GEM: The Global Environment Monitoring unit is a European commission that makes up on of six units in IES: The Institute for Environment and Sustainability. The IES is a group of scientists (about 65 according to theirabout page) that are devoted to making sure development in Europe and the world is done is such a way that it doesn't cause problems. Today I stumbled upon a project they did called, "Travel time to major cities: A global map of Ac…
My brother was quoted recently in the New York Times ... again.
"We used their surface and projected the truth onto it."
He didn't actually say that but the sentiment is there. They also got his age wrong. A few years prior they wrote an article about the high school he went to. The reporter talks about him a bit but only has once quote.
"So, is there a proposal, or did you just want to open the discussion?"
And again a number of years prior …
Miracle fruit or berries makes sour things taste sweet. An effect that apparently is quite amazing.
From the supplier's website.
The active ingredient in the Miracle Berry Fruit, known as Miraclulin coats the tongue and blocks out the taste bud receptors which are responsible for sour, bitter and acidic flavours. The outcome is that all foods which taste sour, bitter or acidic miraculously come to taste sweet.
Once I was told you could solve the …
This would have been the best website ever. But some squatter will pick it up no doubt.
I've met so many good and nice people over the past few days I can hardly believe there is still one more to go. I want to thank the presenters (even the girl who had the Zuse room before me who had trouble with her crowd), I want to thank TELEPHREAK and GiD for the projector, and all the people who learned something from me today. (Including those two drunk couples on the train home. I couldn't have hoped for a better response to my cards.) I ca…
This morning I put a few more of my Subway Search Information cards out on the subway. Sticking them on the sides of existing advertising. (I stay away from the maps and anything remotely like a PSA - no need to block any of those.) People always look at me funny when I do it. I always assume it's because they figure I'm trying to sell something. So I usually do it right before I get off the train or late at night when there's not a lot of people…
I found this piece of music a little while back. You can click the little play button to play it now.
Noriko Version
It was made for a Gizmondo competition by "Noriko" - Composed with sounds of a failing Hitachi hard-disk. I lost his link, but you can probably google for it. It's really quite beautiful and peaceful. Though once I was diagnosing a laptop and this song came on and freaked me out. You never want want to hear these sounds coming from…
Longest I've gotten on this laptop so far I think.
-Francis
I've been missing writing again. I haven't been getting good sleep lately which kills my creative thinking processes. Didn't even get good sleep last night, but I did the night before so I'm up to the task.
Last night over dinner I was given an idea about graphing social graphs. I'm not sharing that with you here yet.
Wait, what?
All those sites in one way or another are considered Social Networks they provide a way to link people t…
It's been many years, TrueCrypt is not secure as it may contain unfixed security issues. Don't use it.
WOOO!!! Mac version of truecrypt!
Also now you can boot your entire PC from truecrpyt! This is the first free implementation of this that I know of for windows. (I'm probably wrong.) But from what I'm reading it's really really easy to do. That is probably a first. But without waiting for your entire drive to encrypt, you can basi…
One of my new interests Cory Doctorow read a book (which is just as much in interest) called The Hacker Crackdown by Bruce Sterling. If you're curious why a bunch of kids playing on computers have an entire culture to work with then you should probably read this book. If you're curious about why in the beginning of the movie Hackers an entire SWAT team was allowed to storm a house (and presumably took every computer, electronic device, and piece …
Having recently received a major sunburn to a large area of my back, my ears perked up when I heard this story covered on "60 Second Science"
July 31, 2007: 60-Second Science
Caffeine, Exercise May Protect Skin From Sun
Studies with mice found that moderate amounts of caffeine and exercise lowered the skin cancer risk from UV light exposure. Karen Hopkin reports.
Listen here, it will only take a minute.
They said the mice they observed had abou…
There was this convention in New York last weekend that if I had more time (or were two people) I would have gone to, but I was just too tired. It was called the "MoCCA art festival" and from what I can gather it was amazing. Hundreds(?) on artists from most of my favorite webcomics attended. I could have met them all. On the other hand I went to the Cony Island Mermaid Parade instead and got to see Adam Savage among hundreds of other crazy inter…
So this past weekend I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I had a lot of fun.
Normally I plan a party like this.
1) Pick a day (and forget to tell people right away)
2) Find a venue (my house, your house, whatever)
3) Add people
4) Add music
5) Add beer
6) (optional) Add hard liquor
And no matter what, as long as there are people + beer + music people seem to have a good time. Honestly I never though Id ever throw parties, but it's worked out quite ni…
