14.

 

[fresh_42]

TIL (actually yesterday) an excellent example of a general mathematical truth. This truth says:

For a sequence of propositions P(N) which depend of the value of a positive integer N, it may be possible to prove that each proposition is true individually, but not possible to prove the general proposition: For all N, P(N).​

The logic is that each P(N) may be individually proved with a finite proof which does not use induction. However, to prove the general proposition, induction is required, and the use of induction is arguably plausible that it is improper to use it for the particular general proposition.

See https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/blue-eye-paradox.875870/page-14#post-5549227 .

ADDED
For some reason, the link above is not to the correct post. I must not properly understand how to correctly create a link to a specific post. The correct post is post #273 on page 14.

Fermat's last theorem came to my mind by reading this. Proven for many N, before A. Wiles was able to prove it for all N more than 300 years later.

 

[jtbell]

Today I learned about the Langauge Weirdness Index, which ranks 239 languages basically according to the number of grammatical features they have, that other languages do not have. (It was originally published on the blog of a startup company that has since gone belly-up, breaking the links that you'll find on most other sites. However, the main author has now re-posted it on his own blog, and that's where my link above leads to.)

The weirdest language turns out to be Chalcatongo Mixtec, which is spoken by about 6,000 people in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Next comes Nenets, spoken by about 22,000 in Siberia. You probably know one word of Nenets: parka.

In third place is Choctaw, spoken by about 10,000 people of Native American heritage, mostly in Oklahoma.

Surprisingly, German is in tenth place. Below it but still in the top 25 are Dutch, Norwegian, Czech and Spanish. English is in 33rd place, which is still rather high.

Going down to the bottom of the list, the least weird language is Hindi. Also in the bottom ten are Cantonese, Hungarian and Basque.

Read the article and you'll see how they arrived at those results.

 

[Buzz Bloom]

Hi JT:

I did a text search on the article you cited and looked for "Esperanto", but I failed to find it. Esperanto was invented with the specific intention to avoid "weirdness" as the article uses this adjective.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto
The Polish-Jewish ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, Unua Libro, on 26 July 1887.​

I would be curious to see how successful the inventor was compared with low-weirdness natural (not invented) languages.

Regards,
Buzz

 

[Borg]

I did a text search on the article you cited and looked for "Esperanto", but I failed to find it.

Did you try the Excel spreadsheet that was linked near the bottom?
Weirdness_index_values_full_list

 

[Buzz Bloom]

Did you try the Excel spreadsheet that was linked near the bottom?

Hi Borg:

Thanks for your suggestion. I just searched the spreadsheet, but no luck. Perhaps the originator of the spreadsheet might be willing to add Esperanto in the next edition.

ADDED
I found the following Twitter page for the originator:
Tyler Schnoebelen
https://twitter.com/TSchnoebelen

I don't do Twitter. If you know someone who does, perhasps they might send Tyler a messge.

Regards,
Buzz

 

[Fewmet]

Today I learned that the Maquis were (will not be?) just an anti-Cardassian resistance movement (Star Trek: Deeps Space Nine) but also an anti-German resistance movement in occupied France during World War II.

(I wish I had a better background in history.)

 

[mfb]

Looks like they only considered the number of languages for the weirdness index, not the speakers. Which is weird - it allows features the majority of the world population uses to appear as weird if they are mainly used by widely spoken languages, but not by all the exotic languages.