I have long known what a differential gear does — it keeps one wheel from slipping when you turn a corner — but I’d never really understood how.
This video finally clears that up for me. Fantastic!
(via BB)
Mar 302011
As, the Daily What puts it, “An amiable Russian dude fires at water jugs point-blank with bullets of varying calibre in order to show the level of damage each one causes.”
There is some impressive damage. And, really, educational.
Nov 202010
Something about cat videos reminds me of the Borg — resistance to them being futile and all. But something else about cat videos reminds me of Ewoks. Probably the fact that they are furry and friendly and you can *almost* understand what they’re saying.
(via thedailywhat)
Nov 192010
Over at Scientopia, they’ve got a fantastic roundup of a lot of recent research into the mystery of orgasm. And yes, it really is a mystery to scientists (no under-sexed nerd jokes, please).
I cannot possibly recommend enough that you dig into that post and start reading.
So yes, everything you wanted to know about the biology, biochemistry and physiology of orgasm (is on another blog). Sorry ’bout the link-bait title.
(From @carnal_carnival, via @anthinpractice)
This graphic promises to show you how to pick a lock in about five minutes. I haven’t tried it, and it’s not too clear on the “mechanical weakness” that it claims to exploit, but knowing what little I do about the innards of combination locks, I’m not going to completely rule it out.
Since I happen to have a combination lock around somewhere, I think I’ll dig it out and give this a shot.
Click to see full-size.
(via Online Education)
Oct 182009
Thank-you to Slate, which published the only piece of journalism on Balloon Boy that I have cared to read. Their Balloon Boy FAQ addresses the absolute most-important questions of the whole saga.
No, I don’t care whether it was a hoax or what the charges will be. No, I don’t want to muse about the irony of a boy named Falcon not actually going soaring through the air. No, I don’t particularly mind that thousands of dollars were spent on the would-be “rescue.”
But I DO care — very much — about how to get my own gigantic flying contraption! And, is it legal in the first place? Turns out, yes:
Anyone can construct and fly a homemade engineless aircraft that’s less than 155 pounds without permission from the Federal Aviation Administration. You don’t even need a pilot’s license. The balloon that sailed across Colorado appeared to be extremely lightweight and would probably qualify. If the aircraft is more than 155 pounds, you need a license to pilot the balloon and FAA certification. First, an FAA inspector comes to look at the aircraft. If it looks airworthy, you can begin test flights, with certain restrictions—you have to stay within a limited geographical area, for example, and can’t fly at night. If that goes well and the inspector approves your flight log, you can fly your experimental aircraft anywhere in the United States.
They also note that helium balloons, like Balloon Boy’s, are pretty expensive to fill and to fly. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that a standard helium balloon would cost about $10,0000 per flight.
That’s why hot-air balloons are more popular. But, of course, hot-air balloons are generally bigger, heavier and slower. As Slate explains:
Hot-air balloons stay aloft for about an hour and might travel a few miles. Gas balloons can fly for three days at a time and traverse the entire continent.
Now that’s a cross-country voyage that even beats the classic romance of the train.
Of course, you can also just buy a bunch of weather balloons and attach them to a lawn chair.
Thank God this video wasn’t a “this wine is great, try this vintage” style of helpfulness. Instead, Gary Vaynerchuk gives you general rules of thumb to follow. Of course, the best advice (I think) he gives is simply to try lots of wines, and figure out what you like. Then, try something new!
According to his Wikipedia page, Vaynerchuk seems to be a bit of an enfant terrible in the wine world, but I like his style.
Now, who’s up for a bottle or three?
Jul 052009
I never really thought about it, but Saturday morning cartoons may have gotten a bad rap. They’re often portrayed as brain-rotting, attention-span-diminishing garbage — like sugar cereal for the mind.
But upon reflection, I think that some of the cartoons I grew up on may have been much more than that. Many of the Disney cartoons, whichever characters they may feature, rip off (or riff off) storylines from classic literature. And no, it’s not the same as the original, but it’s at least an introduction to the classical canon.
It goes for the soundtrack, too. Check out this list of classical compositions used in cartoons:
While the vast majority of the cartoons of the 1930s-1950s made excellent use of popular music and original compositions, they also used classical music to great effect, creating some of the finest animated masterpieces of all time.
Rossini’s overtures were popular with cartoonists, as were Liszt’s Hungarian rhapsodies and Brahms’ Hungarian dances. In cartoon-land, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata became synonymous with quiet, moonlit scenes, while the opening notes to his Fifth Symphony were used to introduce Nazis during World War II. The final movement of Liszt’s Les Preludes frequently introduced some cartoons.
Here’s an example, cited as No. 4 in the list:
Music: Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2
The Cat Concerto won the Academy Award for Short Subjects-Cartoons in 1946. Warner Bros. released a nearly identical cartoon the same year, Rhapsody Rabbit, which had many of the same gags. Both MGM and Warner Bros. accused the other of plagiarism, but nothing official came of it. It’s a toss-up as to whether The Cat Concerto or Rhapsody Rabbit is the better cartoon. Also watch Rhapsody in Rivets, an Oscar-nominated Warner Bros. cartoon that features the construction of the “Umpire State Building” while the foreman/conductor leaders the show.
I was stunned to see that much of the cartoon relies on an audience that can understand the spoof of concert pianists. And, even if you’re not a musician, you’ll get a fairly-true-to-life education in the mechanics of a piano here.
Click “activate keyboard controls” and use your keyboard to play the, um, keyboard.
Here’s the code for Hey Jude:
LJ JLQH HJKE EWLQLKJ LQQ QREWEQL GHJQL LKJFG
And Star Wars:
…s h gfdl h gfdl h gfgd …s h gfdl h gfdl h gfgd …/ /gfdssdfd/8 …/ /gfdhdd …/ /gfdssdfd/8 hhh
You have to use the capitals or lowercase as indicated. There are many more songs (and it’s WAY easier to see) on the website: