Discussions

A simple epidemiological model of infectious disease shows how riots can spread. Rioting, infectious disease, and even fake news all have two things in common: An 'infectious agent' (an idea or a virus) and a receptive audience. Thus, infection models can be used to describe group behavior.

A very unusual bird named the Potoo, photographed in Venezuela.

I got a lot of love for the first picture I posted, so thought I would share the finished article.

The paths a bicycle takes when pushed

TIL that John Nash, the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician and subject of the film A Beautiful Mind, earned a PhD thesis in 1950 with a 26-page dissertation. It had 2 citations, one being an article that Nash had written.

In an antique shop, girlfriend hates large groups of ticking clocks, turn around and see this sign...

The HyperDrive is a USB-C stand that adds wireless smartphone charging and 8 extra ports to your laptop

Margaret Atwood: I am not a prophet. Science fiction is really about now.

Stumbled across Lion's Mane

What Really Happened with Vista: An Insider’s Retrospective

Neural Network line by line for beginners: Forward Propagation

TIL that spruce beer, a beverage flavored with the buds, needles, or essence of spruce trees, is natural source of vitamin C. The drink originated with the Indigenous peoples of North America who used it as a cure for scurvy during the winter months when fresh fruits were not available.

DNA seen through the eyes of a coder

TIL polar swimmer Lewis Pugh is able to raise his core body temperature from 98.6 to 102F just before diving into freezing water; researchers have called it 'anticipatory thermogenesis'.

From the minimalism community on Reddit

From the Frugal community on Reddit

Inspired by The Great Wave and Galway, Ireland. Done on my lower leg today by Alex Odisy at Parliament Tattoo in London.

My great grandfather with his rebellious daughter 1920s

This is the homemade atmospheric water generator I designed to function in the Negev desert. I am not patenting it, and I hope others either use it, or help improve the design. I used these to create the Arad botanical garden atop a mountain in the Middle East.

TIL Vitamin D is not really a vitamin, but a hormone that starts synthesis with sunlight.

TIL the vast majority of auto insurance claims are processed through a software called Colossus, created by McKinsey, was systematically designed to increase a company's bottom line profit margins and to screw out consumers...

my learning from last ~25 years

TIL that there is a pub in Austria that has been fully operational since 803. 🇦🇹

Key to willpower lies in believing you have it in abundance. People who believe they have an abundant supply of self-control are more likely to feel invigorated by mentally taxing activities than people who believe their willpower is a finite resource

Darwin Made Me Do It: Our evolved nature provides us with the resources to live morally decent lives, even if the theory of natural selection undermines the project of moral philosophy.

Inspect JavaScript object methods and properties in the console.

AI progress has often been measured by the ability to defeat humans in zero-sum encounters (e.g. Chess or Go). Less attention has been given to human–machine cooperation. Scientists develop an algorithm that can cooperate with people and other algorithms at levels that rival human cooperation.

TIL the human brain remains half awake when sleeping in a new environment for the first time.

Machines Teaching Each Other Could Be the Biggest Exponential Trend in AI

Research published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics finds that gluten free foods (1,724 food items) contain more fat, salt & sugar than their gluten containing equivalents - with the exception of crackers. Plus, gluten free foods were 159% more expensive than regular food.