an article by Jeroen Huisman and Paulo Charles Pimentel Bótas (University of Bath, UK) and Harry de Boer (University of Twente, Enschede, Netherlands) published in Higher Education Quarterly Volume 66 Issue 4 (October 2012)
Abstract
A Delphi study has been carried out, soliciting views from higher education experts on likely and desirable developments in English higher education until 2025.
The paper reports the most salient findings of the Delphi questionnaire and presents two scenarios that focus largely on the institutional fabric of the system.
The first scenario follows the general agreement emerging from the two rounds of the Delphi study and suggests a smaller higher education system and the return of a binary divide between about 25 research-intensive universities and about 70 other higher education institutions.
The second scenario is a counter-scenario that intends to present an alternative picture of English higher education in 2025. That scenario suggests a compact system of six research-intensive universities, about 40 comprehensive institutions and five private providers.
With respect to the steering of the system, a key difference between the two scenarios is that the former assumes a continuing role of market forces, whereas the latter is based on a much stronger role of the government.
Hazel’s comment:
For those of you unsure about Delphi there is a useful explanation of the process in Wikipedia.
Monday, 8 October 2012
It’s Not a Conspiracy, Just Imprecise Jobs Data
This post on Small Business Trends by Scott Shane is a wonderful reminder that the UK is not alone in wondering why the economic / labour market statistics do not seem to “add up”.
He says:
Continue reading here
Hazel’s comment:
OK, this is the US of A where they do things differently – but not that differently. Here in the UK there are different counts of different things that someone will then put together for yet a third purpose. The margin for error increases exponentially as you try to make data collected for one purpose fit in with the data collected for another purpose.
He says:
Almost immediately after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released Friday’s employment report, conservatives claimed a conspiracy to cook the books to help get President Obama re-elected. How does the unemployment rate drop 0.3 percent, they asked, when GDP growth is miniscule and there’s barely enough job growth to absorb a growing population?
Continue reading here
Hazel’s comment:
OK, this is the US of A where they do things differently – but not that differently. Here in the UK there are different counts of different things that someone will then put together for yet a third purpose. The margin for error increases exponentially as you try to make data collected for one purpose fit in with the data collected for another purpose.
What's putting girls off A level physics?
by Athene Donald via Guardian Education news, comment and analysis
The argument that girls “just don’t like physics” won't wash as an explanation for the miserable A-level statistics in a recent report.
Some shocking figures were released this week in an Institute of Physics (IOP) Report [PDF 24pp] looking at the progression of girls going on to study A-level physics.
Rather than just concentrating on the percentage of girls taking the subject, which is well known to hover just below 30%, the study analysed the progression of girls from different types of school.
Continue reading the Guardian article here.
Hazel’s comment:
My secondary education is a long way behind me but I was very disappointed to realise that without having taken O-level physics I could not move on to taking an A-level in the subject and had to leave my girls-only grammar school to do two maths and chemistry at A-level and physics at O-level in the local technical college.
Now it seems that the girls-only schools are doing better than co-ed schools at getting girls into physics.
The argument that girls “just don’t like physics” won't wash as an explanation for the miserable A-level statistics in a recent report.
Some shocking figures were released this week in an Institute of Physics (IOP) Report [PDF 24pp] looking at the progression of girls going on to study A-level physics.
Rather than just concentrating on the percentage of girls taking the subject, which is well known to hover just below 30%, the study analysed the progression of girls from different types of school.
Continue reading the Guardian article here.
Hazel’s comment:
My secondary education is a long way behind me but I was very disappointed to realise that without having taken O-level physics I could not move on to taking an A-level in the subject and had to leave my girls-only grammar school to do two maths and chemistry at A-level and physics at O-level in the local technical college.
Now it seems that the girls-only schools are doing better than co-ed schools at getting girls into physics.
Motion control of walking assistant robot based on comfort
an article by Aolin Tang and Qixin Cao (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China) published in Industrial Robot: An International Journal volume 39 Issue 6 (2012)
Abstract
Purpose
A walking assistant robot can help elderly people walk around independently, which could improve the life quality of the elderly and benefit our ageing society. Ensuring the elderly person’s walking comfort with such a robot is very important. At present, the majority of walking assistant robot research does not focus on this field. The purpose of this paper is to examine the requirements of comfortable walking and outline the design of a motion control algorithm for a walking assistant robot, Walkmate III, based on comfort.
Design/methodology/approach
During walking, the walking assistant robot should be able to capture the intent of user, guide the user and move at the same pace as the user. Usually, force or haptic interface is used to detect the user’s walking intention. The motion control system then transforms the forces applied by the user into the robot’s motion. By surveying the elderly people at a nursing home, the authors find that this transformation is important to the walking comfortableness and should be carefully designed. In this paper, the model of walking assisting process with such kind of walking assistant robot is derived at first. Based on this model, a new motion control algorithm is then designed.
Findings
The elderly hoped that, in all topographic conditions, only small forces were needed to drive the walker during walking. Also, good manoeuvrability was also very important for a walker, to offer the user comfort, which meant the walking assistant robot should be able to respond to the input forces quickly and precisely. Currently widely-used motion control algorithms cannot satisfy all those requirements. In this paper, a new motion control algorithm is proposed, which can get a fast and precise response to the input forces and the input forces needed to drive the robot are kept at a preferred small level, so that the user will not feel tired during walking. Furthermore, by modifying, force feedback can be realised to improve the comfortableness of walking.
Practical implications
The availability of walking assistant robot with improved walking comfortableness might encourage a wider adoption of robotics in our daily life. It could also benefit our ageing society by improving the life quality of the elderly and reducing the pressure deriving from nursing labour shortages.
Originality/value
This paper is of value to engineers and researchers developing walking assistant robots for the elderly people.
And possibly to advisers working with disabled people. It is not only the ageing population that has difficulty with walking!
Abstract
Purpose
A walking assistant robot can help elderly people walk around independently, which could improve the life quality of the elderly and benefit our ageing society. Ensuring the elderly person’s walking comfort with such a robot is very important. At present, the majority of walking assistant robot research does not focus on this field. The purpose of this paper is to examine the requirements of comfortable walking and outline the design of a motion control algorithm for a walking assistant robot, Walkmate III, based on comfort.
Design/methodology/approach
During walking, the walking assistant robot should be able to capture the intent of user, guide the user and move at the same pace as the user. Usually, force or haptic interface is used to detect the user’s walking intention. The motion control system then transforms the forces applied by the user into the robot’s motion. By surveying the elderly people at a nursing home, the authors find that this transformation is important to the walking comfortableness and should be carefully designed. In this paper, the model of walking assisting process with such kind of walking assistant robot is derived at first. Based on this model, a new motion control algorithm is then designed.
Findings
The elderly hoped that, in all topographic conditions, only small forces were needed to drive the walker during walking. Also, good manoeuvrability was also very important for a walker, to offer the user comfort, which meant the walking assistant robot should be able to respond to the input forces quickly and precisely. Currently widely-used motion control algorithms cannot satisfy all those requirements. In this paper, a new motion control algorithm is proposed, which can get a fast and precise response to the input forces and the input forces needed to drive the robot are kept at a preferred small level, so that the user will not feel tired during walking. Furthermore, by modifying, force feedback can be realised to improve the comfortableness of walking.
Practical implications
The availability of walking assistant robot with improved walking comfortableness might encourage a wider adoption of robotics in our daily life. It could also benefit our ageing society by improving the life quality of the elderly and reducing the pressure deriving from nursing labour shortages.
Originality/value
This paper is of value to engineers and researchers developing walking assistant robots for the elderly people.
And possibly to advisers working with disabled people. It is not only the ageing population that has difficulty with walking!
Sociodemographic and work-related variation in employees’ lunch eating patterns
an article by Susanna Raulio and Ritva Prättälä (National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland) and Eva Roos, (Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki and University of Helsinki) published in International Journal of Workplace Health Management Volume 5 Issue 3 (2012)
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the availability of worksite canteens to Finnish employees, and the associations between canteen availability and the employee’s sociodemographic background and workplace characteristics. A further aim was to study the employees’ lunch place choices according to the sociodemographic factors of the employees and the characteristics of the workplace when a worksite canteen is available.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from cross-sectional health surveys among Finnish adults in 2005-2007. A total of 2,659 male and 2,926 female employed Finns – except farmers – ranging in age from 19 to 64 were chosen for the analyses from the surveys. The data were analysed by multiple logistic regression models.
Findings
A worksite canteen was available for 70 percent of female and 60 percent of male employees, and more often to employees with higher education and in a higher occupational class and to those working at bigger workplaces. If a canteen was not available, employees mostly ate packed lunches. Roughly 50 percent of those who had a worksite canteen available ate there; employees in a higher occupational class did so more often than the others. Even when a canteen was available, people with lower education or in a lower occupational class preferred packed lunches.
Practical implications
The frequency of using worksite canteens could be influenced not only by means related to individual choices, but also by improving the structural conditions at work – like unavailability of worksite canteen – that is found to pose barrier to canteen use.
Originality/value
No previous study of this kind has been done, even though it has been observed that worksite canteen meals are important for the nutrition, health, and productivity of Finnish employees.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the availability of worksite canteens to Finnish employees, and the associations between canteen availability and the employee’s sociodemographic background and workplace characteristics. A further aim was to study the employees’ lunch place choices according to the sociodemographic factors of the employees and the characteristics of the workplace when a worksite canteen is available.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from cross-sectional health surveys among Finnish adults in 2005-2007. A total of 2,659 male and 2,926 female employed Finns – except farmers – ranging in age from 19 to 64 were chosen for the analyses from the surveys. The data were analysed by multiple logistic regression models.
Findings
A worksite canteen was available for 70 percent of female and 60 percent of male employees, and more often to employees with higher education and in a higher occupational class and to those working at bigger workplaces. If a canteen was not available, employees mostly ate packed lunches. Roughly 50 percent of those who had a worksite canteen available ate there; employees in a higher occupational class did so more often than the others. Even when a canteen was available, people with lower education or in a lower occupational class preferred packed lunches.
Practical implications
The frequency of using worksite canteens could be influenced not only by means related to individual choices, but also by improving the structural conditions at work – like unavailability of worksite canteen – that is found to pose barrier to canteen use.
Originality/value
No previous study of this kind has been done, even though it has been observed that worksite canteen meals are important for the nutrition, health, and productivity of Finnish employees.
Sunday, 7 October 2012
Simply Sunday: 10 items of interest (or not as the case might be)
================================================
Stunning Photos of Europe’s Most Beautiful Libraries
via Flavorwire by Caroline Stanley
As you know, we’re always on the hunt for images of beautiful libraries here at Flavorwire – it’s kind of an unhealthy obsession. Spotted by The Millions, these jaw-dropping shots of European libraries captured by German architectural photographer Christoph Seelbach make an excellent addition to our ever-growing stash. Click through to travel from an abbey in Austria (which appears to be a breeding ground for gorgeous libraries) to a university in Lithuania with a selection of some of our favorite photos from his Bibliotheken series, and visit his website to view even more of his fantastic work.
From Caroline’s selection I chose:
St. Florian Abbey library, Austria. Photo credit: Christoph Seelbach
not, I have to admit, for the books which look to be rarely used but for the ceiling!
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
By the 1950s, the British Empire had waned. But not in Iran, where red-faced men went around in tailcoats - “helpless, niggling, without an idea”... more
================================================
A Collection of Inspirational Vintage Library Posters
via Flavorwire by Emily Temple
Normally, we think inspirational posters are pretty hokey, but sometimes we come across a set that we just can’t disagree with. Case in point: Book Bench pointed us towards this wonderful collection of inspirational library posters from the 1960s, discovered by Flickr user Enokson, a library technician in a Canadian junior high school. The set is filled with gems with slogans like “What’s Your Future? Find it in Books!” (a layered statement, to be sure) and “An Elephant Never Forgets… But If You Do, Visit Your School Library!” and charming retro design, so obviously we’re all over it.
This one is my favourite. Want to see more? Head here to check out the entire set on Flickr.
Photo via Retro Library Posters by Enokson
================================================
A History Quivering with Life: Civil War Drawings
via Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos by Kristi Finefield
Imagine an expanse of hilly countryside. Fill it with with hundreds, perhaps thousands of men, battling to the death. Now put yourself into that scene. Listen to the clash of metal as swords and bayonets meet, the boom of cannons firing, the voices yelling. You’re in danger: there are bullets whizzing by and men dying around you. More than likely, you have no weapon.
Instead you are armed with paper and pencil, and your job is to capture the scene with these tools. You are not a soldier. You are a sketch artist, and your subject is the U.S. Civil War:
The 24th Corps charging a fort (possibly Fort Gregg at Petersburg)
Drawing by Alfred R. Waud, (April 2, 1865)
Continue reading here
And if this is a period of history that particularly interests you I would remind you that Shorpy has some stunning photographs here.
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
There was a time when we sought heavenly, artistic, or political glory. Now we seek happiness. Social scientists even measure it. But can such a thing be quantified?... more
================================================
Western Star: 1903
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive - Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
October 3, 1903 Wyandotte, Michigan
“Launch of the Western Star”
8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company
View original post
================================================
Wanted: Dorothy’s Fantastic Film Map
via Flavorwire by Caroline Stanley
Confused about how to get from Lost Highway to the Valley of the Dolls without having to cut through Jurassic Park? Never fear – the brilliant creative collective known as Dorothy, whose incredible song map we posted on last year, is back with a film-inspired print that’s every bit as entertaining. Loosely based on a vintage Los Angeles street map, their design features over 900 different titles – and even has a special “Red Light” district for those cinephiles dedicated to films of a saucier variety. There’s also a helpful key that identifies all of the movies included, along with their release dates and directors. In other words, this map is a conversation piece guaranteed to keep any film lover entranced and pleasantly reminiscing for at least a few good hours. Click through to get a better look at the goods, and head over to Dorothy to pick up a signed, limited-edition print!
[via Creative Review]
The signed, limited-edition is a bit on the pricey side but I’ve bookmarked the cheaper version for a Christmas present for the cinephile in my life!
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Why would you forgo speech? Let’s ask a Trappist monk. “Silence keeps me from idealizing myself”. Well, that’s the idea... more
================================================
Swoon Over This Open Air Library in a Belgian Vineyard
via Flavorwire by Caroline Stanley
It seems our recent survey of wonderful repurposed libraries might have had one major omission: Bookyard, a vineyard-turned-outdoor-library created by Italian artist Massimo Bartolini in Ghent, Belgium as part of the TRACK art festival. “Visitors can borrow, buy or exchange secondhand books here in the symbolic shadow of the Book Tower”, explains the press release.
Click through to check out a few additional shots of the amazing (if sadly, temporary) installation, which we spotted thanks to Laughing Squid.
Photo credit: TRACK
================================================
Human chain moves 50,000 books for Vernal library (USA)
via Peter Scott’s Library Blog by Peter Scott
An estimated 300 volunteers turned out Saturday to help move 50,000 books from the old Uintah County Library into the new one. And they did it all by hand, forming a human chain that took book after book after book from the shelves in one building and put them on the shelves in the other.
Link to Peter’s blog to watch the video (I can’t seem to repair the embed code)
Stunning Photos of Europe’s Most Beautiful Libraries
via Flavorwire by Caroline Stanley
As you know, we’re always on the hunt for images of beautiful libraries here at Flavorwire – it’s kind of an unhealthy obsession. Spotted by The Millions, these jaw-dropping shots of European libraries captured by German architectural photographer Christoph Seelbach make an excellent addition to our ever-growing stash. Click through to travel from an abbey in Austria (which appears to be a breeding ground for gorgeous libraries) to a university in Lithuania with a selection of some of our favorite photos from his Bibliotheken series, and visit his website to view even more of his fantastic work.
From Caroline’s selection I chose:
St. Florian Abbey library, Austria. Photo credit: Christoph Seelbach
not, I have to admit, for the books which look to be rarely used but for the ceiling!
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
By the 1950s, the British Empire had waned. But not in Iran, where red-faced men went around in tailcoats - “helpless, niggling, without an idea”... more
================================================
A Collection of Inspirational Vintage Library Posters
via Flavorwire by Emily Temple
Normally, we think inspirational posters are pretty hokey, but sometimes we come across a set that we just can’t disagree with. Case in point: Book Bench pointed us towards this wonderful collection of inspirational library posters from the 1960s, discovered by Flickr user Enokson, a library technician in a Canadian junior high school. The set is filled with gems with slogans like “What’s Your Future? Find it in Books!” (a layered statement, to be sure) and “An Elephant Never Forgets… But If You Do, Visit Your School Library!” and charming retro design, so obviously we’re all over it.
This one is my favourite. Want to see more? Head here to check out the entire set on Flickr.
Photo via Retro Library Posters by Enokson
================================================
A History Quivering with Life: Civil War Drawings
via Picture This: Library of Congress Prints & Photos by Kristi Finefield
Imagine an expanse of hilly countryside. Fill it with with hundreds, perhaps thousands of men, battling to the death. Now put yourself into that scene. Listen to the clash of metal as swords and bayonets meet, the boom of cannons firing, the voices yelling. You’re in danger: there are bullets whizzing by and men dying around you. More than likely, you have no weapon.
Instead you are armed with paper and pencil, and your job is to capture the scene with these tools. You are not a soldier. You are a sketch artist, and your subject is the U.S. Civil War:
The 24th Corps charging a fort (possibly Fort Gregg at Petersburg)
Drawing by Alfred R. Waud, (April 2, 1865)
Continue reading here
And if this is a period of history that particularly interests you I would remind you that Shorpy has some stunning photographs here.
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
There was a time when we sought heavenly, artistic, or political glory. Now we seek happiness. Social scientists even measure it. But can such a thing be quantified?... more
================================================
Western Star: 1903
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive - Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
October 3, 1903 Wyandotte, Michigan
“Launch of the Western Star”
8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company
View original post
================================================
Wanted: Dorothy’s Fantastic Film Map
via Flavorwire by Caroline Stanley
Confused about how to get from Lost Highway to the Valley of the Dolls without having to cut through Jurassic Park? Never fear – the brilliant creative collective known as Dorothy, whose incredible song map we posted on last year, is back with a film-inspired print that’s every bit as entertaining. Loosely based on a vintage Los Angeles street map, their design features over 900 different titles – and even has a special “Red Light” district for those cinephiles dedicated to films of a saucier variety. There’s also a helpful key that identifies all of the movies included, along with their release dates and directors. In other words, this map is a conversation piece guaranteed to keep any film lover entranced and pleasantly reminiscing for at least a few good hours. Click through to get a better look at the goods, and head over to Dorothy to pick up a signed, limited-edition print!
[via Creative Review]
The signed, limited-edition is a bit on the pricey side but I’ve bookmarked the cheaper version for a Christmas present for the cinephile in my life!
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Why would you forgo speech? Let’s ask a Trappist monk. “Silence keeps me from idealizing myself”. Well, that’s the idea... more
================================================
Swoon Over This Open Air Library in a Belgian Vineyard
via Flavorwire by Caroline Stanley
It seems our recent survey of wonderful repurposed libraries might have had one major omission: Bookyard, a vineyard-turned-outdoor-library created by Italian artist Massimo Bartolini in Ghent, Belgium as part of the TRACK art festival. “Visitors can borrow, buy or exchange secondhand books here in the symbolic shadow of the Book Tower”, explains the press release.
Click through to check out a few additional shots of the amazing (if sadly, temporary) installation, which we spotted thanks to Laughing Squid.
Photo credit: TRACK
================================================
Human chain moves 50,000 books for Vernal library (USA)
via Peter Scott’s Library Blog by Peter Scott
An estimated 300 volunteers turned out Saturday to help move 50,000 books from the old Uintah County Library into the new one. And they did it all by hand, forming a human chain that took book after book after book from the shelves in one building and put them on the shelves in the other.
Link to Peter’s blog to watch the video (I can’t seem to repair the embed code)
Saturday, 6 October 2012
10 items of interest I just happened across!
================================================
Nanoporous Grapheme Could Make Desalination Affordable
via Big Think by Orion Jones
Researchers at MIT believe they have found a way to desalinate seawater using much less energy, and therefore at a lower financial cost, than current methods require. By using a one-atom-thick grapheme membrane with nanometer-sized pores, sodium ions can be removed from seawater during the reverse osmosis process, currently the most common method used to make salty water potable.
Read the full story at IEEE Spectrum
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Let us praise the paper clip. Yes, it’s a symbol of drudgery. But look at the little thing: It picks locks, cleans fingernails, even hacks phones... more
================================================
Marilyn Monroe as…, 1957
via Retronaut by Amanda
Such a choice:
Source: Wicked Halo [Grammar freaks need not look.]
And I choose … Marilyn as Marlene
You can see the other four “Marilyn as …: ” here together with the real actress she is imitating.
================================================
CDs Are Not Forever: The Truth About CD/DVD Longevity, “Mold” & “Rot”
via MakeUseOf by Tina Sieber
The digital age has revolutionized the way we handle information. Never before could humankind record and store so much information and in such diversity. While the amount of data has increased exponentially, the predicted life span of the storage media hardly exceeds the lifetime of a human. For humans who love to collect and leave a legacy to their descendants, as well as human kind who so much depends on information, this poses a huge challenge.
Optical discs have been commercially available since the 1980s. After merely 30 years, a solid amount of information has been collected on what causes CDs and DVDs to break and much progress has been made in the development of material that will last longer. While estimations predict a life time of up to 200 years for optical discs, we can never be sure when they are really going to break. However, by being aware of what determines the life span of optical discs and what causes them to break, you can make choices and significantly increase the survival time of your stored data.
Let’s examine this case in detail
Continue reading here to discover:
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Dolling up declining linguistic standards as cultural diversity makes a virtue out of dumbness, and turns illiteracy into a perverse form of literacy... more
================================================
How Fireworks Work
via Big Think by David Ropeik
Fireworks are really cool to watch, but to me, the best part is watching them with thousands of other people who have all come together with the same purpose…to set aside the details of daily life and escape into some simple communal Gee Whiz fun.
Read More
================================================
Smokestack Industry: 1906
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive - Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Ensley, Alabama, circa 1906
“Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Co. furnaces”
8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company
View original post
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Mary McCarthy might have been a viperish, bipolar nymphomaniac. Who cares? Pay attention to what matters most: her writing... more
================================================
100 years of earthquakes
via Boing Boing by Maggie Koerth-Baker
This map of all the world’s recorded earthquakes between 1898 and 2003 is stunning. As you might expect, it also creates a brilliant outline of the plates of the Earth’s crust – especially the infamous “Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Plate.
But the real story – which Smithsonian points out and which was also the first thing I noticed – lies elsewhere. To put it colloquially: Holy shit, you guys, look at all those intraplate earthquakes!
Continue reading here and get links to lots of other interesting things about earthquakes.
================================================
The Chasm of the Middle Ground
via Big Think by Adam Lee
We who fight against bigotry and for human rights do so because we believe that a more just, more peaceful, more compassionate society benefits everyone. Prejudice is irrational by definition, a blind and maddened serpent; you never know who it will strike at next, and the oppressors and the oppressed have changed places many times in history.
Read More
Nanoporous Grapheme Could Make Desalination Affordable
via Big Think by Orion Jones
Researchers at MIT believe they have found a way to desalinate seawater using much less energy, and therefore at a lower financial cost, than current methods require. By using a one-atom-thick grapheme membrane with nanometer-sized pores, sodium ions can be removed from seawater during the reverse osmosis process, currently the most common method used to make salty water potable.
Read the full story at IEEE Spectrum
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Let us praise the paper clip. Yes, it’s a symbol of drudgery. But look at the little thing: It picks locks, cleans fingernails, even hacks phones... more
================================================
Marilyn Monroe as…, 1957
via Retronaut by Amanda
Such a choice:
- Theda Bara
- Lillian Russell
- Marlene Dietrich
- Jean Harlow
- Clara Bow
Source: Wicked Halo [Grammar freaks need not look.]
And I choose … Marilyn as Marlene
You can see the other four “Marilyn as …: ” here together with the real actress she is imitating.
================================================
CDs Are Not Forever: The Truth About CD/DVD Longevity, “Mold” & “Rot”
via MakeUseOf by Tina Sieber
The digital age has revolutionized the way we handle information. Never before could humankind record and store so much information and in such diversity. While the amount of data has increased exponentially, the predicted life span of the storage media hardly exceeds the lifetime of a human. For humans who love to collect and leave a legacy to their descendants, as well as human kind who so much depends on information, this poses a huge challenge.
Optical discs have been commercially available since the 1980s. After merely 30 years, a solid amount of information has been collected on what causes CDs and DVDs to break and much progress has been made in the development of material that will last longer. While estimations predict a life time of up to 200 years for optical discs, we can never be sure when they are really going to break. However, by being aware of what determines the life span of optical discs and what causes them to break, you can make choices and significantly increase the survival time of your stored data.
Let’s examine this case in detail
Continue reading here to discover:
- What Determines The Life Span Of Different Optical Discs?
- How Do CDs or DVDs Rot?
- How Can I Check Whether My Optical Discs Are OK?
- How Can I Increase The Lifetime Of My CDs & DVDs?
- What Can I Do When My Disc Won’t Read?
- Conclusion
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Dolling up declining linguistic standards as cultural diversity makes a virtue out of dumbness, and turns illiteracy into a perverse form of literacy... more
================================================
How Fireworks Work
via Big Think by David Ropeik
Fireworks are really cool to watch, but to me, the best part is watching them with thousands of other people who have all come together with the same purpose…to set aside the details of daily life and escape into some simple communal Gee Whiz fun.
Read More
================================================
Smokestack Industry: 1906
via Shorpy Historical Photo Archive - Vintage Fine Art Prints by Dave
Ensley, Alabama, circa 1906
“Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Co. furnaces”
8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company
View original post
================================================
Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Mary McCarthy might have been a viperish, bipolar nymphomaniac. Who cares? Pay attention to what matters most: her writing... more
================================================
100 years of earthquakes
via Boing Boing by Maggie Koerth-Baker
This map of all the world’s recorded earthquakes between 1898 and 2003 is stunning. As you might expect, it also creates a brilliant outline of the plates of the Earth’s crust – especially the infamous “Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Plate.
But the real story – which Smithsonian points out and which was also the first thing I noticed – lies elsewhere. To put it colloquially: Holy shit, you guys, look at all those intraplate earthquakes!
Continue reading here and get links to lots of other interesting things about earthquakes.
================================================
The Chasm of the Middle Ground
via Big Think by Adam Lee
We who fight against bigotry and for human rights do so because we believe that a more just, more peaceful, more compassionate society benefits everyone. Prejudice is irrational by definition, a blind and maddened serpent; you never know who it will strike at next, and the oppressors and the oppressed have changed places many times in history.
Read More
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