It turns out that most saunas in the U.S. have shortcomings. “This thing that people in Finland (and Germany, Sweden, Austria, etc.) call a sauna is all about the specific, unique and quite wonderful bather experience it provides – even convective heat caressing bathers bodies, and for Finnish Sauna the contrast of naturally dry air punctuated by bursts of steam. Just because a room is hot doesn’t make it a…
“Not just legally, but also literally. Yes, you cannot copy money using the photocopy machine! If you try to print currency notes using any modern printing or scanning devices, they will refuse to assist you in this criminal endeavor. Some might even completely shut down! No matter how much you crumple or fold the note, the machine will still detect the fact that you are trying your hand at counterfeiting.”…
This is really interesting because he had synesthesia (multiple senses activate concurrently, i.e. can smell colors). Moreover, his memory was greatly aided by the same technique as the ancients (chronicled in Moonwalking with Einstein), though he seems to have invented it independently. “One of the most expansive memories ever documented belonged to a Russian newspaper reporter named Solomon Shereshevsky. For much of his life, he was oblivious of the peculiar…
From this article I learned that the reason NYC doesn’t have alleys is because the architects responsible for the grid system were preoccupied with another project — the Erie Canal. Lots more detailed discussion about the gross garbage problem of NYC inside. ~ learn more
“One odd consequence of humanity’s 77-year flirtation with atomic weapons is that the steel we produce is now ever-so-slightly radioactive. The radiation isn’t strong enough to pose a health risk, but it does interfere with some sensitive scientific and medical equipment. … This quirk of the nuclear age has created a lucrative but sometimes controversial industry for steel produced before 1945 and centuries-old lead—often sourced from shipwrecks. These “low-background” metals…
Based on USDA Census of Agriculture. Humans, who count as an animal here, win 1,495 counties. Pheasants win 2. ~ learn more
“Of the 50 largest airports in the US, the average age is 82 years, and only three have been built in the last 50 years. The US has built more commercial nuclear reactors in the past 25 years (two) than it has major commercial airports (none), even though air travel increased by almost 50% over that period.” ~ learn more
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided to you. But in some places (including Austin), that lawyer will have a ridiculous caseload with very low pay rates paid by the government. In those cases, it seems you can’t expect them to do much of anything except get you to take the prosecutor’s plea bargain. And if they do try to fight for you, the judge might become…
This link offers both a video of the robot in action (autonomously) and of researcher Suzanne Gildert explaining the technology. “When you train on data coming from hands, you find that all hand movements are combinations of these basic movements we call Eigengrasps, which, if you combine them in different ways, allow your hands to do anything.” ~ learn more
Here’s a very opinionated piece worth reading. The author, Ed Zitron, is not a fan of the content created by generative AI. “[The internet executives’] ideal situation isn't one where you visit distinct websites with content created by human beings, but a return to the dark ages of the internet where most traffic ran through a series of heavily-curated portals operated by a few select companies, with results generated based…