Archive for the 'Off Topic' Category
Enphase Promotes STEM Careers for Women
March 2nd, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems that include Enphase products in New Zealand. This is far off topic, but I thought I’d share this for people with young daughters, or for any young women who happen to be reading. The media is saturated with stories about women leaving tech jobs because of entrenched nonsense. Let’s […]
Why Animals Eat Psychoactive Plants
February 10th, 2015Via: BoingBoing: What Ronald K. Siegel discovered seems strange at first. He explains in his book Intoxication: After sampling the numbing nectar of certain orchids, bees drop to the ground in a temporary stupor, then weave back for more. Birds gorge themselves on inebriating berries, then fly with reckless abandon. Cats eagerly sniff aromatic “pleasure” […]
Very Fun Toy Quadcopter: Syma X5C-1
December 13th, 2014Do you know a child or adult who wants to try out a quadcopter, but not interested in spending hundreds of dollars to give them them the opportunity? I bought a Syma X5C-1 for myself and it’s pretty incredible. It’s very smooth and stable, but also capable of quick maneuvers in high gain mode. I […]
Wanderers
November 30th, 2014Make sure to go full screen. Via: Erik Wernquist: Wanderers – a short film by Erik Wernquist from Erik Wernquist on Vimeo.
God’s Lonely Programmer
November 26th, 2014Via: Vice: He kept the rest of the programming simple. God told him to stick to 640×480 and 16 colors, with only a single audio voice. Like Noah, he built as he was commanded. “It’s really obvious what to do next,” he says, “and it can keep you busy for the first ten years.” But […]
ESA Lands Science Probe on Comet
November 12th, 2014#CometLanding Via: European Space Agency, Rosetta Mission / Twitter: TOUCHDOWN for @Philae2014! #CometLanding pic.twitter.com/ZMBeB8ng3h — ESA Rosetta Mission (@ESA_Rosetta) November 12, 2014 More: Philae Touches Down On The Surface Of A Comet
Bosch DLR130K Digital Distance Measurer
September 25th, 2014I’ve been selling solar power systems to people here in New Zealand for the past few months. When someone wants to get a system, I have to conduct a site visit to make sure that their property is suitable and gather information for the installers. I take pictures of the roof, meter box or boxes, […]
Sea Plankton Found Outside International Space Station
August 20th, 2014Via: Stuff: It’s not quite extraterrestrial life, but scientists have discovered sea plankton growing in space. Russian space officials have confirmed traces of plankton and other micro-organisms were found living on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS), and it appears they’ve been living there for years. Russian astronaut Olek Artemyev and Alexander Skvortsov […]
Meet the Electric Life Forms That Live on Pure Energy
July 18th, 2014Via: New Scientist: Unlike any other life on Earth, these extraordinary bacteria use energy in its purest form – they eat and breathe electrons – and they are everywhere STICK an electrode in the ground, pump electrons down it, and they will come: living cells that eat electricity. We have known bacteria to survive on […]
Firefox Classic Theme Restorer
April 29th, 2014I wish Mozilla would stop pointlessly trying to change Firefox’s user interface. Change for the sake of change is retarded. If I wanted to use Chrome, I would. *groan* Anyway, Classic Theme Restorer goes a long way toward “fixing” the new Firefox.
