CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-25 08:20:14 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

A strange and fascinating story about medical research.

2013-05-23 22:19:33 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

http://www.funnytimes.com/cartoons.php?cartoon_id=20001206#.UZ6U67V318E

2013-05-23 20:48:16 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

TWO CUPS!  I haven't seen that done before.  +Vincent Mo

http://cheezburger.com/7486342912

#LatteArt  

2013-05-23 20:38:35 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

"These levels are really ideal!"

2013-05-23 18:04:34 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Fascinating.  Someone should set up a business around this, gathering up these abandoned exotic cars and selling them for cheap(er) on eBay.

2013-05-23 17:39:19 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Steve Wilhite, the inventor of the GIF image file format, has always said that it's supposed to be pronounced /jif/.  I learned it that way back in the days of CompuServe, and that's how other techies I knew pronounced it, too.  Perhaps the hard-G pronunciation became popular when some internet-era late-comers rationalized, "G stands for Graphics, so it must be a hard G," unaware of the existing convention and culture.  But by that argument, LASER should be pronounced /lasser/, with a short A as in "amplification" and sharp S as in "stimulated".  And SCUBA should be pronounced /skuhbah/, with a short U as in "underwater".  The pronunciation of an acronym doesn't have to follow the pronunciation of the underlying words.  Bottom line: there's no justification for pronouncing GIF with a hard G.  As Steve Wilhite notes in thearticl... more »

2013-05-19 22:12:09 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 13 +1s)

OK Glass... fire!  *pew* *pew*

2013-05-16 22:13:58 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

A true classic, now available for Android and iOS!  This, Lode Runner, and Spy's Demise were among my favorite games on the Apple IIe.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freetoolsassociation.karateka

2013-05-16 18:10:17 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

http://www.anonymousartofrevolution.com/2012/12/those-who-dont-study-history-are-doomed.html

2013-05-15 21:24:51 (4 comments, 11 reshares, 6 +1s)

#GooglePlus  pro tip: The new multi-column layout is cool, but if you find it too visually overwhelming, you can easily switch back to the single column view:

1) Click "More" on the grey navigation bar up near the top, below the search bar.

2) At the very bottom of the menu, below "Stream layout", click on the right button.

2013-05-14 17:10:29 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 5 +1s)

tl;dr The internet is distracting us from thinking deeply.

I don't think it's quite that dire, but I agree that the internet can be a great source of distraction if you let it.  Anyway, it's a fun video that's worth checking out.

2013-05-13 15:50:20 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

From her book, Bossypants, Tina Fey's "A Mother’s Prayer for Her Daughter":

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered,
May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half
And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the nearby subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, logflume... more »

2013-05-11 18:32:24 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

So keep watching those cat videos, everyone.  It's what keeps us all safe.

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2974

2013-05-10 13:21:45 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Wow.  So that's how they cram so many people into HK.  :(  Even my freshman dorm room was bigger than these, and I thought it was pretty compact.

http://petapixel.com/2013/02/19/cramped-apartments-in-hong-kong-shot-from-directly-above/

2013-05-09 15:32:59 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti dropped by Google LA for a chat.

2013-05-08 18:23:07 (0 comments, 4 reshares, 16 +1s)

Happy #Fibonacci  Day!

2013-05-08 16:25:01 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 2 +1s)

Great #GoogleDoodle  today -- an homage to Saul Bass, the artist who revolutionized movie opening credits.  He did "Vertigo" -- 'nuff said.

www.google.com
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2013/0508/Saul-Bass-Designer-artist-and-auteur-of-the-opening-credits

2013-05-08 04:51:55 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Some test shots of the recently released Canon 28mm/2.8 IS lens.  I believe it's the smallest and lightest stabilized prime in their lineup.  It's razor sharp in the center and stays pretty sharp to the corners.  The colors are natural and vivid, though not as warm and saturated as the L lenses.  Contrast is very good, though again not at the level of the L lenses.  The bokeh can be a bit busy but still quite pleasant overall.  The stabilizer is excellent -- easily worth 3 stops, sometimes even 4.  Flare is decently controlled, yielding tight circles without much veiling.  Focus is accurate, silent, and instantaneous.  All in all, this is an excellent walkaround lens for both the APS-C and full frame cameras.  The biggest drawback is the price.  I wouldn't really recommend it at the full retail price around $800, but it's a good pickup below $600 which seems to be the going pricethese days... more »

2013-04-22 20:24:21 (1 comments, 4 reshares, 4 +1s)

A well-written article (with references!) explaining that terms like "antioxidants" and "free radicals" are really about marketing, and there's no scientific evidence that antioxidants does your body any good.  There's even some evidence suggesting that if anything, loading up on antioxidants could be harmful.  This is not to say that foods like blueberries aren't good for you, but they don't have any super-curative, anti-aging properties.  (I say this as I'm noshing on a big bowl of blueberries.  Yum.)

From the article:

"Free radicals are essential to respiration; mitochondria cannot function without them. Superoxides are an unavoidable byproduct of lipid breakdown. Nitric oxide (a free radical) is an essential neurotransmitter and vasodilator. Hydrogen peroxide (supposedly a harmful Reactive Oxygen Species) is an essential signallingmol... more »

2013-04-20 06:35:04 (0 comments, 5 reshares, 17 +1s)

Yup, that looks about right.

(For those not familiar with it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs )

http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2013/04/19/basic-human-needs-pyramid-fixed-pic/

2013-04-19 22:50:00 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Holy crap.

2013-04-19 21:50:56 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Impressive performance.  I can't even do a basic sleeper.  :P

2013-04-19 06:00:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Just what in the world is going on in Boston??? :-( Please stay safe, everyone.

2013-04-14 21:03:59 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

A short walk around the neighborhood with the Canon 50L.  I mostly use it for portraits, but it does well with non-people subjects, too, with its rich colors and smooth, creamy bokeh.

2013-04-11 19:10:09 (6 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

This is pretty incredible.  Mobile devices are completely dominating the marketplace and leaving desktops in the dust.

(Note: these are percentage market shares, not absolute values.  Desktop sales are declining steadily -- something like 10-20%/yr according to various sources -- but the steep decline in percentage market share is mostly due to lack of growth, not cannibalization.  In other words, a lot more people are buying computers these days, but all those increased sales are due to mobile devices.)

http://www.kpcb.com/insights/2012-internet-trends-update (slide #24)

2013-04-08 21:00:53 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

Well, that's something I've never heard before...

2013-04-07 07:34:56 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

A quick test of the Olympus 60mm macro lens with flowers that bloom in the spring (tra-la).

2013-04-05 17:57:58 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 15 +1s)

I have a lot of respect for the art of UI design, but this is still funny.

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2013-04-05

2013-04-05 17:45:38 (7 comments, 2 reshares, 4 +1s)

I take it you've already seen this and placed your order, +Gavin Doughtie?  ;)

http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2013/04/04/movi-a-revolutionary-handheld-stabilized-system-takes-flight/

2013-04-05 03:17:16 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 9 +1s)

A beautiful reflection on life and death.

“Kindness” covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.

RIP Roger Ebert.

2013-04-04 20:42:20 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

Fun with high-speed cameras!  I've never seen Prince Rupert's Drop footage like this before.

2013-04-02 07:28:45 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Well, it was bound to happen eventually.  After years of putting up with lesser brands, I've finally decided to go Nikon.  It just arrived today, and although I haven't had much time to play with it yet, I can already tell that it just performs much, much better than what I've been using up until now.  I really should have made the switch a long time ago.  Sure, it's a bit overpriced for what it is, but Canon is the same way, and it's not nearly as good.  I'll admit that initially I did have a little trouble figuring out how to get it all set up, but it just needed some reconfiguring and now I find it quite comfortable.  To anyone looking for a good SLR hand strap, I strongly recommend Nikon AH-4/Hand Strap II over Canon E1/E2.  Yes, it fits Canon cameras, too.  :)

http://goo.gl/1sRLa

2013-03-31 05:47:57 (4 comments, 7 reshares, 13 +1s)

Oh, come on, that's not THAT old.  It's got buttons on it.  :P

It's a fair point, though.  On a typical day, do you usually make more calls or take more photos with your phone?

http://www.shoeboxblog.com/?p=33262

2013-03-26 09:36:34 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Several interesting points, including:

* Don't eat green-hued potatoes.  They can make you sick.
* Don't leave potatoes out in the sun, lest they turn green.
* Conventional breeding can be just as dangerous as GM (genetically modified).

2013-03-26 07:35:15 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 19 +1s)

Because penguins are so cute.

http://cheezburger.com/7140802560

2013-03-23 20:17:21 (4 comments, 6 reshares, 19 +1s)

A good rule of thumb when taking a photo of a person is that you don't crop them at the joints.  This diagram illustrates this pretty well, with the red lines showing where not to crop and green lines showing where it's good to crop.  (Note: I think the two lines at the knees were erroneously swapped -- i.e., it should be green above the knees and red at the knees.)  Like all rules of composition, this isn't set in stone, but usually this is a pretty good one to follow.

For those interested, here's why I think this rule works.  My take is that cropping at the joints creates an ambiguity of how the person is posed just outside the frame, because the person can move at the joints.  So if you cut off the photo at the elbow, for instance, the viewer will have a hard time guessing the angle of the forearm that lies just outside the photo.  This puts a little bit of subconsciousstres... more »

2013-03-21 17:24:30 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Canon announced a quirky new camera, the SL1.  It's basically a shrunk-down T5i.  The result is a true APS-C DSLR with an EF/EF-S mount that's closer in size to the large Micro Four Thirds cameras like the Panasonic GH3 and the Olympus E-M5.  Because it still has a mirror inside, it's still thick compared to the mirrorless cameras, but in exchange you get an optical viewfinder.  What's more problematic is that there's only one truly small lens in the EF/EF-S lineup, and that's the 40mm/2.8 pancake, which is of limited usefulness on APS-C because its FOV is more like a 64mm lens, which is a tad too long for general use.  And I'm guessing that Canon probably can't make a normal pancake lens (e.g., around 22mm) with an EF/EF-S mount because of the flange distance.  I put together a size comparison on camerasize.com comparing the Olympus E-M5, Canon SL1, and Canon 6D, eachfitte... more »

2013-03-20 18:47:20 (20 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

I'm not sure how this happened.  Not that I'm complaining.

2013-03-18 00:19:25 (0 comments, 4 reshares, 9 +1s)

This is AMAZING.  That "rain" is 50000 Kelvin and several times the size of our entire planet.  Wow.  Just wow.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130226.html

2013-03-16 08:00:37 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

I wonder what percentage of one's life is now spent staring at an LCD.  Maybe I don't want to know.

http://cheezburger.com/7132806144

2013-03-14 07:14:11 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Sadly, I've interviewed more than a few candidates who have pulled JOBINTERVIEWQUICKSORT().  It's not pretty when that happens.  One even pulled a JOBINTERVIEWBUBBLESORT(), which was downright painful.

PANICSORT() is hilarious.  :D

http://xkcd.com/1185/

2013-03-12 23:27:25 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 14 +1s)

It happens.

http://www.channelate.com/2013/03/07/all-night/

2013-03-12 21:47:52 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 4 +1s)

Klutzy penguins FTCUTE!  Thank you, BBC!

Penguin Fail - Best Bloopers from Penguins Spy in the Huddle

2013-03-12 07:40:04 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

A pretty nice visualization of how wealth is distributed in America.  It'd be really interesting to see how this distribution curve has changed over the years.  Based on what I know of American history, my guess is that it used to be even more skewed back in the 1700's to 1800's (esp. with all the slaves having no wealth and then with the industrial robber barons), flattened out in the 1900's (income tax and social security), and is now tilting back towards the top again.

At one point in the video, there's a cute, tongue-in-cheek illustration of "socialism" where the wealth is distributed equally across all percentiles.  This reminded me of energy curves in physics, and perhaps it's not so bad to think of wealth distribution curves as sort of a potential energy curve for capital.  If the distribution is flat -- i.e., if everyone has the same amount of moneyno ... more »

2013-03-09 06:52:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Food allergies are becoming increasingly more common.  Hopefully research like this will help pave the way toward treating them more effectively.

2013-03-08 22:07:55 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 8 +1s)

Let's see if Whole Foods can help lead the market past the Monsanto lobby.  I'll certainly be voting with my wallet.

2013-03-08 14:18:45 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Wow.  This is pretty nutty.

2013-03-08 11:50:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Feel free to willfully split infinitives.  Don't fret if a preposition is what your sentence ends with.  And by all means begin a sentence with a conjunction.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Most-of-What-You-Think-You-Know-About-Grammar-is-Wrong-187940351.html

2013-03-08 10:27:01 (17 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

This is pretty cool.  It shows that Americans collectively tend to make more babies during the winter.  There are some interesting blips in there, too: for instance, I see spikes in late December (celebrating the first days of spring?) and February 14 (people inducing to have a Valentine's Day baby?), and sharp dropoffs around July 4th and Christmas (people doing what they can to avoid spending major holidays in the hospital?).  It'd be interesting to compare with birthday distributions in other countries.

http://thedailyviz.com/2012/05/12/how-common-is-your-birthday/

2013-03-06 18:59:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Avoid reduced-fat peanut butter -- apparently they reduce the fat by replacing it with corn starch and refined sugars, making it actually less healthy overall.  Yuck.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2013/03/05/dubious-products-on-supermarket-shelves