Technology
-
Take a look at Atkinson Hyperlegible
Enter the Braille Institute’s contribution, the Atkinson Hyperlegible computer font, especially designed for those of us with blurry vision. Follow the link to download your free copy, ready to install on a Mac or Windows PC. I gave it a spin yesterday with Microsoft Word, and it works like a charm, much more readable than… Read more
-
Good news for windmill operators
Good news from a long-term experiment in Norway: painting a single blade of a power-generating windmill may reduce fatal birdstrikes by as much as 70%. This is certainly an experiment that bears replication, especially at facilities that (1) keep careful records of birdstrikes and (2) care enough to make the effort. It’s pretty sad that Read more
-
Distance Learning — an Unexpected Life Skill
The Babylon Bee finds a pearl in the oyster of distance learning: Public Schools Now Preparing Kids for a Lifetime of Soul-Crushing Zoom Meetings. Update: Damn it, Bee! You’re supposed to be doing satire, not straight reporting! Read more
-
Slide Rules!
WuFlu isn’t the only virus in the air; I’ve been getting a lot of chatter and questions about slide rules. Yes, partly because I’m old enough to remember them and remember (vaguely) how to use them. But what’s going on? Never mind. Here’s some great online resources for the curious and really curious History and Read more
-
Like, Ambiguous, Dude
I hadn’t seen this hoary old saw in years not since I was studying AI in grad school. The professors always used the phrase to show how difficult natural language processing could be. Tip from Maggie’s Farm, where there’s always something interesting. Read more
-
Fresh-O-Matic!
Just read this delightful article about steamed hoagies, and recalled using a Fresh-O-Matic steamer. Right out of high school, starting in University, I started a weekend gig as a prep guy in a Mom and Pop hamburger stand in Big Bear, California. The owners patiently showed me the ropes, and over two years built me Read more
-
Dust Yourself Off
Phylagen, a San Francisco biotech company, has developed a technique for tracking previous locations of objects based on the composition of dust the object has collected. In another experiment, the sampling technology allowed researchers to determine where a person had walked within 1 kilometer in San Francisco, because of the microbes picked up by their Read more
-
Need a 3-Way?
One of my techno-nerdy students got me hip to the Logitech Anywhere2 wireless mouse. It can be linked with a dedicated USB device AND paired with Bluetooth-capable devices. So now my old Windows desktop computer, my Surface laptop, AND my old Surface tablet can be clicked with a single mouse. How cool (and handy) is Read more
-
The Fourier Transform, explained beautifully
At the Better Explained blog, Kalid Azad hits another home run with An Interactive Guide to the Fourier Transform. Here’s a plain-English metaphor: What does the Fourier Transform do? Given a smoothie, it finds the recipe. How? Run the smoothie through filters to extract each ingredient. Why? Recipes are easier to analyze, compare, and modify Read more
-
Add a Pair of These to My Frivolous Wish List!
I give you…self-parking slippers! Tip from the Geek Press. Read more
The Random Texan 