"We have no morals, and we will attack you."--Ethan Krupp, the pajama-clad TV spokesman for ObamaCare.
Whoa! From Energy Manager: The Thermo Acoustic Power Stick (TAPS) announced by energy startup Nirvana
Energy Systems Inc. (headquartered in Portola Valley, Calif.) is designed to
convert a home’s natural gas supply into electricity, providing the home with
its own mini power plant, or micro-grid. The device was initially developed with
PARC, a Xerox company in Palo Alto, Calif. At the heart of the device is
Glenn’s acoustic-based Stirling technology that was licensed to Nirvana earlier
this year. The Stirling propulsion technology, developed for spaceflight
missions, uses acoustic waves instead of mechanical parts to convert and
transfer energy for electrical power generation. According to Nirvana, TAPS
produces between 1kW to 4kW of electrical power and 15-30kW of thermal power
with efficiency in excess of 905. Nirvana is designing TAPS to be a compact
system that can easily be retrofitted into residential systems.
On the origin of the word "runes" from Luis Borges' lectures: "The word run in Saxon means “whisper,” or what is spoken in a low voice. And that means “mystery,” because what is spoken in a low voice is what one doesn’t want others to hear. So runes means “mysteries”; letters are mysteries."
Who was the man who designed the Bayeux Tapestry, one of the most important artworks of the Middle Ages? Historian Howard B. Clarke believes that it was Scolland, the abbot of St.Augustine’s monastery in Canterbury, and that it was made around the year 1075.
Sixty percent of Americans say that "humans and other living things have evolved over time," a telephone survey by the Pew Research Center's Religion and Public Life Project showed. But 33 percent reject the idea of evolution, saying that "humans and other living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time," Pew said in a statement.
It takes about 21 days to build a habit--but only if it is easy. If it is hard--50 sit-ups, memorizing Russian--it takes longer, sometimes months. Across the board, with easy and difficult tasks, the largest data suggests it takes 66 days until a habit is formed.
Is Blackberry the only smartphone that does not allow the NSA access to one's data?
From
the age of three, Wolfgang Mozart had an entire family driving him to
excel with a powerful blend of instruction, encouragement, and constant
practice. He was expected to be the pride and financial engine of the
family. But today many young children exposed to Suzuki and other
rigorous musical programs play as well as the young Mozart did -- and
some play even better. (Shenk in "The Genius in all of Us")
Who was... Luis Borges?
It
is generally agreed that financial advisors and managers are randomly
correct. That is, a financial manager will usually track the general
financial averages and rarely exceed them. That given, why do we expect
politicians to be more correct?
The
Indian physicist Sugata Mitra--of "emergent learning" fame--conducted
an experiment in the small village of Kalikkuppam in southern India.
This time Mitra decided to see if a bunch of impoverished
Tamil-speaking, twelve-year-olds could learn to use the Internet, which
they'd never seen before; to teach themselves biotechnology, a subject
they'd never heard of; in English, a language none of them spoke. When
tested 2 months later the kids graded 30 percent on standardized high
school exams. If a older supervisor was present (who knew no more than
the kids but offered encouragement) the grades jumped to 50 per cent, the average grade in high school.
Two years after the Cuban missile crisis, only 38% of Americans knew the Soviet Union was not a member of NATO. In a 2006 Zogby poll, only 42% could name the three branches of the federal government. 20% think the sun revolves around the Earth. Ilya Somin of George Mason University Law School has a book out arguing that larger governments, more problems and more complexity of those problems make understanding of the government and its actions less achievable. Thus, he says, size and complexity of government are inherently undemocratic. He says it also argues for more stringent judicial review.
A low-end iPhone has 240,000 times the memory of the computers on Voyager 1, which is now nearly 12 billion miles from Earth (New York Times, Sept. 13).
Boxing Day: A holiday, the day after Christmas, commonly celebrated in England and the British Commonwealth. "Box" comes from the Germanic word boke, “a blow.” (i.e. "box" the ears, or fighting) Dating back to the Middle Ages, Boxing Day has been associated with the tradition of giving gifts to employees or those in need. The origin of the name "Boxing Day" is obscure but a common explanation centers on the "Christmas box," a clay box that was once commonly found in artisan shops in England. Donations to workers would be placed inside. After Christmas, the box would be broken and the workers in the shop would divvy up the contents.
David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox batted .688 in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
As a young man, in the 1920s, Borges prowled the obscure barrios of Buenos Aires, seeking the company of cuchilleros, knife fighters, who represented to him a form of authentic criollo nativism that he wished to know and absorb. These men show up in his fiction, an effort, it seems, to give a heroic depth to Argentina and its history.
AAAnnnnndddddd.....a section from the Bayeux Tapastry:
No comments:
Post a Comment