not quite a random walk

staff: Stay in school, kids!

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:39:28 -0400

staff:

Stay in school, kids!

"There is more variation in the way people say things than in the the things they intend to say."

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:19:18 -0400

“There is more variation in the way people say things than in the the things they intend to say.”

fuckyeahfluiddynamics: The world’s most powerful artificial...

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:29:55 -0400

fuckyeahfluiddynamics:

The world’s most powerful artificial tornado is part of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Though popular enough with visitors that the staff will bring out smoke generators to make it visible, the tornado was not built as an attraction - It’s actually part of the building’s fire protection system. The modern open design of the museum meant that conventional smoke removal systems were inadequate. Instead vorticity is generated in the central lobby with 144 wall-mounted jets. The angular velocity created by the jets is strongest at the middle, in the vortex core, due to conservation of angular momentum - exactly the way a spinning ice skater speeds up by pulling his arms in. The core of the vortex is a low pressure area, which draws outside air toward it - this is how the tornado pulls in smoke when there is a fire. The fan on the ceiling provides the pressure draw necessary for the smoke to be pulled up and out of the building at a supposed rate of 4 tons per minute. See the tornado in action here. (Photo credit: Mercedes-Benz Passion; submitted by Ivan)

Discovered Alba’s edge, playing what they call Scottish...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:32:23 -0400

Discovered Alba’s edge, playing what they call Scottish Latin Jazz, at Lilypad in Cambridge last night. Fantastic.

theonion: Obama, Rachel Goldstein Really Hitting It Off On...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:33:37 -0400

theonion:

Obama, Rachel Goldstein Really Hitting It Off On Group Trip To Israel: Full Report

deducecanoe: Statistics!

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:49:02 -0400

deducecanoe:

Statistics!

tinyclicks: Slush Rush

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:10:32 -0400

tinyclicks:

Slush Rush

(via Abstruse Goose | in the classroom)

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:07:03 -0400

(via Abstruse Goose | in the classroom)

Mice Learn Better with Help from Human Brain Cells

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:14:08 -0500

Mice Learn Better with Help from Human Brain Cells

jtotheizzoe: via paulhillier: Chris Hadfield: An astronaut’s...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:48:04 -0500

jtotheizzoe:

via paulhillier:

Chris Hadfield: An astronaut’s advice

As seen on http://zenpencils.com
Art: by Gavin Aung Than
Words: by Chris Hadfield

Why worry about growing up when there’s so much GOING up to do? Canada, I am officially thanking you for Commander Hadfield.

And Commander Hadfield, I’m officially thanking you for beaming the wonder of space back down to Earth on a daily basis.

kingdomy: Giedrius Stakauskas new favorite tumblr

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:59:12 -0500

kingdomy:

Giedrius Stakauskas

new favorite tumblr

Consumerist: We would pour one out for Chivas Brothers in remembrance of the loss of about 18,000...

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:55:49 -0500

Consumerist:

We would pour one out for Chivas Brothers in remembrance of the loss of about 18,000 liters of Scotch whisky, but, well, plenty has been poured out already. Workers accidentally flushed around $750,000 worth of bulk whisky instead of the waste water they were supposed to dispose of at a bottling plant in Scotland this week.

wtfevolution: “Do you ever think that maybe there’s something...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:26:57 -0500

wtfevolution:

“Do you ever think that maybe there’s something more out there?”

“What do you mean, evolution?”

“I don’t know, like, that there’s some greater purpose for all these animals I’m making, other than just eating and pooping and having little animals.”

“I guess I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“I just wonder what the point is sometimes. What’s stopping me from going off the rails and making this sage grouse look completely absurd? Why don’t I just give it demon eyes and ridiculous inflatable chest balloons? Who cares? What difference does it make?”

“Aw, come on, don’t talk like that.”

“Why not? Seriously, I’m going to do it. See if anyone stops me. Bet you they won’t.”

fuckyeahfluiddynamics: A drop of red dye falls into a thin...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:32:09 -0500

fuckyeahfluiddynamics:

A drop of red dye falls into a thin layer of milk, forming a crown splash. Notice the pale edges of the droplets at the rim of the crown; this is milk that has been entrained by the original drop. The rim and satellite droplets surrounding the splash are formed due to surface tension effects, chiefly the Plateau-Rayleigh instability—the same effect responsible for breaking a falling column of liquid into droplets like in a leaking faucet. The instability will have a most unstable wavelength that determines the number of satellite droplets formed. (Photo credit: W. van Hoeve et al., University of Twente)

Fluids are crazy.

maxistentialist: Hi Anne. OK So I’ve been proud to know...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:11:00 -0500

maxistentialist:

Hi Anne.

OK So I’ve been proud to know the creators of Cards Against Humanity for a long time now (and proud of it having been tested in my apartment, and for inventing the gambling rule). I beamed with pride when I got my first Kickstarter set and again each of the dozens of times someone I introduced the game to insisted that we play it again. I was so happy for these assholes when Cards became the #1 selling game on Amazon, and then again when I saw how many likes it had on Facebook (44k currently). But this might be the most awesome moment so far, even though Anne didn’t get it the name quite right.

Wiki: List of unsolved problems in mathematics

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:15:17 -0500

Wiki: List of unsolved problems in mathematics:

Ok, fine, I’ll admit it: pure math is cool sometimes.

jtotheizzoe: Did you see those amazing colorized portraits of...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:54:17 -0500

jtotheizzoe:

Did you see those amazing colorized portraits of Tesla, Einstein and Darwin the other day? Here’s a few more, featuring a more light-hearted shot of Al, my main man Richard Feynman, and Yuri Gagarin.

Mads Madsen, the artist behind those retouched historical photos (who is only 18 years old, by the way … you rock, dude), has a full gallery for your enjoyment here.

Trust me when I say “enter at your own risk” … from Civil War generals to presidents to movie stars, it’s a sure way to lose yourself for an hour or three.

nprradiopictures: Satellites are powerful tools. They beam our...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:52:48 -0500

nprradiopictures:

Satellites are powerful tools. They beam our TV signals, phone calls and data around the planet. They help us spy, they track storms, they power the GPS signals in our cars and on our phones. But they also send back striking, totally disarming images of planet Earth.

This set of images is all about showing off the “beauty of the Earth,” says Lawrence Friedl, the director of NASA’s Applied Sciences Program and the editor of a project called Earth As Art.“We want people to look at these images and say, ‘How did nature do that?’ “

The project, which NASA has released in iPad and book form, spans the world, from cold peaks to desolate deserts to ocean islands. But these aren’t your typical snapshots.

Earth As Art: ‘How Did Nature Do That?’

Photo Credit: NASA

theonion: Snowstorm In Chicago Delays Hundreds Of Morning...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:51:27 -0500

theonion:

Snowstorm In Chicago Delays Hundreds Of Morning Murders: Full Report

jtotheizzoe: Dolphins Call Each Other by “Name”!! “Cool” is...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:00:19 -0500

jtotheizzoe:

Dolphins Call Each Other by “Name”!!

“Cool” is finding out that dolphins are among the handful of species on Earth that can recognize themselves in the mirror. “Cooler” is finding out that dolphins “name” themselves from a young age with a signature whistle used to signal their identity to other dolphins.

“Ice Cold” is the new discovery that dolphins call out other dolphins’ signatures when they are separated. It’s like calling out for a friend in a crowded room! They even put their own slight tweak on the call, the effect of their unique anatomy (sort of like their voice, if dolphins had “voices”).

I would probably hesitate at calling this something like true “language”, because when we do that we’re prone to attach a lot of human characteristics to it. But it’s definitely an amazing case of animal intelligence and perhaps even culture. This isn’t the only whale that passes on its calls to others. Humpback whales have been shown to trade and teach mating calls across entire oceans, like the cetacean version of foreign language classes!

Dolphins amaze me at every turn. But lest you think they’re 100% awesome all the time, let Deep Sea News remind you of several reasons that dolphins are complete a$$holes.