German tank problem Mathematical problem In the statistical theory of estimation, the German tank problem consists of estimating the maximum of a discrete uniform distribution from sampling without replacement. In simple terms, suppose there exists an unknown number of items which are sequentially numbered from 1 to N. The problem can be approached using either frequentist inference or Bayesian inference, leading to different results. The problem is named after its historical application by Allied forces in World War II to the estimation of the monthly rate of German tank production from very limited data. Suppositions[edit] The adversary is presumed to have manufactured a series of tanks marked with consecutive whole numbers, beginning with serial number 1. Example[edit] Assuming tanks are assigned sequential serial numbers starting with 1, suppose that four tanks are captured and that they have the serial numbers: 19, 40, 42 and 60. A Bayesian approach (using a uniform prior over the integers in ; the is . .
Information Awareness Office Total Information Awareness (TIA) was a program of the US Information Awareness Office. It was operated from February until May 2003, before being renamed as the Terrorism Information Awareness Program.[4][5] Based on the concept of predictive policing, TIA aimed to gather detailed information about individuals in order to anticipate and prevent crimes before they are committed.[6] As part of efforts to win the War on Terror, the program searched for all sorts of personal information in the hunt for terrorists around the globe.[7] According to Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), TIA was the "biggest surveillance program in the history of the United States".[8] The program was suspended in late 2003 by the United States Congress after media reports criticized the government for attempting to establish "Total Information Awareness" over all citizens.[9][10][11] History[edit] Early developments[edit] Congressional restrictions[edit] Mission[edit] 1. 2. 3. 4. Scope of surveillance[edit] Criticism[edit]
Quantum gas goes below absolute zero PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek/Thinkstock Temperature in a gas can reach below absolute zero thanks to a quirk of quantum physics. It may sound less likely than hell freezing over, but physicists have created an atomic gas with a sub-absolute-zero temperature for the first time1. Their technique opens the door to generating negative-Kelvin materials and new quantum devices, and it could even help to solve a cosmological mystery. Lord Kelvin defined the absolute temperature scale in the mid-1800s in such a way that nothing could be colder than absolute zero. Physicists later realized that the absolute temperature of a gas is related to the average energy of its particles. However, by the 1950s, physicists working with more exotic systems began to realise that this isn't always true: Technically, you read off the temperature of a system from a graph that plots the probabilities of its particles being found with certain energies.
Vtwin 90 degree motorcycle engine The Licked Hand The Licked Hand, known sometimes as The Doggy Lick,[1] is an urban legend popular among teenagers. Like many urban legends, it has several versions, most prominently a story told in Indiana.[2] Plot[edit] A young girl is home alone for the first time with only her dog for company. Listening to the radio, she hears of a serial killer (or mental patient) on the loose, so she locks all the doors and windows (in some versions, the basement window is jammed open so she just locks the basement door) and goes to bed, taking her dog to her room with her and letting it sleep under her bed. She wakes in the night and can hear a dripping sound coming from the bathroom. Other of the story variations feature a nearsighted old woman, the lack of a radio, the dog being skinned, or the dog's body being found in different areas of the house. Popular culture[edit] References[edit] Notes[edit] Sources[edit] Brunvand, Jan Harold. Further reading[edit] "Humans Can Lick Too" Scaryforkids.com
New Discovery Challenges Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Advancing Quantum Mechanics : Physics First Posted: Mar 04, 2013 09:39 AM EST Heisenberg’s famous Uncertainty Principle may not be as uncertain as once thought. Weak measurement: as light goes through a birefringent crystal the horizontally and vertically polarized components of light spread out in space, but an overlap between the two components remains when they emerge. In a “strong” measurement the two components would be fully separated. (Photo : Jonathan Leach) Heisenberg's famous Uncertainty Principle may not be as uncertain as once thought. Like Us on Facebook The findings, published in the journal Nature Photonics, used a direct measurement technique that was first developed in 2011 by scientists at the National Research Council, Canada. The Uncertainty Principle itself is used in quantum mechanics. The newest findings from researchers challenge this long-held belief, though. So how did they do it?
1930 Art Deco Henderson The motorcycling world loves a ‘barn find’—an old, obscure machine wheeled out of the woodwork for the first time. And this is one of the biggest revelations of recent months. It’s a 1930 Henderson that was customized before WW2 by a fellow called O. Ray Courtney and fitted with ‘streamliner’ bodywork. The art deco influence is obvious; legendary automotive designer Harley Earl could have drawn those curves. It’s all the more unusual because the mechanicals are hidden: even at the height of the Art Deco movement, most motorcycles were a triumph of form over function, with exposed cooling fins, brake drums and suspension springs. The bike is owned by collector Frank Westfall of Syracuse. Henderson was a Chicago brand and one of the American ‘Big Three’ (with Harley-Davidson and Indian) until the onset of the Great Depression.
The Hermitage (Hamilton, Ontario) The Hermitage was a large residence situated in Ancaster, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada which now exists as ruins and is part of The Hermitage and Gatehouse Museum maintained by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. The location is a popular destination for hikers and people interested in the paranormal. The Hermitage was originally built in 1830 by the Reverend George Sheed. The property is about two miles west of Ancaster, in the Dundas Valley. Otto Ives (1804-1835)[citation needed] [1] was the third land owner. He was an English officer who had fought in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. The ladies of the household spoke only Greek, and it is said that Black fell in love with the sister or niece. Although this story has become legend in Ancaster, and although Otto Ives owned the Hermitage in the 1830s, there is little other information from the time to substantiate the legend of the coachman and the niece's love affair.