Jumentum-SOC Ask the pendulum: personality predictors of ideomotor performance - PMC Playboy Interview: Steven Jobs (1985) by David Sheff Feb 1, 1985 If anyone can be said to represent the spirit of an entrepreneurial generation, the man to beat for now is the charismatic cofounder and chairman of Apple Computer, Inc., Steven Jobs. He transformed a small business begun in a garage in Los Altos, California, into a revolutionary billion-dollar company–one that joined the ranks of the Fortune 500 in just five years, faster than any other company in history. And what’s most galling about it is that the guy is only 29 years old. In a valley south of San Francisco already known for a concentration of electronics firms and youthful start-up companies, two friends who shared a penchant for mischief and electronics set out to create a small computer of their own. But to hear Jobs tell it, the money isn’t even half the story, especially since he does not spend it very lavishly‐‑and, indeed, claims to have very little time for social life. But more revealing was the scene after the party. Jobs: Young maniacs, I know.
Growing Spectacular Gem-Like Crystals From Rust And Simple Ingredients When we talk about crystals around here, we’re generally talking about the quartz variety used to make oscillators more stable, or perhaps ruby crystals used to make a laser. We hardly ever talk about homegrown crystals, though, and that’s a shame once you see how easy it is to make beautiful crystals from scratch. We’ve got to say that we’re impressed by the size and aesthetics of the potassium ferrioxalate crystals [Chase Lean] makes with this recipe, and Zelda fans will no doubt appreciate their resemblance to green rupees. The process starts with rust, or ferric oxide, which can either be purchased or made. The rest of the process happens more or less naturally, as crystals begin to form in the saturated solution. [Chase]’s crystal-growing efforts have shown up here before, when he turned humble table salt into beautiful cubic crystals.
A STUDY OF TAIJI PUSH-HANDS By Xiang Kairen People who practice Taijiquan all know that practicing the form is the "body" (ti), practicing push-hands is the "use" (yong). But are body and usage two different affairs? In order to answer this question, we must first clarify what is body: what is usage? I dare say that even among those who practice the thirteen postures assiduously, there are those who practice the form but cannot "get it" or who practice the usage but cannot grasp the usage. But this should not be a hardness that is forceful or stiff. If the opponent uses ward-off or press to attack and oppress me, I should use the defensive movements of roll-back and push to neutralize him. Scholars should not mistakenly believe that one is thus losing control. It is also said, "If pressured on the left, empty the left; if pressured on the right, empty the right." This is natural law. No matter whether one practices the form or push-hands, one should avoid straight advance or straight retreat.
The (Sodium Chloride) Crystal Method [Chase’s] post titled “How to Grow Sodium Chloride Crystals at Home” might as well be called “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Salt Crystals (but Were Afraid to Ask).” We aren’t sure what the purpose of having transparent NaCl crystals are, but we have to admit, they look awfully cool. Sodium chloride, of course, is just ordinary table salt. If the post were simply about growing random ugly crystals, we’d probably have passed over it. But these crystals — some of them pretty large — look like artisan pieces of glasswork. You probably have most of what you need. After the initial instructions, there is roughly half the post devoted to topics like the effect growth rate has on the crystal along with many pictures. If salt is too tame for you, try tin.
LongboatPrusa translations: Brazilian portuguese Longboat Prusa Release status: Working The Longboat Prusa, is a Prusa Mendel variant which uses LM8UU linear bearings on all axes. It has a 4mm aluminium heated print bed, Y axis carriage and X axis carriage. This is not the version shipped by thereprapstore in 2012! Bill of Materials Printed Plastics Smooth Rod 2x 410mm 8mm stainless steel round bar 2x 406mm 8mm stainless steel round bar 2x 350mm 8mm stainless steel round bar Threaded Rod 6x 370mm M8 Threaded rod 4X 294mm M8 Threaded rod 3x 440mm M8 Threaded rod 2x 210mm M8 Threaded rod 1x 50mm M8 Threaded rod 1x 20mm M8 Threaded rod Nuts, Bolts & Washers Belts 840mm x 5x T5 pitch timing belt 900mm x 5x T5 pitch timing belt Bearings 6x 608zz 1x 624zz bearing 12x LM8UU Liner Thick Sheet 1x 4mm aluminium heated print bed 100pxMedia:Longboat-Prusa-heated-print-bed.dxf 1x 4mm aluminium X-plate 200pxMedia:Longboat-Prusa-X-Plate.dxf 1x 4mm aluminium Y-plate 200pxMedia:Longboat-Prusa-Y-Plate.dxf Heated bed parts Steppers
Physics demonstrations: cloaking device? | Skulls in the Stars I’ve spent a lot of time on this blog talking about the optics of invisibility, both hypothetical and actual. Though a number of forms of invisibility have been considered in both science and fiction for over a hundred years, the study of the subject really exploded in 2006 with the publication of two theoretical papers introducing designs for “invisibility cloaks.” The principle behind one of these cloaks is illustrated below, taken from the original paper by Pendry, Schurig and Smith. The cloak guides light around the central region and sending it along its original path, like water flowing around a boulder in a stream. The device is passive; it “works its magic” by virtue of the materials it is built out of, and guides light around the hidden region by what amounts to refraction. It is fun to talk about the unusual implications of optical invisibility, but it is hard to show it! A finger placed behind the device is readily visible, but a finger placed within the cloak vanishes!
Holodesk prototype puts life in computers (w/ video) (PhysOrg.com) -- A research project at Microsoft Research Cambridge has brought forth a prototype called Holodesk, which lets you manipulate virtual objects with your hand. You literally "get your hands on" the virtual display. According to the official description from its creators, there is at work a "novel real-time algorithm for representing hands and other physical objects" allowing physically realistic interaction between real and virtual 3-D objects. Holodesk does its magic with the help of an optical see-through display plus Kinect camera. A Holodesk video shows the user looking down on a pane of glass at virtual but very realistic-looking balls and other shaped objects. Holodesk is one of the latest innovations within the Sensors and Devices Group (working with technologies such as sensors, flexible electronics, and novel displays)at Microsoft Research. Microsoft Research joins today's research hotbeds looking at enhancing interactive computing environments.
First ‘Time Crystal’ Built Using Google’s Quantum Computer In a preprint posted online Thursday night, researchers at Google in collaboration with physicists at Stanford, Princeton and other universities say that they have used Google’s quantum computer to demonstrate a genuine “time crystal.” In addition, a separate research group claimed earlier this month to have created a time crystal in a diamond. A novel phase of matter that physicists have strived to realize for many years, a time crystal is an object whose parts move in a regular, repeating cycle, sustaining this constant change without burning any energy. “The consequence is amazing: You evade the second law of thermodynamics,” said Roderich Moessner, director of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden, Germany, and a co-author on the Google paper. That’s the law that says disorder always increases. The time crystal is a new category of phases of matter, expanding the definition of what a phase is. “It’s a fantastic use of [Google’s] processor,” Nayak said.
Massively Parallel Computer Built From Single Layer of Molecules Modern computer chips handle data at the mind-blowing rate of some 10^13 bits per second. Neurons, by comparison, fire at a rate of around 100 times per second or so. And yet the brain outperforms the best computers in numerous tasks. One reason for this is way computations take place. In computers, calculations occur in strict pipelines, one at a time. In the brain, however, many calculations take place at once. Computer scientists are well aware of this difference and have tried in many ways to mimic the brain’s massively parallel capabilities. Today, Anirban Bandyopadhyay at National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan, unveil a promising new approach. This has an unusual property: it can exist in four different conducting states, depending on the location of trapped electrons around the ring. Place two DDQ molecules next to each other and it’s possible to make them connect. And that’s exactly what these guys have done. Clearly an intriguing prospect.
Inspired by dandelion seeds, these tiny battery-free sensor systems ride the wind This article was discussed in our Next Byte podcast. The full article will continue below. The idea of widely-deployed sensor networks, capable of providing vast amounts of useful data over a broad area, is an attractive one — but one which has two key issues to resolve: Powering the devices, and distributing them. A team of researchers at the University of Washington have come up with a potential solution to both problems, taking a leaf from nature to do so: Ultra-light devices, inspired by the dandelion seed, which distribute themselves on the wind and operate entirely through harvested solar energy without a battery in sight. “The way dandelion seed structures work is that they have a central point and these little bristles sticking out to slow down their fall,” explains lead author Vikram Iyer, assistant professor at the University of Washington, of the reason dandelion seeds were of interest. Another key aspect of the design: The ability to cut each with a varied morphology.