VPS (VIKING POSITIONING SYSTEM) PART 2
MEDIEVAL VIKINGS sailed much of their known world, and even portions of that still unknown, with practical navigation. Yesterday, we learned from an article in The New York Times, April … Continue reading
VPS (VIKING POSITIONING SYSTEM) PART 1
FISH DO it, bees do it. Even medieval Vikings do it: namely, use polarized light to navigate. Navigation skills in the animal kingdom have been recognized for awhile. I just … Continue reading
SCIENTIFIC HUZZAHS!
THERE ARE times when I delight in celebrating multifold aspects of science. Here are three examples appearing in Science magazine, published weekly by the American Association for the Advancement of … Continue reading
BLOCKCHAINS AND CRYPTOCURRENCIES PART 2
DIGITAL CRYPTOCURRENCIES rely on blockchains for their bookkeeping. Yesterday, we discussed the basics of why cryptocurrencies may be shady, but blockchains aren’t inherently at fault. Today, we continue this theme … Continue reading
BLOCKCHAINS AND CRYPTOCURRENCIES PART 1
WHAT WITH Bitcoin in the news regularly these days, I believe it’s appropriate to separate this and other cryptocurrencies (there are scads!) from the related topic of blockchains. Today, we’ll … Continue reading
ADVANCED AUTOMOTIVE MATERIALS
THE VEHICLE Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy has worked with the Lightweight Materials National Laboratory Consortium in optimizing advanced automotive materials. The March 2018 issue of Tech … Continue reading
CHINESE TYPEWRITERS
THE CHINESE invented the world’s first movable-type printing press around 1040 A.D., yet practical Chinese typewriting had to wait until the late 20th-century and the computer era. Indeed, there has … Continue reading
ROLL OVER EVERY FEW WEEKS
I USED to believe that bears were the typical hibernators. However, “Squirrels With a Rainy Day Fund,” by Mitch Leslie, in AAAS Science magazine, March 2, 2018, encouraged a bit … Continue reading
QUANTUM AND AI TIDBITS PART 2
WHAT A challenging time for artificial intelligence! Quantum computers have proven their efficacy by running millions of test programs. Yet there are fundamental questions remaining about AI. Here are two. … Continue reading
QUANTUM AND AI TIDBITS PART 1
I AM fascinated by AI, artificial intelligence, and its potential capabilities enhanced by the hyper performance of quantum computers. Today and tomorrow, I offer several tidbits I’ve collected over the … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 