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Compound Eyes
Posted by Dr. Science on 11/05/2014
How would the world look if we had compound eyes?
———- from Leroy Souza of Wichita, KS
Like an episode from the TV series ‘Mod Squad.’ Link with his afro and his angry glare, Peggy with her miniskirts and vinyl boots. Lime green meets canary yellow. Hollywood’s idea of a hippie panhandling on Sunset Boulevard, with sitar music in the background. Yep, if that’s your idea of a groovy time, by all means, visit your local ophthalmologist and ask for the compound implant. You could have it done to just one eye if you’re unsure you’ll want to go whole hog on this irreversible ocular procedure.
Like an episode from the TV series ‘Mod Squad.’ Link with his afro and his angry glare, Peggy with her miniskirts and vinyl boots. Lime green meets canary yellow. Hollywood’s idea of a hippie panhandling on Sunset Boulevard, with sitar music in the background. Yep, if that’s your idea of a groovy time, by all means, visit your local ophthalmologist and ask for the compound implant. You could have it done to just one eye if you’re unsure you’ll want to go whole hog on this irreversible ocular procedure.Astroturf
Posted by Dr. Science on 11/03/2014
How did Hawaii get all that lush vegetation?
———- from Kevaughn Mattis of MarabellaTrinidad
It’s all Astroturf. Yes, Hawaii is the birthplace of artificial vegetation, plastic flowers, as well as the lava lamp. It its natural state, Hawaii is a volcanic wasteland, suitable only as a leper colony. Then, one enterprising missionary found another use for the green scum that ringed one of the island’s few freshwater ponds. After selling the patent to Du Pont, this enterprising member of a strict religious order became a notorious playboy, and was a permanent fixture at Waikiki beach until his death in a surfing accident in 1960. But getting back to Astroturf…it’s one of the three synthetic wonders of modern civilization, along with Saran Wrap and Velcro.
It’s all Astroturf. Yes, Hawaii is the birthplace of artificial vegetation, plastic flowers, as well as the lava lamp. It its natural state, Hawaii is a volcanic wasteland, suitable only as a leper colony. Then, one enterprising missionary found another use for the green scum that ringed one of the island’s few freshwater ponds. After selling the patent to Du Pont, this enterprising member of a strict religious order became a notorious playboy, and was a permanent fixture at Waikiki beach until his death in a surfing accident in 1960. But getting back to Astroturf…it’s one of the three synthetic wonders of modern civilization, along with Saran Wrap and Velcro.Post-It Memory
Posted by Dr. Science on 10/31/2014
If computers are so powerful, and so good at memory, how come everybody at my office has post it notes stuck on their computers?
———- from Aida Audeh of Mount Vernon, NY
Those are there to help the computer operator remember small things, like where he put his lunch, or what his name is. Working in front of a computer all day does a pretty good job of erasing volatile memory from the pre-frontal lobes. The post it notes keep the operator living and working in this time and space, while his actual brain is drifting somewhere back at the end of the last ice age. I’ve seen notes reading Remember to go home at night, or You own a dog. The little things, that make life almost worth living.
Those are there to help the computer operator remember small things, like where he put his lunch, or what his name is. Working in front of a computer all day does a pretty good job of erasing volatile memory from the pre-frontal lobes. The post it notes keep the operator living and working in this time and space, while his actual brain is drifting somewhere back at the end of the last ice age. I’ve seen notes reading Remember to go home at night, or You own a dog. The little things, that make life almost worth living.UNIX
Posted by Dr. Science on 10/29/2014
How come we never hear about UNIX anymore? What was it, anyway?
———- from John Kaplan of Milpitas, CA
UNIX was an easy-to-use language developed by unusually demented geeks who couldn’t read or write Fortran. First licensed by Radio Shack for use in their House Buddy computers, it allowed you to copy recipes onto 3 x 5 cards at the rate of one per hour. Eventually it was supplanted by Basic, and taught to chimpanzees who were able to write programs with an error rate approaching 50%. While not good, they fared better with Basic than UNIX, so the language was allowed to die a natural death. Today it’s only used in Albania and parts of Western Kamchatka.
UNIX was an easy-to-use language developed by unusually demented geeks who couldn’t read or write Fortran. First licensed by Radio Shack for use in their House Buddy computers, it allowed you to copy recipes onto 3 x 5 cards at the rate of one per hour. Eventually it was supplanted by Basic, and taught to chimpanzees who were able to write programs with an error rate approaching 50%. While not good, they fared better with Basic than UNIX, so the language was allowed to die a natural death. Today it’s only used in Albania and parts of Western Kamchatka.Computer Terms
Posted by Dr. Science on 10/27/2014
I’m confused by some computer terms. What does Bleeding Edge mean? How about Navigation Bar
———- from Brad Silverberg of Redmond, WA
As laptops continue to get thinner, eventually they approach razor sharpness, and that’s where the bleeding begins. Whether it’s the user’s legs, an unlucky passerby or the port quarters of a stewardess pulling one of those drink carts down the aisle of a crowded flight, someone’s going to sport a red badge of courage thanks to your need to be on technology’s cutting edge. A Navigation Bar is a bar frequented by sailors, most of whom care little about computing.
As laptops continue to get thinner, eventually they approach razor sharpness, and that’s where the bleeding begins. Whether it’s the user’s legs, an unlucky passerby or the port quarters of a stewardess pulling one of those drink carts down the aisle of a crowded flight, someone’s going to sport a red badge of courage thanks to your need to be on technology’s cutting edge. A Navigation Bar is a bar frequented by sailors, most of whom care little about computing.